The Lockman Foundation

New American Standard Reference Edition. 1973. God. 1899 pages. [Source: Bought]

First sentence: In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

This was my third time to read the 1973 text edition of the New American Standard Bible. The NASB is published by the Lockman Foundation. I have read several other text editions of the NASB: 1971, 1973, 1977, 1995, and 2020. The two that I keep coming back to again and again and again and again are the 1977 and 1995. Still, I find the 1973 irresistible when I find it at a thrift shop.

The 1973 is long out of print. While you can still buy brand new copies of the 1977 text edition, the 1971 and 1973 have not stayed "in print." If you don't have it in your collection, it isn't a huge deal. The 1977 can satisfy all your vintage needs. In terms of thee and thou, etc.

The copies I have found have all been single column with side column references. Also verse by verse. Also black letter. I've also only ever found copies that have notes, underlinings, and other markings. I've never found a "clean" copy. This has given me the freedom to mark it in myself. It also shows me that previous owners have found the NASB helpful and good.

PSALM 23
The LORD is my shepherd,
I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside quiet waters.
He restores my soul;
He guides me in the paths of righteousness
For His name's sake.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I fear no evil: for Thou art with me;
Thy rod and Thy staff, they comfort me.
Thou dost prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
Thou hast anointed my head with oil;
My cup overflows.
Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life,
And I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

John 3:16
For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.… (lisätietoja)

Before the actual text of this New Testament begins, there's a clear, gospel presentation starting on the very first page after opening the cover. That is my favorite thing about this New Testament, because many NTs either don't have such a how to be saved section at all or have it in the back or have it not so clearly or accurately presented. Also, although the NASB version is not my personal favorite, it is at least a word-for-word type English version. It's not as easy to memorize as the KJV imo, and it is based on different underlying manuscripts, but it's modern English and easy to understand. Unfortunately, it is a bit too large to be pocket-sized, but just barely. Unusually, but not necessarily wrongly, the "introductions" to the individual books of the NT, are not located at the beginning of the individual books, but are at the end of the entire New Testament in a section called "Introductions to the New Testament."… (lisätietoja)