Customer Reviews

The Essential Evangelical Parallel Bible: New King James Version · English Standard Version · New Living Translation · The Message (Bonded Leather, Black)

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I highly recommend The Essential Evangelical Parallel Bible. It is a simple 4 column (2 on the left page, 2 on the right) Bible that allows you to compare New the King James Version, English Standard Version, New Living Translation, The Message.

I use the ESV and have really been enjoying the NLT lately. Bill Mounce suggests using these two to get a fuller understanding of the original meaning of the Biblical authors. The ESV is good for Bible study because of its accuracy and closeness to the original words. The NLT is good because it is accurate, but also in today's language. The New King James is also easy to read and very accurate. I'm not sure of the accuracy of The Message, but look forward to reading some of it. It may be mostly good as a commentary. We'll see.

All in all, this Bible is an excellent addition to my library.

The Bible translations in this parallel Bible are generally well chosen. Most modern English translations of the New Testament are based on the critical text. NKJV is based on the Received Text. Inclusion of NKJV helps those who don't know the Greek see the differences between these two texts. ESV is a good, literal translation. It reads better than NASB. Inclusion of NASB would not be very useful since both NKJV and ESV are already included. NLT second edition is more accurate than the 1st edition. Therefore it is a good choice. The point of using a parallel Bible is to compare different TYPES of translations. So it is helpful to have both literal and more dynamic translations in a parallel Bible. The Message can be a good read sometimes. It is a paraphrase. Contrary to what is stated in a previous review, the translator did consult Hebrew and Greek texts. I presonally would like to have either Holman Christian Standard Bible or TNIV to replace the Message in this parallel Bible. HCSB is a very good translation, at places daring to differ from other modern translations. TNIV is a revision of NIV. Many people are turned off by its more inclusive language and it might not a good idea to use it as the sole translation for study purpose. But inclusion of it in a parallel Bible would not be as a big problem.

theres been a lot of ink spilled over the accuracy of the message, and everyone here is railing its inclusion in a parallel bible, but honestly, thats why i chose this bible to buy. while the message may not be entirely accurate and shouldnt be used to argue fine points of theological brilliance, it is very helpful for breaking down complex passages and giving the scriptures a much more easy read than the typical translation. I think that it is a valuable inclusion in this bible. if you think of it less as a comparitive tool and more like a 4 in 1 bible that lets you pull scripture to fit your audience or to simply help you to better understand then the message fits right in.

I really love this bible! It is so cool to be able to check a passage written in four translations, all on the same page!! I used to carry my traditional bible translation (NIV study) and The Message version around all the time to compare verses (I often find the Message speaks to me at a deeper level than other translations), and it was cumbersome. Now I just use this one bible most of the time, and use my old study bible occasionally. The book is well constructed, and the font size is not as small as I thought it would be. Parallel bibles are a great idea, and this is the best one I have found.

For anyone who is seriously hungry for the Word of God, this is a must have! Seeing the differences between the translations is extremely helpful and brings new depth to study!

It would be nice if these parallel bibles came in larger print, even an upgrade to a 9.5 would be such a blessing. Also it would be super if one could obtain the ESV and NLT in the parallel formate.

I love to compare bible versions and found that this one is excellent for comparing three nice translations and one rotten paraphrase side-by-side using only one book. It compares the New King James, English Standard Version, New Living Translation, and the Message. The first two are more literal translations are are great for study. The NLT is excellent for devotions, It is a joke to call the Message a paraphrase, let alone a bible. I would rather have the first three bible versions and leave a column blank for notes than have the Message. I think it detracts from what is otherwise a great study aid. With that being said, I believe it is worth it to have the three translations side-by-side for easy comparison without fumbling with three different books. The print is OK for a bible of this size. The hardbook edition I have seems durable enough. The pages are a little thin.

I appreciate the thoughness of having these parallel books together. It has complete texts, and thin paper. However, the thin paper makes reading difficult as the print from the opposite side shows through. It is a good reference, but not for lenghthy reading.

I LOVE this Bible!! I would have NEVER purchased the Message Bible in a million years! I ALWAYS read the New King James version of the Bible, as a matter of fact I probably have 20 different New King James versions. I really like reading the 4 different versions for each reference that my bible study book refers to. It would make for a VERY heavy bible, however, if I could change the print to just a little bit larger I would just jump for joy!!

I am using this for a class on the Bible at college and it has helped me so much! The professor prefers the NKJV but I find it very hard to read sometimes so I really enjoy being able to have 3 different translations right in front of me without having to go hunt down another Bible. It is a great Bible.