Best study guide bible for a christian?

Question

So I gave my bible to a homeless man who was standing on the street corner with a sign that read "good christian guy, needs help" and well I didnt even think about it but i pulled over and just handed him my bible, i didnt even realize i had done it until he teared up said thank you and I pulled away.... anyways though I am in need of a new bible... So I was wondering, I am a Christain, tho very liberal... but what is the best Study Guide bible I should look for, any sites and names of specific bibles? I know king James is a very good/popular Version, I would also like one with my named inscribed on the cover... any ideas of a certain form to look for or any good sites, This sounds really terrible but I do not have much money, and So I cant get a really expensive bible, though i'd love to have one... so Got any Ideas of a certain bible form to look up to purchase?

I dont understand why half of you are replying with the things you are replying with, i am just looking for a good version of a study guide bible, not advice... haha... please answer what i'm asking thank you for your prayers and such, but that doesnt help me find a good bible.... i need to buy one asap, i dont like not having one

Answer 1

Visit my sources here.

Answer 2

The best translation is the King James Version because the other translations lose alot of meaning when trying to use 'proper grammar', the King James allows you to note the 'thens' and 'therefores', which are very important in your studies, it also shows the repetition of words which are intended to stress the point being made...the other versions such as the NIV don't translate exactly because it's not good english to say the same word twice in a sentence, and so it loses the flow of what's being said. Also they choose words that don't have as much punch as the KJV. I plan on getting a parallel Bible which has both the KJV and the NIV so that I can read both versions in my studies. Christian Books.com has decent prices for this Bible. It also has the Thompson Chain Reference Bible, which makes studying on certain subjects so much easier...you can read about these Bibles on their site. I also suggest in future, as money allows, to get the Interlinear Bible which has the Greek, Hebrew and English, under and above the original languages are the strongs reference numbers for each word and the exact translation in English, beside the original translation is also the english version. You would also need the Strongs Complete Dictionary of Bible Words in order to look up the meaning of the original words. You'd be very surprised at what was actually being said or done in the Bible, because our english language is limited it lacks the full meaning of these words. The absolute best guide for studying the Bible is 'A Guide to the Gospels' by W. Graham Scroggie, originally published in 1948 and very hard to find, you can get this guide at Capstonebooks.com
I have ordered books from both, Christian Books and Capstone Books, and received them relatively quickly, concidering the distance they had to travel.

An example of words that have been toned down in our translations:
John 7:27 Then Jesus 'cried' in the Temple...", the word for cried, is 'krazo', which means, 'to scream, as a raven'. This shows that Jesus wasn't responding to them in an emotional state of sorrow...but ,while teaching, raised His voice to a shriek, so as to be heard, and that the words woud sink into them because of the tone used.
Mark 11:11 "And Jesus entered into Jerusalem and into the temple. And 'when He had looked around on' all things, the hour already being late, He went out to Bethany with the Twelve."
the word for 'He had looked around on', in the Greek is 'periblepsamenos' which means, to look all around the perimeter (peri) looking as an inspector taking everything in (blepo) this word also has the 'middle voice' which means that He is doing it for His own sake or purpose.
This tells us that when He entered Jerusalem and went to the Temple, He inspected everything...He saw the Temple itself, with all the elements in the Temple that, in type, told of His sacrificial act and the redemption of His people through that act of sacrifice...then He saw the money changers tables, the cages with the animals of sacrifice in them...these things inside the Temple, the House of God, in order to make it 'easier' for the people...all their worship had become a work, where they would say, 'oh I don't have time, so I'll just pick up a dove or whatever at the temple and give it to the Priest...that would be easiest for me because I just need to get this sacrifice business out of the way so I can get on with my daily affairs.'
Then He left the Temple and went to Bethany. In order to get to Bethany He had to cross the Kidron Valley, Kidron means 'mourning', He passed through that valley of mourning every evening and every morning during the passion week. When He returned to the Temple the next day, after His inspection of the previous night...He kicked butt.

Answer 3

Beware of those coming in the name of the Lord.

People try to explain and interpret with their mind and in so doing fall prey to it, and born out of it, religions and sects.

Luke 8:10
And He said, Unto you it is given to know the Mysteries of the Kingdom of God: but to others in parables; that seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not understand.

Matthew 13:15 For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.
(I love this verse - I love it :) - look at the wisdom, see beyond the words)


for:

2Thessalonians 2:13
But we are bound to give thanks always to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the Truth:

He has chosen us, we have chosen Him - Oneness

We become that which we already are. There is no chance, no confusion, lest we be nothing more than as reeds given up to the wind of fate.

There is One Teacher and He said:

Revelation 3:20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with Me.

You will know Truth if you are of Truth.

Answer 4

I refer an online bible
http://bible.crosswalk.com

It has all the versions you want to read with.

Happy reading with the help of Holy Spirit.

Please read here how God changed my life,
http://www.protectinghands.com/ladder_to_heaven.htm

Answer 5

I pray in the Name of Jesus that someone gives AAAAA a Bible Thank You Jesus.
I went in my room one day .I felt like dying.I said I cant take this.Jesus please forgive my sins .I am a sinner.Jesus I believe You are God's Son and You died on the cross for my sins.Come into my heart.And all of the sudden I felt peace and love come into my heart .It was so powerful I never believed anyone could love me like that.I said It's Jesus It's Jesus He saved me.I am going to go to heaven

Answer 6

i think it would be the NIV because it is considered to be next in line to the old king james version which is the most accurate...

Answer 7

OK, here's my "what bible should I pick" answer:

First, I'll assume that you are not a member of a sect that demands using the King James Version or any other particular version. (Unfortunately, most of these sects do not actually use the whole King James Version.)

At this stage you want to decide what your bible should contain. Do you want a bible that contains 1) all scripture or 2) a selection of scripture? Besides editions that contain all scripture, there are editions that contain only new testament books, others containing only books from the Hebrew bible, and still others (the majority) which exclude several books in a somewhat cavalier fashion.

I will assume that you intend to read the entire bible, or at least wish to have the entire bible at your disposal. In this case, you must obtain a bible that includes the Apocrypha. There are some sects teaching that the apocrypha is not inspired scripture, and if you are a member of one of these sects then simply avoid reading these books. There is no other reason for avoiding the so-called apocrypha and every reason to get a bible which includes them. Here is a more in-depth discussion about this topic: http://www.jimpettis.com/bibles/dc.htm .

In my conclusion I will consider two cases:
1) You want a "complete" bible (Complete)
2) You don't care if the apocrypha is included or not (Open)

The next stage is to decide if you want a bible merely for reading and learning the text of the bible itself, or if you intend to study scripture more deeply and intensely in order to gain a greater understanding and to help you interpret the scriptures accurately. This is the difference between a "standard" edition bible and a (scholarly) study bible. I will refer to this as "purpose" when I make recommendations below.

Finally, you need to decide whether you want a translation that offers 1) ease of reading 2) literalness of translation or 3) accuracy of translation. I separate these even though they are not *necessarily* mutually exclusive. Different versions *do* (must) follow primarily one of these three criteria, however, and so should you when you make a decision. I will refer to this as "style" when I make recommendations below.

A note about the King James Version: although excellent for its time, and including nearly the entire body of scripture, as well as marginal notes from the translators providing possible alternate translations (making it a passable study bible), the King James Version uses 400-year-old English, 400-year-old scholarship (read: they didn't know as much as scholars today), and texts that lacked the last 400 years of archaeological discoveries. By no means was the King James Version the first English version of the bible. It's main advantage today is that most people use some form of the King James Bible and it is often useful to use the same version as others in discussions of scripture.

Recommendations: you can look at a fairly thorough comparison of technical details of different versions here: http://www.jimpettis.com/bibles/chart.htm , but what follows are my recommendations.

Comparisons of "literalness" of translation can be found here: http://www.preceptaustin.org/tool_commentary.htm#obt and here: http://www.cs.indiana.edu/~port/teach/relg/bible.scale.html and here: http://www.zondervan.com/images/cms/Bibles/bible_transchrt_js.jpg . An important note: "literal" does *not* equate with "accurate". A translation that is more literal does *not* equate to a translation that is more accurate. Indeed, in *any* language translation, literal translation is likely to lead to significant failings in accuracy of translation.

Style: Translated for Ease of Reading
....Purpose: Reading (Ease of Reading is not a relevant style for a study bible purpose)
........Content: Complete
............CEV (Contemporary English Version) - may have difficulty finding a complete version in print http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FHoly-Bible-Deuterocanonicals-Apocrypha-Contemporary%2Fdp%2F1585160210%3Fie%3DUTF8%26qid%3D1187556958%26sr%3D11-1&tag=wwwjimpettico-20&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=9325 , but available as an e-book on CD http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FHoly-Bible%2Fdp%2F1585160059%3Fie%3DUTF8%26qid%3D1187556881%26sr%3D11-1&tag=wwwjimpettico-20&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=9325 . Second choice: NAB (New American Bible) - not as easy to read but still easy, translation accuracy may be slanted slightly by Roman Catholic bias.

Style: Translated for Ease of Reading
....Purpose: Reading
........Content: Open
............NIV (New International Version) - one of the easiest-to-read modern translations with higher marks for accuracy than most easy-to-read bibles

Style: Literalness of Translation
....Purpose: Study
........Content: Complete
............RSV (Revised Standard Version), New Oxford Annotated Bible - one of the most literal translations with some of the most scholarly study notes, though somewhat archaic language. 2nd choice: NET (New English Translation) - literalness uncertain but copious translator's notes help the reader achieve this goal. Deutero-canonicals incomplete.

Style: Literalness of Translation
....Purpose: Study
........Content: Open
............NASB (New American Standard Version), Scofield Study Bible - most literal modern translation, but study notes are for the most part independent of the translation. 2nd choice: RSV (Revised Standard Version), New Oxford Annotated Bible - not as literal as the NASB but more comprehensive and scholarly study notes.

Style: Literalness of Translation
....Purpose: Reading
........Content: Complete
............RSV (Revised Standard Version) - most literal complete version, but somewhat archaic language. Make certain to get a version that includes the Apocrypha. (All "Catholic" bibles include *most* of these books).

Style: Literalness of Translation
....Purpose: Reading
........Content: Open
............NASB (New American Standard Version) - most literal modern-text bible, high marks for accuracy

Style: Accuracy of Translation
....Purpose: Study
........Content: Complete
............NJB (New Jerusalem Bible), Regular Edition - copious study notes, word use demonstrates great concern for accuracy of translation, my favorite version, now hard to find. 2nd choice: NRSV (New Revised Standard Version), The New Oxford Annotated Bible with the Apocrypha, Augmented Third Edition - includes complete deutero-canonicals, excellent scholarly study notes on par with NJB, but translation suffers slightly from over-zealous use of "inclusive" language

Style: Accuracy of Translation
....Purpose: Study
........Content: Open
............Same as above. New Oxford Annotated available without the Apocrypha.

Style: Accuracy of Translation
....Purpose: Reading
........Content: Complete
............NJB (New Jerusalem Bible), Reader's Edition. 2nd choice: NET (New English Translation) - copious translator's notes may make this the most accurate translation, but requires study to absorb the translation; deutero-canonicals incomplete.

Style: Accuracy of Translation
....Purpose: Reading
........Content: Open
............NJB (New Jerusalem Bible), Reader's Edition. 2nd choice: NET (New English Translation). 3rd choice: NIV (New International Version) - highly regarded non-biased translation, not as careful as NJB but easier to read.


Recommendations for the true bible student (who doesn't know Greek or Hebrew):
1) Software including NASB, KJV, NRSV, NJB and NIV - I use Ellis (lacks NIV) but there is at least one other *affordable* (under $100) package providing this selection. Make certain a Strong's Concordance is also included.

2) NJB Regular Edition - get it if you can, don't settle for the Standard Edition. (My review here: http://www.jimpettis.com/bibles/njb.htm )

3) NASB - make certain to get the latest version. Get it in print if your software doesn't have it. Most literal translation.

4) The New Oxford Annotated Bible with the Apocrypha, Augmented Third Edition - NRSV translation demonstrates over-zealous use of inclusive language but the study notes are invaluable, perhaps better and less biased than NJB.

5) Oxford Authorized King James Version with Apocrypha - the complete books of the 1611 King James Version with printers errors removed and spelling modernized. No marginal notes.

6) KJV New Cambridge Paragraph Bible with the Apocrypha - the complete 1611 edition, *including* marginal notes, with modernized spelling. Probably more valuable than 5), but it's a tough call.

7) A good bible dictionary, such as HarperCollins Bible Dictionary. There are a few equally good alternatives.

Honorable mentions:

1) Tanakh, 1995 edition, by the Jewish Publication Society - scholarly translation of the Hebrew Bible by Jewish scholars, very highly regarded.

2) NWT (New World Translation), With References - a very literal bible with some excellent though incomplete study notes. Shows significant but infrequent Jehovah's Witness bias and is available only from the WatchTower Organization (Jehovah's Witnesses). Reading this with the awareness of the bias (which is mostly documented in the bible itself) can be quite worthwhile to a student of the bible.

I hope this helps.

Jim, http://www.jimpettis.com/wheel/