Holy Bible: English Standard Version, New Testament With Psalms and Proverbs

I will skip the parts about how I love the translation and share my advice for breaking in a genuine leather book of this smaller size. WHATEVER YOU DO, DO NOT CRACK THE SPINE! While the Bible has Smyth-sewn binding, is not a hardcover and you will need to take a different approach to loosen it up to where it will naturally lay flat.When you first receive it, start by creasing the front cover at the edge next to the spine and hold it perfectly straight for 1-2 seconds, then slowly flex it as far as it will go. Make sure you’re creasing that edge in as straight a line as possible. Then do the same thing with the back cover, very gently bending straight at the edge. Now, when you read the Bible, hold it however the spine falls naturally. At first, the pages will not lay flat; they will sort of “arch” by the spine. But hold it in your hands a few times a day while you’re reading and after about one week you will notice the binding is gradually starting to lay flatter. Still, DO NOT FORCE THE SPINE. It will not lay flat for a little while. It is not ready yet. No harsh bending!Follow along with this every day, multiple times a day if possible, even if you’re not going to read from it. Just pick it up and open to a few random pages. Even the body heat from your hands will help the leather soften. After a few weeks, the cover and the spine will have softened considerably. I took a picture of my progress here after just two weeks. The leather will be so soft you will be able to totally curl the covers back and they will lay flat again when you put the book back down. The Smyth-sewn binding will now lay flat when you place it on a table and leave it open.Congrats! You have now broken in your small, amazingly well made Bible! The more and more you use it, the softer the cover and spine will become. Just remember that since this is genuine leather, you will want to look up proper tips for oiling the cover so it doesn’t crack. You should do this if you go a while without handling it, at minimum once a year.And now as for my review of the product itself: my new favorite Bible, tied with the New Catholic Bible New Testament (single-column pocket version). It’s a great size for portability, while having an attractive, readable font that I can pore over for hours. The single-column version definitely helps with this. The section headings in a lighter gold color makes them less distracting and easier to skip over, while the lack of headings entirely in the Psalms makes it easier to focus on their content and not their paraphrase, which is rarely accurate in any translation anyway.To my Catholics out there: DO NOT HESITATE TO PICK UP THIS TRANSLATION!! The ESV does now have an official Imprimatur and is gradually on its way to becoming the liturgical standard in some English-speaking countries; you can even find complete ESV Catholic Bibles with Anglicized spelling now. Bear in mind that many beloved “Catholic” translations are also based on so-called Protestant translations; just like the ESV, the hyper-beloved RSV2CE has its roots in the KJV (which originally included the deuterocanon), as does even the Dhouay-Reims-Challoner in many places. The Bible is not about sectarianism, it is about bringing together people that love The Word and want to share that with each other. The Church starting to welcoming the ESV into its library is a beautiful sign of that in work. So pick up this beautiful Bible to match!

I have been hunting for years for a New Testament which was properly bound (Leather), using quality paper, with a font large enough to read easily yet small enough to carry around easily. Absolutely delighted.

Not too big, not too small. I found myself neglecting devotional time in the Bible due to awkward size of previous full Bible. This one is perfect. The translation is also great. Full pages not split into columns is a great design call. Fits great in hand and the flexibility of a genuine leather cover affords ease of holding and bending while reading without damaging.

This little NT with Psalms & Proverbs is a great value and a joy to have. A nicely made edition that is easy to use and read. Single column reader style (I love) which, in leather, breaks in nicely, lays flat and can fold around nicely for one handed use. I feel like I should have a couple extra of these because they are so nice to use and a great value. I don't know any other company that is making an NT edition even close to this format. A real winner.

I wanted a genuine leather NT in a more modern translation. This ESV fit the bill. Size of bible and font is good. A really good value!