Archive for January, 2012

“God’s people live and flourish only by believing and obeying his Word. Scripture is useful not by some mystical operation but through the very ordinary means of teaching, reproof, correction, and training in righteousness. By these means the Bible shows itself very profitable.” – Mike Bullmore, The Gospel and Scripture: How to Read the Bible

With the start of the new year many of you have some strategy for reading the Bible, whether through an established reading plan or on your own. We’ve compiled a list of 7 Crossway and ESV resources than can be helpful companions for your Bible reading this year.

Reader’s Bibles

1. ESV Single Column Legacy Bible. This is an ideal Bible for those wanting to read through Scripture at a steady pace. The text is laid out in a single column format, and section titles are placed in the margins, letting you move from passage to passage with minimal distractions. This is also a great edition for reading the Bible in its own context.

2. Literary Study Bible. Edited by Dr. Leland Ryken, this study edition is similar to the Single Column Legacy Bible in that the text is laid out in single column, paragraph format, with minimal distractions. The book introductions and interspersed study notes are designed to guide the user in a literary reading of the Bible. This is an excellent edition for reading through the Bible while taking special note of its literary features.

Devotional Books and Bibles

3. The One Year Bible^®. The popular One Year Bible is available in the ESV translation. In this edition the text is broken up into select readings that are then compiled for each day. Readers who follow along throughout the year will work through the entire Bible.

4. Oswald Chambers Devotional Bible. The full ESV text is accompanied by 365 devotional excerpts of works by Oswald Chambers. Readers can glean insight and spiritual wisdom from the famous Scottish pastor throughout the year.

5. For the Love of God (Vols. 1 & 2). Using a slightly modified version of the famous M’Cheyne reading plan, D. A. Carson provides devotional commentary for readings assigned to each day of the year. Following the M’Cheyne reading plan and using For the Love of God as companion volumes, readers will work through the New Testament and Psalms twice and the rest of the Bible once.

Digital Resources

6. ESVBible.org. Users can sign up for a free account and gain access to 12 different reading plans. Each plan includes links to the pertinent passages and tracks your progress through the year. In addition, the reading plans integrate with all of ESVBible.org’s other features, including highlights, notes, and for-purchase study modules.

7. Downloadable Reading Plans. The ESVBible.org reading plans are also available for download on esv.org. Users can subscribe to the reading plans by RSS feed, email, iCal calendars, or print them off.

There are also tons of reading plans available on sites like YouVersion.com, Biblegateway.com, and many others. For other ideas, be sure to check out our previous post on 2012 book and Bible reading plans from a few weeks ago, as well as Justin Taylor’s post on reading plans for the new year.

Whether you use an established reading plan or follow your own strategy for reading the Bible, we want to encourage you to make this a year of immersion in God’s Word!

The Single Column Legacy Bible has just arrived in the Crossway warehouse and is starting to ship. We’re excited about this new edition for at least four reasons.

1. It features a fresh, new design. Every once in a while it’s fun to try new things, and with the Single Column Legacy Bible we started from scratch. It’s based off the Renaissance ideal for a perfect page (HT Robert Bringhurst), which means there’s a precise layout of the text and the margins – what Renaissance thinkers considered perfect proportions. Below is an example of the interior. You can also download a pdf sample.

2. We aimed for a high standard of excellence in production. This is one of the finest-quality Bibles we publish. Because of the nature of this project, we wanted to use select production materials and processes. The paper, binding, and printer were all carefully selected to ensure the quality of this edition.

3. It’s our first Bible that uses line-matching. Line-matching is a process that aligns the text on both sides of a page, minimizing the see-through of text. If you look at your current Bible, chances are you’ll notice slight deviations in how the text was placed on each page. This is because Bible printing presses run the paper at incredibly fast speeds, and it’s very difficult to get the text printed exactly the same on each page. Line-matching is a process that solves the problem and leads to a more visually appealing, readable edition.

4. It’s designed specifically for undistracted reading. Because we wanted this to be an ideal “reader’s Bible,” we chose a single-column format and opted to not include cross-references, introductions, or other special features (although there are maps and a concordance in the back). We also placed the section titles in the margin instead of in-line with the text. The result is an edition where the reader can move smoothly from passage to passage without jumping around or being distracted by added textual divisions.

You can read more about the Single Column Legacy Bible on its product page. It’s available in four covers: two TruTones, a genuine leather, and a top grain leather. We hope you check it out and are pleased with the results!