I admit to being an audio fan. I love listening to books and podcasts on my smart phone. I've been collecting and listening to Audible books for years. So when I found out that YouVersion offers audio Bibles FOR FREE on their many different Bible apps, I was thrilled.
The audio Bible was added to the Web version of the Bible in May, 2011 and most of the other mobile apps since then.
I've been listening every morning to my Bible as I work my way through my reading plan. I'll write more on reading plans in a future post. Let me say here, however, that the combination of #1) the Bible on my mobile device, #2) the Bible arranged for me on a daily schedule, and #3) the Bible offered in audio format is the winning trifecta for me!
Ten of the 27 English version Bibles on my devices show up as an audio Bible. If you want to know where you find the audio Bibles, it's really simple... though somewhat hidden if you don't know where to look. When you list out the Bibles available to you on your device, look for the little audio icon right next to the name. If it has the little speaker with wave sounds next to it, that means an audio Bible is waiting for you.
While 10 audio versions show up on my listing of English Bibles, I am not actually able to try them all out. Specifically, the ASV, DRA, HCSB will not pop up on either iPad or Android when I was reading the Old Testament. I wondered if there was something special that needed to be done to make these available? I sent an email off to YouVersion asking about this and received this reply from Adam Bouse:
For ASV, DRA, and HCSB (as well as some non-English versions), we only have audio for the NT so far, either because that is all that exists or all that we have been able to collaborate and bring to our platforms.
My favorite audio Bible, by far, is the NIV Listeners Bible. Max McClean reads brilliantly. Listening to him read the Bible is like listening the God's Words as He might have spoken them. At least that's how it sounds to me. It's pretty exciting stuff! He varies his pitch, his speed and many other things probably too subtle for me to notice - but the end result is that the Bible comes alive like I've never heard it before. McClean has recorded 3 versions: KJV, NIV and ESV. Both the KJV and NIV by McClean are available to YouVersion readers.
Both NIV and NIV84 versions appear to be playing the NIV84 Max McLean Listeners Bible. I asked Adam Bouse about that and here's what he wrote me back:
For the NIV versions, it is the same track - since the updated NIV came out, they have not created an updated audio file to go along with it. Since the number of updates were relatively limited (and therefore the number of times the audio and text wouldn't line up), both the publisher and our team felt it would be acceptable to keep the audio available for both until an update audio version becomes available.
I actually like it that I can listen to the NIV84 while reading the NIV. There are only a few changes, but I can see them (hear them?) as I listen to one while reading with my eyes the other. That got me to thinking: I wonder if YouVersion will ever separate out the two and allow us to read one version while playing another version?
If you haven't tried out an audio Bible on YouVersion yet, what are you waiting for? I do have some suggestions that might help - based on my own experiences:
- Try hooking up a set of earphones to your device. A pair of bluetooth stereo headphones are surprisingly inexpensive. I listen every morning while I eat breakfast at a local restaurant. I find the headset really helps me stay focused.
- Once you start playing the audio Bible, leave it alone. Let it play. Control freaks like me like to press buttons all the time, right? When I first started listening the audio Bible I kept trying to advance to the next chapter. I thought to myself that the audio was set up for a chapter at a time and it was up to me to go to the next. Not true! The geniuses at YV have figured out that you will want to move forward. If you do nothing it will keep playing the next chapter after a moment or two.
- Find places and situations in your life when you could listen to the Bible while you are doing other things. For me listening while I'm exercising, riding my bicycle or just driving down the road afford many opportunities for being in the Word of God that wouldn't otherwise be there if I had to read with my eyes.
Reading my YouVersion Bible with my ears has been a most gratifying experience. I am so thankful that this is now available to us in such a convenient form factor. I encourage you to making listening to your Bible a new and important part of your Christian discipleship!
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