BOOK REVIEW: Thomas Nelson offers new “Reader’s Bible” …

Not only are many people of the twenty-first century living “crazy busy” lives, that’s often complicated by a lot of clutter as well.

You can find clutter everywhere!

Even in your Bible.

Have you ever just wanted to sit and read your Bible, and then mediate on the Word of God, but find “just reading” the scriptures to be made a little difficult by all the material that clutters a study Bible? Engulfing the actual scripture can be interpreter’s notes, cross references, expository notes and articles, biographies, introductions, maps, and other extra-biblical material that demands focus to visually separate the actual scripture from all the other things stuffed into Bibles.

Simply put, it makes “just reading” your Bible an act of sorting the congestion.

Well, that’s changed with Thomas Nelson’s release of the NKJV (New King James Version) Deluxe Reader’s Bible, which makes sitting and reading your Bible an easier, pleasant experience, Thomas Nelson describes this new Bible edition like this:

“When Jesus spoke parables, when David composed songs, when Paul wrote letters, they did so to communicate God’s love for the world. That divine affection is written on every page of the Bible, offering hope to readers in times of joy and sorrow alike. With the NKJV Deluxe Reader’s Bible, you’ll get caught up in the story of Scripture as history, poetry, and prophecy come to life on pages designed for people who love a good book.”

Well, the Bible certainly is a “good book,” and this one is designed to be read like a book because it’s completely free of all clutter. This Bible is laid out in a single-column format like any other book, and contains only the NKJ version of the Bible, completely free of all clutter.

That’s right, there’s NO clutter in this Bible!

No notes, no references, no indexes, no concordance, no maps — nothing except for scripture laid out in paragraph style. There is a slight notation of where a chapter would usually begin by the addition of a space and a single number representing which chapter that would be. Missing is the numbering of every verse; instead, the content flows in paragraph forms, with only a small number to the side of the copy noting where every fifth verse would start. The publisher does include a table of contents, a brief preface, and two attached silk ribbon markers. Otherwise, this Bible really is a “reader’s” Bible!

That’s the interior, now a note about the exterior. This Bible comes as a “cloth over board” so it’s a hardback. I’m personally not fond of a hardback Bible, but considering this one is designed for reading like you would read a novel, the hardback makes sense. The cloth cover, however, is something I wonder about eventually wearing and tearing over time with heavy use. A cardboard sleeve (also cloth-covered like the Bible cover) is provided to store the Bible in, offering some protection for the cloth cover when not reading it. But I found the sleeve to be so tight it took some shaking and difficulty trying to get fingertips to pry the Bible out of the sleeve. Perhaps with use, the sleeve would loosen a little to make for easier removal of the Bible.

So that’s it!

The NKJV isn’t my personal preference regarding Bible versions, but if you like this version and would like to have a “clutter free” experience of reading the scriptures, then you may find the NKJV Deluxe Reader’s Bible a delight. Just be gentle with that cloth cover!

Scotty

I received this book free from the publisher in exchange for this review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”