Month: September 2020

“Listen to me, all you in distant lands! Pay attention, you who are far away! The Lord called me before my birth; from within the womb he called me by name. He made my words of judgment as sharp as a sword. He has hidden me in the shadow of his hand. I am like a sharp arrow in his quiver.

He said to me, ‘You are my servant, Israel, and you will bring me glory.’ I replied, ‘But my work seems so useless! I have spent my strength for nothing and to no purpose. Yet I leave it all in the Lord’s hand; I will trust God for my reward.’ And now the Lord speaks—the one who formed me in my mother’s womb to be his servant, who commissioned me to bring Israel back to him.

The Lord has honored me, and my God has given me strength. He says, ‘You will do more than restore the people of Israel to me. I will make you a light to the Gentiles, and you will bring my salvation to the ends of the earth.’ The Lord, the Redeemer and Holy One of Israel, says to the one who is despised and rejected by the nations, to the one who is the servant of rulers: ‘Kings will stand at attention when you pass by. Princes will also bow low because of the Lord, the faithful one, the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you.'” Isaiah 49:1-7, NLT

Note from the Africa Study Bible

This passage described the time when the Jewish exiles were in a hopeless situation in Babylon. Their future seemed very dark with no hope of returning to their homeland. Isaiah prophesied that God would intervene in much the same way he did when he brought them out of Egypt. Once again they would return to their own land. Isaiah described a Servant through whom God would fulfil his promises to Israel (Isaiah 49:5). What is most striking in Isaiah’s prophecy is this Servant—Jesus—would not only restore Israel, but also the Gentiles (Isaiah 49:6). This was in fulfilment of God’s promise to Abraham that “all the families of the earth will be blessed through you” (Genesis 12:3).

In Christ, we see the love of God for all peoples and his plan to save people from all nations. Christ tells his followers to fulfil his plan by making disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:18). All Christians—not only missionaries or pastors or deacons—are part of bringing salvation to the nations.

God’s Servant gives freedom to the prisoners, brings light to people in darkness, restores all of God’s people, and restores all of God’s creation. We are called to be part of that effort. The world may seem hopeless, but the fact that Christians are in this broken world means that God is still at work. Let us regularly join with other Christians to pray for people of other nations who need physical and spiritual salvation.

Last month we introduced you to the new Filament Bible Collection (don’t worry if you missed it; we’ll cover it here too). We have so many great Bibles coming your way that we didn’t want you to miss any. A few came out earlier this summer and others are releasing later this fall, but here is a quick look at some amazing Bibles!

Daily Reading Bibles

The One Year Bible reading plan is the best-selling daily reading plan Bible. This fall we are releasing the next edition in our prayer-focused Bible series. In addition to the daily readings from the Old Testament, New Testament, Psalms, and Proverbs, The One Year Pray for Life Bible includes daily prayer prompts that invite you to get on your knees to pray for the sanctity of life from womb to tomb. We are thankful to Joni and Friends who helped us create this Bible at a time when it’s so desperately needed. We will also be releasing the One Year Bible daily reading variety in the ESV translation. See all our One Year Bibles.

The Daily Reader’s Bible offers a fresh way to read through the Bible in one year. Each day includes three readings that draw from a theme focusing on story, teaching, and wisdom. This thematic approach to devotional Bible reading helps the reader understand how all the genres of Scripture fit together to convey God’s truth. Learn more about the Daily Reader’s Bible.

Journaling Bibles

The most recent edition to our journaling Bibles is the Inspire PRAYER Bible. It joins the Inspire family which includes the #1 selling creative journaling Bible. Inspire PRAYER has even more space to create, 400 beautiful full- and partial-page Scripture line-art illustrations to color, 32 colorful and gorgeously designed see-through vellum pages featuring prayers, and 142 Inspired Prayer journaling prompts to inspire personalized prayer. Learn more about Inspire Prayer.

We listened! We have had many requests for this, and we are excited that this fall we will be releasing our beautiful Inspire Catholic Bible in a large print edition. Learn more

Our Inspire fans can’t get enough of these beautiful Bibles. This fall we also will be releasing the bestselling Inspire Praise Bible in a softcover.

The beloved Inspire Bible Large Print edition and the Thrive Creative Journaling Devotional Bible for Women have been released with beautiful new covers. Learn more about Thrive.

Learn more about the Inspire Bible Large Print.

The New Filament Bible Collection

The new Filament Bible Collection combines the best of print and digital. They feature comfortable reading Bibles in an easy-to-carry size. But there is so much more! Experience mind-blowing study, devotional, and video materials at your fingertips through the Filament Bible app. Learn more about the Filament Bible Collection.

The Epic Bible: God’s Story from Eden to Eternity

With illustrations by top DC and Marvel artists and adapted from the NLT translation, The Epic Bible will take readers on a stunning visual journey through the Bible from Genesis to Revelation. The cinematic storytelling will captivate teens, those new to the Bible or readers looking for a fresh approach to Bible reading. For more information on how comics put the KAPOW into Bible reading we’re hosting a free webinar featuring the creator of Kingstone Media, and artists from DC, Marvel, and other comics. Learn more

NLT Study Bible Large Print

Many people have asked and now we are able to offer the updated NLT Study Bible in large print. It will be releasing this fall. Learn more.

Bible Resources

The final volume in the Swindoll Living Insights New Testament Commentary Series, Matthew chapters 16–28 released earlier this year. For the first time, the series is now available for purchase as a complete set. Learn more.

This fall we are releasing the Daily Reader’s Bible. This Bible is a fresh way to read through the Bible in one year. There are no chapters and verses and the daily readings are grouped together by themes. We thought you would be interested to hear about this Bible from Blaine A. Smith, publisher for Bibles at Tyndale House Publishers.

by Blaine A. Smith, Bible Publisher, Tyndale House Publishers

Tyndale House Publishers started in 1962 as a small publishing company operating out of Dr. Kenneth and Margaret Taylor’s home in Wheaton Illinois. The only product in that humble beginning was entitled Living Letters – the epistles paraphrased by Dr. Taylor, primarily so that his ten children could better understand their nightly Bible readings.  Dr. Taylor was passionate about making the Bible accessible for all people.

That passion, beginning with the publication of Living Letters eventually led to the publication of The Living Bible in 1971.  This green padded hardcover paraphrase went on to be the best-selling book in the United States from 1973 through 1975!

Making the Bible accessible has been the clarion call for all Tyndale employees from the very beginning.  The Living Bible continues to sell today with now over 40 million copies in circulation!  The New Living Translation, a full translation of the Bible based on the work of over 90 Bible scholars has gone on to become the #3 Bible translation in the United States and has eclipsed The Living Bible in units sold since its introduction in 1996.

Now 58 years old, Tyndale House Publishers has become a leading Bible Publisher, not only in the United States, but around the world.  We are always seeking fresh ways to engage people with the life-changing message of God’s Word and to encourage them in their Bible reading.

In 2010, Doug Knox, Senior Vice-President and Group Publisher, met with Klaus Krogh. From that very first meeting the spark of creativity fanned into flame.  It was clear from the beginning that 2K/Denmark and Tyndale House Publishers shared a burning desire to make God’s Word accessible and to do so in a way that honored the Scriptures while forming the presentation to appeal to the modern reader.

This year that collaborative partnership will bring the Daily Readers Bible, in the New Living Translation, to the market in the English language.  When Klaus first presented the concept to Doug Knox and Tyndale’s Bible Publisher, Blaine Smith, it was quickly apparent that the creative minds at 2K/Denmark had developed something truly unique – something that could rival Tyndale’s One Year Bible which has easily been the best-selling daily reading Bible since the concept was introduced in the 1980’s.

Tyndale’s Bible Acquisitions Director, Dave Thornton, stated “Most Christians want to read the Bible but when they set out to do that two key problems stand in their way. When they attempt a beginning-to-end reading of the Bible, they often bog down after the first 100 pages. The stories of Genesis and Exodus are fascinating, but as they begin moving into Leviticus and Numbers these two things pop up. First, they struggle to understand what’s happening and what it means, and second they can find some of the long lists, or detailed archaic laws boring. As a result, any Bible that helps people understand by connecting the dots throughout the full story of Scripture, and that groups the passages in such a way that daily readings vary throughout the different genres and testaments is quite helpful.”

Both Tyndale and 2K/Denmark clearly understood these challenges that a great daily reading Bible needs to address.  Bibles have come and gone over the years, but one that could truly endure would have to be something very special indeed.  Klaus and Johs Krehberg-Jahr set out to provide a daily reading Bible with a 4-part goal: 1 – structure the readings so that each reading related thematically for each day; 2 – provide a clear distinction between the different literary types of the Bible; 3 – control the length of time required of the reader each day; and, 4 – include every word of scripture without repeating any for the entire 365-days!  Any one of these four goals on its own is a challenging task.  Incorporating all FOUR into the same Bible is, well shall we say impossible?  Or so we thought, when Klaus first described the project in 2017.

After a revisit to the drawing board, Klaus presented the concept in 2018 – the 2K team had pulled off the impossible!  The Daily Reader’s Bible features the full text of the Bible without repetition in 365 daily readings (The Stories of the Bible, The Teaching of the Bible, and the Wisdom of the Bible).  Each daily reading is uninterrupted by chapter numbers, verse numbers, section headings or textual notes.  The daily theme helps the reader understand how the different sections of the reading support and complete the other.  The innovative typesetting using 3-columns for the Stories section, 2-columns for the Teachings section and 1-column for the Wisdom section help the reader to clearly see transitions from one reading type to another and help the reader to develop a rhythm of daily reading. Each reading takes about 10-15 minutes per day. And here’s the bonus – 2K/Denmark’s type foundry developed fonts expressly designed for the challenges of Bible typesetting, resulting in imminently readable pages that encourage the reader to linger in God’s Word.  The structure of the readings and the use of red-letter for the words of Christ, give the reader the sense that Jesus is speaking into their lives in nearly every daily reading.

Thornton said “The new Daily Readers Bible presents a fascinating approach to Scripture reading that links key themes of Scripture throughout the different genres and presents these texts in a visually fresh 3-2-1 column style unlike any other Bible on the market. We’re excited to present this fresh and visually stunning approach to 365 important thematic readings that help Christians accomplish the important goal of completing their plan to read through the Bible in a year.”

Our good friends at 2K/Denmark have helped us take another step forward in Dr. Taylor’s mission to make the Bible accessible – after all, it is who they are – and this shared, uncommon passion makes for a great partnership.

Take a look inside the Daily Readers Bible

by Joni Eareckson Tada, from the Beyond Suffering Bible

This is what God wants—hearts burning with a passion for future things, on fire for Kingdom realities that are out of this world. God wants his people to be aflame with his hope and to have an outlook of pure joy that affects the way they live their lives. God wants each of us to be “like a city on a hilltop” (Matt 5:14) and “a lamp . . . placed on a stand” (Matt 5:15) so that everyone around us will be encouraged to look heavenward.

A perspective like this doesn’t happen without suffering. Affliction fuels the furnace of heaven-hearted hope. People whose lives are unscathed by affliction have a less energetic hope. Oh, they are glad to know they are going to heaven; for them, accepting Jesus was a buy-and-sell agreement. Once that’s taken care of, they feel they can get back to life as usual—dating and marrying, working and vacationing, spending and saving.

But suffering obliterates such preoccupation with earthly things. Suffering wakes us up from our spiritual slumber and turns our hearts toward the future, like a mother turning the face of her child, insisting, “Look this way!” Once heaven has our attention, earth’s pleasures begin to pale in comparison.

What has suffering taken away from you? Don’t allow your heart to dwell on such earthly disappointments. God permits suffering to draw our attention to heaven where that which was lost—and more—shall be restored. Suffering forces us to look forward to the day when God will close the curtain on all disease, death, sorrow, and pain (Rev 21:4). Until then, we have work to do!

Jesus says, “We must quickly carry out the tasks assigned us by the one who sent us. The night is coming, and then no one can work” ( John 9:4).

Learn more about the Beyond Suffering Bible

“Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers. But they delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night. They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do.” Psalm 1:1-3, NLT

Note from the New Believer’s Bible

Believers’ happiness or joy comes both from what they do and from what they don’t do. First, they don’t let ungodly people influence them. Psalm 1 says they do not “follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers” (Psalm 1:1). Instead, they do fill their hearts and minds with God’s Word: “They delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night” (Psalm 1:2).

Have you ever eaten your food so quickly that you could not enjoy or savor its taste? Reading God’s Word quickly is like inhaling your food. To truly understand the Bible, we need to slow down, read the passage more than once, and think about it. As we meditate on God’s Word, we will come to
know what is right and true. To meditate on Scripture means to ponder, consider, and “chew on” its great truths.

While it is excellent to read through the Bible, to study it, and to memorize it, the truth of God’s Word must also sink in. We must apply what we learn to our lives. It’s not the way we mark our Bibles that’s important, but the way our Bibles mark us. What we meditate on must affect the way we live.

When we meditate on God’s Word and apply its truths to our lives, we will experience the promise in Psalm 1 of living a spiritually fruitful life.

Learn more about New Believer’s Bible