KJV, Amplified, Parallel Bible, Large Print, Hardcover, Red Letter Edition: Two Bible Versions Together for Study and Comparison Hardcover – Large Print, January 15, 2012

First of all, I received my order early and in my opinion, in better condition than the seller described. No wear that I noticed. No marks or highlights that I could see. I would definitely buy from this seller again. Thank you 😊

I'm reviewing this navy blue/moss green NIV+Message side-by-side Bible for binding/style & use only, and not necessarily as a commentary of the translations.My background: the primary Bibles I've used are a Zondervan NIV (1984) children's Bible when I was growing up which had pictures, a dictionary, timelines, tables and maps; a slim paperback TNIV from Urbana 06 through college and post-college years; and a NavPress's  The Message Remix: The Bible in Contemporary Language (Tan, Pocket-Size) , which I purchased in 2009. Having spent several years primarily reading the TNIV and Message, I decided that having to flip between two Bibles was getting a bit tedious and would look into getting a parallel or side-by-side Bible which had both the translations.Comments on this Bible...Translations: Includes the NIV 2011 translation in the left column of every page, and the Message paraphrase in the right column of every page - please note that there are differences between the NIV 1984 and 2011 versions, and Zondervan published other NIV/Message parallel Bibles in the past with the NIV 1984 version.Binding/style: This Bible has a great blue (faux?) leather cover with a green stripe and white contrast stitching and a complementary green ribbon bookmark. The cover is awesome - I love the blue/green and the styling is quite contemporary (for a picture, check the Zondervan website). I chose to purchase this Bible because it is significantly smaller than other parallel NIV/Message Bibles from Zondervan including the  NIV | The Message Parallel Study Bible, Personal Size , which I looked at in a store and ruled out because it is waaaay too heavy heavy for my tastes. I generally read separate commentaries and so didn't need the study notes from the Study Bible. The font in this Bible is super small, probably size 6 or 7, and it's comparable to the Message Compact that I use. The paper in the Bible is thinner than anything I've ever experienced, so if you're not careful, you can easily fold and tear or damage the pages. You actually have to take really good care in even flipping through the Bible since anything can wreck the pages (and there are even a few crumpled pages from production even when the Bible was brand new). The silver gilt edging on the pages really bugs me - it rubs off like crazy and gets all over your fingers, and it makes the pages stick together when the Bible is new, so trying to flip through the Bible without damaging the pages was tricky. I used to write and underline in my Bibles a lot, but I'm afraid to try with this Bible since the pages are so thin that I'd probably bleed ink through 5 pages with a single underline. I've taken to using Staples Stickies highlighting flags to tape over key verses. As a graphic designer, I don't care much for the traditional fonts and numbering in the Bible, and prefer the modern look and feel of the text in my Nav Press Message Remix Compact Bible. As for compactness, the Bible measures 5.5"x7.5"x1.75", so it's the size of a typical average-sized Bible.Use: What I do love about this Bible is to have both the NIV and Message on the same page, so you can go back and forth between the two versions. The versions are perfectly lined up, and you can quickly compare the differences without having to open two separate books. In the past, when I read the Message, I would always wonder how different it was from the NIV since the text is so contemporary that I wondered what the word-for-word translation was. As for the Bible's compactness, I wouldn't say that this Bible is truly "compact" as it is the same size as a typical Bible, but it's 2 Bibles in one so you do save some weight and space.I'd recommend this Bible to anyone who would like to have both the NIV and Message in front of them at all times. If you're new to the Message, and don't know if you'd like it, you can always get a separate Message Bible - I read the Message Remix 2.0 with book introductions from Peterson for several years (individual book introductions are not included in the parallel version I'm reviewing). This Bible contains only the bare-bones text and does not have any special features, like inline commentary, maps, timelines, a dictionary, etc., so it cuts down on pages. The words are tiny, so you might want to check out Zondervan's standard print parallel Bibles if you think that will be an issue for you. Overall, I'm pretty happy about the purchase (I pre-ordered it from Amazon for ~$41 and would not have considered the purchase if it was more than $50) and I love the blue/green cover (Zondervan sells a pink/magenta covered version of the same Bible as well). If you can deal with the tiny font, super-thin pages, silver-gilt edging that rubs off all the time and no added notes, it would be great for you; this Bible quickly became my daily reading Bible.

I ordered this edition because I wanted to be able to easily compare the New King James and the New International translations side by side. Although it's pricey, I am mostly pleased with it. The similar one with a brown cover is less expensive. I wish I'd seen that one before I ordered, or ordered a regular size rather than a compact edition. The font is smaller and less bold than I anticipated, but my older eyes can read it in strong light. The box states "small type" and it is. For the book's size and considering it contains two complete translations of the Bible, the print is OK if you are aware that it's small. The fuller description on another site says it has 7-pt type. The words of Christ are not in red. Also, it is not "leather bound" as amazon states; it's simulated leather, but very nice quality. It's supple and the open Bible lies flat, and it doesn't have a plastic look or feel. I actually like this cover material better than the stiffer bonded leather, and high quality leather covers are hard to find. It has a double column format, and except for the poetic books, the verses are usually shown in paragraph form rather than each verse starting on a new line. This saves a lot of space but makes the print appear more crowded. The NIV sections are the revised 2011 NIV version. I prefer the 1984 NIV for its greater accuracy of translation, but this has the newer NIV. It has a preface, a ribbon marker, and silver gilded edges but no presentation page or concordance. The dimensions are about 7.5 x 5.5 x 1.25", so it's very easy to carry. All in all, this is a good quality, attractive compact side by side Bible, but others of similar quality are available at a lower price. Also, amazon's description should be more accurate and more detailed.Re translations: I've looked at many comparisons of the most popular translations of the Bible recently, and the NKJV is said to be a slightly more accurate, word for word translation and a little higher reading level than the NIV. It retains much of the traditional beautiful style of the original KJV but in more contemporary English. The NIV is a more thought for thought translation using contemporary language, and is said to be a little easier to read and understand. Both are said to be good translations of the original texts, as are also the NASB and HCSB translations. The 1984 NIV has been the best-selling translation in the US in recent years.

Buen material , excelente biblia.

Awesome to have these 2 great translations side by side. Good quality binding and pages. Large print isn't what I would call large, but the bible would be 4 inches thick if it was really large.

Excellent value for the money. Solid binding, good sized text, opens easily to read but doesn't have a "memory" where it falls back open to that same place again. Zondervan has done it again, solid value at a great price.

Love this. Exactly what I was expecting. Pages are very thin though and you can see the print on one side through the other, that said, Im very pleased with purchase.

I would recommend this product to everyone. The print is not really large, but I can read it without my glasses. I love it and use it as my primary bible now.