Customer Reviews

Holy Bible: New American Standard Bible (NASB)

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I own two Kindle Bibles. This NASB and the Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV (Kindle Edition). My review of the NIV is found here http://www.amazon.com/review/R16QHECTE2AEBH/ref=cm_cr_rdp_perm where I commented on its very difficult navigation.

Because I use my Kindle mainly for quick reads or to look up a passage when I don't have my paper Bible on hand, speed of navigation is very important. Multiple people have noted they navigate to verses via the Table of Contents. The wonderful thing about this NASB Kindle version is you don't have to use the ToC. Unlike the NIV mentioned above, each chapter includes both the book name as well as the chapter number which allows you to conveniently search by book and chapter.

So if you wanted to find Isaiah 43:25 all you need to do is start typing with the keypad "Isaiah 43" click return and it will bring up your search results. The first result is usually the correct one so all you do is press the navigation nub down and you will go to Isaiah 43. Then just "Next Page" until you reach verse 25 and you'll get there much faster than navigating via the ToC.

There are a few caveats using this method:
1. Searching for the first chapter of a book doesn't work because the first chapter of each book only has the book name and not the chapter number. So your best bet is to search for the second chapter and then "Prev Page" to chapter one.

2. Search results for the gospel/epistles of John will return varying results as they share the same book name.

Also, there are no footnotes as you would find in a printed version of the NASB 1995. I would love to see those added. This version does include the italicized text for words not found in the original text.

I would also love to be able to type "Isaiah 43:25" and go straight to the verse. So because of the so-so navigation this receives 3 stars.

This review will simply address the mechanics of this version of the Holy Bible in regards to the Kindle. I will refrain from any comments regarding the nature of the translation, leaving that for those far more learned than myself.

I have downloaded several Kindle versions of the Holy Bible and have found this one to be the most well thought out in terms of Kindle navigation.

One of the few problems I have had with the Kindle is selecting specific lines of text with the cursor which moves up and down the right side of the reading pane. If the text is located in the center of the page (Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV Kindle Edition by International Bible Society), or worse, justified left (Holy Bible, King James Version KJV Kindle Edition by Olive Tree Bible Software), then it is sometimes difficult to line up the cursor with the book you wish to jump to.

This is the first edition I've had experience with that justifies the Table of Contents to the right, next to the cursor, so it is easy to select a particular line. I also really like the fact that after selecting a particular book, you are immediately taken to a sub menu listing the individual chapters, also justified right.

The verse numbers are set slightly above the text when you actually reach text for continued simplicity in navigation.

For me, this is the best set-up for Kindle versions of Holy Scripture and after a little practice, I have been able to look up verses faster than I am able to do with an actual book.

I specifically recommend this version for those looking for a "Kindle Friendly" version of the Holy Bible and especially to those who are looking for a NASB version.

They did a good job of formatting the bible for the Kindle. However, there are no cross references and it's quite a bit of work to jump from location to location (go to index, page to the desired book, page to the desired chapter, page to the desired verse). Not sure how they could have made it better but maybe take advantage of the keyboard.

The NASB is one of my favorite translations, and I was very happy to suddenly see this in the Amazon Kindle store. I won't bother discussing any of the text, since there are plenty of reviews anywhere, so this is just geared towards the NASB on my Kindle.

The major worry I had was navigation. There is a main table of contents, which is a selectable list of books. When you choose the book you to which you want to want to jump, a sub-TOC appears, with the chapters of that book. Just select your chapter and you are there. On the not-so-positive side, typing "book chapter:verse" does not appear to work, but that's fairly minor.

It would be nice if there was an eventual edition with a built-in concordance, but I might be stretching my wish-list with that last one.

I downloaded the updated version of this, with the Digital List price of $6.99 (actually paid $5.59), NOT the one with the digital list price of $2.99.

I was worried about finding a Bible that I could navigate easily on the Kindle, recognizing that the basic purpose of the Kindle doesn't really lend to using the Bible the way most of us use it. I've been wanting to have a copy of an NASB Bible, since both my Sunday School teacher and pastor have recommended it. Here's my thoughts on this version:

Kindle navigation: I can understand some of the frustrations others have voiced, but you do have to wait for the Kindle to index this as another reviewer mentioned. I tried it with the sample first, and it worked well. It's taking a while longer with the full version, but that's logical. However, even if it never indexes it completely, there is a built-in navigation that is faster than I can usually find anything in a hard-copy of the Bible. From the menu, the default option is "Go to." After choosing that, choose "Table of Contents." You can then choose the book, then the chapter you're looking for. You could also use bookmarks, but that may become complicated if you make a lot of them.

NASB version: So far, I like this version. Previously, I've used NKJV and NIV. As noted above, I wanted to try this version based on reliable recommendations. After using it just today for my first day of reading through the Bible in a year, I can already recognize some differences that in my opinion clarify some verses. For example, in Gen. 1:2, the NASB reads, "the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters" instead of "was hovering over the surface of the waters." It presents an images that I think is more consistent with the nature of God, and certainly does not detract. Also, in Matt 1:19, the NASB reads, "Joseph . . . planned to send her away secretly" rather than "send her away quietly." Those are the types of differences I am noticing. It is very easy to read without being so conversational that it loses meaning.

The NASB also puts certain words in italics that they have added to better clarify but that were not literally in the actual original text. This may sound alarming, but putting it in italics lets you see where there may be differences in version. And I haven't seen any of these yet that did anything but clarify.

With the Kindle version, I can go to the contents page, find the book, then chapter and page to the verse in just about the same time as a person using a physical Bible. Having the complete Bible in such a perfect sized unit makes Bible study in class easy (I can open a notebook and have the Kindle on the one side and take notes on the other side...all in a very reasonable amount of space).

Yes, I do wish there was some way of having the column notations in the Kindle version, but in my opinion the portability and ease of use are good enough to offset the loss of the column notes.

This Bible is nice in many ways, you can find a passage by just entering "Mathew 5" and in two setps you can go there. The find feature is nice too, but I wish the find results came back with chapter and verse references rather than location references. Location 30062 means nothing to me. Still, this is very easy to carry around and it is nice to use for reading!

Some books dont allow you to click on the table of contents but this one does which is great. You're able to navigate to any book new and old testement.

Holy Bible: New American Standard Bible (NASB) After searching you can't really identify where you are in the bible (what book?) Must scroll to the nearest book beginning

After doing some research I found this version of the Bible highly recommended by others.

I purchased it and also find it good since it has a nice index with a right justified Table of Contents for easy searching.

It is pretty cool carrying the book on my Kindle. Very Nice !!