In Need Of A Bible

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NYGAL73

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Hi All

I am a non-practicing Catholic who has very recently returned to the Church(this past Saturday evening was my first Mass in many years).

I am trying to learn as much as I can about my faith, but am ashamed to say I don’t own a Catholic Bible. The only one we have in the house is a King James version someone picked up at a used book sale long ago.

Could someone please recommend a version that would not cost too much?..I am currently unemployed and money is a little tight right now.
 
I highly recommend that you purchase a Douay-Rheims Bible - the English translation of the Vulgate and the only version approved by the Church in Council, i.e. Council of Trent.

The New American Bible is used for the Mass readings and is posted on the USCCB website, but it is a fairly poor translation, in my opinion, at certain points. For example, psalm 23 in the NAB states, “Even when I walk through a dark valley…”. This is a very different connotation than the traditional phrasing in the Douay Rheims which refers to it as “the valley of the shadow of death”.

I recommend that you purchase a Douay-Rheims Bible. You can read it online too: drbo.org/

Here is a physical copy:

olrl.org/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=O&Product_Code=bBM-aBI&Category_Code=bBM

And, by the way, congratulations and welcome home to the One True Church of Jesus Christ, the Faith through which mankind is saved. 👍

Also, Catholics should not own copies of Protestant Bibles, the King James Version is one of the most popular Protestant bibles. Since it does not have all the books of the Bible and has very different wording in many of the books, these should not be read. In fact, Catholics should throw away protestant bibles. Here is a Church document on the matter:
(From the Catechism of Saint Pope Pius X)
32 Q: What should a Christian do who has been given a Bible by a Protestant or by an agent of the Protestants?
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A: A Christian to whom a Bible has been offered by a Protestant or an agent of the Protestants should reject it with disgust, because it is forbidden by the Church. If it was accepted by inadvertence, it must be burnt as soon as possible or handed in to the Parish Priest.
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33 Q: Why does the Church forbid Protestant Bibles?
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A: The Church forbids Protestant Bibles because, either they have been altered and contain errors, or not having her approbation and footnotes explaining the obscure meanings, they may be harmful to the Faith. It is for that same reason that the Church even forbids translations of the Holy Scriptures already approved by her which have been reprinted without the footnotes approved by her.
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👍 I second Matt’s advice,…Google “Douay-Rheims”.

See how inexpensive you can find one.

I just recently bought one after returning to the Church myself, and I love it dearly.
 
Firstly welcome back, that is great news for all of us here!! well done 🙂

I’d say check with your local Catholic bookstore as to what bible suits you and your budget. There are many to choose from, and written for different levels of eduction… language wise I mean 🙂

To quote Jeff Cavins who has a great program on Bible Studies called “The Great Adventure… A journey through the Bible”… (24 week course) “The best bible is the bible you READ”…

I personally bought the Ignatius Press RSV 2nd edition which I find to be excellent. I bought it because it was recommended by both Jeff Cavins and Scott Hahn and I believe Scott said it was the official text used in writing the Catachism… that was good enough for me…

It was a requirement of all participents of Jeff’s Bible Study course through my bible college to have a RSV copy also.

But end of the day… get a bible that feels good to you… easy to understand. Its no good to you if it just becomes a bookend on a bookshelf 🙂 🙂
 
Seminarian_Matt said:
For example, psalm 23 in the NAB states, “Even when I walk through a dark valley…”. This is a very different connotation than the traditional phrasing in the Douay Rheims which refers to it as “the valley of the shadow of death”.
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You’re KJV is showing, Matt! 😃 It’s “in the midst of the shadow of death” in the D-R.
 
Used book stores always have Bibles for just a couple of dollars apiece. E-bay is another place to find them really cheap.

I prefer the Revised Standard Version, Catholic Edition.

Welcome back home! 🙂
 
NYGAL73 said:
Hi All

I am a non-practicing Catholic who has very recently returned to the Church(this past Saturday evening was my first Mass in many years).

I am trying to learn as much as I can about my faith, but am ashamed to say I don’t own a Catholic Bible. The only one we have in the house is a King James version someone picked up at a used book sale long ago.

Could someone please recommend a version that would not cost too much?..I am currently unemployed and money is a little tight right now.
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welcome home!:extrahappy: :tiphat: i agree, the DRV is a good Bible to have:)
 
the lowest cost paperback bibles you will find are the NAB in several editions, try your parish, under $10 for some editions, and the Good News translation, Catholic version, from American Bible Society or other publishers, some as low as $6. The latter is not reliable as a study bible but is good general reading and devotional for a teen, someone who is at a lower reading level, English as a second language etc.

I know of no low-cost versions of either the Douay-Rheims or the RSV-CE, the least expensive would be about $22, up to $45

the NAB is the version approved for the lectionary in the US so should be your first choice. You can add to your bible library later. It is very readable for anyone who reads at a high school level.

since you have web access, start with the daily readings at usccb.org, the bishop’s website, which also has the entire bible in a searchable format. this is the best way to start a daily bible reading habit.

Welcome home!
 
At the college I attended, the Douay-Rheims was the standard text when we read the Bible. As a traditionally-minded Catholic, it is hard for me to admit this, but I find it difficult to understand this translation at times. It seems to have tried to stick too literally close to the Latin. I prefer the Knox version (only the NT is still in print) or the RSV Catholic Edition put out by Ignatius Press.
 
I’ve just bought a Douay-Rheims Bible from Amazon. It was expensive but it’ll be worth it in my opinion. Hopefully, it will last a life time and more.

Catholic Answers has an article that explains the different translations and it also advises the reader on which bible to buy according to their needs.

I recommend that you read this and go from there.
 
NYGAL73 said:
Hi All

I am a non-practicing Catholic who has very recently returned to the Church(this past Saturday evening was my first Mass in many years).

I am trying to learn as much as I can about my faith, but am ashamed to say I don’t own a Catholic Bible. The only one we have in the house is a King James version someone picked up at a used book sale long ago.

Could someone please recommend a version that would not cost too much?..I am currently unemployed and money is a little tight right now.
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Dear NYGAL73,

May God be with you!

Well, I found a site for Catechists. It’s catecheticsonline.com/homepage.php

Go to the “store”. They have the RSV 2nd Edition for Catholics in paperback for $15.00. I really like this bible because it doesn’t have commentary that for me is distracting. The font is a good size and very readable. I love it!

God bless you!
 
Methinks that one has to be careful when defining a “protestant” bible; whether they mean a partucular verison i.e. RSV, NRSV, KJV, etc. or versions without the deuterocanonical or “apocryphal” books.

Even Catholic versions of the NAB, Douay-Rheims and RSV will have passages that may differ slightly in meaning, depending who’s reading them.

I’d second those who recommended the NAB, because that’s in the Lectionary. If you can afford it later on, a parallel version is pretty cool to compare versions word-for-word.
 
Hi All

I am a non-practicing Catholic who has very recently returned to the church(this past Saturday evening was my first Mass in many years).

I am trying to learn as much as I can about my faith, but am ashamed to say that I don’t own a Catholic Bible. The only one we have in the house is a King James version someone picked up at used book sale long ago.

Could someone please recommend a version that would not cost too much?..I am currently unemployed and money is a little tight right now.
 
HI:
I have a ton of Catholic Bibles. And a couple of other books to help you along. Just send me your address and I will ship them tomorrow.
Your sister in Christ
Liz (LizaJane)🙂

PS. MY e-mail is (on her profile page. Click on her name and either PM her or e-mail her. Please do not post e-mail addresses on the public forums for the sake of your own privacy.)
 
NYGAL73 said:
Hi All

I am a non-practicing Catholic who has very recently returned to the Church(this past Saturday evening was my first Mass in many years)…
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I just wanted to give you a warm “WELCOME HOME”.
 
Seminarian_Matt said:
Also, Catholics should not own copies of Protestant Bibles, the King James Version is one of the most popular Protestant bibles. Since it does not have all the books of the Bible and has very different wording in many of the books, these should not be read. In fact, Catholics should throw away protestant bibles. Here is a Church document on the matter:
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See this thread from Ask an Apologist. It is unnecessary for a Catholic to throw out a Protestant Bible. A Catholic should have a Catholic Bible with all the books, but no Bibles need to be discarded. I have a KJV that has all the books (actually 2 of them). I own the 1611 edition and a KJV with Apocrypha (which also has 3 books that the Orthodox recognize but Catholics do not).
 
NYGAL73 said:
Hi All

I am a non-practicing Catholic who has very recently returned to the church(this past Saturday evening was my first Mass in many years).

I am trying to learn as much as I can about my faith, but am ashamed to say that I don’t own a Catholic Bible. The only one we have in the house is a King James version someone picked up at used book sale long ago.

Could someone please recommend a version that would not cost too much?..I am currently unemployed and money is a little tight right now.
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Welcome back !!

Hugs all round… 😃
 
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