ESV Thinline Bible, Red Letter (Bonded Leather, Black): Holy Bible, English Standard Version

Great affordable Bible with a beautiful look. Text is readable and the build of the Bible feels like it will last a long time. Super portable, too. Fits decently sized bags and larger. (iPad mini pictured for scale.) Lies flat on my desk as well, which is a plus. Very excited for future use. Very thankful to have it. God bless. :)

BasicInstructionsBeforeLeavingEarth

I wanted a bible that was compact but still readable and not super tiny font. This one has all the essentials like a bookmarker and Jesus's words in red. Good buy.

Great thin red letter Bible to take along to church

When I opened the package, I was utterly surprised how this Bible was meticulously done, not to mention how beautiful it is. I also love that it came with a cover and it has a beautiful satin bookmark built into the Bible. This has to be the best investment that I have ever made because I am constantly learning so much because the words are easy to understand which makes grasping the concept so much easier. Overall I say if anyone is looking into a Bible to invest in this is definitely the one because it has the New and Old Testament which is pretty rare now, and the translation is so easy to understand.

Like everything. Very good quality

In the last two or three years, I have been steadily returning to an active Christian life. This culmination of this quest was joining a local church last October. During this process I have been re-evaluating Bible translations since many have been released since I last active in church (this was in 1998-99). I settled on the English Standard Version (ESV) after using the second edition of the New Living Translation, Holman Christian Standard Bible and the new Common English Bible. I ended up choosing the ESV because it is faithful to the original manuscripts, has impeccable scholarship, and is responsible in using horizontal gender-sensitive language. This means that if the original is sensitive towards gender, the ESV renders it as such; if it isn't, then the ESV follows suit. Now I had to find a suitable copy for the journey. I had brought a hardcover text edition of the ESV in 2002 and used it for a bit of time, sticking with the New Revised Standard Version. I never liked the layout and the binding was not good. After looking in a brick and mortar bookstore I settled on this thin line edition. Amazon's price was better than other websites and brick and mortar stores in my area. The ESV text used is the 2011 update (I was concerned about ending up with an older text as I wanted this Bible to last; the ESV was originally released in 2001 and underwent some minor revisions in 2007 and 2011. Another revision came out in 2016 and 2025).There are several things I like about this edition. The first is the size and binding. The Bible is about an inch thick at the spine, making it easy to carry to church and use for Bible study, general reading and devotions. The font size seems to be a nice 9 point size. I also like the fact there are no cross-references. Personally I find them to be distracting and they clutter up the page. The binding has been improved compared to the hardcover text edition I brought in 2002. That binding was a glued mess. In comparison the binding for this Bible is sewn with premium bonded leather. There is a bookmark ribbon that helps to your place in scripture. The cover is plain black; the back contains the name of the material with the ISBN number.With I like these things, there are a few nitpicks. Let's start with the spine and gilding. The spine contains three references to the ESV. There is an acronym, logo and the name spelled out. This is overkill (see picture below). I have Bibles that have the name of the version listed only once. I don't see why Crossway is doing this. The gilding is pretty nice. However halfway from the bottom from the bottom there is a small spot about the size of a pencil eraser. It is a small blemish, but noticeable (see picture below). Another nitpick concerns the page layout. While I like the font size for the text, the font size for the notes is another matter. It is small to see and hard to read. I wish Crossway would make it a little bigger. The biggest nitpick I have is with the red lettering. In some spots in the gospels it is a nice firebrick red color. In other parts the color is more like pink salmon. This makes it hard to read in church. Crossway should ether switch to a constant color or drop them entirely (I opt for the latter). I was so concerned about this issue that I recently went to a brick and mortar store thinking that maybe Amazon got a bad batch of Bibles. It seems that it appears to be an issue with this Bible generally. (See the pictures below.)Overall this is a nice Bible with a translation that is probably among the best we have. I recommend for personal use and gifting. I also recommend it for those who are interested in learning what this whole Bible thing is about. If Crossway would fix some of the issues outlined above, it would be better. However I tend not to focus on these things; instead I focus on the message it contains. In any case it has become a part of my life since I brought it two years ago. I'm confident this Bible will continue to serve me as I push on towards eternity.The pictures attached to this review show the front and back of the box. The front and back are also shown. Since I got this Bible I have got my name engraved on it. This will not be on the copy you order. The spine and the gilding are also pictured. There are also two page samples that show the different red letter colors and the size of the notes. I hope they are helpful.

This Bible is great! Lays flat, thin and small enough to bring with you anywhere, Jesus’ words in red, pretty gold lining. What more can you want?!Also, I use Tombow highlighters in very light colors, and I got no bleed through. So that’s a plus! I would stay away from mid liners and other heavy ink highlighters because the pages are pretty thin, and no doubt, it will bleed through. Can’t say enough good things about this Bible, so if you’ve read this far, you should totally get it! God bless you :)