I have a classical studies degree and I must say one of my favorite translations of the bible is the ESV. Not only is it a tight translation, but it also keeps much of the unique sentence structure and flow I so relish in the classical languages.I must admit that I was very very surprised with this book.
First off it was free so I expected nothing more than a bible that I would have to infinitely scroll through or search to find what I wanted. (However this in not the case) The book and chapter selection is nice and with a couple of clicks on the next page button you can easily get to where you want)
I was also surprised that the book includes footnote links to the measurements and other footnotes. What a great feature. (So if you are wondering how many feet in those cubits simply select the link and find out!)
All in all WAY more than I ever expected in a free book. I definitely did not expect to find such a wonderful version for free.
I would recommend it for anyone.
Regarding the Kindle version, the navigation is easy and straightforward, though not as sophisticated as the TNIV, which has navigation straight to each book, chapter, and verse.
The only complaint I have for both versions is that you can't tell what book you're in. I like to read the Bible from the beginning of the old and the beginning of the new testaments simultaneously. It's very easy to forget what book you're currently in, and there's no way to tell which one it is unless you page back to the beginning of the book and check. If you select "Go to beginning" on the menu, it takes you to the Table of Contents, not to the beginning of, say, Luke.
Since I wrote this review originally, though, I have found an excellent workaround for the above problem. I simply put a bookmark at the beginning of the book I'm reading, and then another one as I work my way through that book. Then, when I come back to say, a bookmark at chapter 10 of I Samuel and have no idea what I'm reading, just check the bookmarks page for a quick reminder.
That removes my last objection, and I up my review to 5 stars.
Buy The Holy Bible, English Standard Version [Kindle Edition] Now
I'm aware that other reviewers commented negatively on the navigation, but that must have been for a previous edition, because i feel that with this one, someone finally implemented navigation correctly for a Kindle Bible:1) Table of Contents allows you to jump to specific Bible book.
2) Links at the start of the book let you jump to specific chapter.
3) Book name printed next to chapter number allows you to easily find out where you are, when you're in a "random" verse inside the Bible... this is the most lacking feature in other Kindle Bibles.
4) When you are inside a book, the joystick/5-way controller lets you move between chapters.
5) When you are at the beginning of a book, the controller lets you move between Bible books.
6) And here's the clincher: special Index section, accessible via Kindle menu, lets you jump directly to any specific verse, if you know the standard book abbreviations (which are listed in the introduction). For example, to find John 3.16: hit menu, index, type jn[space]3[space]16[enter] and there you are.
Now to wait for other publishers to implement this quality of navigation...
While you wait, grab this one. Hey, right now it's even free!
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2013 UPDATE: i now have a Kindle Paperwhite. While this Bible still works fine on the new Kindle, the navigation features don't: there is no 5-way controller anymore to jump between chapters, and the index doesn't work without a keyboard. Bummer.
Read Best Reviews of The Holy Bible, English Standard Version [Kindle Edition] Here
The layout of this book makes any verse easy to find. I take it to church regularly and am able to go right to the verse being used in the sermon.I have compared it to other bibles and keep coming back to this.
Glad I downloaded it.
Want The Holy Bible, English Standard Version [Kindle Edition] Discount?
It depends on your goals for having a Bible on your Kindle2 as to whether you'll get the most value from this version. If you like the English Standard Version and just want to read it, you'll be satisfied. You can navigate to a particular book from the Table of Contents and then to its chapters easily. If, however, you want to navigate directly to a verse or are looking for a specific phrase, it's a challenge. Say you want to go directly to John 3:16 and type that into the search box. Doesn't work. Say you want to find a particular phrase; doesn't work either as it will deliver results for each word and if, for example, one of the words is God, you're going to get a zillion results making sorting through them all a lengthy process. I even tried searching for a particular phrase knowing which book it is in and starting the search when I was at that book's location, but the search mechanism scans the whole Bible anyway, so that didn't help.One of my desires for having the book on Kindle2 was to be able to search for a phrase that I remembered, but didn't remember the location or the context, and I'm disappointed that that doesn't work as I'd hoped. I wonder if there is a version that is indexed in that manner or if I'm just expecting too much of this technology.
