REB Standard Text with Apocrypha Green Hardcover REBA140

By Anonymous

First published in 1989, the Revised English Bible is a complete revision of the New English Bible. Sponsored and approved by all the main Christian denominations, this translation is widely used... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0521509408
• ISBN13: 9780521509404
• Release Date: February 1997
• Publisher: Cambridge
• Length: 1264 Pages
• Weight: 1.90 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.8" x 1.5" x 5.8"

Customer Reviews

The Best Bible Translation All Around

I have been studying the Bible for 40 years, in the original languages as well as dozens of versions in English, French, German, and Spanish. The Revised English Bible, an updated version of the 1970 New English Bible ("Jehovah" became "Yahweh," for instance) is the best for all-around use, including personal study as well as reading in church. One example: In John 6:60, the disciples react to Jesus' teaching that he is the Bread of Life. "Skleros estin ho logos houtos. Tis dunatai autou akouein?" In the literal RSV translation: "This is a hard saying. Who can hear it?" The REB: "This is more than we can stomach! Why listen to such talk?" As a preacher and teacher, this version is a fantastic help to understanding and communicating the meaning of the text. I wish many more anglophones would use the REB. Why waste time with second-rate paraphrases when you can use the best?

A wonderful way to focus on the Word of God

Other reviews have discussed the translation quality and literary elegance of the REB - suffice it to say that it's the version I keep warming to after spending time with more literal translations like the NASB and ESV. I had an Oxford Study Bible/REB, but replaced it with this edition because I just wanted to read the Bible without the distractions of references, citations, study notes, stilted language, etc. Even translation quibbles fade into the background when you can simply focus and listen to the message of God's Word. This hardback edition is of very high quality. The overall layout and typesetting are outstanding. My first and continued response to this edition is that Cambridge has published a version that tangibly looks and feels like a work of great classic literature, more so than even the leather-bound editions. The binding appears to be sewn so that the book opens flat for easy reading. The font used (Swift) is set at a smaller 8/9 point size, but still very comfortable to read. The paper is thin, but has minimal bleed through from underlying pages - I have not tried a highlighter yet. There is slightly less than 1/2" margin on the outside of the text - it doesn't feel cramped on the page, but leaves little room for notes if you're so inclined. I heartily recommend this edition to anyone looking for a durable "text-only" Bible to use for personal reading and devotions.

Beautiful English Style

This Bible has a wonderful English style. It is one of the most important translations of this century and I wish more people were familiar with it. It reads so well, especially the great OT narratives and the NT. I quibble with it here and there, but it is a wonderful translation for devotional and public reading and study. Again, this is especially so in the NT. I like it so much I will get a leather one!!

Very Likely the Finest Contemporary Translation of the Bible

Combining outstanding scholarly integrity, accuracy, clarity, as well as a suberb English style which is vibrant, beautiful, and remarkably readable, the Revised English Bible is arguably the finest contemporary translation of the Scriptures. In passages evidently applying to both genders, the revisers have preferred a more inclusive gender reference (but without the more extensive linguistic adjustments adopted by the New Revised Standard Version). The Revised English Bible deserves a much wider use in North America, both for personal reading and in the churches.

The best Bible translation around

I have the Oxford/Cambridge edition of this Bible published in 1989. The format and text used is identical to the current version. I cannot recommend the REB enough. This translation has a fantastic literary style. The language used is both majestic and readable. I have several translations of the Bible, but this is the only translation that I have encountered where I was not constantly being reminded that I was reading a translation, rather than the original document. Along with classic Bible translations like the Authorized Version and the Douay-Rheims Version, the REB has the makings of a literary classic.