Inspired By … The Bible Experience Audio Bible—Today's New International Version, TNIV: Old Testament

Old Testament

By: Zondervan

Narrated by: Full Cast, Yolanda Adams, India Arie, Angela Bassett, James Brown, LeVar Burton, Juanita Bynum, Shirley Caesar, Nick Cannon, Common Common, Ruby Dee, Charles Dutton, Faith Evans, Kim Fields, Kirk Franklin

Some of Today's Leading Black Voices—Including 3 Oscar® Winners, 23 Grammy® Winners, 8 Emmy® Winners, and 5 Golden Globe® Winners—Performing Today’s New International Version (TNIV)

This ambitious and critically-acclaimed presentation of the Bible is set to an original musical underscore performed by the Prague Symphony Orchestra and a Hollywood-style sound design created by Technicolor Studios. Listen as the voices of Denzel and Pauletta Washington (Song of Songs), Idris Elba, Taraji P. Henson, Angela Bassett (Esther), Tyler Perry, LL Cool J (Samson), Tyrese Gibson, Terry Crews, Eartha Kitt (Serpent), Common, Tia and Tamera Mowry, Vanessa Williams, Keke Palmer, and Forest Whitaker (Moses) bring the stories and lessons of the Bible to life.

Honored with a nomination for an NAACP Image Award, this complete dramatized audio Bible has been grateful to also be awarded the 2007 Audies Audiobook of the Year (highest honor of the Audio Publisher’s Association) and an AudioFile Earphones Award.

New: Now includes an interactive table of contents with books and chapters of the Bible for easy audio navigation!*

Features:

• Complete dramatized audio Old Testament
• Over 400 world-class talents, including Denzel Washington, Forest Whitaker, Angela Bassett, Common, LL Cool J, Alfre Woodard, LeVar Burton, Idris Elba, and Terry Crews, among others
• Original music by the Prague Symphony Orchestra

Cast of full Bible includes…

Yolanda Adams, Paul Adefarasin, Erika Alexander, Tichina Arnold, James Avery, Obba Babatunde, Ogie Banks III, Angela Bassett, Ivory Belk, Eric Benét, Ahmed Best, John Bentley, Bishop Charles Blake, KD Bowe, Yvette Lee Bowser, James “JB” Brown, Wren T. Brown, LeVar Burton, Marcus Byrd, Ron Canada, Willie Carpenter, TC Carson, CCH Pounder, Alvin Chea, Common, Jill Conners, Terry Crews, De Mann, Cedric Dent, Alex Désert, Loretta Devine, Gary Dourdan, Karim Dulé Hill,Donna DuPlantier, Charles S. Dutton, Idris Elba, Faith Evans, Dustin Felder, Aurora Ferlin, Kirk Franklin, Matt Gibson, Tyrese Gibson, Meagan Good, Cuba Gooding Jr., April Grace, Khamani Griffin, Eva Gutierrez, Regina Hall, Anthony Hamilton, Leonard Harmon, Hill Harper, Heavy D, Taraji P. Henson, Russell Hornsby, Israel Houghton, Alexis Fields Jackson, Kevin C. Jackson, Samuel L. Jackson, Bishop T.D. Jakes, Juanita Jennings, Rhomeyn Johnson, Bishop Noel Jones, Joseph Jay Jones, Priscilla Jones, Star Jones, Malcolm David Kelley, Joey Kibble, Mark Kibble, Eartha Kitt, Boris Kodjoe, Nikki Kodjoe, Eriq La Salle, Sanaa Lathan, Adam Lazarre-White, Harry J. Lennix, Leon, Dawnn Lewis, Felicia Lister, , LL Cool J, Shana Lloyd, Bishop Eddie L. Long, Nia Long, Victor Love, Antonio David Lyons, Tisha Campbell Martin, Donnie McClurkin, R.L. McCray, Gwen McGee, Claude McKnight, Mo’Nique, Tia and Tamera Mowry, Lana “MC Lyte” Moorer, Debbie Morgan, Tommy Morgan, Garrett Morris, Phil Morris, Keke Palmer, Evan Parke, Danita Patterson, Tyler Perry, Sandra Prosper, Darryl Alan Reed, Doran Reed, Robi Reed, Tim Reid, Corey Reynolds, LaTanya Richardson, Bumper Robinson, Shaun Robinson, Wendy Raquel Robinson, Rodney Saulsberry, Kelvin Shepard, David Smallwood, Nancy Sprow, Mark E. Swinton, David Thomas, Bishop Kenneth C. Ulmer, Blair Underwood, Blake Underwood, Brielle Underwood, Kamden Underwood, Khloe Underwood, Paris Underwood, Iyanla Vanzant, Denzel Washington, Pauletta Washington, Tico Wells, Forest Whitaker, Deniece Williams, Ellis Williams, Vanessa Williams, Mirron Willis, Pastor Marvin Winans, Alfre Woodard, Jeffrey Wright, Marvin Wright-Bey, and more.

*where available

Critic reviews

'...a full show of music, sound effects, and a dazzling array of celebrity voices. The producers...put together a cast of...actors who deliver a rich, diverse rendering of the contemporary Today's New International Version (TNIV) translation in gospel-meeting style. Listeners are treated to a sort of aural kaleidoscope with layers of voices, sound, and music....The lavish production pulls out all the stops....If a modern multimedia production experience is what you're after, enjoy the fine voices and often dynamic dramatized readings.'

Worth It!!!

For those who would rather have the names of the books instead of the generic part 1,2,3... labels, here is the info you so you can relabel it in itunes.

Part 1: Genesis
Part 2: Exodus
Part 3 :Leviticus
Part 4: Numbers
Part 5: Deuteronomy
Part 6: Joshua-Ruth
Part 7: 1 Samuel-2 Samuel
Part 8: 1 Kings-2 Kings
Part 9: 1 Chronicles-2 Chronicles
Part 10: Ezra-Esther
Part 11: Job
Part 12: Psalms (Part 1)
Part 13: Psalms (Part 2)
Part 14: Proverbs-Song of Songs
Part 15: Isaiah
Part 16: Jeremiah
Part 17: Lamentations-Ezekiel
Part 18: Daniel-Micah
Part 19: Nahum-Malachi

Also enter the numbers accordingly for each part in the disc number criteria so the books will be sorted in the proper order on your ipod/iphone.

Abosolutely Amazing!

If you want to read the Bible but you have no willpower to actually start reading it, this is the best choice for you! Bible Experience engages you into each story. Wherever you are, you will zone out and transport yourself into a world you always wished to know. Get this, it's worth it! ^_^

Awesome is he, God Almighty!

This was worth all the time and money, I learned more about my Savior, Yaweh.

Was dreading the genealogies---

I admit it. I was dreading the genealogies. They did an awesome job with the music and kept me engaged even when the words on the page were just son of... begat... son of... begat... The other parts I have listened to drew me into the story. I am reading along as I listen. I am loving this.

An Incredible Experience - At Times

I have owned this on audio CD since the day the Old Testament was released. When I looked at the box, I was not expecting much. LL Cool J as Sampson? Samuel Jackson as the voice of God? Angela Bassett as the Angel of the Lord? Kirk Franklin as Peter? I actually laughed out loud at some of the outrageous choices for an audio Bible. Still, it could be interesting, so I stuck in the first CD, half expecting a good laugh.

Boy was I surprised! The first track held my attention and then some. First of all the narrator Matt Gibson is a fantastic choice. He is the greatest reader in the entire audio Bible. Paul Adafarison is also a good choice to play the voice of God in the Old Testament. I played CD after CD excitedly looking forward to certain biblical stories to see how they interpreted them in this audio theater format.

Most of the Old Testament is brilliant. There are a few exceptions (Psalms is overdone) but most are incredible. I really cannot say enough good about Matt Gibson. Genesis is amazing and other highlights are Joshua, Judges, 1 and 2 Samuel, 1 and 2 Kings, Job, Esther and Isaiah. The majority of the actors perform well. There are disappointments however. Forest Whitaker seems disinterested until Deuteronomy, where he suddenly comes alive. LL Cool J is terrible as Samson. The guy that plays David is very good usually, but he overplays some scenes with too much liberty (the death of the baby in 2 Samuel 12 he screams "no" upon hearing the news - not in the text). Some readers in Psalms sing rather than read. Other problems are the music is irreverent in some sections and overtakes the reading. Sometimes the sound effects are loud and unnecessary. Another issue is the translation (TNIV). It was a disaster and has now been re-marketed as the new NIV. It was so liberal in its translation philosophy that it was met with so much opposition and was finally pulled and re translated.

Problems aside, the Bible Experience is mostly amazing. I am glad I heard the Old Testament before the New Testament. The Old Testament is more conservative in its production - less Hollywood. The New Testament is way over the top at times (the Epistles). One thing I appreciate is the sections where no music is played. I wish this feature had been utilized more often. It is calming and easy to picture the events in my head. I am in the process of listening to this straight through once again through audible.