Oxford World's Classics vs. Penguin Classics

Both the traditional King James Version and the New Cambridge Paragraph Bible are available in handsome text-only, black-letter, paperback editions which include the Apocrypha.  The Oxford World's Classics KJV and the Penguin Classics NCPB are both bricks - at least two inches thick - with sturdy, opaque paper.  Both editions print the entire Bible without editorial interruptions - all the extensive notes are found at the back of the book.  This feature also provides some ballast for the New Testament: even when you are reading Revelation, there are still about a hundred more pages in the book!

Here is a comparison of these two Bibles:

Biblical text 
Oxford: Standard 1769; words that have no equivalent in the original text are printed in italics.
Penguin: 1611, but with modern spelling and punctuation; no words are in italics.

In both editions
Epistle Dedicatory.

Also included 
Oxford: The Translators to the Reader, a 36-page Introduction by Robert Carroll and Stephen Prickett, 121 pages of Notes on the books of the Bible, a four-page Glossary to the Notes and six maps printed over eleven pages.

Penguin: A 16-page Introduction by David Norton, 53 pages of Notes on the books of the Bible, five maps printed over seven pages - and 14 sheets of blank paper at the back!

Presentation
The Oxford is double-column; the Penguin is single-column.
The Oxford is verse-by-verse; the Penguin is paragraphed.

Font size
Slightly larger in the Penguin than in the Oxford.

Page size 
Oxford: 5 x 7 11/16 x 2 1/8 inches.
Penguin: 5 1/4 x 8 7/16 x 2 inches.

Printed text
Oxford: 4 1/8 x 6 inches.
Penguin: 3 7/8 x 7 3/8 inches.

Lines per page
Oxford: 47 (7.83 lines per vertical inch).
Penguin: 48 (6.51 lines per vertical inch).
There is more space between the lines in the Penguin than in the Oxford.

Books begin...
Oxford: where the previous one ended.
Penguin: at the top of a page (with one exception) and usually on a right-hand page (with two exceptions).

Text sample (click on “Search inside this book”)
Oxford
Penguin

Paper opacity
Excellent in both.  It is a paradox that these cheapest of Bibles have the most opaque paper!

From the Introduction
Oxford: “The Bible is the basic book of our civilization.  It holds a unique and exclusive status not merely in terms of the religious history of the western world but also in literary history and even in what might be called our collective cultural psyche.”

Penguin: “Experienced throughout life by generations of English-speakers, [the KJV] is at the heart of English-speaking religion and culture, shaping emotional history, law, language and literature.  Whether or not one is a Christian, one cannot know what it means to be part of an English-speaking heritage without knowledge of the King James Bible.”

Everyman's Library vs. NCPB

Hardback Bibles are one of the best-kept secrets in the world of quality Bibles.  Most Bible aficionados are preoccupied with leather bindings - and one can see why: holding a fine leather Bible can be a sublime experience.  But a hardback edition provides the same text block for a fraction of the cost - in the case of the New Cambridge Paragraph Bible, the hardback edition with the Apocrypha is a third of the price of the leather edition; the hardback without the Apocrypha is just 29% of the cost of the same edition in leather.

Hardback editions are also much more convenient.  Unless your leather Bible came with a rigid slipcase, it must be stored horizontally.  If you own even a few leather Bibles you know how hard it is to easily grab just the one you want from the stack!  A high-quality hardback Bible, standing vertically on a book shelf, can be used easily - and therefore more often.

Below is a brief comparison of two hardback, personal-size, single-column, black-letter King James Bibles: a brace of volumes published by Everyman’s Library and the 2011 Revised edition of the NCPB.

Publishing a Bible in two volumes should allow real gains to be made in the two great drawbacks of most Bibles: thin paper and small type.  Unfortunately, the Everyman’s Library volumes of the Old and New Testament are only partially successful in overcoming these: the paper is more opaque than in the NCPB, but the print is smaller.

Finally, if you like to keep the dustjackets on your Bibles, you might consider getting the British editions of the Everyman’s Library instead of the American ones - I think the design is more stately.  Otherwise, the books themselves are the same, finished in a gorgeous and distinguished light taupe cloth cover.  The NCPB is cased in a hard, smooth marble-looking cover. 

Biblical text 
Everyman’s: Standard 1769; words that have no equivalent in the original text are printed in italics.
NCPB: 1611, but with modern spelling and punctuation; no words are in italics.

Apocrypha included? 
Everyman’s: No.
NCPB: Available with or without the Apocrypha.

Also on each page 
Everyman’s: Nothing else.
NCPB: Marginal notes in the inside margin.

In both editions
Epistle Dedicatory.
The Translators to the Reader.

Also included 
Everyman’s: In the Old Testament volume, a 37-page introduction by George Steiner; in the New Testament, a 44-page introduction by John Drury - and in both, a cloth ribbon! 
NCPB: A five-page Editor’s Introduction by David Norton.

Format
Everyman’s: Each verse begins on a new line.
NCPB: Printed in paragraphs.

Font
Everyman’s: Ehrhardt.
NCPB: Swift.

Font size
Slightly larger in the NCPB than in the Everyman’s.

Page size
Everyman’s: 5 x 7 1/16 inches.
NCPB: 5 3/4 x 8 1/4 inches.

Printed text (not including marginal notes)
Everyman’s: 3 1/2 x 6 1/16 inches.
NCPB: 3 3/4 x 7 1/8 inches.

Lines per page
Everyman’s: 42.
NCPB: 48.
There is slightly more space between the lines of the NCPB than in the Everyman’s.

Books begin...
Everyman’s: at the top of a page.
NCPB: at the top of a page (with one exception) and usually on a right-hand page.

Page size 
Everyman’s: 4 7/8 x 8 inches.
NCPB: 5 1/4 x 8 1/2 inches.

Printed text (not including marginal notes)
Everyman’s: 3 3/4 x 6 1/8 inches.
NCPB: 3 7/8 x 7 3/4 inches.

Paper opacity
In the Everyman’s volumes, the paper in the New Testament is slightly more opaque than in the Old Testament, but both are noticeably better than the NCPB.  (However, none of these three volumes is as opaque as the Penguin Classics edition of the NCPB).

Thomas Nelson vs. Penguin Classics

The layout of the New Cambridge Paragraph Bible makes it a joy to read.  Some people, however - though loving the design - may prefer the standard KJV text to David Norton’s restoration.  So, in a previous post, I compared two personal-size, single-column, paragraph-format, black-letter King James Bibles published in 2011 by Cambridge University Press: the Clarion Reference Bible and the Revised edition of the NCPB.

Here is a comparison of two text-only, single-column, paragraph-format, black-letter King James Bibles: one published by Thomas Nelson and the other by Penguin Classics:

Biblical text 
Thomas Nelson: Standard 1769; words that have no equivalent in the original text are printed in italics.

Penguin Classics: 1611, but with modern spelling and punctuation; no words are in italics.

Apocrypha included? 
Thomas Nelson: No.
Penguin Classics: Yes.

Also on each page 
Thomas Nelson: Marginal notes at the bottom of the page.
Penguin Classics: Nothing else.

In both editions
Epistle Dedicatory.

Also included 
Thomas Nelson: Bible in a Year reading plan, 30 days with Jesus, 90 day overview of the Bible, Passages for Christmas and Easter, and a concordance.

Penguin Classics: A 16-page Introduction, 53 pages of Notes on the books of the Bible, and seven pages of maps.

Font size
Slightly larger in the Thomas Nelson than in the Penguin Classics (which is slightly larger than the font used in the 2011 Revised edition).

Page size 
Thomas Nelson: 5 1/2 x 8 5/16 inches.
Penguin Classics: 5 1/4 x 8 1/2 inches.

Printed text (not including marginal notes)
Thomas Nelson: 4 3/16 x 7 3/16 inches.
Penguin Classics: 3 7/8 x 7 3/8 inches.

Lines per page
Thomas Nelson: 47 (6.54 lines per vertical inch).
Penguin Classics: 48 (6.51 lines per vertical inch).
There is slightly more space between the lines in the Penguin Classics than in the Thomas Nelson.

Books begin...
Thomas Nelson: at the top of a page.
Penguin Classics: at the top of a page (with one exception) and usually on a right-hand page (with two exceptions).

Text sample
Thomas Nelson
Penguin Classics (but ignore the marginal notes, which are in all other editions of the NCPB).

Paper opacity
Noticeably better in the Penguin Classics than in the Thomas Nelson.  (The paper opacity in the 2011 Revised edition is somewhere in between these two editions.)

Bindings available
Thomas Nelson: Black leather or leather-like.
Penguin Classics: Paperback.

Single-column Bibles

I have always loved single-column Bibles, and have hardly ever used anything else.  A single-column Bible just looks like it was meant to be read!  However, single-column Bibles have two special requirements beyond the needs of traditional double-column editions: the text needs to be larger and the paper needs to be better.

The New Cambridge Paragraph Bible has about 70 characters per line, which is just about right.  If there are more than this, it’s hard for your eye to find the start of the next line.  So, if a publisher is going to keep each line to about 70 characters, this rule must be followed: the wider the line, the larger the font.

There is a greater need for relatively opaque paper in single-column Bibles than in double-column ones.  This is because they more often have text which is not backed by text on the reverse side of the page (this happens especially in sections that are printed in verse, such as the Psalms).  Your appreciation of all that white space is marred by seeing the words printed on the other side.  One simply notices show-through more when reading a single column Bible!

In an earlier post I complained about the translucency of the paper that is used in the Revised Cambridge edition of the NCPB.  However, their Cameo edition uses even thinner paper (the same stock used in the Clarion Reference Bible) but, because the Cameo is printed in double-columns, the show-through is not as obvious as it is in the Clarion or the NCPB.

A single-column setting makes almost any Bible a pleasure to read - as long as the font is big enough and the paper is thick enough!

KJV Clarion Reference Bible vs. NCPB

In 2011, to coincide with the 400th anniversary of the KJV, Cambridge University Press published two new personal-size, single-column, paragraph-format, black-letter King James Bibles: the Clarion Reference Bible and the Revised edition of the New Cambridge Paragraph Bible.  It might be useful to compare and contrast these two editions.

Biblical text
Clarion: Standard 1769; words that have no equivalent in the original text are printed in italics.
NCPB: 1611, but with modern spelling and punctuation; no words are in italics.

Apocrypha
Clarion: Not included.
NCPB: Available with or without the Apocrypha.

Also on each page
Clarion: Cross references in the outside margin.
NCPB: Marginal notes in the inside margin.

In both editions
Epistle Dedicatory.
The Translators to the Reader.

Also included
Clarion: Reader’s Companion (a combination concordance and dictionary) and 15 maps.
NCPB: Editor’s Introduction.

Font
Clarion: Lexicon No. 1, in 8.75 point.
NCPB: Swift, in 10.9 point.
Despite the different font sizes, the type in these two Bibles appears to be similar in size.

Page size
Clarion: 5 x 7 1/16 inches.
NCPB: 5 3/4 x 8 1/4 inches.

Printed text (not including cross references or marginal notes)
Clarion: 3 1/2 x 6 1/16 inches.
NCPB: 3 3/4 x 7 1/8 inches.

Lines per page
Clarion: 42 (5.946 lines per vertical inch).
NCPB: 48 (5.818 lines per vertical inch).
There is slightly more space between the lines of the NCPB than in the Clarion.

Books begin...
Clarion: where the previous one ended.
NCPB: almost always at the top of a page, and usually on a right-hand page.

Text sample
Clarion
NCPB 

Paper stock
Clarion: Indolux India paper
27 grams per square meter
Thickness 30 (1690 pages per inch)
Opacity 79.5, Whiteness 87

NCPB: 



OP Opaque Bible paper
31 grams per square meter
Thickness 36.5 (1390 pages per inch)
Opacity 81, Whiteness 83

As defined in the Cambridge Glossary, India paper weighs less than 30 grams per square meter and Bible paper weighs at least 30 grams per square meter.

Bindings available 
Clarion: Black or brown leather.
NCPB: Hardback or black leather.

Paper

To me, the most important feature of a Bible is the paper.  And the most important specification of the paper is its opacity.  Because of their length, Bibles are printed on thin paper.  How well the paper shields the reader from what is printed on the other side, not to mention the next page, is crucial.

Every edition of the New Cambridge Paragraph Bible is printed on different paper stock.  Let me review them, from best to worst.  Though I haven’t seen it, I will assume that the two-volume Folio Society edition, which is printed on Abbey Wove paper, is the best.  At $975, it should be!

The single-volume Folio Society edition must be next.  The publisher says it has thicker paper than most other Folio Society books - which is great, but it costs $150.

Among the affordable editions of the NCPB, the cheapest one has the next best paper.  The Penguin Classics edition, a two-inch thick paperback book, uses a sturdy paper that keeps glimpses of upcoming pages to a minimum.

Slightly less opaque is the paper used in the First Cambridge edition, now sadly out of print.  The decent paper stock and the printer’s careful line-matching ensure that you really only notice the text that is printed on the reverse side of the page when reading the poetry sections.

Last, and I’m afraid least, is the Revised Cambridge edition.  This is especially unfortunate because it is the only affordable edition of the NCPB published in hardback or leather bindings.  And it’s the only edition available either with or without the Apocrypha.

I suppose only the paper in a lectern Bible is truly opaque (even the picture of Judith 16 in the two-volume Folio Society edition reveals some show-through) but the closer one can get to that ideal in a personal-size Bible, the better.

In the middle

Every edition of the New Cambridge Paragraph Bible, except the one published by Penguin Classics, includes the original marginal notes of the 1611 KJV, as well as notes that were added in later editions.  One of the innovations of the NCPB is the printing of these notes along the inside margin of each page.  This arrangement may have two possible drawbacks: it makes it difficult to write in the unused space of this column because the pages curve down into the gully of the book.  And, secondly, it might be distracting for your eyes to have to pass over two columns of marginal notes when crossing from the left-hand page to the right.

However, these two disadvantages are more than compensated for by one great advantage: the KJV text, printed far from the gully, always lies flat - something that rarely happens in other Bibles.  Even the distance this layout creates between the two columns of text could be seen as an advantage: when reading one page, the text on the other page is far enough away that it never catches your eye.  The marginal notes, because they are printed in a smaller font, can be easily ignored.

This brilliant concept was quickly adopted by Crossway in all their single-column reference editions of the English Standard Version: the Single-Column Reference Bible (now, only available in an Allan’s edition), the Personal Size Reference Bible, the ESV Study Bible and the forthcoming Verse-by-Verse Reference Bible - and by Zondervan in their NIV (2011) Single-Column Reference Bible.

Marginal notes in the middle of the book - what a great idea!

On the right

I like it when each book of the Bible begins on a new page.  As wonderful as my Cambridge KJV Large-print text edition is, only 20 of its 66 books start at the top of a page.  Joshua, 1 Samuel, Acts and Romans begin at the bottom of the page - it just doesn’t look right.

This is something the New Cambridge Paragraph Bible almost gets right.  Not only do most books begin on a new page - they start at the top of a right-hand page!  Very classy.  In the Cambridge First edition and the Penguin Classics edition, 25 of the 80 books end on a right-hand page, requiring the next (left-hand) page to remain blank so the next book can begin on the right - a lovely indulgence.

It is only near the end of the New Testament that this wonderful practice begins to slip: 2 Peter and 3 John start on left-hand pages - and, what's worse, 2 John begins in the middle of a page.  What a shame.

In addition to these three books, the Cambridge Revised edition also demotes five more books to a left-hand page start: Bel and the Dragon, The Prayer of Manasses, 2 Timothy, Titus and Philemon.  One assumes the publishers did this to save four pages, but then why did they insert two blank sheets of paper at the end of the Old Testament?  This wasn’t done in earlier editions and it offsets exactly the savings these changes were presumably meant to make!  How much better the Revised edition would have been if Cambridge had added just three more sheets of paper to the New Testament and started all 80 books on the right.

An original-spelling edition?

David Norton begins his Editor’s Introduction to the New Cambridge Paragraph Bible with these words: “Though it is the most important book in the religious life and the culture of the English-speaking world, the King James Bible or Authorised Version of 1611 has never been perfectly printed.” He goes on to say, “what we now read as the King James Bible contains numerous deliberate and some accidental changes to the text, and these can be revised to make it more faithful to the King James translators’ own decisions as to how it should read.”

I wonder if there isn’t a need for an edition of the KJV that prints the very text, in its original spelling, that was agreed upon by the translators. Indeed, Norton claims in his Introduction that his work “gives the reader as closely as possible the exact text that the King James translators themselves decided on - but which was far from perfectly realised in the first edition.” Wouldn’t this goal be even better achieved with an original-spelling edition?

Personally, I am glad that the NCPB uses modern-spelling, but to finally publish after 400 years the Bible that the translators thought they had produced would be a great tribute to them and an asset to us. Oxford University Press recently published The King James Bible: 400th Anniversary Edition, but it is simply a transcription of the first edition of the KJV. As the publisher explains: “It follows the 1611 text page-for-page and line-for-line, reproducing all misprints rather than correcting them.”

I love David Daniell’s modern-spelling edition of Tyndale’s New Testament, but I am grateful that W. R. Cooper has produced an original-spelling edition for purists. To have a first edition KJV with all misprints corrected would be wonderful.

The KJV, Standard edition

What shall we call this most prestigious of English Bible translations?  In the title of his 2004 book about its textual history, David Norton refers to it as the King James Bible.  However, the next year, on the cover of his New Cambridge Paragraph Bible, it is referred to as the King James Version.  For the sake of consistency, I will call it the KJV.

What shall we call the version of the text most commonly found in KJV Bibles?  Norton seems to use four words almost interchangeably: Current, Established, Received and Standard.  I will refer to it as the Standard edition.

Corrections to the corrections

I am grateful to Cambridge University Press for publishing a “Table of corrections and amendments” to the First edition (2005) of the New Cambridge Paragraph Bible.  The fixing of tiny typos is usually done more quietly!  There are, however, a few mistakes in the Table, which I corrected in an earlier post.

Deuteronomy 32:22 margin
burned
burnt 

Should be:
burned
burnt

* * * 

Ezekiel 21:8 

Should be:
Ezekiel 21:9

* * *

Daniel 10:8 margin
vigor
vigour

Should be:
vigor
vigour

* * *

1 Esdras 8:46 margin, note b
Nethimims
Nethinims

Should be:
Nethimims
Nethinims   

Missing words

Of all the typographical errors in the first two editions of the New Cambridge Paragraph Bible, only one is substantial.  Leviticus 11:35 is the only place where words of the KJV are missing from the printed text.

The first two lines of this verse are identical in every edition.  After that, however, things begin to go wrong in the Cambridge First edition (2005) and the Penguin Classics edition (2006).  The 2005 edition omits the rest of the text.  The 2006 edition begins to correct this mistake, but (surprisingly) only adds the last three words of the verse - still omitting nine other words.  The entire verse is not published in the NCPB until 2011.

Here is how these three editions print Leviticus 11:35:

2005 Cambridge First edition 
35 And everything whereupon any part of their carcase falleth
shall be unclean; whether it be oven, or ranges for pots, they shall be

2006 Penguin Classics edition 
35 And everything whereupon any part of their carcase falleth
shall be unclean; whether it be oven, or ranges for pots, they shall be
unclean unto you.

2011 Cambridge Revised edition 
35 And everything whereupon any part of their carcase falleth
shall be unclean; whether it be oven, or ranges for pots, they shall be
broken down: for they are unclean, and shall be unclean unto you.

Corrections to the 2006 text

In a Note to the Revised Edition (2011), David Norton writes: “Errors of the press and of editorial judgement are corrected in this edition of The New Cambridge Paragraph Bible.  Most of the corrections have already appeared in the Penguin and Folio Society editions...” 

Indeed, the 2011 edition only made 31 corrections to the Penguin Classics edition, which was published in 2006.  Here is a list of those changes. 

The first line is the location in the text, the second is the 2006 Penguin edition, and the third line is the corrected text, as printed in the 2011 Cambridge edition.

In two passages, Leviticus 11:35 and 2 Samuel 1:10, the Penguin edition changed the text of the First Cambridge edition (2005), but these passages still needed to be corrected in the 2011 edition.

Passage
2006 Penguin text
2011 Cambridge text

* * * * *

Genesis 22: 16-18
and said, ‘By myself have I sworn,’ saith the Lord, ‘for because… obeyed my voice.’

and said, ‘ “By myself have I sworn,” saith the Lord, “for because… obeyed my voice.” ’

Genesis 40:6
and, behold
and behold

Leviticus 11:35
ranges for pots, they shall be unclean unto you. 36

ranges for pots, they shall be broken down: for they are unclean, and shall be unclean unto you. 36

Joshua 2:10
when ye came 

when you came 


what ye did
what you did

Joshua 24:11
And you went
And ye went

2 Samuel 1:10 
lord.”
lord.’

2 Samuel 21:17
swore unto him, saying, Thou shalt… light of Israel.
swore unto him, saying, ‘Thou shalt… light of Israel’.

1 Kings 14:12
thine own
thy own

1 Chronicles 21:2
knowit
know it

Psalm 50:5
Gather
‘Gather

sacrifice.
sacrifice.’

Psalm 50:7
Hear
‘Hear

Psalm 50:15
glorify me.
glorify me.’

Psalm 55:17
Evening, and
Evening and

noon, will
noon will

Psalm 99:4
king’s
King’

Psalm 107:3
east,
east

north,
north

Psalm 113:6
earth!
earth?

Psalm 139:11
cover me:
cover me’:

about me’.
about me.

Psalm 144:2
My
my

Psalm 148:12
young men,
young men

old men,
old men

Jeremiah 2:13
For
‘For

Jeremiah 4:9
wonder’.
wonder.’

The rest of Esther 11:6
And
and

1 Maccabees 2:29
wilderness,
wilderness

1 Maccabees 8:4
And
and

Mark 9:21
child’.
child.

Mark 9:22
us.
us.’

Corrections to the 2005 text

When Cambridge University Press published the Revised edition of the New Cambridge Paragraph Bible in 2011, they made more than 250 corrections to the text that was published in the First edition in 2005.  Here is a list of those changes. 

The first line is the location in the text, the second is the 2005 text, and the third line is the corrected text, as found in the 2011 edition.

Passage
2005 text
2011 text

* * * * *

P. xvi, 3 lines down
perpetuated desire of accomplishing
perpetuated desire of the accomplishing

P. xviii margin
calmniated
calumniated

P. xxxi, 12 lines up
nder
under

P. xxxiii, note 1
Epistulam
Epistolam

Genesis 6:5
God
GOD

Genesis 10:30
Sephar
Sephar,

Genesis 13:13
wicked
wicked,

Genesis 13:14
art
art,

Genesis 14:17
after… him,
(after… him)

Genesis 18: 1-2
day; 2 and
day. 2 And

Genesis 22: 16-18
and said, ‘By myself have I sworn,’ saith the Lord, ‘for because… obeyed my voice.’

and said, ‘ “By myself have I sworn,” saith the Lord, “for because… obeyed my voice.” ’

Genesis 28:16
awaked
awoke

Genesis 38:25
man,
man

Genesis 40:6
and, behold
and behold

Exodus 7:25
fulfilled,
fulfilled

Exodus 18:16
me.
me,

Leviticus 11:35
ranges for pots, they shall be 36

ranges for pots, they shall be broken down: for they are unclean, and shall be unclean unto you. 36

Leviticus 11:47
To
to

Numbers 14:28
live, saith the LORD, as
live,” saith the LORD, “as

Numbers 16:28
mine own
my own

Numbers 23:13
utmost
outmost

Deuteronomy 22:14
I took this woman… not a maid:
“I took this woman… not a maid”:

Deuteronomy 30:4
thy
thine

Deuteronomy 32:22 margin
burned
burnt

Deuteronomy 33: 5-6
together.
6 ‘Let

together. 
[insert space]
6 ‘Let

Deuteronomy 33:7
and he said,
       ‘Hear

and he said,
[insert space]
       ‘Hear

Joshua 2:10
when ye came 

when you came 


what ye did
what you did

Joshua 24:11
And you went
And ye went

Judges 4:22
And, behold
And behold

Judges 14:8
and, behold
and behold

Judges 16:14
awaked
awoke

Judges 18:9
the land and behold
the land, and behold

Judges 20:22
Israel, encouraged
Israel encouraged

1 Samuel 5:4 margin
fishy
filthy

1 Samuel 10:2
and, lo
and lo

1 Samuel 26:12
awaked
awoke

1 Samuel 30:3
and, behold
and behold

2 Samuel 1:10
lord.
lord.’

2 Samuel 1:11
him.’
him.

2 Samuel 13:12
aught
ought

2 Samuel 13:34
and, behold
and behold

2 Samuel 21:17
swore unto him, saying, Thou shalt… light of Israel.
swore unto him, saying, ‘Thou shalt… light of Israel’.

1 Kings 3:7
instead
in stead

1 Kings 14:12
thine own
thy own

2 Kings 3:15
minstrel’.
minstrel.’

2 Kings 17:8
And
and

2 Kings 19: 33-4
city, saith the LORD. 34 For
city,” saith the LORD. 34 “For

2 Kings 21:22
And
and

2 Kings 22: 19-20
thee, saith the LORD. 20 Behold
thee,” saith the LORD. 20 “Behold

1 Chronicles 21:2
knowit
know it

2 Chronicles 11:21
Absalom,
Absalom

Ezra 6:5
God.
God.’

Esther 2:17
instead
in stead

Job 23:9
On
on

Job 28:14
sea saith, ‘It is not
sea saith, “It is not

Job 33:17
That
that

Job 38:9
When
when

Psalm 3:5
awaked
awoke

Psalm 12:4 margin
Heb,
Heb.

Psalm 42:4
day
day.

Psalm 50:5
Gather
‘Gather

sacrifice.
sacrifice.’

Psalm 50:7
Hear
‘Hear

Psalm 50:15
glorify me.
glorify me.’

Psalm 55:17
Evening, and
Evening and

noon, will
noon will

Psalm 55:22             
[Indentation] he shall never
he shall never

Psalm 55:23 margin
half
halve

Psalm 60:6
I will rejoice
‘I will rejoice

Psalm 60:8 
of me.
of me.’

Psalm 71:18
this generation
this generation

Psalm 78:22
Because
because

Psalm 78:65
awaked
awoke

Psalm 81:6
I
‘I

Psalm 81:11
But
‘But

Psalm 81:13
O
‘O

Psalm 81:14
adversaries.
adversaries.’

Psalm 89:3
2 ‘I
3 ‘I

Psalm 89:4
generations” ’.
generations”.’

Psalm 94:15 margin
Heb
Heb.

Psalm 95:8
‘harden
‘Harden

Psalm 99:4
king’s
King’s

Psalm 107:3
east,
east

north,
north

Psalm 113:6
earth!
earth?

Psalm 119:14 
have rejoiced
I have rejoiced

Psalm 139:11
cover me:
cover me’:

about me’.
about me.

Psalm 144:2
My
my

Psalm 148:12
young men,
young men

old men,
old men

Proverbs
16: 1, 2, 6, 9, 20, 33
17: 3, 15
18: 22
19: 3, 14, 21
20: 10, 12, 22
21: 1, 2, 3, 30, 31
22: 2, 14,
Lord
LORD

Proverbs 23:7
For
for

Proverbs 23:17
Lord
LORD

Proverbs 23:35
and I was not sick:
‘and I was not sick:

‘they have beaten me
they have beaten me

Proverbs 24:4
And
and

Proverbs 24:29
I will do
‘I will do

work.
work’.

Proverbs 25: 9-10
another:
[space]
10 lest

another:
10 lest

Proverbs
25: 22
28: 5, 25
29: 13, 25, 26
Lord
LORD

Proverbs 26:24
him;
him.

Proverbs 31:30
Lord
LORD

Ecclesiastes 12:2
stars,
stars

Isaiah 5:29
Their
their

Isaiah 7:4
heed,
heed

Isaiah 7:14
conceive,
conceive

Isaiah 9:6
Peace
peace

Isaiah 9:12
mouth.
mouth:

For
for

Isaiah 16:2
be, that
be that

Isaiah 17:8
groves,
groves

Isaiah 28:24
ploughmen
ploughman

Isaiah 30:1
spirit
Spirit

Isaiah 35:10
And
and

Isaiah 43:22
But
‘But

Isaiah 51:19
desolation,
desolation

famine,
famine

Isaiah 60:15
has
hast

Isaiah 63:19
barest
borest

Isaiah 64:11
fire:
fire,

Isaiah 66:24
And… flesh.
‘And… flesh.’

Jeremiah 2:13
For
‘For

Jeremiah 4:9
wonder’.
wonder.’

Jeremiah 18:2
words.’
words’.

Jeremiah 22:18
glory”:
glory”.

Jeremiah 22:19
he
He

Jeremiah 31:9
rivers of waters in a straight way,
wherein

rivers of waters,
in a straight way wherein

Jeremiah 31:26
awaked
awoke

Jeremiah 32:6
’The [the quotation mark is backwards]
‘The

Jeremiah 33:10
place, which… beast,
place (which… beast)

Ezekiel 11:15
wholly
wholly,

Ezekiel 17:5
5 he
5 He

Ezekiel 20:4
4 Wilt
4 ‘Wilt

Ezekiel 21:9
LORD”,
LORD,”

Ezekiel 30:6
sword’
sword,’

Ezekiel 33:10
Israel; thus
Israel, “Thus

“If… live?”
‘If… live?’ ”

Ezekiel
36:27; 37:14; 39:29
spirit
Spirit

Daniel 7:14
dominion, and glory
dominion and glory

Daniel 9:2
reign
reign,

Daniel 10:8 margin
vigor
vigour

Daniel 10: 16, 17 (twice), 19
lord
Lord

Daniel 11:10
overflo
overflow

Hosea 1:2
wife of whoredoms
wife of whoredoms,

Hosea 13:14
eyes.
eyes.’

Hosea 13:15
‘Though
Though

Hosea 14:3
mercy.
mercy.’

Joel 2: 28, 29
spirit
Spirit

Joel 3:4
Tyre,
Tyre

Joel 3:5
things:
things.

Joel 3:10
say,‘ I [misplaced space]
say, ‘I

Amos 4:13
earth,
earth:

Amos 5:3
ten,
ten

Amos 5:14 
good,
good

Amos 5:16
Alas! alas!
“Alas! alas!”

Amos 6:9
[Indentation] 9 And
9 And

Jonah 1:11
wrought,
wrought

Micah 1:15
Adullam
Adullam,

Habakkuk 1: 5-11
Behold ye… his god.
‘Behold ye… his god.’

Habakkuk 3:4
hand:
hand,

Haggai 2:23
LORD, and
LORD, “and

Zechaniah 2:5
For
for

Zechaniah 4:1
waked
woke

Malachi 1:10
Who
‘Who

1 Esdras 3:3
awaked
awoke

1 Esdras 8:26
counsellers
counsellors

1 Esdras 8:46 margin, note b
Nethimims
Nethinims

1 Esdras 9:52
For
for

2 Esdras
5:14; 11:29; 12:3; 13:13
awaked
awoke

2 Esdras 8:60
But
but

2 Esdras 10:25
shined
shone

Tobit 1:22
intreating
entreating

Tobit 6:5
roasted,
roasted

The rest of Esther 11:6
And
and

The rest of Esther 13:3
counsellers
counsellors

Wisdom 6:17 margin
dicipline
discipline

Wisdom 6:25
worlds
words

Wisdom 8:9
counseller
counsellor

Ecclesiasticus 6:1
Instead
In stead

Ecclesiasticus 6:6
counseller
counsellor

Ecclesiasticus 10:24
potentates,
potentates

Ecclesiasticus 18:32
expence
expense

Ecclesiasticus 21:5
god
God

Ecclesiasticus 33:16
awaked
awoke

Ecclesiasticus 41:18
Of
of

Ecclesiasticus 45:12
Holiness
holiness

Ecclesiasticus 51:2
For
for

Baruch 5:4
the peace… God’s worship.
‘The peace… God’s worship’.

Bel and the Dragon 13
entered it
entered in

1 Maccabees 2:29
wilderness,
wilderness

1 Maccabees 4:6
shewed
showed

1 Maccabees 8:4
And
and

1 Maccabees 10: 39, 44, 45
expences
expenses

1 Maccabees 11:4
shewed
showed

2 Maccabees 4:45
But
but

2 Maccabees 14:4
Came
came

Matthew 17:6
whe n
when

Matthew 17:27 margin
silver
silver,

Matthew 22:13
darkness,
darkness;

Matthew 27:8
Blood
Blood,

Mark 9:21
child’.
child.

Mark 9:22
us.
us.’

Mark 12:36
LORD
Lord

Mark 16:7
Galilee,
Galilee:

Luke 1:4
things,
things

Luke 12:57
Yea
‘Yea

Luke 13:3
perish.’
perish.

Luke 20:42
LORD
Lord

John 1:35
after
after,

John 1:39 margin
about: or, that was two hours before night
about: that was two hours before night

John 3:26
barest
borest

John 8:7
her.’
her’.

John 11:16
fellow-disciple
fellow-disciples

John 21:20
supper and said
supper, and said

Acts 1:11
heaven’.
heaven.’

Acts 2:29
Men
‘Men

Acts 2:31
before
before,

Acts 2:34
LORD
Lord

Acts 9:11
for,
for

Acts 12:5 margin
prayer or
prayer: or

Acts 15:17
Lord, ‘who doeth all these things’ ”.
Lord, who doeth all these things”.

Acts 24:19
they had ought
they had aught

Acts 25: 7-8
prove. 8 While
prove, 8 while

Romans 1:6
Christ:,
Christ:

Romans 1:7
Grace
grace

Romans 16: 10, 11 margins
friends
friends

1 Corinthians 2:12
spirit which is of God
Spirit which is of God

1 Corinthians 15:37
bore
bare

2 Corinthians 11:12
desire occasion
desire occasion,

Colossians 1:16
created,
created

2 Thessalonians 1:1 
the the
the

Titus 1:14
men,
men

James 2:23
Friend
friend

1 Peter 3:21
whereunto even baptism doth
whereunto, even baptism, doth

Revelation 8:13
earth
earth,

Four editions

The New Cambridge Paragraph Bible has been published in four editions, the first three of which include the Apocrypha:

1) Cambridge University Press (2005)
in hardback (978-0-521-84386-7)
and black French Morocco leather (978-0-521-84387-4).
Size: 7 1/4 x 10 x 2 inches.

2) Penguin Classics (2006) The Bible
in paperback (978-0-141-44151-1).
Size: 5 1/4 x 8 1/2 x 2 inches.

3) Folio Society (2011)
in single-volume
and two-volume fine hardback.
Size: 7 1/4 x 11 inches.

4) Cambridge University Press (2011) Revised Edition
in hardback with the Apocrypha (978-0-521-76284-7)
or without the Apocrypha (978-0-521-19501-0)
and black calfskin leather with the Apocrypha (978-0-521-19881-3)
or without the Apocrypha (978-0-521-19063-3).
Size: 6 x 8 1/2 x 1 3/4 (with the Apocrypha).

A joy to read

The most distinctive feature of The New Cambridge Paragraph Bible is its appearance.  The text is printed in paragraphs, not with each verse starting a new line.  There is a single column of text on each page, not two columns.  Quotation marks are used, and the spelling of some words has been modernized - something that is especially useful when an archaic spelling of a word now spells a different word (for example, “brake” has been changed to “broke”).  All these features make this new edition of the King James Bible very attractive and a joy to read.

Restoring a fine painting

David Norton, who probably knows more about the KJV than anyone else, is the editor of The New Cambridge Paragraph Bible.  After many years of meticulous research, he has produced an edition of the KJV that restores the text to that envisioned by the forty-six Church of England clergymen (and one layman!) who made the translation. 

Most people assume that the text of the KJV has remained unchanged since its publication, but this is not the case.  In a scholarly book entitled A Textual History of the King James Bible, Norton explains how minor changes were made to the text between 1611 and 1769 with the intention of improving or correcting it.  But Norton, like a man restoring a fine painting, would rather trust the original translators than second-guess them.  The NCPB, he declares, “is the translators’ Bible.”