Customer Reviews

The Listener's Bible - ESV (4 MP3 CDs)

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Max McLean's voice takes a little while to get used to. I'll be honest, at first it kind of annoyed me. But to have my favorite Bible version in audio makes up for any personal issues I may have with the reader's voice. In fact, after getting used to some of his mannerisms, I appreciate the way that he reads. He reads slowly, which I have read some others complain about. But the way that he reads allows the listener to contemplate and think about what is being heard. In my opinion, the reader is very effective.

In case you might be wondering how you will use this product, let me tell you how I use them. I have put the mp3-format audio files on my iPod and use them for half of my read-through-the-Bible program. I never want to have my only regular exposure to the Bible in audio form and not in written form. So I am always reading/listening from different portions of the Bible at the same time. The way I have it set up, I will read through the Bible at least once in a year and listen through the Bible at least once in a year. I listen while I walk or jog in the morning. If that doesn't give me enough time it is very easy to listen in the car as well. I love listening aloud with my wife because it gives us the opportunity to be exposed to the same scripture at the same time.

These are just suggestions which I hope are helpful. Do it however you like. I do strongly recommend, nevertheless, that you make an audio Bible of whatever your version-of-choice is (I commend the ESV to you for many reason, contact me if you'd like guidance in this) a regular part of your Bible reading time. Inform your conscience with the Word. Why listen to the radio and inform your worldview from a worldly view. Let's fight hard to have God's perspective shown to us in His Word our perspective. The only way that I know to do that is to be prayfully and humbly exposed to massive amounts of Scripture. This is one tool to help you in that regard. I hope this helps.
-Jacob Hantla

I recently purchased the Listener's Bible from Amazon.com. Max Mclean does a fantastic job reading through the Bible and really helping to make it come alive. Plus having an audio Bible makes it much easier to immerse yourself in the Scriptures ie. listening in the car etc.

However, I was a little dissapointed that Max didn't read the Bible with the same emotion and stage presence that he does in many of his live performances, otherwise I would have given it 5 stars. If you've never had the chance to hear Max live, you cand download some free examples on thelistenersbible.com.

This product is the MP3 version of The Listener's Bible. The 4 CD set contains the entire ESV Bible read by Max McLean in MP3 files that can be played on a computer or in an MP3-compatible CD player. The MP3 files are not copy protected, so you can download them to your computer (Mac or PC) and play them without having to load the CD's. If you don't have an MP3-compatible CD player and want to take the recordings with you, you can use your computer to burn the MP3 files to an audio disk that play like a regular music CD. Burn a test audio CD and try it in your device (i.e. car CD player) before investing in these MP3s.

Unlike the Audible.com version of this product which requires special software to play and contains cumbersome copy protection, these MP3 files can be played using Windows Media Player. While the Audible product does have book and chapter indexing, it is not compatible with all devices. The MP3 product allows a variety of devices to go directly to the book and chapter you want to hear. Chapter and verse indexing was available in Windows Media Player, on a portable MP3 boom box and on a Zen Micro MP3 player. The Audible.com product had indexing only on the PC and could not be played on the MP3 boom box at all.

McLean's voice may seem a bit melodramatic to some, but he's sufficiently animated to keep the reading interesting. His interpretation of the material aids in understanding. My wife had surgery after Christmas, so I got her this and she listened for hours while recuperating. I also know people that use them for devotional time while commuting. They're an excellent resource for anyone interested in studying the Bible.

I encourage you to purchase your own copy, even if you have a copy someone else has made for you. Purchasing a legal copy will encourage Fellowship for the Performing Arts to continue publishing this and other such valuable resources.

I received this as a Christmas gift and I have been extremely impressed with it. Max McLean did a great job with narration.

In both the Old and New Testament, one of the key ways that people learned the Bible was by having it read to them. This is a great way to "get into the Word, and get the Word into you." It is also a great way to use otherwise wasted "downtime" more productively, such as commuting to work.

Statistics indicate that fewer and fewer people really know the Bible. Studies indicate that even many professing evangelical Christians do not know much about the Bible. I think that it is significant that, of everything listed as part of our "spiritual armor" in Eph. 6, only "the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God" is an offensive weapon. Throughout the Bible, we are regularly instructed to study the Word of God regularly. This resource will help you do that, and it is definitly a great resource to have. I use it all the time and highly recommend it.

My one complaint was the background music, which is repetetive, obviously synthasized, and distracting. Otherwise a great resource that will help you learn the Bible better. I love the translation too - I had never heard the ESV before getting this, and I like it a lot.

I hope more people are catching on to the English Standard Version translation of the Bible (from Crossway). If you're trying to decide on the best translation for memorization, the ESV's accuracy and readability make it a top choice.

After I bought my new ESV (went all in ... got the ESV Thinline Bible, Premium Calfskin Leather, Cordovan, Red Letter Text), I ordered these superior-quality MP3s as a memory aid. I load up several books at a time on my little 1-Gig player and they sound incredible. The background music is at a low enough level to not be overly distracting (although I'd prefer a dry version with no music).

As others have said about Max McLean's vocalizations, they do take some getting used to. But this audio Bible is better than others I've heard, and I could listen to Max a lot longer than James Earl Jones or Charlton Heston. It's also currently the only ESV audio Bible out (CD or MP3). Definitely download the samples on the publisher's Web site first.

Yes you can now fit the entire Bible on a 4GB iPod if you happen to get this wonderfully presented CD set from Max McLean and it is worth every penny. The total file size is actually 2.01 GB (2,165,853,978 bytes). The files do need some tinkering (some batch file renaming is necessary) to get everything in order for the iPod (or whatever MP3 player) so that it runs from start to finish through every chapter break properly but in the end you will be able to listen to the entire Bible in the space of a few weeks (as opposed to hourly reading daily on a year bible reading plan) if you put your mind to it. This is also a great way to refresh oneself after reading a book of the bible or for casual listening. Max McLean has the best voice for it to date too (as if he is introducing or narrating a movie like the Ten Commandments or Jesus of Nazareth). If you are going to get an audio Bible this is the one to get.

I purchased the 'Listener's Bible-ESV by Max McLean' after trying a couple other free products downloaded from the internet. All I can say is "what a difference!". The others were just plain monotone, but Max makes listening easy and enjoyable...actually addictive.
I highly recommend this product to enhance your devotional life.
It's a great addition to any MP3 player. Requires about 2GB free space. Just copy into a folder on your computer and call it MP3Bible, or whatever, and download into your MP3 player. Select that folder from the playlist, and your ready to listen and enjoy any book of the Bible.

I bought this to listen on my ipod. It's one of the best thing I did to help my mind to be more saturated with and to meditate on the Word. With ESV as the most accurate and readable translation, Max McLean's calm and not so dramatic reading helps the listener to focus on the content rather than on the reading itself. Its background ambiance track is faint yet appropriately present that adds to the weight of the passages. For those who have not tried audio Bible, I highly recommend it as it is how most of the original audience of the Scripture heard, through oral reading.

"So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ."
- Romans 10:17 (ESV)

The Bible was meant to be heard as well as read. Until the advent of the printing press, most people's primary exposure to the Word came from having it read to them.

The Listener's Bible is an excellent way to "redeem the time". I listen to it while I work, drive, etc.

Max McLean's performance is excellent, and the ESV is the best possible translation available. I do not like the background music. It is annoying and not well composed or performed. However, I find my brain edits it out as I listen more and more.

The MP3 format makes it a breeze to transfer selections to an MP3 player.

Amazon pictures the set with a carry-case. Mine did not come with one. I inquired about it and Amazon simply sent me another set without investigating. The replacement set did not come with a carry-case either. Amazon should update the listing.

What can be said of Max McLean's reading of the Bible? Well, he's a better narrator than Stephen Johnston but that's not saying anything at all. Whereas Johnston reads the Holy Bible in monotone at lightspeed like a runaway teleprompter, McLean intones in this horrendous singsong inflection, aggravated by his heavy accent. "TherewasaMAN, sentfrom GAWD, whose name was...JOHN. Hecameasawitness, to bear witness, about...the LIGHT." You might make it through some of the of New Testament but there's no way you're getting through the Old Testament Prophets with McLean. If the letter of the law kills, so does McLean's voice.

I highly recommend the "Hear the Word" ESV version narrated by David Cochran Heath. Heath reads the Bible with both a natural inflection and rhythm. And best of all, Heath knows that "God" is not a four letter word. If you don't want to cringe through 70 plus hours of the Bible as read by someone who sounds like the John Moschitta, Jr. in that famous Fedex commercial or by Captain Kirk reading his log book, try David Cochran Heath's audiobook as a welcome alternative to McLean and Johnston.