Get a Good Bible

This page will hopefully help you get you your own copy of the Bible.

Online Bibles:  (top)

Biblegateway is the official web presence of many translations.

Physical Bibles:  (top)

Bibles come in all shapes, sizes and colours, have various additional texts such as study notes, "Red letter", concordances, footnotes, maps, charts, book introductions, application tips, character biographies, reading schedules, Bible tabs, pictures and more. All this can be confusing.

The first thing you want to do is decide on a particular translation. For the average english-speaking individual of a mature reading age, I would recommend either the English Standard Version (ESV) or the New International Version (NIV), which are both scholarly and easy-to-read translations. There are many other versions available, for information on these, see here. But it may just be easier to use the "Bible Gateway" search engine (a link under the Bible search on the left of this page). Once there, type in a passage reference (Rom 8:31-39 for example) into the "passage" text box, and select "All" in the "Version" drop down menu. Press "Lookup" and that one passage will appear before you in a myriad of translations. Try to gauge from this which version is clearest to you, and stick with that.

As for extras, I'd recommend you get a study Bible in the version you have chosen, as this has helpful tips and explanations to help you understand what you're reading. Any other extras it throws in can be a bit of a bonus, but, to try and help I'll explain what all the extras listed above are: -

• Shapes & sizes: Some Bibles are meant to be carried around and so are smaller, or perhaps thinner, or both. These can get expensive because of the quality of paper that has to be used to get it so thin.
• Study notes: Basically, at the bottom of every page of the Bible you buy will be a section referring to the Biblical text on the page, which picks out problematic statements or words, and explains the meaning. It may also offer ideas for personal application.
• Red Letter: Red Letter editions have the words of Christ in red ink, rather than in the normal black. This is simply a device used to highlight the words of our Lord. In practice some people can't stand the red text, others don't mind it.
• Concordance: A concordance is a set of choice words listed in alphabetical order, that each have a list of Bible references where that word occurs. So you could look up "pledge" and find that it is mentioned in Deuteronomy 24:17 and 1 Peter 3:21. You could also look up "God" and get thousands of references!
• Footnotes: Footnotes I'm pretty sure are standard to all versions of the Bible and are used to explain translational difficulties, offer possible other translations of a particular statement, or point out that the verse you were reading is also quoted (or is quoted from) somewhere else in the Bible.
• Maps: Most study Bibles would offer maps, and they basically show the areas where the events in the Bible took place, like the ministry of Jesus, and the journeys of Paul.
• Charts: Again, most study Bibles offer charts as well, and these cover timelines, chronologies, listings of things like the miracles of Jesus etc.
• Book introductions: These give an introduction to each of the Books of the Bible, including date of authorship, author, place of writing, reason for writing, content of the Book etc. These are also standard in Study Bibles.
• Application tips: In the Bibles I've seen with application tips, a graphic will appear in the margin of the page you are reading at appropriate places pointing out ways in which you could apply what you're reading to better serve God.
• Character biographies: There are many interesting characters in the Bible, and these are frequently referred to in other parts of the Bible (which you may have not yet read). So at appropriate places throughout the Bible (in a margin or a special box) a character referred to is given a quick biography, explaining any relevant points.
• Reading schedules: some Bibles are meant to be read along a particular schedule, these are called "Devotional Bibles". The basic idea is that you read a certain amount of the Bible each day, so the Bibles are set out accordingly. (I offer a reading plan here).
• Bible tabs/indents: These are either indentations in the pages themselves, or tabs that stick out the side that make it easier for you to find the Book of the Bible you are searching for. To be honest I'm not a big fan of these myself (I get confused looking at all the Book names in front of me and can't find the appropriate tab!), but I think it is a very good idea for those not used to the layout of the Bible - I've had a number of years to get used to the layout!
• Pictures: Usually only children's Bibles have pictures (unless you count maps).

All good bookstores have the major (NIV, ESV, NRSV, KJV etc) translations, with a limited selection. Your best bet would be Christian bookstores, and either lookup the telephone directory to find your nearest store, or search similarly on the web. If in Australia, there's The Word Bookstore or Koorong Bookstore with a big selection on and offline. Amazon.com also offers Bibles.

May God bless you in your search for, and reading of, His Word.