ESV Daily Reading Bible: A Guided Journey through God's Word (TruTone, Brown) Imitation Leather – September 7, 2023

This is one of those items that far surpassed my expectations. The Bible is broken into readable pieces with short explanatory notes that are more accessible than normal Study Bibles.I usually use a combination of different Study Bibles, commentaries, and other resources when preparing a sermon. So I'm not a new believer or unfamiliar with the text. But when it's time for my personal reading time, I've found myself reaching for this Bible because I just enjoy how it's been organized and the concise notes feel like I'm talking to a friend and not deeply studying (which is what I normally do).I highly recommend this hidden gem of a Bible! I have given them to students to help them get into the Bible and the notes are written at a good reading level for all readers!I especially like the built in reading plan for this being 5 days a week. That gives you 2 days of grace to catch up if you miss a day, which happens to everyone. I also appreciate that you can do it as either a 1 year or a 2 year plan. If you do the 1 year, you basically just read two readings on each of the 5 days. It's simple and practical. I will usually read something else (Psalm or Proverb usually) on the other 2 days, nothing is stopping you from reading something every day! This just gives grace to those that miss a day without making them feel guilty or fallen behind. It helps alleviate the desire to give up, especially for those who have never read through the whole Bible before!I also like that the reading plan is not organized by any specific year or day of the year. This is not a 365, Jan-Dec plan. You can start this plan at any point in the year. Overall, this is an excellent daily reading Bible and for that use, it works incredibly well!

I love this Bible. I never realized until owning this how much the layout of a Bible can contribute to meaningful and consistent reading.The simplicity of the design keeps me from getting distracted/ confused while leaving plenty of room for notes.The questions and blanks at the end of every few chapters help me reflect on what I’m reading and help me remember where I left off in the narrative if I miss reading for a few days.Great for people who struggle to focus while reading and perfect for a first read through of God’s word.If I have one complaint it is that some of the questions are very specific, which makes it hard to locate the portion of scripture they are referring to in longer chapters. This becomes very apparent in some of the OT historical books like Kings and Chronicles. I would definitely purchase an updated version with better questions in the future. With the recent updated version of the ESV, there is great potential for a re-release of this Bible.

I like this Bible for two reasons. First, Gilbert's notes are not intrusive. Second, the single column format, lends itself well to giving as a gift. If folks are new to the Bible this one is easy to pick up and start with. No learning a 2 column format to get in the way. Solid translation as well.

First off, this Bible is gorgeous. The soft cover smells like real leather even though it's imitation, and the stitched edges and binding are beautiful.The translation is ESV (English Standard Version), which is a more literal translation with updated language.I'm not sure why other reviews say the reading plan is only in the back - it is not! Each of the 520 sections have a little box in the corner to start (possibly to use as a checkbox?), the chapters you'll be reading, an intro with valuable contextual info (historical and otherwise), the passage itself, a question, and a lined space to respond to the question. For 90 of the Old Testament passages, there is also a New Testament connection.The 520 sections are designed to be read one a weekday for a two-year plan, or two a weekday for a one-year plan. The weekends can be used for catching up or further study. But nothing is dated - even the plans in the back only group and number the weeks. You can start reading today and decide for yourself how you'd like to go through it. You can use the ribbon bookmark to keep place, color in the checkboxes, or respond to the questions as you go through it.Please be aware that this Bible's pages are very thin (like most Bibles). You'll want to choose a pen that won't bleed through or tear at the pages. The gold edges do cause some pages to stick together, as in most similar Bibles - you'll want to gently fan through the pages several times to loosen them.This is not a study Bible - the notes are few and short, mostly explaining names and other terms. Similarly, in the back there isn't much beyond the reading plan, just a table of weights and measures, and 15 maps.The text is pretty small (9pt) and is laid out in one column with wide margins. It's about the size of a large hardcover novel, and close to 2 inches thick.

Likes:- I like the SINGLE page format Just like every other book is made. No double-columns, which are off-putting. I truly believe that more people would read the Bible IF it was printed normally without columns.- The cover is flexible and durable. There should be no problem with wear & tear.- There are full- color maps in the back.- includes introductory notes and study questions.- Golden edges.Dislikes:- I wish the pages were just a bit thicker.