The Narrated Bible: In Chronological Order

I've started reading The Narrated Bible this year. It is instantly readable and understandable! I will still keep my King James, NIV, Standard & revised standard, Living bible, and The Message bibles as well as my study bibles but now The Narrated Bible (NIV) is my best choice for young and old

This is a great reader's Bible (as opposed to a study Bible). First, it has all the readability advanatages of a 'dynamic equivalence' translation (it is the NIV).Second, it is, as the title suggests, arranged in the author's best estimate of chronological order. One can quibble with a few choices (like the positioning of Job), but, on balance, it is superb. The author always gives his rationale for positioning.Third, the author has eliminated duplicative material. For example, he does a wonderful job of combining the largely duplicative material in Numbers and Leviticus. But his best work is reserved for the life of Jesus in the Gospels. He has created a single account (again, arranged in his best estimate of chronological order) which includes all the material of each Gospel in an orderly presentation.Finally, it is well marked for daily Bible reading such as to accomplish the entire Bible in one year.All around, simply the best way to read the Bible through in a single year.

I've been a Bible teacher for 30 years, so I'm used to referring to different Bibles for doing studies. I have also read the Bible cover to cover numerous times and in various translations. Without question, the Narrated Bible (or its softcover cousin: the Daily Bible) is the best Bible I've seen for doing daily reading. This Bible puts the NIV text in chronological order, has commentary interspersed, removes duplicate passages, and provides indicators that let you do daily readings to read it through in a year. It's the best!

When reviewing this book, one must remember that it is not the NIV translation of the Bible that is being reviewed or the Holy Scriptures themselves. This review is purely based on the narrative that F. LaGard Smith has provided and the order in which the scripture is presented. I have read the KJV, the NLT, the NAS and the Amplified translations previously and I find that the "Narrated Bible" is by far the easiest to comprehend. The narrative commentary is brief but most helpful in giving a general overview of the scripture to follow. Is enlightens but never overwhelms. The sections in which Smith fills in gaps in the scripture (such as the intertestiment age) are very enlightening. The real strength of this book is in the ordering of the material. By grouping the material chronogocially the scriptures seem to flow and connect better than in the more traditional Bibles. Events that relate more clearer to the people involved and when they happens in relationship to other events and people make more sense.One could dispute the placement or order of some of the material (The scholars have not reached full consensus about the dates of many events),but Smith has done a very reasonable job of chronological organization. I would not suggest that this be the Bible that one carries to church each Sunday as following along in the service would require cross referencing the material (even though a cross reference is included in the book)or that this be the only Bible that you have. I would suggest that this would be an excellent Bible to read and study from if you wish to keep things in their proper historical perspective. It is an excellent addition to one's religious library and I would heartily recommend it.

A very excellent work which shows a tremendous amount of research. F. LaGard Smith has attempted and succeeded in accomplishing what the title says: to lay out the entire Bible chronologically. When the term "narrated" is used in the title it should not be miscontrued as his narration. His comments are kept to a mimimum and are highlighted as his. His perspective is clear. The Bible is capable of standing on its own to express itself historically. The only time he breaks with the historical narrative structural theme is when the purpose counteracts the historical narrative, i.e. the grouping of the religious, criminal, and civil laws of the Israelites. I did not feel I could agree on the placement of both Job and the Book of Galatians in the structure of the historical narrative but those are minor criticisms compared to the tremendous work that went into it. His choices for their inclusion at the points he chose are valid options among scholars and are not lightly discounted. I have read through the "Narrated Bible" at least four times and I am now on my fifth. The breakdown into daily readings provides an easy way to use it as a daily devotional tool. The indices include a chronology of significant events, a daily Bible Reading Schedule, and a cross reference index as well as a various assortment of maps. The text is from the New International Version. I wholeheartedly recommend the volume to anyone who enjoys daily Bible readings and a study of the scriptures in general.