Today's Parallel Bible-PR-NIV/NASB/KJV/NLT

I won't rewrite what other reviewers have said about the text. Having all four excellent translations are wonderful. I consider the KJV a classic, which is sometimes more poetic to read than to actuall understand. Then we've got two of the best modern translations available today, the NIV and NASB, which are very similar to one another but each excel in certain areas. For example the NIV translation of the OT is superb, whilst the NASB translation of the NT is equally wonderful. That doesn't mean the NIV does a dodgy job at the NT or the NASB the OT, just these are the strengths of these two translations. Recommended by many in Bible school. Then we have the new contemporary wonder, the NLT, the New Living Translation. I love it. Actually the only thing that could be better than having the NLT would be having "The Message" translation instead. The contemporary language of the NLT is popular with lots of believers who need to hear and read the words in words that are common to them now, and I think that helps. Having these scriptures in a 4 column layout is wonderful because it brings new meaning to the texts. We can see what some passages are translated as in some translations and see various parts were translators had differing opinions or expressed concern about their chosen translation of word, which is usually footnoted. Seeing contemporary words explaining our popular belief of what some classic scripture meant is just as wonderful. I recommend this Bible to all my friends. The only thing that could make it better is if it was cross referenced and contained a concordance. But I'm also glad it doesn't contain that as well, as I started the bible is worth its weight in gold - and at 2861 pages, that's alot of weight. If you're considering a comparative bible, this is the one to get.

I found this bible to be just what many people are looking for; understanding. When comparing the 4 translations you can basically understand the text better. Very good choice.

This edition has complete translator's footnotes (as far as I can determine) for all four translations. Excellent format to compare all four translations.

Given the inevitable shortcomings of translating from one language to the next, a serious Bible reader needs to consult more than one version in order to get the clearest rendering. This parallel Bible includes a complete translation of 2 word-for-word literal translations (the KJV and NASB, based on slightly different original-manuscript traditions), today's best-selling thought-for-thought translation (the NIV), and the most scholarly, up-to-date, readable paraphrase on the market (the NLT). While only reading one translation, you have no way to know at what points modern translators might differ. But while reading two or more, differences are flagged, thus encouraging further study. I believe these are the four best translations to compare, if this is your goal.In case you're wondering, this review is based on a reasonably thorough study of the Bible's original languages which earned me a Master of Divinity degree from Talbot Theological Seminary (Biola University) in 1982.