I have a great new bible that my Cuzz and his friends put together. This will be the version I quote from and use in my studies. Its called The Net Bible and there is an online version also at bible.org
[Bible.org? How are we supposed to remember that?]I have been searching for a decent translation for years since i ditched my tattered NIV Thomson back in USA. I never connected with Eugene’s bible (not literal enough) and didnt want to go back to NASB. But now that my Cuzz has put out his version, I am a happy man and have a bible that i can be proud of. And quote freely without fear of publishers hassling me. Here is the skinny from their site:
Actually, he is not exactly my Cuzz. Dan Wallace married my wife’s cousin,Patti. That makes him a close relative but not exactly a cousin. Still, its close enough. Dan and Patti came through Prague a few years ago when Dan was chasing down rare Greek manuscripts in Europe like Indiana Jones [read the blog post] Dan is a really smart fellow – really smart – and teaches Greek at Dallas Theological Seminary. And puts out a kick-ass bible!
Hey Cuzz – thanks for the Bible!!!!You can quote me on your web site:
"A Kick-Ass Bible"(italics ours) Andrew Jones, blogger, extreme Bible reader, distant cousin of Co-editor, former NIV reader.
a guy from bible.org was just in last week at the credit union i work for here in dallas. great guy. we got to talking about bible.org and it turns out that, not only is the NETbible free, but they also offer 2 years of seminary classes (minus greek and hebrew, phew!) with video and materials all online FREE OF CHARGE. fantastic. i’ll be pluggin in.
“Kick-ass seminary tools!” Justin Nygren, non-seminarian, avid reader, and proud new daddy who still appreciates The Message
I love the NET, and love the transperancy with which the translation was done.
for anyone interested, we’re doing an open-source podcast of the NET over at http://www.thebiblepodcast.org – open to anyone who wants to read a chapter.
A friend shared the net Bible with me a few years ago and it absolutely saved my “tail” on a paper I was doing for my Hebrew Poetry class on Psalm 22. So I guess the “kick ass” Bible actually saved mine. I really should have a link to Bible.org on my blog. The NET Bible is by far my favorite Bible study tool.
Trying to close that tag
This looks really cool, but their copyright statement is far from perfect. The lack of ability to remix the information into new formats really limits the usefulness of the translation. At least for me. I would really like to see them generate a version of the translation in OSIS[1] format (OSIS is a XML Schema). There are a lot of different programs that can all convert OSIS formated texts into all sorts of useful formats and programs.
OSIS includes ways to describe all the notes, formating, versification, graphics, and all those other things that make a bible really useful.
I use a program called gnome-sword on linux that makes use of the sword project[2] which has created cross-platform, multi-lingual, software libraries so that you can find high quality, free (as in freedom), software for any platform you can think of. It also allows me to keep a personal commentary, and allows me to export and publish it later (all in OSIS format as well).
Oh Lazyweb … anyone know if someone has already marked up the NET bible in OSIS and if the bible.org folks have given their permission to the redistribution of an OSIS formatted file?
Nate
1: http://www.bibletechnologies.net/
2: http://www.crosswire.org/sword/index.jsp
bold tag … it looks like there is a missing “/” in the first comment.
I had the privilege of studying under Dr. Wallace and coached his son. Since the first beta version I got a copy of when I was still studying in Dallas I’ve continually turned to it for study and encouragement. A great mand and a fantastic translation. I was cracking up when I saw his picture on your site which I peruse often. A small world indeed!
my version is the second beta.
hey nate – thanks for your thoughts on remixing. very pertinent.
email this morning from a lady named Linda:
“This was my first visit to your website, which was recommended to me by an acquaintance of mine. So five minutes ago, I checked it out, got as far as “kick-ass bible”, and got a sinking feeling in my stomach. There’s more than just cultural differences between you and me, if that crude description of holy scripture is okay with you. I’m not sure what you and your “cuzz” are peddling, but it’s not the gospel of Jesus Christ. ”
Ahhhh thanks Linda. I dont think my Cuzz would use the word Kick-Ass, but I certainly do, especially in regards to this kick-ass Bible which totally kicks ass!!!
Thanks for your thoughts!
What a great project, but ditto on Nate’s call for greater flexibility in formats. Why not a PDF version as well, and a less expensive print version? Why only $50+ leatherbounds? Hardback and paperback coming soon I hope?