I’ve listened to just about every audio bible out there: Scourby, Johnston, Zorsky, Peck, McLean, and several others I can’t even recall. Some were unlistenable from the start. Others would start off fine and then, after a while, I realized that it was EATING MY BRAIN! I was about to give up on listening to audio bibles altogether when I stumbled on The Man in Black reading the New Testament. From the first moment I started listening, I knew I had finally found The One.

Johnny Cash reads the NT in a manner that engages you and draws you in. He sounds like he’s talking *with* you, not *at* you; like he’s talking with a close friend and not up on stage talking to strangers. I’ve only had this audio bible for a few weeks but I’ve already listed to it for dozens of hours (I hike a lot and listen to it while hiking).

The translation used is the NKJV, which is a good and faithful translation but lacks the “clang and flavour” of the KJV. Reading the NKJV is like drinking decaffeinated coffee– same basic brew but lacks the punch and kick of the fully-caffeinated KJV. Nevertheless, this audio bible is an outstanding production.

For Psalms, Alex Jennings’ rendition of the KJV Book of Psalms is unrivaled. They could have left out the cheesy interlude music or used Byzantine chant instead. And, ideally, the Psalms would be chanted and not read, but overall it’s still nice in the ears and conducive to prayer.

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