Top 10 Hardcover Holy Bible Books Most Popular To Read Offline

Below is the list of the top ten Holy Bibles by sales (real books with ink and paper, not online digital versions).

1.) The NIV (1978-1984) was freshly translated by 115 evangelical scholars, directly from the Greek and Hebrew manuscripts. The primary concern was for accuracy and clarity, with a natural English style. This balance between accuracy and readability has made it the most widely used English version today, and it is considered by many churches and seminaries to be the default modern bible translation. Online version.

2.) The King James Version (1611) was translated in the contemporary language of the time to unite the English speaking church. It is considered a masterpiece and was long the most popular version of the Bible, surpassed by the NIV in 1988. Although many phrases are now archaic and hard to understand, its historical continuity, tradition and beauty make it still the favorite of many traditionalists. Online version.

3.) The Living Bible (1971), Ken Taylor’s landmark paraphrase of the ASV, which he wrote to make the Bible more understandable to his children. Since he was not a scholar, the original was widely loved for its simplicity, but criticized for many doctrinal inaccuracies. The NLT (1996) was rewritten by 90 scholars from different backgrounds to fix most of these problems while staying true to Taylor’s gift for everyday speech. This version recently surpassed the NKJV as the third most popular version in the U.S.

4.) The goal of the NKJV (1979) was to make the KJV more readable by replacing outdated wording such thee, thou, and thine with modern equivalents, while staying as true to the KJV as possible. The result is a half-way point between modern language readability and the strong tradition and phrases of the well-known KJV. Online version.

5.) The ESV (2001) is an update of the Revised Standard Version (1952) which was an excellent modern translation that was criticized for its non-traditional interpretation of the Old Testament. The ESV fixes those issues, while capitalizing on the strengths of the often forgotten RSV. Some consider it to be more literal than the NIV, while remaining more readable than the ultra-accurate NASB or NKJV. Although not as popular as the NIV, it is still a superior update than the previous NRSV (1990). Online version.

6.) The CEB (2010) is a new translation published by more liberal leaning mainline denominations. It includes apocryphal books not included in most Bibles, and attempts to make the Bible more culturally reflective and politically correct. In so doing, however, it sacrifices accuracy to the text and some of the more important aspects of the gospel (Jesus' title "Son of Man" is now "Human One"). In short, there are better contemporary versions.

7.) The RVR (1960) is a popular update to the original Reina-Valera Spanish translation published in 1569. It is roughly equivilant to the Revised Standard Version in English, and is the default bible translation of most evangelical Spanish speaking churches in the world. It has grown to number 7 in popularity the U.S. due to the increasing hispanic population and its faithfulness to the traditional Spanish.

8.) The HCSB (2004) is an excellent original language translation with the unique characteristic of using the proper names of God (Yahweh) in place of the English equivalents. Having been translated almost entirely by scholars with a Southern Baptist background, it has a tendency to translate verses about spiritual gifts with a non-Pentecostal perspective. Online version.

9.) The NIrV (1994) is a scholarly simplification of the popular NIV. It was specifically designed to help young children and new readers understand the Bible for themselves and create an easy stepping-stone from a children’s Bible to an adult Bible. While not childish, it uses simple, short words and sentences. It may also be helpful to those with reading disabilities or speaking English as a second language. Online version.

10.) The NASB (1971) is an update of the original American Standard Version (1901) with the goal of creating the most accurate word-for-word translation available in English. It is highly respected by scholars and is excellent for study and reference, without having to go to the original Greek or Hebrew. Some, however, find the resulting English to be too choppy and awkward for devotional or public reading. It was update again in 1995 (NASU), with minor refinements and improvements. Online version.