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I recommend "The Harper Collins Study Bible". It's NRSV, with all the footnotes, nice introductions before each book, etc. I'm also a fan of the ESV. Please avoid King James (KJV and NKJV)

Also, I highly recommend How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth. This is written for Christians, so it might be a little dense (I haven't read it for 10 years). But it is an excellent tool for learning how Christians (especially Christian leaders - theologians and pastors / priests) read.

I will point out one major thing, since you're so new to the topic. There are two basic approaches to reading the Bible. One is more academic and the other more experiential. Neither is right or wrong, and as a Christian, I think it's important to do both. But sometimes you'll notice people will kind of make it seem like you should only do one or the other. Here are details of each:

Experiential
Read it, meditate on it, let God speak to you through it, try to apply it to your life, put yourself in the story - General method used by Christians when they read the Bible every day and pray. This a daily practice recommended in most Protestant denominations, often called "devotions" - Catholics and Orthodox might use approaches that are more about daily rituals / prayers, but Protestantism grew out of the Enlightenment and the idea that people could and should read for themselves, but unfortunately that also tended to lead to a rejection of ritual / tradition.

(Aside, in case you don't know, there are three major branches of Christianity: Eastern Orthodox, Catholic, and Protestant. Many people hear about all the Protestant denominations like Lutheran, Anglican, Methodist, even Amish and don't realize that they are all grouped together under "Protestant" because they grew out of the Reformation. Church history is a subject that can explain how these groups arose.)

Academic
Understand the historical context, use literary analysis (some books of the Bible are letters, some are poetry, some are allegory, so they should be read differently), and developing a cohesive theology (a set of beliefs that fit together and don't contradict each other). Some people find this approach to be offensive / showing a lack of faith since you aren't "letting God interpret / guide you."

Ultimately, the best approach, used by Christian leaders, combines the two into one process. The book I recommended explains this process and quite a bit more. It's meant for Christian leadership, but might give you a good understanding of the Bible and how to approach it.... or it might confuse you with it's technical jargon. Anyway, here's the basic process. Read to understand these things in this order:

• What the passage meant in its original time and place (historical, literary)
  
• What universal truths it teaches about God and the world (theology)
  
• How to interpret it for our modern life / your personal life (experiential)
  
  Hopefully this gives you some structure for approaching the topic.
  
  I also agree with several people here about where to start:
  
  
• Genesis for creation, the fall, and God choosing the Isrealite - these tend to be the Old Testament sunday school stories of Adam and Eve, Abraham, Moses, etc
  
• Gospels = Matthew, Mark, Luke, & John, they all told the story of Jesus. Many people really like John. He tells the story of Jesus from a more approachable perspective - less Jewish ideas because he was trying to appeal to a broader audience. This is the book where you hear ideas like "Jesus is the light".... everyone can understand how important light is in a dark night, without needing to understand the Jewish traditions that predicted Jesus and stuff. But it also makes John a bit more poetic and sometimes cryptic. Luke was more of a "just the facts" type.
  
• Acts tells about the early church. It's important to realize they weren't "Christians" with a different faith than "Jews" - they were originally just a sect of Judiasm.
  
  Finally, here are the most common areas of study if you want to learn about Christianity:
  
  
• Biblical Studies - most of the stuff I mentioned above, basically ancient languages, how to read the Bible, etc
  
• Theology - basically like philosophy. But philosophy is about the nature of humans, while theology is the nature of God. This is where you get the great debates (What is the Trinity? What is the nature of God? Why did Jesus "have to" die? What is atonement?)
  
• Church History - Basically everything that's happened for 2,000 years. Includes theological debates that led to church splits.
  
• Other categories: Christian ethics, missions, ecumenical studies (Christians studying other Christians and working together), leadership, etc. Most of these are more about how the church works today. At this point, I think you'd be more interested in the first three.

To become a better person takes intentionality, meaning you have to make a decision to make a change every time something new and unwholesome presents itself to you regarding yourself. The Bible is certainly a plumb line on major things to do to become a better person, but it's also full of pictures of individuals who showed the way for being amazing people.

I've found that the more I study leadership, psychology, emotional intelligence, etc., the more I see a blue print for it in the Bible, in particular, demonstrated by Christ himself.

If you want to be the best version of yourself, study servant-based leadership. Jesus was a servant leader. The apostles learned from Jesus how to be servant leaders. Servant leadership is the mortal granularity that made the gospel so transformative and helped it spread like a wildfire. If you are essentially having to "sell" a new religious belief system in the 1st century, you've got to be able to believe the salesman as well as the integrity of the product, right? The product is salvation and the sales pitch is a new way of walking in freedom and living a wholesome, abundant life. Christ's leadership model did just that.

If you want some good reads on leadership, check these out, and then read the new testament chapter by chapter and verse by verse. Keep in mind, you don't need a title or position to be a leader -- that's what servant leadership is all about.

"Spiritual Leadership" by J. Oswald Sanders: Spiritual Leadership: Principles of Excellence For Every Believer (Sanders Spiritual Growth Series) https://www.amazon.com/dp/0802416705/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_u.ZhDbPEN8952

"Mere Christianity" by C.S. Lewis: Mere Christianity https://www.amazon.com/dp/0060652926/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_Ma0hDbTCSG70T

More leadership for business and for life:

"The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership" by John C. Maxwell: The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership: Follow Them and People Will Follow You (10th Anniversary Edition) https://www.amazon.com/dp/0785288376/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_cc0hDbRCMAGMZ

"The 5 Levels of Leadership" by John C. Maxwell: The 5 Levels of Leadership: Proven Steps to Maximize Your Potential https://www.amazon.com/dp/1599953633/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_6c0hDbK4RV56Y

Great question! I'm going to recommend two helpful books by Gordon D. Fee to you that I hope you will find very encouraging and easy to read. These are incredible, well written, non-technical resources to help us improve as readers of the Bible so that we can be certain we are reading the Bible as it was originally intended.

1. How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth
   https://www.amazon.com/How-Read-Bible-All-Worth/dp/0310246040
   
   
2. How to Read the Bible Book by Book: A Guided Tour
   https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0310518083/ref=dbs_a_w_dp_0310518083
   
   Also I'd like to recommend some additional, more technical or scholarly resources that can help you in your study of Revelation specifically.
   
   
3. The ESV Study Bible
   https://www.christianbook.com/esv-study-bible-hardcover/9781433502415/spd/502415?dv=%7Bdevice%7D&en=google&event=SHOP&kw=bibles-20-40%7C502415&p=1179710&gclid=Cj0KCQjwq7XMBRCDARIsAKVI5QZrZ2Z-su8Xe2eUMq9AiYRO-aW1oI8w6RycLpq4E1d-M9_w8ze_AgIaAmrIEALw_wcB
   
   
4. The Returning King: A Guide to the Book of Revelation by Vern Sheridan Poythress
   https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0875524621?ie=UTF8&tag=ligoniminist-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0875524621
   
   
5. The Book of Revelation (NICNT) by Mounce, Robert H.
   http://www.wtsbooks.com/the-book-of-revelation-robert-mounce-9780802825377?utm_source=challies&utm_medium=challies
   
   
6. If you want to listen to a full class from D. A. Carson on the book of Revelation, here are 26 lectures that are very helpful.
   http://resources.thegospelcoalition.org/library?f%5Bbook%5D%5B%5D=Revelation&f%5Bcontributors%5D%5B%5D=Carson%2C+D.+A.&f%5Bresource_category%5D%5B%5D=Lectures
   
   Praying the the Lord enriches your study and fills you with the knowledge of his will in Christ Jesus. Have fun!!

Agreed I 100% reccommend the ESV

This Study Bible is absolutely amazing for such a great price! It has so much study content to better understand the bible, and is great for people new to english as well

However KJV and NIV are prefectly fine, KJV is quite hard to understand, because it uses much older slang I guess is the word. NIV is great as well, I just find ESV more useful. I do see many teenagers and grade schoolers utilizing NIV as it is found in bibles like the message and a popular teenage bible that I forget the name of.

In conclusion I reccomend ESV :)

The ESV Reader's Bible has a lovely volume: A little pricy, but lovely. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Readers-Gospels-Cloth-Board-Timeless/dp/1433549816/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1522233494&sr=8-1&keywords=gospels+esv+reader

NOTE: The Reader's Bible doesn't have chapter breaks like normal, and is set out more like a novel than as a typical bible. But it's lovely.

>-Between size 8-10.5ish font (sometimes referenced as “comfort font”) but not “Giant Font” which is usually 12 and above which is way too large for me to follow a consistent thought.

FYI "Comfort Print" doesn't refer to a font size - it refers to the specific fonts Thomas Nelson/Zondervan commissioned from 2K Denmark - a company that typesets most new Bibles now.

>-Pages with regular thickness I would prefer not to read a “thinline” Bible, because those pages are often so thin that I would get distracted by the text from the previous page showing up behind the page as your read the text on the page you’re on. Also, generally to make a “thinline” Bible so thin, they have to shrink the text size anyway so it would likely not fit the second criteria of being at least a size 8 font.

Unless you've already looked at the newer comfort print thinlines in person and don't like the opacity, I'd reconsider your avoidance of them. I have a NKJV Comfort Print Thinline (the NIV one should be printed on the same paper) and the reading experience is identical when compared to the ESV Reference Bible I also have. The thing is - the ESV Reference Bible has a thicker paper.

This is because of the use of two things - titanium dioxide and line-matching. Titanium dioxide is a powder which scatters light - making a page more opaque. It also makes the page look more white. Line-matching is making sure that when a page is printed, the text on both sides match up with each other, instead of one page's text being shifted up or down. When you read the text you can't really see what's behind the page.

Also they make these thinlines with 10.5 pt font. Here. They only contain the text and the translators' notes which have always been a part of the NIV and every translation but the KJV (unfortunately).

Also, what are these "custom Bible making websites", just out of curiosity? I'm only aware of rebinders who will replace the cover and maybe make the spine stronger. If a company were to print the NIV they'd require permission from Biblica since Biblica holds the NIV's copyright.

I hope you find what you're looking for, and if you have any follow up questions feel free to ask!

You might check out the Amplified Bible. There is a new (2015) edition out. I haven't read it myself, but I heard a Russian Orthodox priest (in the U.S.) quote from it. Orthodox are probably the most conservative Christians that exist, so I suppose it should be safe.

Personally for the New Testament, I prefer The Orthodox New Testament. It's fairly pricy, though. There is a two volume version with commentary from the Church Fathers as well, but it seems to be out of print.

I don't know what to say about the Old Testament. The vast majority of the English translations available are translating the medieval Masoretic Text, which is not the original Hebrew. The oldest Old Testament we have is the Septuagint, which is a Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures dating to the 2nd century BC (i.e. around a millennium before the Masoretic Text). I have read in some sources that parts of the Masoretic Text were actually translated out of Greek back into Hebrew because the Hebrew had been lost.

If you are interested in the Septuagint, you might try the Old Testament part of the Orthodox Study Bible. If you are stuck on something that is Hebrew in some sense, then I would recommend the Oxford Jewish Study Bible over any Christian translation: at least the Jewish editors are pretty diligent about pointing out which verses contain Hebrew that is uncertain (there are hundreds). The RSV Old Testament does point out inconsistencies between the Masoretic Text and the Septuagint from time to time in its footnotes.

If you do settle on the KJV, make sure you get one with all the books. Cambridge publishes a version that is faithful to the original KJV and contains all the "Apocrypha".

Just watch out for the single volume ESV readers. It’s got the typical thin paper. (I enjoyed it to be clear but doesn’t meet your requirement of paper thickness) The real readers bible are really designed and formatted like a typical book. And don’t go for the cheaper softcover esv multivolume set as I’ve read complaints on the quality.

I highly recommend everyone try a readers bible tho.

Here are some options in ESV that all have normal thick paper.

https://www.amazon.com/Readers-Bible-Cloth-Permanent-Slipcase/dp/1433553473?

https://www.amazon.com/Readers-Gospels-Cloth-Board-Timeless/dp/1433549816/ref=mp_s_a_1_5?

https://www.amazon.com/Gospels-Readers-Cloth-over-Board/dp/143356209X/ref=mp_s_a_1_4?

https://www.amazon.com/Readers-Letters-Paul-Cloth-Board/dp/1433557967/ref=mp_s_a_1_fkmr2_1?

If you prefer NIV their multivolume hardcover set is about half the price of the ESV. Pretty sure we’ll be having more translation coming out in this format soon.

NIV


https://www.amazon.com/NIV-Sola-Scriptura-Bible-Project/dp/0310448123/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?

> Christian bookstore

if you want a different take, try a jewish bible.

this is my favorite translation of the old testament: https://smile.amazon.com/Jewish-Bible-Scriptures-Translation-Traditional/dp/0827603665/

you can read any or all of it online here: http://taggedtanakh.org/Chapter/Index/english-Gen-1

it adheres to the masoretic a bit more strongly than christian bibles (some important passages won't say what you expect them to). it's not purely formal equivalent, but sticks pretty close to the wording where possible, while maintaining a very easy to read and comprehend style.

I have this collection https://www.amazon.com/Lost-Books-Bible-Forgotten-Meridian/dp/0452009448/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1539492052&sr=8-4 which seems to be okay. Not sure how good the translation is but it’s probably decent. It has some junk like the Infancy Gospels (TBF they do have some interest because false prophet Muhammad got some of his ideas from these books.) but it also has all the works of the Apostolic Fathers that you list except for 2 Polycarp and Diognetus. I personally really like Hermas so far. And of course the KJV Apocrypha https://www.amazon.com/Apocrypha-King-James-Version/dp/0521506743/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1539492693&sr=8-2&keywords=kjv+apocrypha and the Septuagint translated by Brenton https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0913573442/ref=ox_sc_saved_title_1?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1.

to help get more information, i suggest reading the notes in a study bible that correspond with your reading (ESV Study Bible) or get a book like "Talk Thru the Bible" by Wilkinson & Boa.

These will help with understanding key concepts, date, setting, author, themes, purposes, and provide outlines and maps to really understand why certain books/passages are in the Bible and what they mean.

And, ask questions of trusted individuals about stuff that doesn't make sense.

I’d recommend Greg Koukl’s book The Story of Reality.

Basically, Christianity is the best explanation for why the world is how it is. Other religions or avenues of philosophical thought can have good insights on the human experience, but only Christianity truly explains it.

I recommend you check out /r/exjw. Many there are atheists, but its also for everyone in your situation. (but be careful: you REALLY DON'T want your aunt or mum to learn you visit that place) Many on that subreddit have personal experience of living with Jehovah's Witnesses and not being able to reveal that they think differently about things.

Another advice I would give is similar to what shotokando gave you: they can't really argue against you reading the Bible in another translation than NWT.

The reason is this: many JWs, at least those who have been JWs for a long time, have different translations already in their homes, and many Kingdom Halls have multiple translations in the library (though I have heard a rumour that they have been throwing away the content in the KH library, I don't know if that rumour is true). In addition to this, an argument they use when people accuse them for having their own translation is "any translation will do" or "we use all translations". This is something you could use.

So you could argue that you will simply read the Bible in both NWT and some other translation side by side to understand it better.

A study Bible I recommend is The New Oxford Annotated Bible. It contains a lot of scholarly notes, and the translation is NRSV, which is really good. Because those notes are part of the study Bible, you might get away with them. But be careful about how you get this volume: if your aunt or mum discovers it being delivered, they might still overreact.

Different Christian groups have slightly different Old Testaments. The standard Protestant Old Testament is the Hebrew Bible as preserved in the Masoretic text. For the Tanakh, Jews exclusively use and translate from the Masoretic text. The only difference between a Protestant Old Testament and a Jewish Tanakh is translating style, book order, and occasionally verse numbering. So if you want an Old Testament without the New Testament attached, then purchase a Jewish Tanakh. The best translation is the New JPS Tanakh which is the translation used in the Oxford Jewish Study Bible mentioned by another user.

Maybe this is of no help for you, but personally I don't make marks in the Bible itself. Instead I write notes on my computer, where I have text files for every book of the Bible. I make notes in the same files when I read different translations, so I have it all together. This means I can read the Bible without being distracted or influenced by previous notes, and it also means my notes are searchable, making it easier to find things again.

This is my main Bible.

The Jewish Study Bible and NJPS and the New Oxford Bible with Apocrypha and NRSV have good reputation among scholars. I have seen them frequently recommended over at /r/academicbiblical, and I've heard they are used at universities and seminaries. (E.g. the Open Yale Bible courses use them.)

Orthodox Study Bible.

"Apocrypha" is a Greek word that means something like "hidden". Early Greek Christians never referred to these books as "apocrypha", but rather as the "deuterocanon" (2nd canon).

The original KJV contained the deuterocanon, as did even the Geneva Bible. Cambridge publishes the complete KJV (i.e. without the deuterocanon taken out). Someone else has suggested the RSV, but you need to purchase one with the "Apocrypha" (Oxford publishes one).

I would recommend the book, Father Arseny: Priest, Prisoner, Spiritual Father. It is about a Russian Orthodox priest who suffered for years in a Soviet Gulag but never lost hope, or even joy. I have turned to it many times as a contemporary example of perseverance in accordance with the Gospel teaching.

Pick up a copy of the book "How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth". That will help.

https://www.amazon.com/How-Read-Bible-All-Worth/dp/0310246040

You can't go wrong with the Oxford Annotated Bible,

http://www.amazon.com/The-Oxford-Annotated-Bible-Apocrypha/dp/0195289609

Personally I like the leather version, but it doesn't really matter:

http://www.christianbook.com/nrsv-annotated-apocrypha-4th-edition-indexed/9780195289572/pd/289572

Amazon

Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus: A Devout Muslim Encounters Christianity
https://www.amazon.com/dp/0310092647/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_xEcsDb6CRBAW0

The greek word is μοναὶ, which is the feminine plural nominative form of μονή, which is in turn the noun form of the verb "μένω" which means, "I dwell, remain, or abide"

So it just means "In my father's house, there are many dwellings/places to live."

The word mansion comes from the Latin word manere, which means "to remain or dwell", which borrows the term from the Greek.

So "mansions" is technically an accurate translation, but I don't think the word meant to evoke the idea that we get when we think of a mansion today.

Essentially Jesus is saying that there are many places for people to live in God's house, and Jesus is going to prepare places for them.

Sources: The BDAG (Offline Resource) for the Greek and Online Etymology Dictionary for the Latin.

For personal use: NRSV (NRSV Catholic Edition https://www.amazon.com/dp/0061441716/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_RXNcAbRPH70YR)


Or for personal study: New Oxford (The New Oxford Annotated Bible with Apocrypha: New Revised Standard Version https://www.amazon.com/dp/0195289609/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_MWNcAb00WK17X)

Edit: Remember that translation is itself an act of interpretation.

Orthodox Study Bible

Some of the Psalms are known as "Imprecatory Psalms". In here, the psalmist is expressing his anger verbally to and through God, as a way of channeling those negative emotions rather than letting them out in violent actions, either verbally or physically, to other people or things.

Most of these imprecatory psalms are a part of lament psalms that were written in response to the Israelites' sufferings during that time, such as during their exile (see Psalm 137).

What is important here to note is that these imprecatory psalms do not contradict Jesus' teachings on love. The word "hate" can also mean "to be unable to put up with" and "to reject". So for example 139:22, the psalmist is expressing his inability to put up with those who hate God.

If you're interested in learning more, I recommend these books:
http://www.amazon.com/How-Read-Bible-All-Worth/dp/0310246040/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1415814178&sr=1-1&keywords=how+to+read+the+bible+for+all+its+worth

http://www.amazon.com/Read-Bible-Changing-Times-Understanding/dp/0801072832/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1415814197&sr=1-1&keywords=how+to+read+the+Bible+in+changing+times

Deuteronomy 2:2-6 doesn't show that "the descendants of Esau, who live in Seir"= the Edomites.

> why do you think Finney couldn't see the trouble he was causing for the modern world?

I honestly don't blame Finney because the result of his changes wasn't easy to see. The only reason that I can see it is the benefit of hindsight.

> 2) "But the humble Christian who lacks doubt doesn't hesitate to kill heretics because he is sure that he is right and they are wrong."

> That doesn't really seem like humility. That seems more like arrogance.

How do you define humility? The average medieval Christian seems humble to me, and is as I described.

> Also, speaking of society, what are your thoughts on Proverbs 6:16-19, Proverbs 8:13, Ephesians 6:12, 1 Samuel 16:7, Romans 12:9, and Galatians 6:1?

> Based on these, I think we should view things like God sees them. Hate the evil we see in the world, but not the people. I might be wrong on this view though.

I don't see anything in the passages you references supporting your conclusion. I see no distinction between a bad person and the bad that he does. Of course if he can be changed to a good person, then there is no more reason to hate him. But as long as he is bad, he should be hated.

In Hebrew there is no distinction between "evil" and "bad". In Hebrew, both are "ra". A bad person is "rasha". Both badness and bad people are condemned.

This post of mine seems relevant:

http://www.mikraite.org/Translating-Psalm-94-tp1538.html

Livy is excellent, especially his first book. Of course Livy himself was a historian. I am not that well read on Rome, but here are some other books I liked:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0140444203/

https://www.amazon.com/Conquest-Gaul-Classics-Julius-Caesar-ebook/dp/B002RI9MTS/

https://www.amazon.com/Twelve-Caesars-Suetonius/dp/0140455167/

https://www.amazon.com/Golden-Ass-Transformations-Lucius-Classics/dp/0374531811/

The last is fiction but gives a good sense of that time (and is fun to read).

I haven't read Cato the Elder or Younger, but all primary sources are worth looking into.

> What questions(major or minor) have you had as a kid or now that you will probably never know the answer to?

Not much really comes to mind. When I have a serious question and I do enough research, I usually find an answer that satisfies me (even though I can never be fully sure that it is correct). The usual unanswerable questions don't really interest me.

I suppose one question I have is how Judaism went so horribly wrong. This happened during a time period for which we don't have enough of a written record to provide the answer.