Reddit reviews The HarperCollins Study Bible: Fully Revised & Updated

The most colloquial popular translation is called The Message.

> ^(14) God said to Moses, “I-AM-WHO-I-AM. Tell the People of Israel, ‘I-AM sent me to you.’”

> ^(15) God continued with Moses: “This is what you’re to say to the Israelites: ‘God, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob sent me to you.’ This has always been my name, and this is how I always will be known.

> ^(16-17) “Now be on your way. Gather the leaders of Israel. Tell them, ‘God, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, appeared to me, saying, “I’ve looked into what’s being done to you in Egypt, and I’ve determined to get you out of the affliction of Egypt and take you to the land of the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite, a land brimming over with milk and honey.”’

> ^(18) “Believe me, they will listen to you. Then you and the leaders of Israel will go to the king of Egypt and say to him: ‘God, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us. Let us take a three-day journey into the wilderness where we will worship God—our God.’

> ^(19-22) “I know that the king of Egypt won’t let you go unless forced to, so I’ll intervene and hit Egypt where it hurts—oh, my miracles will send them reeling!—after which they’ll be glad to send you off. I’ll see to it that this people get a hearty send-off by the Egyptians—when you leave, you won’t leave empty-handed! Each woman will ask her neighbor and any guests in her house for objects of silver and gold, for jewelry and extra clothes; you’ll put them on your sons and daughters. Oh, you’ll clean the Egyptians out!”

If you're looking for something closer to "translation" than "paraphrase," my main recommendation is the New American Bible or the New Revised Standard Version.

I like the Harpercollins Study Bible. The translation is the NRSV, which I like, and the commentary and notes run the gamut of Christian tradition.

I recommend the NRSV. It’s the translation that most bible scholars use and I think it’s relatively theologically unbiased.

I ask recommend you use a study bible, i.e. a bible with explanatory footnotes. This gives a much needed context to what you’re reading. You get a lot lore out of the experience.

I recommend the HarperCollins Study Bible. The explanatory footnotes were compiled by the Society of Biblical Literature, a first rate academic society of bible scholars. This bible uses the NRSV translation.

Good study bibles: The New Oxford Annotated Study Bible or The HarperCollins Study Bible.

Another good one for great insights into the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament): Jewish Study Bible

I actually have two other study bibles: the Harper-Collins Study NRSV Bible and Oxford Study Bible: Revised English Bible with the Apocrypha -- think those would be okay?

I'm not sure if I need anything more than that, but I wanted to make sure I was getting everything I needed to get out of reading it. I'm kind of afraid of trying to interpret everything myself without expert advice backing me up.

It seems pretty good. The ones mentioned in the top review (Harper Collins Study Bible and New Oxford Annotated Bible) are also really good.

HCSB and NOAB

I would probably recommend the NAOB, but the HCSB and the one you saw also look good.

It's hard to say what most Christians think of the passage. What Isaiah meant with this whole thing is probably entirely local, small, and broadly insignificant. The chapter starts with Yahweh talking about how he is going to let Israel be ravaged by its enemies, but then, later, Israel will rise again like a voice from the dust. And then the LORD (Yahweh) will come and help Israel, and confound those Prophets and Seers (who are probably the ones saying that Israel is completely doomed). They will not be able to understand this here prophecy, the one that the author is writing, because they will call it like a "sealed book" and they "won't be able to read"... but Yahweh will have the upper hand. He will confound the wise, and their "wisdom shall perish," because Israel, despite the odds, will survive the onslaught. And then Lebanon (which is like the whole area in which the Israelites lived) will be like a forest again, and the blind shall see, and everything will be right again. And all will glorify the God of Israel (Yahweh), because he, despite what the wise ones were saying (those that thought Israel was doomed), saved Israel.

This is what it is saying, by almost all standard readings of it. The LDS reading makes no sense, and it certainly doesn't make sense with any more accurate translations. It only works with the outdated KJV, and only if you squint really hard. I would recommend picking up a NRSV Study Bible, if you'd like further explantation. Here is a fantastic choice, with some of the most up-to-date Biblical scholarship

edit: More on this "sealed book" thing. The NRSV, which is one of the most accurate translations out there, says exactly this: "The vision of all this has become for you like the words of a sealed document. If it is given to those who can read, with the command 'Read this,' they say 'We cannot, for it is sealed.' And if it is given to those who cannot read, saying 'Read this,' they say, 'We cannot read' "

The author is using a simile. It is not literally a sealed book, it will just be like a sealed book, because the other "wise" people in Ancient Israel will refuse to heed the words. If you think that this writing had anything to do with 19th century America, trust me, Isaiah is rolling in his grave over that.

• Re-read the Bible without the LDS-lens, as you said. Get a good translation: NASB, ESV, NRSV. Not the Deseret Book KJV. Get a Study Bible if you can; I've heard great things about the HarperCollins Study Bible. One of the biggest catalysts leading me out of the Church was translating the New Testament from the original Greek and taking some New Testament Criticism classes. There's so much to learn from the Bible that gets missed through the LDS-lens as you said, as well as through the evangelical Christian "Literal Word of God" lens.
  
  
• I go to church on Sundays with my never-mormon fiance, who works as a church musician. It might not be our first choice if he wasn't being paid to be there, but the pastor is very knowledgeable and his sermons are very insightful and inclusive. No fire-and-brimstone, no persecution complex, no berrating sinners. And the church is completely financially transparent, and raises a lot of money for charity. FH and I can go home and discuss what we liked or didn't like about the message and end up getting a lot out of the service.
  
  
• On Wednesdays I'll sometimes go to student ministry worship service on campus that has some really incredible music. It's a very spiritual, meditative experience that helps break up the week.
  
  
• As a religion that is centered on the Abrahamic God and Jesus's atonement, yes, the LDS Church is technically Christian. But in attending several mainline Christian services, I've discovered that the LDS Church is lacking a lot of the tradition and complexity of Christianity.
  
  
• There is a bit of a cultural shock transitioning from LDS doctrine culture to mainline Christianity, which will vary in nature from church to church.

I recommend the Oxford Study Bible as a study bible. I use the The HarperCollins Study Bible but after using the OSB at the library I much prefer the former. The bid difference may be that HarperCollins uses the NRSV (Oxford uses the REB)--if I recall correctly the NRSV is the preferred translation for theologians.

I used this Bible for most of my seminary classes. I suppose I would recommend it, but it kind of depends on what type of study you're looking to do. Is this your own personal thing? For classes? Two others I would look at are The Harper Collins Study Bible and, for personal devotional use, Zondervan's NIV Study Bible.

Let's say you would like to buy a new bible. Would you go with the NOAB:NRSV or the Harper Collins Study Bible and why?