GoBible NRSV-CE Editions

 In recent years there have been an influx of audio Bibles that have entered the market.  While many of them have been produced for Protestant translations, there have been a few produced for Catholics as well.  Most notable of the Catholic editions available is the Truth and Life Audio Bible RSV-CE, which is available in various formats.  However, I would like to draw your attention to another option, that has only been available for the past year or so.  It is the GoBible NRSV-CE which comes in two editions, the Original GoBible Catholic Edition and the GoBible Traveler Catholic Edition.   You can listen to some audio samples here, found at the right of the page.  Here is a little bit about what each includes:

ORIGINAL GOBIBLE CATHOLIC EDITION FEATURES:

• Contains entire Bible for Catholics
• Over 80 hours of audio, preloaded
• Searchable by verse
• Story index of 230 popular Bible stories
• Topic index
• Holiday/events index
• Bookmarks
• Narrated Rosary and common prayers
• Daily readings by year and cycle
• Voice menu for sight impaired

GOBIBLE TRAVELER CATHOLIC EDITION FEATURES:

• Contains entire Bible for Catholics
• Over 80 hours of audio, preloaded
• Bible-in-a-Year Plan
• Narrated Rosary and common prayers
• Easy-To-Use Navigation
• Lightweight and Portable

More from Christianbook.com:

The GoBible Traveler and Original Edition does not interact with a PC; all of its content, over 80 hours of audio, has been downloaded onto the device. This is an audio device only. The GoBible Traveler’s interactive on-screen menu allows you to scroll easily through the Old and New Testaments and select the book and chapter where you want to begin play. Additionally, you have the option of following the GoBible Traveler’s "Bible-in-a-Year" plan for listening to the entire Bible in 365 days. The GoBible Traveler supports 36 Bookmarks so you can mark your favorite chapters or where you left off listening.

Both of these editions are lightweight and come with the entire Catholic Bible as well as Rosary devotions.  The Original Edition, though slightly bigger, has the ability to search the Bible by verse, as well as including a helpful index of popular Bible stories.  This is a nice feature that allows you to go right to a particular story in the Bible, like David and Goliath.   Also, you can read the particular daily readings of the day by the liturgical cycle.  Both editions come with Bible-in-a-Year reading plans.  The Original Edition also has a bigger screen, which may be more useful for those who have poor vision.   However, the biggest advantage to the Traveler Edition is that is is so much smaller and portable.  If you are a runner or plan to use it at the gym, you'll want to go with the Traveler Edition.  

The narrator is Stephen Johnston, who has done a number of other audio Bibles.  He has a deep and distinctive voice, which you would expect from anyone who does an audio Bible.  He also reads the Rosary and common prayers section as well.  One of the main questions you might ask is whether it is worth the price to have this mobile device as opposed to having an audio Bible loaded on your I-Pod or I-Phone.  Of course, that is up to you, but for me the answer is yes.  First off, it frees up space on my I-Phone for other things, considering that the entire Bible is over 80 hours in length.  Secondly, it is nice to have this specific device handy, which is very light and easily fits into my pocket or backpack.    Thirdly, the ability to search the Bible by verse, not just chapter, is a helpful advantage that most audio Bibles do not provide.  Lastly, since I have two young children who seem now-a-days to wake up a couple times a night, it is nice to have this on my night stand ready to go.  After getting the kiddies back to sleep, it is nice to just listen to the Word of God and relax.  

Again, I really appreciate the portability of this product.  I saw it being sold at a recent Catholic Conference my wife and I attended, so I decided to contact the people at GoBible.  They were gracious enough to provide me with a couple review copies.  I think this is a very nice option for those who want to hear the written Word in an easy-to-use format.  It also makes a great gift idea as we get closer to the Christmas season.