Holy Bible – King James Version – KJV (Direct Verse Jump, best navigation, searchable) by God-inspired

A short story:

You can purchase the most useful electronic Bible currently available for the Kindle at www.osnova.com.

The easy way to find it on your Kindle is to search for the word "osnova" in the Kindle store.

Please do not use the sample generated automatically by Amazon (it cripples most of the features of the book). If you need a sample download it right here. To learn how to use all of the features, please read the text below.

A quick note: at this time, I do not guarantee that all features will work on Kindle 1 because I do not have access to it.

A longer tale:

After looking at almost all versions of the Bible available for the Kindle, I was not satisfied with any of them. I am not just a casual reader of the Bible (when you pick up reading right where you left off the previous time). I need to be able to turn to a specific verse anywhere in the Bible at a moment's notice while studying a specific passage, reading a theological book or listening to a sermon. As a result, even the versions with the hyperlinked tables of contents were not sufficient for me. I have come up with the Direct Verse Jump technique, which allows you in a couple of clicks’ worth of seconds to open any verse in the Bible.

Moreover, almost all versions that I could find do not preserve the formatting and delete some of the text that I find in my paper copy of the Bible (for example, italics, small caps for "LORD", the headings of many Psalms, or the Hebrew letter names in Psalm 119, KJV notes at the end of some of the Paul's epistles). So, I have decided to make another Kindle version of the Authorized Version to correct all of these issues. It has been a long haul, but now I am ready to share this version with you.

Features of this Kindle KJV Bible, which has the same text as your paper copy:


Direct Verse Jump, a revolutionary new method to open the exact verse you need in seconds (see more information below)
two other ways to navigate between books and chapters: (i) using a hyperlinked table of contents; and (ii) pressing the joystick right or left to move between books of the Bible. Once you learn all of the three navigation methods (in addition to the typical page-flipping), you will be able to open any verse in your Kindle Bible as fast as (or even faster than) in your paper copy.
correctly formatted (i.e., preserving the formatting of the original KJV – italics, small caps in LORD, etc.)
includes original KJV translators’ notes (your paper copy may have omitted them; all you need is to click on the hyperlinked dagger and when finished with the note to press “Back”)
original text, notes, book titles carefully preserved (e.g., see the notes at the end of the Paul's epistles, which are found in the original KJV or titles of the psalms)
it is easy to determine where you are in the Bible (each chapter gives you the name of the book)
Jesus’ words are in bold
as any Kindle book, the KJV Bible is searchable; however, when you first install the file please wait for the Kindle to index the whole Bible! The file is large and it takes a long time to index. For this reason, the DVJ navigation method will be available only after the book has been indexed.


Direct Verse Jump, a new navigation method using the search functionality:
In this version, all you need to do is type an abbreviated book name, then a period, then a chapter number, a period again, and then a verse number and press the “find” twice. That’s it! You do not need to wait for the Kindle to display the search results. You will be looking at that particular verse in seconds. If you just need to open the first verse of any chapter then the verse number is not necessary. Do not forget periods and use only the abbreviations that are listed below.

For example, if you wish to select chapter 3 of Genesis, you would:

1. type the standard abbreviation for Genesis (see below), then period, and finally number "3"; in other words: ge.3
2. click “find” twice and you are there.

For John 3:16, you type jn.3.16 and double click “find”.

Note that you should put the chapter number even for books that have only one chapter. For example, Epistle of Jude verse 5 would translate to jud.1.5 and a double click on “find.”

Suggestions for improvement are welcome.

Book name abbreviations are now listed in the table of contents

Great work! How about doing the same for a newer translation? The NET Bible publishers are still looking for someone to make a better version of their bible for the Kindle. See http://bible.org/downloads

Great job!

I love the way you incorporated the strength of other Kindle versions (namely the chapter and verse navigation from the Table of Contents ability) but in addition, allow for going straight to the desired verse by simply typing in the abbreviated book, chapter, and verse and double-clicking "Find". This is an incredible time saver!

For those who don't know how that works: If you want to go to Isaiah 7:14, simply type "isa.7.14" (minus the quotes), double-click "Find", and you're there.

One thing I would like to see in future versions is either a list of the book abbreviations immediately following the Table of Contents or the abbreviated name in parenthesis after the full name in the table of Contents.

This is a fantastic edition. Thanks for all the hard work.

Great job!

I love the way you incorporated the strength of other Kindle versions (namely the chapter and verse navigation from the Table of Contents ability) but in addition, allow for going straight to the desired verse by simply typing in the abbreviated book, chapter, and verse and double-clicking "Find". This is an incredible time saver!

And.. don't forget that you can also jump between books by pressing the joystick (that four-way thingy) right or left.

One thing I would like to see in future versions is either a list of the book abbreviations immediately following the Table of Contents or the abbreviated name in parenthesis after the full name in the table of Contents.

I was going back and forth on this one. Should I include the instructions in the book itself or not? Some people may see that I ruin the original text for them.

This is a fantastic edition. Thanks for all the hard work.

You are very welcome. Thanks for the review on Amazon website too. I need it to promote it to more people.

Great work! How about doing the same for a newer translation? The NET Bible publishers are still looking for someone to make a better version of their bible for the Kindle. See http://bible.org/downloads

Thanks for encouraging words. I am currently thinking about other public domain translations that could benefit from my "Kindlization". I'll look at NET (is it PD?), WEB. What do people actually use?

The NET translation is the best one in the public domain that I know of. When I can't get to an NRSV or NIV I tend towards it.

The NET translation is the best one in the public domain that I know of. When I can't get to an NRSV or NIV I tend towards it.

I have just looked closer at the NET legal status. Unfortunately, it is not public domain. http://bible.org/article/trademark-and-copyright-information

It cannot be bundled with anything sold, nor can you charge for shipping, handling, or anything. It cannot be posted on other websites or servers (see Electronic Access below) ... For software downloaded from the site, e.g. NET Bible html files or program modules, you cannot change the format of the NET Bible® data file(s) or integrate it into or bundle it with any other software e.g. display program or bible study tool without expressed permission.

Actually, I've just re-read their request for a better Kindle version. I have just sent them a request for permission to proceed. If you think this is a worthy endeavor, please add your voice here or send your thoughts directly to them.

the abbreviated name in parenthesis after the full name in the table of Contents

Actually, this suggestion makes complete sense. I do not promise to do it soon (I'll wait for other feedback first, plus Amazon publishing/republishing process takes forever, I do not want to disrupt the current version)

=====
On a separate note, how much would people be willing to pay for the NET with all of the notes on their Kindles? Just testing the waters. It appears that the NET with the notes for the Kindle may actually happen.

I also want to see how big the file will be with all of the 60,000 notes.

I'd be interested in the NET, but what I'd love to see is "The Message". Its my favorite translation (aside from KJV) and the easiest to read (IMHO).

Originally Posted by WT Sharpe
the abbreviated name in parenthesis after the full name in the table of ContentsActually, this suggestion makes complete sense. I do not promise to do it soon (I'll wait for other feedback first, plus Amazon publishing/republishing process takes forever, I do not want to disrupt the current version)

Thanks! I'll buy that the updated version as well!

thank you so much for this one! :)

Thank you very much for this Bible. Very easy to navigate.

I am looking for a Chinese Union version and World English version with similar version. Bother are public domain. Basically, there are lack of Bibles in other languages for Kindle.

If you are pleased to share your work, we could develop the Chinese Union version and World English version together. I am fluent in English and Chinese.

thank you so much for this one! :)
You are very welcome.

Thank you very much for this Bible. Very easy to navigate.

I am looking for a Chinese Union version and World English version with similar version. Bother are public domain. Basically, there are lack of Bibles in other languages for Kindle.

If you are pleased to share your work, we could develop the Chinese Union version and World English version together. I am fluent in English and Chinese.

You know that the U.S. Kindle does not support other languages (Chinese, Russian, etc.) unless you apply a hack? If you have applied the hack (oops, I see you have the International Kindle, does it support Chinese?) then I think I can help you with the Chinese if you find me CU in a structured format (OSIS, XML, even one verse per line). I'll need some English guideposts (Book names and chapters, verses) in the file in order not mess up the Bible.

I have already started work on the World English (WEB) translation. So, it will be released at some point. However, the top priority project that I am working on right now is the NET Bible, hopefully with all of its notes. I'll let you know when I can work on other translations.

By the way, don't forget to leave feedback on the Amazon website, if you feel like it. I would greatly appreciate it.

Congratulations on a fine effort, I have purchased a copy. I don't know if the DVJ method would be considered 'proprietary intellectual property' or not, but if so perhaps it would be worth your contacting Zondervan and other e-bible publishers to discuss licensing the technique. I would like to see Zondervan's NIV with this capability. If the method isn't a true proprietary IP, is it something that you would consider teaching others to utilize when making other reference books on the Kindle?

Congratulations on a fine effort, I have purchased a copy. I don't know if the DVJ method would be considered 'proprietary intellectual property' or not, but if so perhaps it would be worth your contacting Zondervan and other e-bible publishers to discuss licensing the technique. I would like to see Zondervan's NIV with this capability. If the method isn't a true proprietary IP, is it something that you would consider teaching others to utilize when making other reference books on the Kindle?

This type of stuff can be protected either by a patent or trade secret. Trade secret will not work in this case because it is easy to figure out once you have my book. I have not filed for a patent and am not planning to. So, this technique is free for anybody to use if they figure out how it works.

Yesterday, I have signed an agreement with copyright holders for the NET Bible to convert their Bible into Kindle format with DVJ. I am working on it right now. I may approach others and see if they are interested in having me do the same with their translations. I also plan to "Kindlize" the WEB, and some foreign language Bibles that are in Public Domain.

At this time, I do not want to give away all my secrets for free but I can't and don't prevent others from doing something similar.

By the way, I have come up with some improvements to DVJ. So, the NET Bible will have a new version of it which should be even faster and look even better.

I looked at the sample in the Calibre ebook viewer, and it appears that the Direct Jump feature is implemented with invisible text at the beginning of each verse. That's the reason why each verse is indented. You can see the invisible text in Calibre by doing a search (it highlights the found text) or doing a click-and-sweep with the mouse over the blank space before each verse.

I'm not familiar with the Mobipocket development tools, so I'm not sure how invisible text is specified in the input file markup. From what I can gather looking at the developer's information here (http://www.mobipocket.com/dev/article.asp?BaseFolder=prcgen&File=mobiformat.htm), the compiler appears to take HTML as input, so it can't be all that difficult.

Of course, I'm assuming here that the Mobipocket tools were used for this. I believe that Calibre can also convert HTML to .mobi, which is good for us Linux and Mac users, but I haven't tried this yet.

I appreciate your answers, and I appreciate your efforts even more. I hope you are successful in making a few $ for your efforts, best of luck with it.

I appreciate your answers, and I appreciate your efforts even more. I hope you are successful in making a few $ for your efforts, best of luck with it.

Thanks. The basic idea is as bloovis described. So, it is pretty simple. Don't know why nobody has done it before.

You are very welcome.



You know that the U.S. Kindle does not support other languages (Chinese, Russian, etc.) unless you apply a hack? If you have applied the hack (oops, I see you have the International Kindle, does it support Chinese?) then I think I can help you with the Chinese if you find me CU in a structured format (OSIS, XML, even one verse per line). I'll need some English guideposts (Book names and chapters, verses) in the file in order not mess up the Bible.

I have already started work on the World English (WEB) translation. So, it will be released at some point. However, the top priority project that I am working on right now is the NET Bible, hopefully with all of its notes. I'll let you know when I can work on other translations.

Thank you! No, it couldn't read Chinese/Japanese yet. However, I am going to apply the font hack, as I want use the Kindle for Bible study and church.

Please find the file in http://www.o-bible.org/download/hb5.txt
It is encoded in Big5

Please let me know if it is sufficient. Otherwise, I will try my best to get another format.

The format looks fine. I have figured out a way to convert it to UTF-8.

On a separate note, I've read somewhere that the font hack does not yet work with the International versions of the Kindle.

osnova, I'm curious:

Converting the KJV into easily-navigated text could not have been an easy task. How long did this project take?

I have been working on some Bible texts (converting them from/to various formats) over the years for my personal use. So, I had a good source to work with. I believe I got the initial source from somewhere online, then checked it and added the translators' notes. When I had all that, it took me about a month to figure out how to make this thing work on the Kindle so I can use it at church and while reading at home.

kelvincai
Could you do me a favor? Could you write down the names of Bible books in Chinese for me in the following manner in a UTF-8 file:

Genesis CHINESE NAME
Exodus CHINESE NAME

I'll need this for the CU Bible for the Kindle.

Great news!

I have just finished converting the NET Bible with all of its 60,000 notes to the Kindle format with the Direct Verse Jump navigation. The file is almost 14 Mb. I was surprised to find out that the Kindle supports all Greek characters out of the box, so you will be able to see them in the notes. Hebrew characters were not so lucky (the Kindle does not support them), so they will be mostly represented by Latin transliterations. All original formatting has been preserved (paragraphs, regular text, poetry, citations from OT in NT, titles, etc.)

They (Biblical Studies Press, the copyright holder) will be posting it soon to Amazon. Once they do and I have the link, I'll post it to the Mobileread. The cost will be about $5 if I am not mistaken.

The navigation, as always with Osnova, cannot be easier. A detailed hyperlinked TOC. Each note is hyperlinked within the text. Once you finish reading the note, you can return to the text by pressing “Back”. All cross-references in the notes are hyperlinked to the main text (and most abbreviations as well), so it is much easier to jump from verse to note, note to cross-referenced verse, just by following the hyperlinks and then returning to where you started by pressing “Back.” If you need a new starting point, all you need to do is enter something like “jn.3.16″ or “1co.13.4″ in the search window and press twice on the “find” icon and you are there. Yes, I have changed the abbreviations from the KJV version to make them shorter/faster to type (now the abbreviations will be listed in TOC for easy reference; thanks to WT Sharpe for the suggestion). I'll have to update the KJV to include the improvements.

Oh, you can also jump between books/sections by pressing the joystick right or left.

Ok. The moment we all have been waiting for has come! The NET Bible with Direct Verse Jump and all of the notes is available for purchase on Amazon. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B002V1I4I6

Just to let everybody know that I have sent to Amazon for publication in the Kindle store the World English Bible (see www.eBible.org) It usually takes some time for them to review and release the submission. I'll let you know when I receive the link.

More details on this edition that I've put in the product description:


The World English Bible is modern English translation of the Bible based on the 1901 American Standard Version, the Greek Majority Text, and the Hebrew Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia.

This Kindle edition of the World English Bible features, in addition to a hyperlinked table of contents, the Direct Verse Jump, a revolutionary new method of Bible navigation on the Kindle. The DVJ allows the reader to open any verse in the Bible directly in mere seconds. For example, "jn.3.16" in the search window and two clicks on "Find" opens John 3:16. The abbreviations used in the DVJ are listed in TOC for easy reference. Chapter numbers are required even for books that have only one chapter. For example, the Epistle of Jude verse 5 translates to jud.1.5 and two clicks on “Find.” On the other hand, to open the first verse of any chapter the verse number is not necessary.

The reader can also navigate between Bible books by pressing the joystick right or left. After some practice with the three navigation methods, the reader will be able to open any verse in the Kindle WEB Bible as fast as (or even faster than) in the paper copy.

Other features of the Kindle World English Bible:

– all of the WEB notes and cross-references linked to the main text (all you need is to click on the hyperlinks in the text and, when finished reading the note, to press “Back” to return to the Bible text)
– correctly formatted (for example, special poetry formatting, italics, etc.)
– words of Jesus in bold
– as any Kindle book, the WEB is searchable; however, when you first install the file please wait for the Kindle to index the whole Bible! The file is very large and it takes a long time to index. For this reason, the DVJ navigation method will be available only after the book has been indexed.

Just to let everybody know that I have sent to Amazon for publication in the Kindle store the World English Bible (see www.eBible.org) It usually takes some time for them to review and release the submission. I'll let you know when I receive the link.

I'm looking forward to this one. I've always felt that the 1901 American Standard Version that it's based on is one of the better translations.

I admire the work involved in creating this, but I'm very dubious about the quality of the translation, I'm afraid.

Pretty much all modern translations of the New Testament are based on the "Nestle-Aland 27", or "UBS4" Greek text, which is considered by pretty much everyone to be the "definitive" version of the Greek NT, combining all the extant NT manuscripts in a manner fully in accordance with the latest scholarship of the period.

The WEB bible's NT is based on what's called the "Byzantine Majority Text", which is a much older version (it's essentially what the KJV translators used), and suffers greatly from NOT having been updated in terms of modern scholarship - we now know tremendously more about the language than was the case in the 17th century.

I admire the work involved in creating this, but I'm very dubious about the quality of the translation, I'm afraid.

Pretty much all modern translations of the New Testament are based on the "Nestle-Aland 27", or "UBS4" Greek text, which is considered by pretty much everyone to be the "definitive" version of the Greek NT, combining all the extant NT manuscripts in a manner fully in accordance with the latest scholarship of the period.

The WEB bible's NT is based on what's called the "Byzantine Majority Text", which is a much older version (it's essentially what the KJV translators used), and suffers greatly from NOT having been updated in terms of modern scholarship - we now know tremendously more about the language than was the case in the 17th century.

I have to agree. I should have added "for its day" to my earlier post praising the 1901 American Standard Version. Biblical scholarship has come so far since then, and so many new discoveries have been made since that version was published that it is rendered a bit obsolete. Any modern version has to take into account how the Dead Sea Scrolls as well as other discoveries such as that of the Nag Hammadi Library in 1945 impact the text.

The sad part is that none of these modern translations are going to be in the public domain. Of those that are in the public domain, The ASV of 1901 is one of the better ones. Not the best, as I believe that the best English version in the public domain is probably the Revised Standard Version of 1952; but even that is based on a revision of the ASV of 1901.

I don't know if any newer English versions that take advantage of more modern scholarship are out of copyright yet. That puts serious constraints on the raw materials with which osnova has to work.

The World English Bible with the Direct Verse Jump is now online at

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B002VWKFJ6


==========

WT Sharpe is right. I can only work with public domain versions or at the direction/authorization of copyright holders. I am not sure if Zondervan or some other copyright holder for a modern translation would be interested in working with me. I was lucky that the NET Bible team wanted to work with me.

The World English Bible with the Direct Verse Jump is now online at

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B002VWKFJ6

And now I have two osnova Bibles on my Kindle.


... I can only work with public domain versions or at the direction/authorization of copyright holders. I am not sure if Zondervan or some other copyright holder for a modern translation would be interested in working with me...

You might want to give it a shot; the worst they could do is turn you down. Your Direct Verse Jump navigation is the best I've seen for an eBook Bible.

Osnova - again a superb job on this. May I recommend that you format the KJV text into actual paragraphs like you have the WEB Bible? That may be a huge undertaking provided what you have to work with from the start.

That's a good suggestion. My only concern would be whether people would object to such a change because it would "look" different from their paper copy. Some folks are very particular about their KJVs.

By the way, thanks for your feedback on Amazon. I also think that this version is the best KJV for Kindle, and I welcome any suggestions for improvements.

That's a good suggestion. My only concern would be whether people would object to such a change because it would "look" different from their paper copy. Some folks are very particular about their KJVs.
Yes, I have to agree there, there is quite a following of "KJV only" that would be upset.

My thinking is that this is on a EBOOK READER and would benefit from the formatting to make it more pleasurable to read, I can't really see doing any real studying on it. The direct verse jump is nice but the features of your work that I appreciate most is the correct formatting, italics and such.

The addition of "red lettering" would be nice too, although for a b&w ereader perhaps underline or bold would be more in order.

BTW: With Kindle for the PC available this ebook can now be purchased without a Kindle reading device and despite being in the AZW format is not DRM'd and can be converted with Calibre. It works and looks just fine as an ePub - at least on the Calibre viewer.

:thanks:

The addition of "red lettering" would be nice too, although for a b&w ereader perhaps underline or bold would be more in order.

Actually, Jesus's words are already in bold in my version of the KJV (underlined letters are very confusing because they appear as links and large portions of underlined text are distracting). The bold on the Kindle is not very conspicuous but look closer and you will notice.


BTW: With Kindle for the PC available this ebook can now be purchased without a Kindle reading device and despite being in the AZW format is not DRM'd and can be converted with Calibre. It works and looks just fine as an ePub - at least on the Calibre viewer.


Would you mind sending me in private the ePub that you have? I'll see if I can do better from the original sources, instead of the conversion of a conversion.

I posted this is another thread:

Does anyone know if a parallel Bible is available on the Kindle? If not, how do we go about getting one created?

So far, I have published four Bible translations for the Kindle with my Direct Verse Jump navigation method: three English translations and one Chinese. Each one is a high quality edition (well, I can't guarantee the quality of the Chinese text because I cannot read it but the formatting and navigation are excellent).

Currently, I am working on the Douay Rheims Bible, which is an English translation of the Latin Vulgate. Unfortunately, the available text sources for D-R all contain innumerable typos and OCR errors (this is also true for all Douay Rheims editions currently available in the Kindle Store). I am proofreading the sources that I have (so far I've done about 1/3 of the OT) and will release it when it is ready.

I have contacted copyright holders/ publishers for some popular modern translations to see if they would be willing to cooperate with me in bringing the Direct Verse Jump navigation to their translations. I'll let you know if I hear from them.

I also plan to publish other non-English translations (Russian, Ukrainian, French, etc.) I am also working on Bible dictionaries and encyclopedias.

If you want to see my publications all in one place, read additional information about DVJ and follow the developments, please visit my newly created website OSNOVA Press (http://osnovapress.wordpress.com/)

I have also gathered there all the comments and feedback that I receive from people on various forums.

Oh, I forgot to mention that the WEB Bible and some of my dictionaries (http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss?url=search-alias%3Ddigital-text&field-keywords=osnova) are on Christmas sale for $0.99.

Osnova - again a superb job on this. May I recommend that you format the KJV text into actual paragraphs like you have the WEB Bible? That may be a huge undertaking provided what you have to work with from the start.

Rootman, I've done what you asked for -- broken up the text into individual paragraphs. Some of the paragraphs are huge though. I am not ready to put the new version on Amazon.

If you are willing to test, I'll send you the new version. I like it personally.

Sure, fire it at me at the same email address that I sent you the EPUB the other day.

Thanks!

Just got the WEB Bible. Thanks for putting this together!

Just got the WEB Bible. Thanks for putting this together!

You are welcome. Would you mind giving your feedback on Amazon? My edition of the WEB has no feedback so far.

Rootman and everybody else who likes a paragraphed Bible text (in contrast to the traditional verse-per-line), you may purchase the paragraphed KJV with Direct Verse Jump at the following address:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0030T1DPY

Note that the only difference between this new paragraphed KJV (with DVJ) and the traditional verse-per-line KJV (with DVJ) found at http://www.amazon.com/dp/B002TG4P8Q is the way the text is formatted (paragraphs versus verse-per-line). Please do not purchase this new version if you like the traditional verse-per-line or if you do not think the formatting is important.

I will, but I haven't got my Kindle yet. I have Kindle for PC to check it out, but I want to use all the features.

I will, but I haven't got my Kindle yet. I have Kindle for PC to check it out, but I want to use all the features.

Yep. The K4PC is a poor representation of how things work on the Kindle. My Bible editions especially suffer from the K4PC shortcomings. Arrrr!

Osnova Thanks for the excellant work . . . again.

Bought and delivered!

No, no... Thank you for your suggestion and testing.

Okay, used the WEB Bible in church this morning and reviewed it on Amazon this evening. Hope this helps people and adds some exposure for your awesome hard work!

A very thorough review. Thank you. I've left a comment to your review on Amazon.

Just an observation. It appears that most people prefer the paragraphed Bible to the verse-per-line one. At least the paragraphed is selling better at the moment.

I thought it would be a winner.

I've been using the DVJ on my NET Bible for a few weeks now, and I love it!! I try to read other versions (w/out DVJ) and I always have issues navigating to different books. I can't find an NIV or NLT with decent book/chapter navigation. Anyone?

All I can say is that I've written Zondervan (and some other publishers about other translations) asking them about a possibility of incorporating DVJ into NIV and their other texts. No response so far.

If I can get a permission, I can do an NIV with DVJ in a couple of weeks (most of it is spent on testing and quality control).

I know you've already reached out to Z (thanks again!)
Would it help if other people suggested it also? Is there a contact email for Z?

I guess it could help. Here is what Zondervan's site says,

"Electronic
For rights and permission to quote the ENTIRE NIV, NIrV, or TNIV TEXT in electronic format media intended for commercial use within the U.S. and Canada (which exceeds “fair usage," please send an email to Caryn.Toering@Zondervan.com to receive an application."

Ms. Toering is the Director of International Rights & Permissions for Zondervan. I sent her an email on December 2 and reminders since then.

Encouraging news. Ms. Toering of Zondervan has written me to say that they will consider my proposal after the holidays.

Just a note. I had an email from a Kindle owner who purchased my KJV with DVJ complaining that TTS does not work properly with my edition. You can see my response to this person below.

I've thought that it was self-evident that TTS would have problems, given that there is external text in between verses: DVJ anchors, chapter and verse numbers. TTS reads everything! and there is no way to tell it to ignore these meta data. To address this person's issue I've created a TTS-friendly edition of the KJV. Unfortunately, I had to remove the verse numbers and the Direct Verse Jump navigation. Book and chapter navigation is still possible using the active TOC or joystick left-right navigation. Just in case if there are other people who need TTS more than verse numbers and DVJ, I'll release this TTS-friendly KJV on Amazon.

============
My response to the person complaining about TTS problems:


I share your frustration with how TTS works with Bibles. Basically, TTS reads everything it sees: chapter numbers, verse numbers.

My edition uses hidden anchors before each verse to make the Direct Verse Jump possible. Although the anchors are hidden to the eyes, TTS sees them and reads them. I've written to Amazon several times asking them to come up with a way to control the TTS function to allow for pauses, tell it what not to read, etc. So far they have not addressed this issue.

This is the first report that I have received about TTS problems. So, I've assumed until now that TTS was not that important to people. I will put a disclaimer in the description of this KJV edition that it is not compatible with TTS.

If you want me to, I will make a TTS-friendly KJV edition just for you. It will not include the Direct Verse Jump or the verse numbers. This way, there will be no interruptions for TTS. If the verse numbers are important please let me know, I will leave them in.

Please forgive me for not meeting your needs.

Blessings,

Osnova

As promised above, I have released a TTS-friendly version of KJV. As a trade-off, the DVJ navigation and the verse numbers are gone. Now you can listen to the Bible with the help of the robotic voice of the Kindle without interruptions. Actually, it is "listenable" :)

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0032JSL84

I am on the road, so a quick note from my cell phone.

Amazon has finally published my newest publication American Standard Version (ASV) with Direct Verse Jump at http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00332EWJC

It may be of interest to you to read the four original prefaces that English and American revisers wrote for OT and NT. So, I included them.

Finally, after a month of reviewing the submission, Amazon has published my edition of the Douay-Rheims Catholic Bible with Direct Verse Jump. If you are not familiar with Catholic Bibles, they include Deuterocanonical (Apocryphal in the Protestant parlance) books and portions of books (Daniel, Esther, etc.), the chapter and verse numbering differs significantly in many places from the KJV versification. Note that this edition does not include the notes.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0033PSG1Y

I have taken time to correct typos and OCR errors of sources that flow around the Internet. So, this edition should be the truest to the paper edition of late 1800s.

osnova, I was just wondering if you've had any response from Zondervan regarding your request of making NIV easier to navigate?

Well. Some time in December they said they would consider my proposal after the New Year. Since then, I haven't heard from them.

Alright, well hopefully they'll get back with you on this. :)

A reader has discovered an embarrassing for me error with the DVJ anchor (hidden text) for 2 Chronicles, which affects:

Holy Bible: King James Version (KJV) (with Direct Verse Jump) and
Holy Bible: King James Version (KJV) (with Direct Verse Jump), paragraphed.

Basically, if you try to jump to any verse in 2 Chronicles (for example, 2ch.3.3), you won't be able to. You'll have to type in 2chr.3.3 for DVJ to work. I am upset that my quality control has not uncovered this issue. I apologize to all.

If you have purchased these KJV editions and they exhibit this issue (some of my earlier editions of KJVs did not have this issue), please email me at osnova@gmail.com and let me know which of the two KJV editions you have, and I will send you a fixed edition and a Kindle dictionary of English Synonyms as an apology. As a proof of purchase, please send me in your email the text of the margin note for Hebrews 4:6.

I have submitted the updated file to Amazon but it typically takes some time for them to approve the change.

Osnova,

Congratulations. It is such a good job. Very easy to use and also a friendly presentation. Please keep it up.

I did not encounter the the challenges highlighted above in respect of 2Chr.3.3, probably i bought the updated version (bought mine yesterday).

Any word yet?
Anything we can do to help you?

At this point I have lost hope about other copyright holders.

It's been a while since I posted (I have changed three time zones and two jobs since my last post).

Just a heads-up.

I am finishing some upgrades/improvements to the KJV versions (mostly, the paragraphed one) and will be soon uploading them to Amazon. If a regular reader of the Bible is willing to help me test it before I publish it, please send me a PM.

In addition, I am almost finished with the Spanish La Reina-Valera Biblia 1909, which has DVJ and other features of my Bible editions. If there are Spanish speakers who read this Bible regularly, I would appreciate your help with testing it before the release (I do not speak/read Spanish!). PM me please.

Can the WEB version be fully justified? It shows up as left justified on my kindle. Otherwise, it is great!

Thanks,
John

Justification is actually a sore issue with the Kindle (at least after Kindle 1). In Kindle 1, there was an option whether you wanted left- or fully justified text. Since Kindle 2, all text is forced as fully justified unless the coding enforces left justification.

If I remember correctly, I wanted to test people's preferences regarding the justification, and one or two of my Bibles enforce left justification. You are the first to say anything on the issue for my Bible editions. There is no easy way to switch justification without reconversion. If there are more people that prefer fully justified text, I'll do that as a default.

See more discussions about justification on the Kindle here:

http://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=51582
http://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=88073
http://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=59512
http://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=66340

The King James Bible (KJV) (best navigation with Direct Verse Jump) is the 313th most highlighted book by Kindle users.

Congratulations, osnova! Quite an achievement, considering that there are over 630,000 books in the Kindle Store!

Wow! I am glad people read the Bible.

===

John (jpmahala), I've made a fully justified WEB and once I test it some more, I'll send it to you through PM.

All I can say is that I've written Zondervan (and some other publishers about other translations) asking them about a possibility of incorporating DVJ into NIV and their other texts. No response so far.

If I can get a permission, I can do an NIV with DVJ in a couple of weeks (most of it is spent on testing and quality control).

Osnova,

I can hardly wait to get my Kindle 3 LG WiFi at the end of this month to buy all of your DVJ bibles. The Amazon site for the NET Bible does not indicate you have DVJ incorporated. Was it left off that one. I'll only buy the DVJ bibles.

Do you also create DVJ Bibles for Sony? I also have a Sony PRS 900 with the NIV and simply cannot use it in Bible Studies. Its too cumbersome. Thus, I was forced to buy a NowBible for that purpose.

However, the Kindle 3 LG will have much better contrast and long lasting battery life for my purposes.

I wrote Zondervan last year asking them to improve their direct access to individual verses or their product is useless for Bible Studies. I never heard back from them.

P L E A S E ask Zondervan to allow you to enable your DVJ breakthrough for the NIV for both the Kindle 3 LG and the Sony PRS 900. Without it their NIV just doesn't cut it.

Where are your abbreviations located in those 4 Kindle Bibles you already created? I placed all 4 on my Amazon Wish List and will buy all of them once my Kindle3 LG arrives.

I wrote Zondervan last year asking them to improve their direct access to individual verses or their product is useless for Bible Studies. I never heard back from them.

P L E A S E ask Zondervan to allow you to enable your DVJ breakthrough for the NIV for both the Kindle 3 LG and the Sony PRS 900. Without it their NIV just doesn't cut it.



I agree! I bought the NIV for epub and it's pretty useless, unless you are using it to read straight through. I also wrote to Zondervan about it, but never heard back to them. Unfortunately their customer service doesn't seem to be very good.

sirmaru,

Yes, all Bibles from me (osnova) include DVJ (with the exception of TTS-friendly KJV; however, there are 2 KJVs that do include DVJ). The NET Bible also has DVJ (the $4.99 one, not the $0.99 one).

I have bought Sony PRS-600 to see if I can make DVJ-based Bibles for it. It seems that using the touchscreen keyboard could be possible, but awkward and not fast enough. The non-touchscreen versions would not be able to use DVJ at all. So, at the end, I decided that readers without a dedicated keyboard would not benefit much from DVJ.

By the way, I am chagrined at how poor the search implementation for the Kindle on iPad is. It works differently from the actual Kindle and is way too slow. DVJ on iPad is not usable.

I did not hear back from Zondervan the first time. Maybe I'll send them another request. It seems that I am not worth their notice. But I am with you, DVJ would benefit NIV a lot. Actually, I have both NIV and NASB and would love to incorporate DVJ in them.

Osnova,

How about posting the proper Zondervan email address here for your fans to chime in to support your request?

I'm awaiting my Kindle LG 3 WiFi to be delivered in a couple of weeks. In preparation I've added to my Wish List your following books:

1. WordNet 3
2. KJV (paragraphed) with DVJ
3. NET ($ 4.99 one) with DVJ
4. ASV with DVJ
5. WEB with DVJ

I've also added the Easton Bble Dictionary. I'm not sure if you had something to do with that one or not.

I still prefer the NIV but will just forget it unless they allow you to prepare a DVJ version. The one I have for my Sony PRS 900 is USELESS. Thus, I was forced to buy a NowBible - dramatized NIV - which also has a form of DVJ. Did you help them develop their form of DVJ as well? I also own a Franklin BIB with KJV and NIV with a form of DVJ as well. However, that device keeps losing its settings making it useless in Church.

I also own the Logos Bibles and Reference books for my PC but have not chosen to use them anymore since I would need a laptop to use them. That is NOT convenient in Church. Thus, I uninstalled them from my PC. It was 6 Gb.

Hmm. Yesterday, I responded but can't see my post. Basically, I've been communicating with Caryn L. Toering, Director of International Rights and Permissions, ZONDERVAN. Her email is on their website (I don't want to post it here without permission).

Have you asked Crossway Publishers (ESV)? They seem to be more permissive (they give their translation for use in the Sword Project, for example). NKJV could also be nice, but it takes them longer to reply to inquiries in my experience.

I am really wanting to try out the Apologetics Bible on the kindle but I am fearful that I wont like it, since I am not sure it has chapter jumps. Has anyone tried it out yet? I like the Apologetics Bible because I enjoy the articles for explanation through out my hard copy of it.

Have you asked Crossway Publishers (ESV)? They seem to be more permissive (they give their translation for use in the Sword Project, for example). NKJV could also be nice, but it takes them longer to reply to inquiries in my experience.

I'll try. Thanks.

I am really wanting to try out the Apologetics Bible on the kindle but I am fearful that I wont like it, since I am not sure it has chapter jumps. Has anyone tried it out yet? I like the Apologetics Bible because I enjoy the articles for explanation through out my hard copy of it.

Haven't tried it myself but I doubt they have something similar to my DVJ. You can try a sample and see if it works on Genesis.

I want to ask for advice on how to react to this.

A gentleman (apparently from Brazil) has published on Amazon a KJV (and ASV) with ... "Direct Verse Access." Compare it to my "Direct Verse Jump." The description of how it works appears to be taken from my product description page. It uses the same book abbreviations and may be a direct copy or derivative of my edition. He undercuts my sales price. His sales are closing in on mine.

I do not try to monopolize the Bible and welcome efforts of others to make it more available and easier to use, but in this case it seems he just has taken my work and passes it off as his own. The text is public domain and there are lots of alternative KJV and ASV editions for the Kindle but I spent many months to come up with a better edition and better navigation system.

I don't know...

I received my Kindle 3 and immediately purchased your DVJ Bibles: NET and KJV. They work great.

Since the Kindle 3 is small enough to fit inside a Ziploc bag and then into my suit jacket inside pocket, your DVJ Bibles now can be carried anywhere.

If you ever get the NIV annotated, I'll buy that one as well. Zondervan is losing out by not letting you do this.

Caryn Touring's email address is not directly on their site, at least I don't see it. They have a general form for sending email to them but I already tried that awhile ago and never got a response.

I would say that I would look into it. It is just not fair that you should put in your time just to have some one basically take it from you.

sirmaru,

It's on this page: http://www.zondervan.com/Cultures/en-US/Company/Policy/Rights/Translations.htm

I wrote to Zondervan several months ago, as well (January of this year). The first time I wrote was to ask if their NIV would be easy to navigate on a device without a touch screen, such as a Sony. I received a response from Melissa Liszewski stating that I would have to ask the manufacturer of the ebook reader, but that it should work fine as long as I got the epub version. When I bought my Pocket Pro I also bought Zondervan's NIV, and was disappointed to find it was terrible for Navigating. It really wasn't easy at all to select which book I wanted to go to. I wrote back and told them I was disappointed in how they set up the epub version of the book, and that it locked up my device each time I used it. I asked if I could have permission to break the DRM and reformat it for my own use. I figured the answer would be no, but I thought it wouldn't hurt to ask. :) Unfortunately, they never even responded to that request. I sent that one mid-March. Needless to say, I have not been very impressed with Zondervan's customer service.

Holy Bible – King James Version – KJV (Direct Verse Jump, best navigation, searchable) by God-inspired

A short story:

You can purchase the most useful electronic Bible currently available for the Kindle at http://www.amazon.com/dp/B002TG4P8Q.

The easy way to find it on your Kindle is to search for the word "osnova" in the Kindle store.

Please do not use the sample generated automatically by Amazon (it cripples most of the features of the book). If you need a sample download it right here. To learn how to use all of the features, please read the text below.

A quick note: at this time, I do not guarantee that all features will work on Kindle 1 because I do not have access to it.

A longer tale:

After looking at almost all versions of the Bible available for the Kindle, I was not satisfied with any of them. I am not just a casual reader of the Bible (when you pick up reading right where you left off the previous time). I need to be able to turn to a specific verse anywhere in the Bible at a moment's notice while studying a specific passage, reading a theological book or listening to a sermon. As a result, even the versions with the hyperlinked tables of contents were not sufficient for me. I have come up with the Direct Verse Jump technique, which allows you in a couple of clicks’ worth of seconds to open any verse in the Bible.

Moreover, almost all versions that I could find do not preserve the formatting and delete some of the text that I find in my paper copy of the Bible (for example, italics, small caps for "LORD", the headings of many Psalms, or the Hebrew letter names in Psalm 119, KJV notes at the end of some of the Paul's epistles). So, I have decided to make another Kindle version of the Authorized Version to correct all of these issues. It has been a long haul, but now I am ready to share this version with you.

Features of this Kindle KJV Bible, which has the same text as your paper copy:


Direct Verse Jump, a revolutionary new method to open the exact verse you need in seconds (see more information below)
two other ways to navigate between books and chapters: (i) using a hyperlinked table of contents; and (ii) pressing the joystick right or left to move between books of the Bible. Once you learn all of the three navigation methods (in addition to the typical page-flipping), you will be able to open any verse in your Kindle Bible as fast as (or even faster than) in your paper copy.
correctly formatted (i.e., preserving the formatting of the original KJV – italics, small caps in LORD, etc.)
includes original KJV translators’ notes (your paper copy may have omitted them; all you need is to click on the hyperlinked dagger and when finished with the note to press “Back”)
original text, notes, book titles carefully preserved (e.g., see the notes at the end of the Paul's epistles, which are found in the original KJV or titles of the psalms)
it is easy to determine where you are in the Bible (each chapter gives you the name of the book)
Jesus’ words are in bold
as any Kindle book, the KJV Bible is searchable; however, when you first install the file please wait for the Kindle to index the whole Bible! The file is large and it takes a long time to index. For this reason, the DVJ navigation method will be available only after the book has been indexed.


Direct Verse Jump, a new navigation method using the search functionality:
In this version, all you need to do is type an abbreviated book name, then a period, then a chapter number, a period again, and then a verse number and press the “find” twice. That’s it! You do not need to wait for the Kindle to display the search results. You will be looking at that particular verse in seconds. If you just need to open the first verse of any chapter then the verse number is not necessary. Do not forget periods and use only the abbreviations that are listed below.

For example, if you wish to select chapter 3 of Genesis, you would:

1. type the standard abbreviation for Genesis (see below), then period, and finally number "3"; in other words: ge.3
2. click “find” twice and you are there.

For John 3:16, you type jn.3.16 and double click “find”.

Note that you should put the chapter number even for books that have only one chapter. For example, Epistle of Jude verse 5 would translate to jud.1.5 and a double click on “find.”

Suggestions for improvement are welcome.

Book name abbreviations are now listed in the table of contents
Thanks for the tips. I am brand new to Kindle and just got the DX two days ago. My only purchase so far is this very Bible version. I had not figured out how it would jump right to a verse until I read your post. Now if I can only figure out how to remember the book abreviations so I can follow along in Church with the Pastor. Before Kindle I have been using my Motorola Droid, before that was a Palm TX. The Palm was great except for having to use a stylus.

I want to ask for advice on how to react to this.

A gentleman (apparently from Brazil) has published on Amazon a KJV (and ASV) with ... "Direct Verse Access." Compare it to my "Direct Verse Jump." The description of how it works appears to be taken from my product description page. It uses the same book abbreviations and may be a direct copy or derivative of my edition. He undercuts my sales price. His sales are closing in on mine.

I do not try to monopolize the Bible and welcome efforts of others to make it more available and easier to use, but in this case it seems he just has taken my work and passes it off as his own. The text is public domain and there are lots of alternative KJV and ASV editions for the Kindle but I spent many months to come up with a better edition and better navigation system.

I don't know...

Check with a lawyer. The workman is worthy of his hire. Thieves are not.

I just submitted the following review at http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003ICWD5W/ref=cm_cr_mts_prod_img. It should show up within a couple of days, unless it is censored by Amazon:

Title: Things that make you go Hmmmm...

Body text: This product sounds suspiciously similar to the older King James Bible (KJV) (best navigation with Direct Verse Jump; paragraphed) [Kindle Edition] by God-inspired.

http://www.amazon.com/James-navigation-Direct-paragraphed-ebook/dp/B0030T1DPY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&s=digital-text&qid=1283289682&sr=1-1

1 star for possible plagiarism.

sirmaru,

It's on this page: http://www.zondervan.com/Cultures/en-US/Company/Policy/Rights/Translations.htm

I sent the following message to that email address from Outlook 2010 on my PC. One must be careful NOT to click that link on the Zondervan page since, when I tried, I received a warning it would allow Outlook to access without Protective Mode and could cause damage.

This is what I sent:

"Dear Ms. Toering,

Please approve Osnova’s application to insert his Direct Verse Jump (DVJ) into the Amazon.com version of the New International Version. Without that change the NIV is worthless for rapid location of verses in Church.

Right now I use Osnova’s application inside the KJV and NET Bibles and it is great. If you allow him to make that change, I’d definitely buy the NIV from Amazon.

In Christ’s Name."

If anyone else wants to just copy my message and send to that email address, feel free to do so.

By the way, the double click on "Find" with the Kindle LG WiFi 3 is not necessary anymore. Just click the 5-way button and you are there after typing, for example, jn.3.16.

I prefer the NIV over all versions since its the main one used in Church. However, without DVJ I'll do without it.

By the way, the double click on "Find" with the Kindle LG WiFi 3 is not necessary anymore. Just click the 5-way button and you are there after typing, for example, jn.3.16.
How are you dealing with the lack of numeric keys on Kindle 3? Do you just hold down ALT and type the numbers after you are finished entering the book abbreviation? Have you somehow marked which number keys are which, or do you just remember?

I want to ask for advice on how to react to this.

A gentleman (apparently from Brazil) has published on Amazon a KJV (and ASV) with ... "Direct Verse Access." Compare it to my "Direct Verse Jump." The description of how it works appears to be taken from my product description page. It uses the same book abbreviations and may be a direct copy or derivative of my edition. He undercuts my sales price. His sales are closing in on mine.

I don't know...

Osnova,

See a patent attorney and file a patent as soon as possible. You will receive a patent pending letter and then can have your attorney take care of the alleged infringement.

You will have to have proof of all the dates you started with the DVJ process in case the other party also filed for a patent.

My only purchase so far is this very Bible version. I had not figured out how it would jump right to a verse until I read your post. Now if I can only figure out how to remember the book abreviations so I can follow along in Church with the Pastor.

One lady created a handy pdf with abbreviations. You can find it on her blog: http://novoelle.com/2010/07/osnova-king-james-version-bible/

I have memorized the abbreviations long ago. Somebody asked me for an index card with abbreviations. I'll do it one day.


to all:

Thanks for the support. Typically, I do not like to involve lawyers. I'll think about it some more. For now, I ask that if you haven't yet written a review on Amazon and you like my editions please leave a positive review on Amazon. It does help.

Thanks osnova, got the download and printed it to card stock. Now I can put it in my Kindle case.

Aaaah! Ashes and Sackcloth!

I have just found that Kindle 3 is breaking DVJ! I've already sent a letter to Amazon asking for a fix but the DVJ is no longer as reliable as it was on DX and Kindle 2.

For example, try searching mt.22.1 on the new Kindle, it will jump to mt.2.21!

Please submit your bug reports to kindle-feedback@amazon.com (or their other feedback emails) so that they would pay attention to this disaster.

My email to Amazon:

Dear Amazon team,

A number of my Bible publications for the Kindle use what I call the Direct Verse Jump or DVJ (for example, B0030T1DPY, B002VWKFJ6, B002V1I4I6, B00332EWJC, B0033PSG1Y). The idea can be used for any large structured books or book collections, not just Bibles.

Basically, DVJ uses unique text anchors printed in white to identify
each verse and chapter in the Bible (or other books). Searching for those unique anchors (e.g. jn.3.16 for John 3:16 or ge.3.5 for Genesis 3:5, ge.24 for Genesis chapter 24 in general) and pressing find twice allows jumping to any verse in the Bible on the Kindle in mere seconds. Every anchor is unique and on Kindle 2 and Kindle DX, the search function identifies each anchor uniquely (only one search result for each anchor). For example, searching for ge.24 returns only 1 result on Kindle DX and Kindle 2.

However, the search functionality on the new Kindle 3 behaves
differently, breaking the Direct Verse Jump functionality, which would completely destroy the usefulness of DVJ Bibles. For example, if I search for ge.24, the new Kindle 3 returns 23 results (ge.2.4, ge.24, ge.24.1 and on and on). If I just press "find" twice after search string ge.24, the text will jump to ge.2.4 (the first search result), which will be an error. Similar errors are with many other search. As another example, if I search for non-existent ge.4.31 (there is no such verse in the Bible), the DX and Kindle 2 will currently state that there are 0 search results; however, the new Kindle finds ge.43.1, which is again a mistake.

I understand that sometimes there may be a need for some fuzzy searching and treating periods or word-endings in a loose way; however, at least please allow the option to turn this fuzzy searching off so that DVJ would still be a viable option. I ask that you please fix this issue as soon as possible because many people rely on DVJ now and I hope many more will in the future. The new Kindles have the right price point. The Bibles with DVJ could open a new huge market for Kindles -- people who read the Bible on the regular basis. I have received many reports that people use my publications at churches and Bible studies and sometimes people replace their dedicated electronic Bibles with Kindles.

Your publishers are working withing constraints of a limited format (MobiPocket, for example there are no floating chapter headers or footers, which is a must in book publishing), please do not cripple it even more from one Kindle version to the next.

Best regards,

OSNOVA

P.S. Please note that the software Kindles (for PC, iPad, Mac, etc.) are even worse because their search functionality is so different from the Kindles.

Hello,

Thanks for your work!

If I send you a norwegian edition of the bible (same procedure as the chineese one you made earlier), is it possible to make a Norwegian edition as well.

The Kindle 3 search problem must be fixed first though. Hope Amazon fix it soon!

brgds,
las^se

For example, try searching mt.22.1 on the new Kindle, it will jump to mt.2.21!


Osnova,

That is not true exactly on my Kindle LG WiFi 3. When I search for mt.22.1, I get BOTH links to Matthew 22:1 AND Matthew 2:21. Thus, it still works fine for me. Also, I do not have to press Find twice to get there. I just press the 5-way key ONCE and I get to the links. Then I choose which link and press it once again. I tested on the NET and KJV. I cannot speak for the other versions.

When I search for ge.24, I get 69 results but most are all the verses in Genesis 24. The location I want is the second. Again, that still lets me get where I want. In addition, if I search for ge.24.1, I get only one result - the correct one. Thus, if we want a chapter, we MUST designate the first verse. That is also not a problem for me. However, just pressing ge24 still gets to verse one as the second choice. That is sufficient for me.

I just found the dots (.) are now UNNECESSARY. Just use mt221 or ge241 and you get to the locations. That is major IMPROVEMENT in your DVJ.

Also, Zondervan did reply to me in response to the email I sent as follows:

"Dear Sir,

Frankly, I have no idea what you are talking about. I have not heard of Osnova in any shape or form.

The NIV is a licensed product that I work closely with Biblica on to approve. We strive to maintain its integrity.

Caryn Toering
Sent from Blackberry Tour"
________________________________________


Thus, resend your request from your PC to that email address and you WILL reach her. Do NOT click on the link at the Zondervan web site to send the email. Evidently, Outlook won't deliver any email sent that way since it has determined it is an Unprotected address and will only send to a Protected address.

By the way, thanks for that abbreviation page. I saved a copy and printed it out to take to Bible Study. That page should be accessible from inside all the Osnova Bibles.

Finally, Amazon sells a "Bible in a Year" Kindle book. I didn't see your DVJ there. Please work on getting that one linked to bible verses AND dates of the year. I'll only buy that one when I see your handiwork included in it.

Another improvment I'd like to see is a way to go directly from one Bible version to another with the verse like: KJVmt316 or NETge24. I'm not sure this is even possible.

sirmaru,

I have the same behavior of K3. I am glad to hear that you see it as improvement. At least the sky is not falling as I first thought :)

My personal preference though would be to have unique anchors. In Kindle 2 and DX, you enter the combination and press enter twice and do not even look at the search results. Now we need to look at the search results and select the right one.

I am surprised at the contents and tone of Ms. Toering's email to you. She responded to my email a couple of months ago. This time she did not even send a response. Maybe they are working with Biblica on adding DVJ or something similar and I am in the way. I've just sent her a reminder that OSNOVA is me :)

As to your suggestion for jumping between different translations. Linking between separate books on the Kindle is impossible as far as I know. There is a possibility of combining several translations into one book and interlinking them or having one translation over the other verse-by-verse. It is technically possible but I am not sure it will be a comfortable reading experience. When I have time, I'll make a test and see how it looks.

las^se,

Send what you have, I'll see what I can do. Please make sure that it is public domain.

Osnova,

I notice that "The One Year Bible, NLT" has been pulled by Amazon and is being upgraded. It will now be released on Sep 30, 2010.

Are you adding DVJ to it? If so, that's great. I held off buying awaiting your improvements to it.

Right now I use the Dramatized NIV on the NowBible for daily readings which would still be better than that one.

However, if a daily Bible Study should start in Church with a lot of folks, that Kindle version would be far better.

In addition I may want to rotate annually between the two options. The NowBible speaks the verses and one cannot really think or re-read that way.

"The One Year Bible, NLT" would be a more relaxed read allowing for notes and highlights.

No. I am not adding DVJ to NLT. Nobody approached me on that. Maybe they are doing it on their own.

I have communicated with Ms. Toering. She said that she did not realize OSNOVA is me when she wrote to you. Since that short email I haven't heard back.

this is an interesting thread as i was trying to find a good bible for my kindle... i couldnt find a free kjv ebook for kindle so i decided to make my own. the system that i used was very similar to yours but i think the indexing syntax can be a bit more streamlined.
currently, you use "mt.22.1" format for indexing. on the K3, it is too slow to have to type all the #s so what i did was just use the letter of the # without having to press alt. eg: mt.22.1 = mtww.q, or replace the "." with a letter like "L"(for the "-")


it is much faster search and easier for k3 owners
i also wrote a script to automate the injection of the anchors into the correct locations

Hi Osnova,

Recently, I noticed that the Bible on my Kindly was updated. I like many of the new features , e.g. bolder font for bible book titles but there is something you need to fix. The title of Galatians is reading "1 Galatians"

Please work on this.

Hi Osnova,

I also support the idea by ninjabunny in the post above

"currently, you use "mt.22.1" format for indexing. on the K3, it is too slow to have to type all the #s so what i did was just use the letter of the # without having to press alt. eg: mt.22.1 = mtww.q, or replace the "." with a letter like "L"(for the "-")


Please consider implementing this on the K3 Bible to make search much faster because for now, your Bible is the best one can have on K3.

Regards.

it is much faster search and easier for k3 owners

Aaaah! Ashes and Sackcloth!

I have just found that Kindle 3 is breaking DVJ! I've already sent a letter to Amazon asking for a fix but the DVJ is no longer as reliable as it was on DX and Kindle 2.

For example, try searching mt.22.1 on the new Kindle, it will jump to mt.2.21!

Please submit your bug reports to kindle-feedback@amazon.com (or their other feedback emails) so that they would pay attention to this disaster.

My email to Amazon:

Dear Amazon team,

A number of my Bible publications for the Kindle use what I call the Direct Verse Jump or DVJ (for example, B0030T1DPY, B002VWKFJ6, B002V1I4I6, B00332EWJC, B0033PSG1Y). The idea can be used for any large structured books or book collections, not just Bibles.

Basically, DVJ uses unique text anchors printed in white to identify
each verse and chapter in the Bible (or other books). Searching for those unique anchors (e.g. jn.3.16 for John 3:16 or ge.3.5 for Genesis 3:5, ge.24 for Genesis chapter 24 in general) and pressing find twice allows jumping to any verse in the Bible on the Kindle in mere seconds. Every anchor is unique and on Kindle 2 and Kindle DX, the search function identifies each anchor uniquely (only one search result for each anchor). For example, searching for ge.24 returns only 1 result on Kindle DX and Kindle 2.

However, the search functionality on the new Kindle 3 behaves
differently, breaking the Direct Verse Jump functionality, which would completely destroy the usefulness of DVJ Bibles. For example, if I search for ge.24, the new Kindle 3 returns 23 results (ge.2.4, ge.24, ge.24.1 and on and on). If I just press "find" twice after search string ge.24, the text will jump to ge.2.4 (the first search result), which will be an error. Similar errors are with many other search. As another example, if I search for non-existent ge.4.31 (there is no such verse in the Bible), the DX and Kindle 2 will currently state that there are 0 search results; however, the new Kindle finds ge.43.1, which is again a mistake.

I understand that sometimes there may be a need for some fuzzy searching and treating periods or word-endings in a loose way; however, at least please allow the option to turn this fuzzy searching off so that DVJ would still be a viable option. I ask that you please fix this issue as soon as possible because many people rely on DVJ now and I hope many more will in the future. The new Kindles have the right price point. The Bibles with DVJ could open a new huge market for Kindles -- people who read the Bible on the regular basis. I have received many reports that people use my publications at churches and Bible studies and sometimes people replace their dedicated electronic Bibles with Kindles.

Your publishers are working withing constraints of a limited format (MobiPocket, for example there are no floating chapter headers or footers, which is a must in book publishing), please do not cripple it even more from one Kindle version to the next.

Best regards,

OSNOVA

P.S. Please note that the software Kindles (for PC, iPad, Mac, etc.) are even worse because their search functionality is so different from the Kindles.

I very much doubt that Amazon are going to regard breaking your cunning search keys as a "disaster", unfortunately.

One solution would be to re-do your search keys using a character that the Kindle's search engine does not ignore. Perhaps "-" would work.

For me just typing "mt41" is just great. The dots are not required anymore.

By the way "The One Year Bible NLT" has been released again. They updated it with the 2004 update.

When I start each day reading, I bookmark that day. Then I read NT, Ps, Pr and bookmark again for the next day. Then I go back and read the OT if I have time.

Then simply jump to the bookmark for the next day and delete the bookmark for the prior day.

If I find something valuable, I just use the DVJ on my KJV and my NET and place highlights and / or notes there. I only use daily bookmarks for my One Year NLT. That way it is not cluttered up and only used for its sole purpose.

Its fascinating how all this comes together.

My only problem was that my first K3 with the old firmware did a reset in Church everytime I powered up there. I'm hoping my 2nd K3 with the new firmware will be immune from that tomorrow when I do the "Church Test" again. If it happens again, I'll have to use only my NowBible in Church and use the K3 only at home.

Hi Osnova,

I don't have a Kindle, and I've never really been interested in one. I'm very happy with my Pocket Pro. However, I've been keeping up with this thread, and I've gotta say with the release of the new Kindle and your NET DVJ, I am really wishing I had a Kindle! :) Unfortunately I don't have an extra $139 laying around, so I'll have to be content with my Pocket Pro. Oh... one thing I should ask... is there DRM on the Bibles you've done? Like, could a person buy them from Amazon, then convert them with Calibre? Or do they have Amazon's DRM? Also, have you thought about making epub versions? I don't know if it would work with the Pocket Pro though, even if it was in epub... especially with all the notes. If they're hyperlinked, anyway. I've noticed hyperlinks tend to lock up my pocket Pro. I bought Zondervan's NIV and the table of contents is just hyperlinks, and whenever I tried using it it locked up and I had to reset my Pocket Pro. So maybe it wouldn't work. It's just a thought, anyway.

Thanks. :)

Hi Osnova,

I don't have a Kindle, and I've never really been interested in one. I'm very happy with my Pocket Pro. However, I've been keeping up with this thread, and I've gotta say with the release of the new Kindle and your NET DVJ, I am really wishing I had a Kindle! :) Unfortunately I don't have an extra $139 laying around, so I'll have to be content with my Pocket Pro.

The NowBible also has DVJ but not by Osnova. You can buy any version you want on it and it has dramatized voices. Unfortunately, it costs about the same as the Kindle WiFi LG 3.

All the Kindle Bibles have DRM on them and cannot be copied. However, Kindle saves all highlights and note in a Clippings file which can be copied to a PC and then used wherever you want.

Heroking, the "1 Galatians" problem was fixed a while back. Please send me a PM with your email address, and I'll send you an updated version.

ninjabunny, I had the same idea as you (mt.22.1 = mtww.q) when I just started working on DVJ. I discarded it for two reasons: (i) not self-evident (people have to memorize correspondence between letters and numbers – try using Kindle 3); (ii) would not be compatible with software Kindles (hopefully, Amazon will fix them one day) and future products.

HarryT, the period was chosen because it is available on the hardware keyboard without pressing special keys. Maybe letter “x” will work for people. However, sirmaru (possibly others), is so happy with the new way DVJ works that I may just leave it.

Davimee, my publications do not have DRM. Unfortunately, DVJ is not very useable on readers that do not have physical keyboard (I tried PRS-600). So, I decided that I will not be releasing Bible publications for such readers because I do not have anything new to contribute.

For a limited time, the price for my paragraphed edition of KJV with the Direct Verse Jump has been reduced to $1.99:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0030T1DPY

The price for the Douay-Rheims Catholic Bible with DVJ has been temporarily reduced to $2.39:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0033PSG1Y

Note:

The DVJ works differently on K3 but some people prefer the new way. You just type "jn316" (without periods), press enter once, and select the right passage choice.

I think the letter-for-number scheme (mt.22.1 = mtww.q) makes a lot of sense for one hand operation. After all, people are already memorizing the QWERTY-12345 correspondence. We all want to go to the verse as quick as possible so the less fumbling with shift/alt keys the better. I also like the idea of 'x' in place of '.' in order to go to a verse without selection. (Still fond of the MyBible on Palm days, so easy to go to the verse precisely).

Is it possible to have two sets of seachable indices, the first being "mt.22.1" (for pre K3 and people who are okay with multiple match), the second being "mtxwwxq" (for power users), so that either string will go to Matthew 22:1?

Keep up the good work!! Just got my K3 for a couple days, just got the ESV study Bible but the navigation is not that good, IMHO.

Dear Osnova,

Thanks for the information. I just connected the wireless today and the update to correct the "1 Galatian" was effected on my Kindle Bible.

Thanks for the prompt respse.

Heroking, you are welcome.


leo4jc, I think I'll create a mtww.q version for those who want it. Unfortunately, it can't be done as a second index in the same Bible. Once done, I'll post here, I will send it for free to those who have purchase one of my Bible editions.

Osnova,

We really need your DVJ in the One Year NLT Bible. They have it separated by days of reading and its really hard to get to any verses directly that way if needed.

Due to its construction, maybe DVJ may not work there.

sirmaru, I would but there is this pesky problem of copyright :)

Hi osnova,

Have you contacted the following two publishers regarding working with them to add DVJ on their Kindle Bibles?

(1) The Lockman Foundation - NASB
Contact: http://www.lockman.org/mail/index.php.

(2) B&H Publishing Group - HCSB
Contact: http://www.bhpublishinggroup.com/contact.asp

Thank you!
leo.

sirmaru, I would but there is this pesky problem of copyright :)

Have the NIV folks at Zondervan ever reached an agreement with you? That used to be my favorite but without DVJ it is useless as an eBible.

I'll just settle now with KJV (DVJ), NET (DVJ) and One Year NLT (daily passages without DVJ).

leo4jc, I thought I did contact them but now I checked my correspondence on this and it seems I have omitted them. I'll do it one of these days.

sirmaru, I've sent multiple reminders and received a couple of receipt acknowledgments but they seem to be not interested but do not want to outright say no.

Thank you so much osnova. I understand things could be slow dealing with big publishers, especially when they are not tech savvy (What? We already have a Kindle Bible out there! You can just use TOC and click chapter!) I also have a previous contact at H&B should you need them.

Does the kindle format allow two columns? I am thinking about bilingual Bibles side-by-side. That will make my best Bible. :) For the longest time I couldn't have my NASB/Chinese Union Version together on paper, it could be a dream come true on Kindle. (I know iPad is possible now with apps. And it is possible on my Palm too.)

Regards,
leo.

leo4jc, send me a PM with the contact at H&B (and if your name carries weight with them let me know if I can mention you).

The Kindle format is very basic so far, no columns, no page footers or headers. I have been thinking about verse under verse structure. So, in your case it would be English and then under that Chinese. I could format different languages with different colors, etc.

As people have been asking, I have almost converted the KJV Bible to all-letter DVJ with letters instead of numbers and 'x' instead of the period. The only question I have left is whether I should convert the book number to: (i) the corresponding letter (1jn -> qjn) or (ii) the Roman numbers/letters (1jn -> ijn)? Which approach is less confusing?

I am still not sure if this is such a good idea though. For example, ex.39.42 will be exxeoxrw . Is that what we want?

Numbers converted to letters:

1q
2w
3e
4r
5t
6y
7u
8i
9o
0p

I am still not sure if this is such a good idea though. For example, ex.39.42 will be exxeoxrw . Is that what we want?

Won't this make the whitespace between the verses even larger, since the whole "exxeoxrw" must be white, and then the verse number (in numerical form) would still have to be present as well?

i understand the desire to replace the periods with x (although I wonder if a thinner letter such as l would be unique), but replacing all numbers with letters seems it would be confusing for those who still use Kindle 1/2.

It is too bad Amazon has changed these things, as how it worked on earlier Kindles was very elegant.

I still like the present method of jn317 without periods or "x's" to get to the passage.

If you wanted to make it jnequ that would be fine also just leaving out the use of the <ALT> key.

Adding in the "x's" will complicate the entire entry.

Thanks for the input. Yes, the letter DVJ makes whitespace between the verses even larger.

I have just found out that Amazon does not trust us with spelling. The "number->letter" conversion does not create unique search result either. For unknown to me reason, the new Kindle fuzzy search function does not discriminate between "y" (i.e. 6 in our conversion) and "i" (8).

Thanks for the input. Yes, the letter DVJ makes whitespace between the verses even larger.

I have just found out that Amazon does not trust us with spelling. The "number->letter" conversion does not create unique search result either. For unknown to me reason, the new Kindle fuzzy search function does not discriminate between "y" (i.e. 6 in our conversion) and "i" (8).

Using jn316 and jn318 with the <ALT> keys does get to the correct verse each time. There is no confusion there.

sirmaru, you are right. What I meant is that with the standard DVJ jn.1.22, jn.12.2, and jn122 will find both 12:2 and 1:22 on the Kindle 3. While with the letter DVJ there will be a confusion of y and i.

@osnova
Have you sold your technology to someone? Or is this a different technology? I've downloaded their book but haven't looked at it yet. Their description sounds an awful lot like yours.....

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003VWBMGK/?tag=booksontheknob-20

It was listed in the October Kindle free stuff list.

Nope, don't know them. I am curious too to see if it's the same as my DVJ, and all I have now is a WiFi Kindle without a WiFi connection.

However, this phrase "just start typing a Bible reference in the lookup bar using the book abbreviation. The search results will come up automatically" makes me wondering if they are using the "dictionary" format. I've been toying with an idea of making a Bible as a dictionary. The downside is that you won't be able to search the text of the Bible itself.

I see this Bible http://www.amazon.com/Kindle-Bible-Formatted-Amazon-ebook/dp/B0032UYGE6/ and think, "What do I do wrong?"

Differences: theirs is the God's Word translation (perhaps they own that). They use different abbreviations (Gene for Genesis) and slightly different symbolism. "gene 1:1" rather than your "gn.1.1" Theirs is easier to remember, since it's based on the names and symbolism bible readers already know.

Oh, their's is also wrong too .... searching for "ps 101:6" (their symbolism, and their list shows it does exist) ( they show a list of possibilities when I type P ... and when I make it PS ... a narrowed down list) but when I search for "ps 101:6" it takes me to "ps 100:1" and SHOWS that that's what it's taking me to. So it has errors. That was just my first random test.

However -- they may have gotten the idea from you. I can't tell.

And yes, they are using the dictionary format. It's interesting and works well, because you get feedback immediately by showing a list of probables. But the verse you are looking for is not always the first in the list. But as you say, you can't search the Bible. I also cannot jump to the next book using the joystick.

I agree, the chapters/verses out of order (due to the number sorting in dictionaries) is not a good sight.

Are people interested in this Bible-as-dictionary approach? I can definitely make them. My first impression is that it's somewhat awkward.

Dear Osnova,

Thanks for the information. I just connected the wireless today and the update to correct the "1 Galatian" was effected on my Kindle Bible.

Thanks for the prompt respse.

How did you get your update?

I purchased the KJV (non-paragraphed) 10/09, and having recently purchased a K3, downloaded it this week - it still has the "1 Galatian 1" listing.

I thought of this dictionary approach too. I'm glad someone else did it so I can see how it works without any effort. :)

In my copy, when I enter "Psal 101:6" (the suggested abbreviation) it jumps to the proper verse. It is different than the DVJ in that it only shows a list of verses without any context, but it gives instant feedback while typing. I liked the context shown by DVJ, but it's nice to see the instant feedback since then you know if you are using the right abbreviations.

But it still has the same fuzzy search problem where Psal 101:6 also shows 10:16, etc. I think there may not be a good way to get around this on Kindle 3, regardless whether using a dictionary or not. Of course, it would be nicest if someone will create a good Bible reading experience with KDK, once it's available. But for now, I still prefer the DVJ method, once I learned the abbreviations. If it catches on, it has the advantage that a commentary or other reference could be made as a dictionary using the DVJ abbreviations. If set as the default dictionary, the commentary could pop up while reading the Bible.

r0b0d0c, send me a pm with your email address and I will send you an updated file.

r0b0d0c, send me a pm with your email address and I will send you an updated file.

Thx, osnova - done! You're the best!

r0b0d0c

My two cents. I like the dictionary approach (mostly because of the feedback).

I don't mind typing an extra key (e.g. psal) because the feedback suggests it should be "psal" as soon as I typed the familiar two letters "ps". As long as it does not involve shift/sym/alt, IMHO it is user-friendly.

(That said, I don't like Alt-q for 1 as always!)

The '.' works instead of ':'. That's good.

Typing "psal 21.1" shows Psal 2:11 as top, followed by Psal 21:1. With the down key I can go to Ps 21:1 quickly. IMHO, I appreciate that there is no context text, just a list of plain ole references is easy to use.

That said, I don't like GW translation too much... NASB/ESV with this dictionary navigation will be great! Will pay for it! :)

r0b0d0c,
Please read the pm that I've just sent you.

All,

I have come up with a way to fool the new search algorithm on Kindle 3 so the old DVJ is back! If you want it, please send a file of the OSNOVA Bible that you want to be replaced to my email on gmail.com (my handle, then @, then gmail.com). Specifically, the periods will no longer be ignored (jn.1.11 will lead to jn.1.11 and not jn.11.1).

Also for those who want the new all-letter DVJ, do the same. I only have the paragraphed KJV in this new format.

r0b0d0c,
Please read the pm that I've just sent you.

All,

I have come up with a way to fool the new search algorithm on Kindle 3 so the old DVJ is back! If you want it, please send a file of the OSNOVA Bible that you want to be replaced to my email on gmail.com (my handle, then @, then gmail.com). Specifically, the periods will no longer be ignored (jn.1.11 will lead to jn.1.11 and not jn.11.1).

Also for those who want the new all-letter DVJ, do the same. I only have the paragraphed KJV in this new format.

I have a K2 and a K3, with the KJV w/DVJ on my K2. Will the new one work on both?

Yes, it should work on both. To be sure, I'll check tonight with my K DX.

I forgot to mention that given that the files that I will send will not be processed through Amazon, you will not be able to see other people's highlights and use Amazon's archiving, page syncing with other devices, etc. functions. Personally, I do not mind but other people could.

I want to update the Amazon's editions with the new files to enforce the old DVJ method. I see that some people like the new way DVJ works, so this gives me a pause.

I like it the way it ended with the Amazon search IMRPOVEMENT. The periods do not have to be used saving additional keystrokes.

Plus, its safer to use the <ALT> key for numbers just in case those letters on the top row have to be used as letters.

In Bible Study speed of finding verses is of prime importance. Any changes to the present method would reduce the speed.

In cases where those other verses show on the first press of the 5-way key could also be very important if a Bible chapter was being reviewed. Just pressing <BACK> on the Kindle WiFi gets one a way to go to MANY verses without any other key strokes (verses 1-30 for example) for example jn31 gets one easy access to all verses in John 3.

So far in the Bible Studies, when I've used the Osnova / Amazon improved DVJ, I've beat all other participants to the verse every time.

So far in the Bible Studies, when I've used the Osnova / Amazon improved DVJ, I've beat all other participants to the verse every time.
Sorry, I don't mean to intrude (and please don't take my humor the wrong way), but I got a big chuckle imagining this competitive "race" to a pertinent verse in a Bible study group. Was there a prize for winning? ;)

I am glad you like it so much.

Should I offer two versions (with old DVJ and new DVJ)? I am afraid of that thought. Even now people get confused between a paragraphed copy, verse-per-line copy, and TTS copy.

DiapDealer

Oh, haven't you heard about the competitive Bible Study open-that-verse race?

HCSB Bible is free at the moment: Amazon.com (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0045U9UES?ie=UTF8&tag=kiq-free-e-20&link_code=as3&camp=211189&creative=373489&creativeASIN=B0045U9UES)

Yes, it should work on both. To be sure, I'll check tonight with my K DX.

I forgot to mention that given that the files that I will send will not be processed through Amazon, you will not be able to see other people's highlights and use Amazon's archiving, page syncing with other devices, etc. functions. Personally, I do not mind but other people could.

I want to update the Amazon's editions with the new files to enforce the old DVJ method. I see that some people like the new way DVJ works, so this gives me a pause.

Thanks, OS! I just sent the e-mail.

And I've just sent a response with the file :)

And I've just sent a response with the file :)

:thumbsup:

:thanks:

I very much like it with the periods. To me it is much quicker to enter two periods than to make sure I select the proper result from the search results...

osnova, will you be updating the Amazon copies with this new development? Or does your new method not survive Amazon's conversion process?

osnova, will you be updating the Amazon copies with this new development? Or does your new method not survive Amazon's conversion process?
We'll see if it survives. I have just updated the files on Amazon. It will take a while for them to "review" and publish.

sirmaru, if you see that others like period-agnostic DVJ, ask them to email me.

Would anyone who is native in French be willing to translate the following text into French (a free copy of Louis Segond will be the reward).

===

Kindle French Bible – La Sainte Biblia (Louis Segond avec DVJ)


Features of this version of the Bible:

– Direct Verse Jump, a revolutionary new method to open the exact verse you need in mere seconds (note that it will not work on PC and iPad due to the limitations in the Amazon's Kindle software for PC and iPad)
– two other ways to navigate between books and chapters: (i) using a hyperlinked table of contents; and (ii) pressing the joystick right or left to move between books of the Bible. Once you learn all of the three navigation methods, you will be able to open any verse in your Kindle Bible as fast as (or even faster than) in your paper copy
– easy to determine where you are in the Bible
– as any Kindle book, the French Bible is searchable; however, when you first install the file please wait for the Kindle to index the whole Bible (most of the time about 10 minutes; however, sometimes up to 8-10 hours). The file is large and it takes a long time to index. For this reason, the DVJ navigation method will be available only after the book has been indexed

Direct Verse Jump: new navigation method using the search functionality:

In this version, all you need to do is type an abbreviated book name (see the table of contents for the complete list), then period, then chapter number, period again, and then verse number and finally press “find” twice (you need not wait for the Kindle to display the search results) and you will be looking at that particular verse in seconds. If you just need to open the first verse of any chapter then the verse number is not necessary. Do not forget periods and use only the abbreviations that are listed in the table of contents.

The DVJ abbreviations are standard for almost all OSNOVA Bible publications and as the result, they are English-based. If you want French-based abbreviations please email OSNOVA at the email provided below.

For example, if you wish to select chapter 3 of Genesis, you would:
1. type the standard abbreviation for Genesis (see the table of contents for a complete list), then period, and finally number "3" in other words: ge.3
2. click “find” (or just enter if you have Kindle 3) twice and you are there.

For John 3:16, you type "jn.3.16" and double click “find” (or just "enter" if you have a Kindle 3).

Note that you should put the chapter number even for books that have only one chapter. For example, the Epistle from Jude verse 5 would translate to "jud.1.5" and a double click.

Please note that this edition is not TTS(text-to-speech)-friendly due to the way TTS works on the Kindle.

For other publications by OSNOVA, please visit the OSNOVA Press website at http://osnovapress.wordpress.com/

If you have any questions or concerns at all about this (or any other of my publications), please email me at osnova@gmail.com

HCSB Bible is free at the moment: Amazon.com (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0045U9UES?ie=UTF8&tag=kiq-free-e-20&link_code=as3&camp=211189&creative=373489&creativeASIN=B0045U9UES)

If it doesn't have Direct Verse Jump it is USELESS. Does it have it?

We'll see if it survives. I have just updated the files on Amazon. It will take a while for them to "review" and publish.

sirmaru, if you see that others like period-agnostic DVJ, ask them to email me.

If it changes to periods required, I'll just have to go that route. After Amazon approves your change, will my Bibles automatically be refreshed with the new versions by Syncing with the Amazon servers?

If it changes to periods required, I'll just have to go that route. After Amazon approves your change, will my Bibles automatically be refreshed with the new versions by Syncing with the Amazon servers?

No, they will not be refreshed. It will not affect you in any way.

No, they will not be refreshed. It will not affect you in any way.

If I first archived my Bibles, then restored them, wouldn't the new versions come down to my Kindle WiFi?

The last I tried, the archived copy was not updated; however, Amazon has been changing a lot of things lately and I am no longer sure.

A very patient customer has come across a bug with the Kindle 3 search function. It took him and me the whole Saturday morning to find what is going wrong. I've reported it to Amazon and will let you know what they say.

Here is how it goes.

If you put my new paragraphed KJV (the one that reverts to the old DVJ) file in any Kindle 3 (it's been verified on three different Kindle 3's) and set the font size to the third position from the left, searches for "jn.14", "ac.14" (without quotes; there could be others) will lead to the wrong place -- Exodus 27 even thought the correct search result is shown in the search results window. If you make the font of any other size (not the third from the left), then the search works correctly. There is nothing in Exodus 27 to cause the wrong search result. If you search for "jn.15" or even "jn.14.1" then searches work correctly even when the font size is the offending third from the left.

I am baffled as to why font size affects the search results. I am concerned that the search results are not reliable, especially given that there is no evident reason. Please, if you come across similar font-size-related anomalies, report them to me.

Curiously, another "anomaly" with the Bible happened to another Bible publisher recently:
http://isv.org/anomaly/index.htm

Update:

I have since found a similar wrong-search destination with another book with the fourth from the left font size.

Amazon has told me that they are looking into it.

So, if you come across search issues try to change the font size.

I've released the following new Bible editions:

1. New Heart English Bible (modern English translation with DVJ);
2. Kindle French Bible – La Sainte Biblia (Louis Segond with DVJ); and
3. Kindle Chinese Bible (聖經中文和合本).

The first two are already on Amazon, the third is still being published. Details on my blog.

If I buy the NET Bible today from Amazon, will it has the precise DVJ? Thanks.

leo4jc, I've sent you a pm (private message) on this.

For a limited time, the price for my paragraphed edition of KJV with the Direct Verse Jump has been reduced to $1.99:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0030T1DPY

The price is reverting back to $4.99 but you may still get it for $1.99 until Amazon refreshes their database.

Oh, I hope you can do an NASB and an NIV one soon! I just can't read KJV... not an Old English reader. ;-) So glad you've done these though!

Try the Net Bible or NHEB Bible, they use current English. I've sent requests (other MobileReaders too) to NASB and NIV's copyright holders and have actually received a general reply from Zondervan but I have little hope that they will let me do a DVJ Bible. So far, they've been stonewalling me.

I’ve received requests from some customers to change the standard book-by-book joystick navigation in OSNOVA Bibles to chapter-by-chapter (in other words when you press right or left on the five-way joystick you will move between chapters, not books). It is done but so far offered only as an option. If you want a file with chapter-by-chapter navigation, please send the file of your OSNOVA Bible to osnova@gmail.com as the proof of purchase, and I will send you the chapter-by-chapter version.

Also, nobody actually claimed the all-letter DVJ version. So, I guess it was a failed experiment.

I would love a NRSV Bible with the DVJ.

I would love a NRSV Bible with the DVJ.

Me too. Unfortunately; the NRS is not in the public domain, and getting permission from publishers to produce such a version is extremely difficult.

getting permission from publishers to produce such a version is extremely difficult.

I had only one instance where I was able to get the permission from a copyright holder. Even that does not count because the publisher was already looking for someone to do a Kindle conversion and I just happened to offer my services.

The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia for the Kindle has been published. More info here, http://osnovapress.wordpress.com/2010/10/20/

Have just purchased my first DVJ Bible made by OSNOVA. Fantastic! Loved it! Thank you. I will definitely check out your other work, too. It seems you've put a lot of thought and effort into it.

My friend suggested I go to your blog at osnovapress.wordpress.com to read more about your work. That's how I got to buy my first DVJ Bible. Keep up the good work!

The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia for the Kindle has been published. More info here, http://osnovapress.wordpress.com/2010/10/20/

I just purchased that Bible Encyclopedia from Amazon. Its great. One can go directly from word explanations to bible verses and set it up as the default dictionary when going to Church or engaging in Bible studies.

Just published! See http://osnovapress.wordpress.com/

The first ten people who purchase, use, and leave an honest review of at least thirty words on Amazon will receive any other current or future (will be sent when released) OSNOVA publication for free. Send a copy of the file as proof of purchase, and a link to your review.


Features of the Kindle edition

Until now, there have been available only concise editions of Matthew Henry’s Commentary for the Kindle. OSNOVA’s Kindle edition includes the unabridged text of the entire six paper volumes incorporating an active table of contents, a joystick navigation between chapters, and a cross-reference system between the commentary and the included Bible (with Direct Verse Jump), which makes it easy to locate any place within the Commentary or the Scriptures in seconds. The table of contents allows navigation to any chapter of the Scriptures, with the hyperlinked dot to the right of each chapter leading to the corresponding place in the Commentary. Each title and each verse number in the included Bible is hyperlinked to the corresponding passage in the Commentary, and each reference in the Commentary is hyperlinked to the corresponding passage in the Bible.

General Description

Matthew Henry’s six-volume ‘Exposition of the Old and New Testament’ or Complete Bible Commentary has long been celebrated as the best of English commentaries of the Bible for devotional purposes. It provides an exhaustive verse by verse study of the Bible, covering the whole of the Old Testament and the New Testament.

The Commentary was begun in November 1704. The first volume was published in 1708; that and four other volumes appeared in a uniform edition in 1710. Before his death Henry completed the Acts for an unpublished sixth volume. After his death the Epistles and Revelation were prepared by thirteen ministers, partly based upon notes taken by Henry’s hearers. The complete edition was edited by George Burder and John Hughes and published in 1811 in 6 volumes. Henry’s ‘Exposition’ has often been abridged. Now for the first time it is made available by OSNOVA in its full unabridged form to the Kindle users.

Henry’s commentaries are primarily exegetical, dealing with the Scripture text as presented, with his prime intention being explanation for practical and devotional purposes. The Commentary excels at practical application, displaying good sense, discrimination, high moral tone and simple piety, combined with the well-sustained flow of its English style.

Famous evangelical Protestant preachers such as George Whitefield and Charles Spurgeon used and heartily commended the work, with Whitefield reading it through four times – the last time on his knees. Spurgeon stated, ” Every minister ought to read it entirely and carefully through once at least.”

* * *

If you have any questions or concerns at all about this or any other OSNOVA publication, please email us at osnova@gmail.com

I first bought the 95 cent Matthew Henry and then the $ 4.99 one.

I didn't realize there were TWO at Amazon and your ID, Osnova, doesn't appear at either one.

When you post them here, please indicate the price so we don't buy the wrong one.

Thanks. Your indexed bible books are great.

By the way, this last one is taking a L O N G time to index.

Oops. I forgot to post the cover here, which is quite nice if I may say so.

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51VdF9j4LSL._SL500_AA266_PIkin3,BottomRight,-5,34_AA300_SH20_OU01_.jpg

You can also tell that it is my book by looking at the publisher field. If it says OSNOVA, that's me. Or you can go through my blog. I don't want to post prices because I may change them. Typically, my prices are $4.99 with occasional sales.

The indexing is taking so long because the file is almost ten times larger than the KJV file. Please be patient. In the meantime, try the TOC navigation (remember that the dots lead to the Commentary while the regular text or numbers to the Bible) and jumping from the Bible to the Commentary by pressing the book titles, chapters or verse numbers.

While testing it I had the Kindle battery run down fast because of constant reindexing.

While testing it I had the Kindle battery run down fast because of constant reindexing.

Does that book reindex everytime one uses it? If so, that would be a downside since every use would take a lot of current from the battery.

Better would be just index it once and then use the recorded index to jump around.

Is there anything special to be done to speed up the indexing the first time? I presume it would be complete after an overnight sleep mode.

No, no, no. It had to be reindexed because while working on it I had to check every change I made. So, I created many versions and tested them. Each new version had to be reindexed. You on the other hand will have only one final version of the book that has to be indexed only once.

Unforunately, other than plugging in the Kindle for the night, there are no way to speed up the indexing. Internal workings of indexing are a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma.

No, no, no. It had to be reindexed because while working on it I had to check every change I made. So, I created many versions and tested them. Each new version had to be reindexed. You on the other hand will have only one final version of the book that has to be indexed only once.

Unforunately, other than plugging in the Kindle for the night, there are no way to speed up the indexing. Internal workings of indexing are a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma.

I downloaded it with the K3 at full charge. It used 50% of the battery in 2 hours and not yet complete. Thus, I did plug the K3 into the wall socket for the night. Hopefully, by tomorrow morning the indexing will be complete with a full charge again.

From what I see this Matthew Henry Commentary looks great.

I can see a possibility that searching Mt316 for all my items will give me all the references in the KJV, NET, Bible Encyclopedia and MH Commentary all in one place. Then I can use the Back button to return to the reference list after reading one of the passages. I haven't tried it yet but it does work that way for word or phrase searches.

If it does work that way, this Kindle 3 Bible Collection will be the best advance since the Gutenburg Bible. I used to use Logos that way but it was confined to my home PC use. I hear they have it now that way on the iPad. However, I prefer the Kindle for its smaller size, more readable screen and hard keyboard.

Amazon does have a page for all Osnova books. In the future I'll go there before buying one of your books since a few have other editions easily confused with your books.

Currently this is only available as the NT. It uses the RSV but with copious notes and cross references. Navigation is great - perhaps not the best, but very usable. Whilst there is some Catholic bias, it should be of benefit to all Christians. $14.00 if I remember from Amazon of course.

"The only Catholic Study Bible based on the Revised Standard Version 2nd Catholic Edition, the Ignatius Catholic Study Bible New Testament brings together all of the books of the New Testament and the penetrating study tools developed by renowned Bible teachers Dr. Scott Hahn and Curtis Mitch.

This volume presents the written Word of God in a highly readable, accurate translation, excellent for personal and group study. Extensive study notes, topical essays and word studies provide fresh and faithful insights informed by time-tested, authentically Catholic interpretations from the Fathers of the Church and other scholars. Commentaries include the best insights of ancient, medieval and modern scholarship, and follow the Church’s guidelines for biblical interpretation. Plus, each New Testament book is outlined and introduced with an essay covering questions of authorship, date of composition, intended audience and general themes. The Ignatius Study Bible also includes handy reference materials such as a doctrinal index, a helpful cross-reference system, and various maps and charts. This edition does not contain study questions or a concordance."

Hal.

I can see a possibility that searching Mt316 for all my items will give me all the references in the KJV, NET, Bible Encyclopedia and MH Commentary all in one place. Then I can use the Back button to return to the reference list after reading one of the passages. I haven't tried it yet but it does work that way for word or phrase searches.

It does work that way! The only issue is that the periods are necessary (except for your copies of the Bibles that you bought earlier). So, searching for jn.3.16 on my Kindle 3 brings up 14 Bibles and Matthew Henry's Commentary.

Also note that the Bible Encyclopedia will not show because it is a Kindle "dictionary" and as such does not allow the searching within its text (this is a limitation of the mobi "dictionary" format as opposed to the mobi "book" format).

It does work that way! The only issue is that the periods are necessary (except for your copies of the Bibles that you bought earlier). So, searching for jn.3.16 on my Kindle 3 brings up 14 Bibles and Matthew Henry's Commentary.

Correct, using jn.3.16 on the home page gets references in all 2 of my bibles and the MH Commentary. If I leave out the periods, I don't get the MH Commentary.

I did delete the KJV and then redownloaded it from Amazon. It still had the structure of allowing selections without the periods. However, I think its an advantage to speed locations anyway not to use the periods so I'm leaving them the way they are now. That is especially true if we make a mistake in the key punch and have to delete a letter and redo the keypunch. Deleting periods would extend the time required for that process.

So far I find it very rare that omitting the period picks up more than one reference. When the extra references are picked up, they provide an informal table of contents for a Bible chapter which also can be useful in jumping around a chapter and using the back button to enable that process.

I may change my mind on that as I use this feature over time.

As of today my Kindle 3 Hard Disk is as follows:

Kindle hard disk: 3.05 Gb total; 2.746 Gb free

Books sizes:

Matthew Henry Commentary: 27.7 Mb
Bible Encyclopedia: 18.5 Mb
New English Translation: 13.8 Mb
King James Version: 2.3 Mb
One Year Bible: 3.7 Mb
First Tycoon: 4.7 Mb (many pictures)
Deliver Us from Evil: 1.4 Mb


There is plenty of room left for a lot of books.

The Matthew Henry Commentary did take an overnight indexing session while plugged into the main to supply adequate current for the process. That technique could come in hand if I buy encyclopedias in the future.

If only there was a SW that would process the indexing on your PC before you upload the book to the kindle and then the kindle would just import the processed index.

charonme, agreed. Maybe Koval could do that in his Calibre? This would probably involve reverse engineering the indexing on the Kindle, which is a complicated process.

On the plus side, indexing happens once per book. So, it's not such a huge burden.

Dear Osnova,
Actually I have downloaded the sample you have attached.And I am enjoying reading it now.I do not know if you may give me the rest of the Bible because,it is really better than the ones that I have they lack that organization and the unity of the fornt and which is most important the DVJ.


So,If I have the adobe professional and the mobireader can I make the DVJ myself(instead of asking you to lend me the rest of your Bible:D)
If so what fonts and size(of the fonts and the pages on the adobe) shall I render to reach the same wonderful results of the bible you have attached
Thx in advance

Can I create the DVJ

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear Osnova,
Actually I have downloaded the sample you have attached.And I am enjoying reading it now.I do not know if you may give me the rest of the Bible because,it is really better than the ones that I have they lack that organization and the unity of the fornt and which is most important the DVJ.


So,If I have the adobe professional and the mobireader can I make the DVJ myself(instead of asking you to lend me the rest of your Bible)
If so what fonts and size(of the fonts and the pages on the adobe) shall I render to reach the same wonderful results of the bible you have attached
Thx in advance

ihab7000, I am glad you like OSNOVA publications. Why would you not purchase one of the available publications (see the blog link in the signature below)? Or make a suggestion what you would like to see as the next OSNOVA publication.

It sounds that you do not have the necessary skills to undertake such a project on your own (you mention Adobe Acrobat, which is not a tool needed for creating Amazon books). This is not to offend you, it's just an observation to save you lots of frustration. Just so you know, I use a plain text editor (not a word processor) and regular expressions to digitize, proofread and code OSNOVA publications and sometimes Ruby scripts.

I saw that Amazon is now selling the newest version of the Zondervan NIV for $ 19.99 without Direct Verse Jump by Osnova.

There are quite a few one or two star ratings now complaining about how hard it is to find a verse.

I would have purchased it with DVJ but just ignored it due to all those complaints.

They (Zondervan) have a standing offer from me to help them with the Kindle conversion. I ping them from time to time but so far they have shown no interest.

By the way, I have just submitted for publication the KJV New Testament with Strong’s markup, Greek dictionary and more. This is for those who want to dive deeper into the study of individual words of the Scriptures.

Also, just published is the Kindle Catholic English-Latin Diglot Bible (D-R and Vulgate with Direct Verse Jump). This is the first parallel Bible from OSNOVA.

Please let me know what other translations you would like to see in parallel (the copyrighted ones are going to be hard if not impossible to do).

Details are on my blog.

So after much lurking, this is the post to finally bring me out of my cave. Since it appears the NIV might be a lost cause--I read through almost the whole thread, so sorry if I missed this--

Is there a possibility of a NLT translation with DVJ/has the copyright holder been contacted? I love my Kindle and my brother and I just got one for my mom, but we're having a horrible time of it finding a Bible worth paying for on the Kindle. I told her about the DVJ available on some, but both of us prefer the NIV and the NLT over what's available so far.

Do you have any plan to release Old Testament with Strong's markup, Hebrew&Chaldee dictionary in the future?

BTW, I enjoy your Unabridged Matthew Henry book. I already have the concise version, but the unabridged one is really what I need. It helps me more understand the thinking process of the author.



By the way, I have just submitted for publication the KJV New Testament with Strong’s markup, Greek dictionary and more. This is for those who want to dive deeper into the study of individual words of the Scriptures.

Padfoot,

Welcome to the light (from your "cave" that is) :) No, I haven't approached Tyndale House about NLT. Do you know whom I should contact there by any chance?

In the meantime, if you are an NIV/NLT kind of guy, try the NET Bible (http://osnova.com/2009/12/28/net-bible-first-edition-with-all-notes-and-direct-verse-jump/). Here is what Bible translation experts said about the NET Bible.

Rick Mansfield posted a detailed review of the NET Bible at http://thislamp.com/?p=98.

The NET Bible made the third place on his revised Top Ten list (http://thislamp.com/?p=990), right after NLT at the second spot, and he had the following to say:

“As I said in my long-delayed review, “I recommend the NET Bible – especially the standard edition with 60,932 notes–to all believers.” Hands down, the complete NET Bible has the best set of notes I’ve ever seen in any study Bible. The translation, while still having a few rough places, is solid, too. Ultimately, this is simply a translation of the Bible in need of better exposure.”

rogercwang, thanks for your interest in my work.

1. I've been mulling over the OT with Strong's; however, the obstacle is that the Kindle does not support Hebrew or any RTL languages for that matter. I had an idea of using images instead of Hebrew font letters. If properly done, you can't even notice that those are not real letters. Getting this idea to work is not as easy. I do not want to release a sub-par Bible publication. So, if it ever happens it won't be soon.

2. I agree. I was also not satisfied with the concise Matthew's Commentary, the text itself and the implementation.

A while back we discussed here another Bible that used the dictionary indexing to allow opening any verse. While that method did not appeal to me because of its drawbacks, there were people who liked that method. I have found a way to combine my DVJ and that dictionary method and avoid the drawbacks. If you have an OSNOVA Bible and would like this new combined method send a note telling me which translation you would like me to work on.

I am confident that serious students of the Bible (or those who want to become such) will be delighted with this new publication coming to the Kindle, which will link several books by this author into one cross-linked study Bible. Until then, below are some of the quotes from this man of God:


The Bible is much read, but comparatively little studied.

We cannot all be profound students of nature; we can all be profound students of Scripture.

A person who understands the language of the Holy Spirit, but who does not understand a word of Greek or Hebrew or Aramaic, will get more out of the Bible, than one, who knows all about Greek and Hebrew and cognate languages, but is not born again, and, consequently, does not understand the language of the Holy Spirit.

One of the greatest follies of the day, is to set unregenerate men to teaching the Bible, because of their rare knowledge of the human forms of speech in which the book was written. It would be as reasonable to set a man to teach art because he had an accurate technical knowledge of paints.

It should be distinctly understood, that, while there are teachings in the Bible that the natural man can understand, and beauties which he can see, its most distinctive and characteristic teachings are beyond his grasp, and its highest beauties belong to a world in which he has no vision. The first fundamental condition of the most profitable Bible study, is, then, “Ye must be born again.” You cannot study the Bible to the greatest profit if you have not been born again. Its best treasures are sealed to you.

Many come to the table God has spread in His word with no appetite for spiritual food, and go mincing here and there and grumbling about everything. Spiritual indigestion lies at the bottom of much modern criticism of the Bible.

The reason why many get so little out of their Bible reading is simply because they are not willing to think. Intellectual laziness lies at the bottom of a large percent of fruitless Bible reading.

One pound of beef well chewed and digested and assimilated, will give more strength than tons of beef merely glanced at; and one verse of scripture chewed and digested and assimilated, will give more strength than whole chapters simply skimmed. Weigh every word you read in the Bible. Look at it. Turn it over and over. The most familiar passages get a new meaning in this way.

Do not come to the Bible full of your own ideas, and seeking from it a confirmation of them. Come rather to find out what are God’s ideas as He has revealed them there. Come not to find a confirmation of your own opinion, but to be taught what God may be pleased to teach.

Few keys open so many caskets that contain hidden treasure as prayer. Few clues unravel so many difficulties. Few microscopes will disclose so many beauties hidden from the eye of the ordinary observer. What new light often shines from an old familiar text as you bend over it in prayer!

I am confident that serious students of the Bible (or those who want to become such) will be delighted with this new publication coming to the Kindle, which will link several books by this author into one cross-linked study Bible. Until then, below are some of the quotes from this man of God:

snip list

What new publication?

Also, I've read this thread and commend you for your tireless efforts to bring the Bible to the Kindle. I also have to say that I'm pretty disappointed by Zondervan's lack of response to your offer of including DVJ in some of their translations.

When I get my K3 (in a few weeks), I would like to get some of your work.

But after reading this thread, I am confused as to what options you have in the way of searches. I'll have to look at the descriptions on Amazon.com again, but from reading here, it seems you offer several options and, never having used an EBR before, I wouldn't have a preference until I jump in and test the waters. Do you have a suggestion?

What new publication?


I am also interested in this new Amazon Kindle publication to link a lot of Bible referneces into one Bible Study.

What is it called? When will it be available?

So far I am using the non-Osnova books: The One Year Bible (NLT) and Easton's Bible Dictionary.

The Osnova books I use are: NET Bible, Unabridged Matthew Henry, Kindle KJV Bible, Bible Encyclopedia (ISBE).

The ones I use daily are The One Year Bible and the Bible Encyclopedia.

The one I really need and is not yet available is the NIV. That is the one used in Church and most often by TV preachers.

I would like this "new publication" to link as many of those resources as possible into a rational, daily Bible Study.

Thank you, speedlever.

At this time, I can tell you this new publication will include the KJV Bible interlinked with a very useful resource for the Bible Study (sorry, sirmaru, I think it will not meet all your requirements but I will certainly keep your suggestions in mind for the future). It will also contain the book How to Study the Bible for Greatest Profit by R.A. Torrey. This book shows several very practical methods of studying the Bible as well as challenges the reader to have the right heart when reading God's word. It's great.

As I indicated earlier, I am rolling out another navigation method. I'm calling it DVJ-2 because it also allows jumping directly to any verse in the Bible using a different technique from the current DVJ.

The great news is that it is in addition to the existing navigation methods, so you will not lose anything by upgrading. As always, the customers receive upgrades for free. Just send me an email to osnova@gmail.com indicating which Bible version you want to upgrade.

If you have previously sent me the proof-of-purchase copy of the Osnova Bible, then you need not send it again, if not, then please attach the file that you bought your email.

If you know DVJ, then DVJ-2 is a piece of cake. While reading your OSNOVA Bible, press Menu, then press Index and type the typical DVJ abbreviation for the passage you want but instead of periods use spaces.

===

I've received a request for a different style of the table of contents (specifically, the main toc shows only hyperlinked books that lead to sub-tocs which list hyperlinked chapters). This style was included in the prototype OSNOVA Bibles but finally I decided against it.

However, if you would prefer such a toc to the one currently in your OSNOVA Bible, send me an email.

I noticed that trying to find Rev.13.18 both for the KJV and NET results in a strange outcome. The connections turn up in the results section by typing in the Home screen either rev1318 or rev.13.18 but they cannot connect to the actual verses.

That passage is the one referreing to the Mark of the Beast = 666.

I've never noticed that outcome with any other verses. Is the lack of connection to the actual verses intentional?

Confirmed on my copy of the NET. DVJ2 works fine. But DVJ seems to take us to the notes section (location 19602) using rev.13.18.

Also found in Matthew Henry's Commentary. DVJ search show location 33056 (which is correct), but when you press enter again, it goes to some reference about Canaan. Using DVJ2, the verse pops up as expected and the link to the correct page in the commentary looks good to me.

Edit for clarification: the single enter takes me to the reference location which looks good. It's the 2nd enter that takes me to the scripture itself that seems to be fouled up.

Confirmed on my copy of the NET. DVJ2 works fine. But DVJ seems to take us to the notes section (location 19602) using rev.13.18.

Also found in Matthew Henry's Commentary. DVJ search show location 33056 (which is correct), but when you press enter again, it goes to some reference about Canaan. Using DVJ2, the verse pops up as expected and the link to the correct page in the commentary looks good to me.

I'm glad you confirmed my result. I thought maybe I never indexed completely.

Also, I deleted my Unabridged Matthew Henry since it was getting commentary for large groups of verses, not individual verses. That contrasts to how Logos used to work with MH linked verse to verse commentary.

I like DJV1 for the KJV and NET and it was only Rev1318 which didn't work right so far. I like the method of NOT using periods or spaces. MH did not work that way either by requiring periods and that was another reason I deleted it.

In Bible Studies speed is of the essence to get places. Omitting periods and spaces gets one to where one must go FAST.

I always liked the Bible Knowledge Commentary much better than MH as well. I can only hope that we get a DVJ1 type indexing of that book with direct single verse to commentary connections.

Since Amazon charges very little (one to five dollars) for Bibles and Bible related books for the most part, I don't mind buying them, testing them and then even discarding them if I don't like them.

How do I get this if I am in UK?

How do I get this if I am in UK?

Go to Amazon-UK and search for Osnova books.

Regarding the wrong search destinations. I have already reported this issue in this thread here (http://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1154282#post1154282). More details are at http://osnova.com/2010/10/20/kindle-3-search-bugs/

It's a software bug with Kindle 3 (Kindles 2 and DX are not affected) and I cannot fix it. Please send complains to Amazon support (I have done so several times and so far they haven't fixed it). The good thing is that DVJ-2 is not susceptible to this bug. You can also change the font size and the issue may go away.

How do I get this if I am in UK?

Amazon would not sell my KJV Bible in UK. If you want a copy you can send me an email to osnova@gmail.com or buy this publication http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B004BA54RE/

I like the method of NOT using periods or spaces. MH did not work that way either by requiring periods and that was another reason I deleted it.

I can make a copy for you that works just how you like it. Just let me know which Bible you want to ignore the periods in searches.

Amazon would not sell my KJV Bible in UK. If you want a copy you can send me an email to osnova@gmail.com or buy this publication http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B004BA54RE/

Is this because the KJV is still under copyright in the UK?

I can make a copy for you that works just how you like it. Just let me know which Bible you want to ignore the periods in searches.

Thanks for that offer. Right now KJV and NET satisfy my needs.

Bibles and their related books I'd like to get for Kindle WiF in the future: NIV, Bible Knowledge Commentary.

I know you're trying for NIV. I've seen comments on the Amazon site for that book that many folks complain they give it one star because it lacks DVJ. Zondervan is losing a lot of kindle sales by stubbornly refusing your offer to implement it.

My work around for the NIV is my NowBible which does have a direct verse jump process. Thus it forces me to bring both my NowBible and Kindle WiFi to Church. What suprises me is that Zondervan did allow a DVJ type of locator to be developed for NowBible but not Kindle. Maybe that is the reason they have not allowed your version for Kindle. It could be a contract restriction.

Is this because the KJV is still under copyright in the UK?

Please don't tell me that a 400 year old work is still under copyright under British law. And I thought your libel laws were screwy! :p

Please don't tell me that a 400 year old work is still under copyright under British law. And I thought your libel laws were screwy! :p

It's protected by "Crown Copyright". This used to be "eternal" but has now been modified so that it runs out around 2040 or so.

It's protected by "Crown Copyright". This used to be "eternal" but has now been modified so that it runs out around 2040 or so.

Did Sonny Bono help write your copyright laws? :D

"Crown copyright" is very, very old. It long predates modern copyright laws. It gave anything created by, or in the name of, the monarch (and that includes the KJV) perpetual protection. It's now in the process of being abolished, but it was given a 50 year "timeout" when the law was changed.

Harry, he is just laughing at this.

"Crown copyright" is very, very old. It long predates modern copyright laws. It gave anything created by, or in the name of, the monarch (and that includes the KJV) perpetual protection. It's now in the process of being abolished, but it was given a 50 year "timeout" when the law was changed.

Harry, he is just laughing at this.

Indeed, Harry! You should know by now never to believe half of what I say. :p

But what does that mean for the sales of the KJV with DVJ in England? Is it allowed?

You have to get permission from a British government department to publish the KJV in the UK. Permission is always granted, and there's no cost involved. It's just a nominal thing to satisfy the requirements of crown copyright.

EDIT: A little research reveals that it's actually the Cambridge University Press, who are the crown's "agents" for the KJV copyright, that you need to get permission from. Full details are at:

http://www.cofe.anglican.org/worship/downloads/litcopy.rtf

(warning: it's an RTF file)

You have to get permission from a British government department to publish the KJV in the UK. Permission is always granted, and there's no cost involved. It's just a nominal thing to satisfy the requirements of crown copyright.

Thanks, Harry. That's interesting. I had no idea.

Harry, is it just UK or all Commonwealth countries?

Meanwhile, I have published the OSNOVA Study Bible (http://osnova.com/2010/12/23/about-to-be-published-osnova-study-bible/).

The OSNOVA Study Bible includes the Holy Bible and the following Bible study resources:

* The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (500,000 Scripture cross-references) by R.A. Torrey
* How to Study the Bible for Greatest Profit (a course on Bible study methods) by R.A. Torrey
* Daily Bread (one-year Bible reading calendar) by R.M. M’Cheyne

This edition incorporates an active table of contents, a joystick navigation between chapters, and a cross-reference system between the Bible study resources and the included Bible (with Direct Verse Jump and Direct Verse Jump 2), which makes it easy to locate any place within the Bible study resources or the Scriptures in seconds. The table of contents allows navigation to any chapter of the Scriptures, with the hyperlinked dot to the right of each chapter leading to the corresponding place in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. Each title and each verse number in the included Bible is hyperlinked to the corresponding passage in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, and each reference in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge is hyperlinked to the corresponding passage in the Bible.

Harry, is it just UK or all Commonwealth countries?

I believe it's just the UK.

A person, who goes by Dougie Quick on Amazon, has left me a scathing review (http://www.amazon.com/review/R25RPWPHVLW1YK) with only 2 stars. I will reprint his entire review below but first I would like to invite discussion about whether “it is unbiblical to charge money” for “digital copies of the KJV [I guess any translation for that matter] Bible.” On another note, there are hundreds of free KJV Bibles available on the Internet, including on Mobileread. Also, if you can’t afford the OSNOVA edition of the Bible but would really like it for your Kindle, please send me an email and I will send you a copy for free.

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Review by Dougie Quick on Amazon:

I just can not warm up to the idea of someone making money on digital copies of the KJV Bible. It is unbiblical to charge money although I see nothing wrong with asking for donations to help in ongoing improvements. For years and years the Online Bible for your computer has been totally free to download with folks constantly tweaking and improving things just for the love of getting it out to folks. The Bible is not just another book if you want to make money pick some other books, not the Bible. It would be better there were NONE available yet than to charge because that would encourage all sorts of folk with the proper mindset to leap into action. As it stands I would not doubt for a second that there are roadblocks to folks desirous to get free open source editions of the KJV Bible onto Kindle as well as the other readers. Again the Bible is NOT anything like all the other books, the arguments that seem right fair for other literature simply do NOT apply with the Scriptures! By all means ask for donations if money is needed but for your own sake even do not think to make your living in bringing the Bible to your fellow man! I am not accusing any individual(s) specifically, I guess what I am saying is this looks bad so far, what is going on? Has anyone tried to simply adapt the online Bible to Kindle? How hard can it be?

Ridiculous. There's absolutely nothing wrong with charging money for a nicely formatted public domain book. Does this person think that your time is free? As for the "it's not just another book", stuff, I leave that one for the theologians. It certainly is "a book" (well, many books, I suppose).

I wonder if he gets upset with Borders for charging for their bibles. I have several bibles from several sources and every one of them cost either me or someone else money. Gideon is the only version I know of that is free and I don't feel comfortable removing them from the hotel rooms.

I paid for the "enhancements" in the bibles I own. That is why I have absolutely no problem paying for your electronic versions. At least with them I am assured of a quality experience. I think I have 7 of your products and thanks to the work you put into them bible study has never been so simple. I do a search on a verse and shortly I can compare the KJV (both vpl and paragraphed), WEB, NET, ASV, the Study Bible and the Henry's Commentaries. I change my primary dictionary to the encyclopedia and get some great depth to my studies. I also use Easton's for the same purpose.

Finally, I am guessing you aren't going to become wealthy from the sales of your products, so no - it's not "unbiblical" to charge for your enhancements that make reading and studying the bible so convenient. As for the reviewer's comment "It would be better there were NONE available yet than to charge because that would encourage all sorts of folk with the proper mindset to leap into action"- bunk. I imagine that there were the same sort of mindsets against Gutenberg when he started selling his copies of the first mass produced bibles.

If my spending 5 bucks will help you to continue your fine work then it is money well spent. Thank you for your efforts.

Dougie is certainly entitled to his opinion. But he sounds like he's wound a bit tight. For whatever reason, I think Dougie just latched onto your version to paste his comment that sounds like a general rant to anyone charging for digital versions of the Bible.

I wonder if Dougie is only concerned with the KJV version? Why not the NET, WEB, or any other version for that matter? What about an audiobook d/l of the same? If he doesn't care for the enhancements that osnova's digital version brings, he most certainly doesn't have to buy it.

His last couple of sentences reveal his ignorance. (How hard can it be?) Afterall, nothing is impossible to the man who doesn't have to do it. ;)

Whatever. I say shake the dust off your feet and move ahead. And I hope you prosper by selling the enhanced versions. Although I think that has nothing to do with the issue whatsoever.

Osnova has added something unique to his Bibles and certainly should charge for them. The Direct Verse Jump feature is INVALUABLE and was not included in any of the original Bibles especially since they were written long before eBibles existed.

That individual, who criticized charging, just doesn't know what DVJ is and probably never tried it.

All he has to do is try the NIV eBible without DVJ and compare it to the DVJ KJV and NET to see the big difference and the value received for the charge.

Osnova has added something unique to his Bibles and certainly should charge for them. The Direct Verse Jump feature is INVALUABLE and was not included in any of the original Bibles especially since they were written long before eBibles existed.

That individual, who criticized charging, just doesn't know what DVJ is and probably never tried it.

All he has to do is try the NIV eBible without DVJ and compare it to the DVJ KJV and NET to see the big difference and the value received for the charge.

I guess its value depends how you read the book. Personally I don't jump around all over the place - I just read it straight through. It has little value for readers such as myself. I can see, though, that if you're the sort of person who jumps around in a book, it would be beneficial.

I guess its value depends how you read the book. Personally I don't jump around all over the place - I just read it straight through. It has little value for readers such as myself. I can see, though, that if you're the sort of person who jumps around in a book, it would be beneficial.

I read the day's verses for Kindle WiFi in "The One Year Bible NLT" by Tyndale. It's not an Osnova Bible. I go to each day's selection and read it. If I miss days, I just go to the current day in that Kindle eBible. When I find notable verses, I can use DVJ to locate them in the NET and KJV for highlighting and notations.

The KJV and NET are Osnova eBibles with DVJ. Those are useful for Bible Studies where the leader is always jumping around. It allows one to keep up.

The NowBible has a dramatized spoken NIV with great sound effects and a form of direct verse jump as well. I use that one as a utility to alternate with my Kindle WiFi eBibles and for specialized uses in Bible Studies.

Both the Kindle WiFi and NowBible allow loading and play back of sacred songs which I use as well.

I believe it would be unethical to grab download a copy from say, Project Gutenberg, then turn around and upload it for sale with absolutely no enhancements; but what you've done is entirely different. You've formatted the work and worked out a unique navigation system. In short, you've added your own labor to the work, and as such, you are entitled to be paid for that labor. That reviewer is way off base with his criticism.

The labourer is worthy of his hire.

I believe it would be unethical to grab download a copy from say, Project Gutenberg, then turn around and upload it for sale with absolutely no enhancements; but what you've done is entirely different. You've formatted the work and worked out a unique navigation system. In short, you've added your own labor to the work, and as such, you are entitled to be paid for that labor. That reviewer is way off base with his criticism.

The labourer is worthy of his hire.

Totally agree. It has added value and that's worth something. :thumbsup:

I'm trying to find an ebook version of the Complete Jewish Bible. This version keeps the Hebrew names intact in the NT and also has more of a "Hebrew perspective" kind of feel to it.

I found one here but I'm not sure if I'll be able to put it on the Kindle since it probably has DRM...
http://www.franklin.com/estore/product/bbalebbaseid_28503dlda/#second

I'm trying to find an ebook version of the Complete Jewish Bible. This version keeps the Hebrew names intact in the NT and also has more of a kind of feel to it.

I found one here but I'm not sure if I'll be able to put it on the Kindle since it probably has DRM...
http://www.franklin.com/estore/product/bbalebbaseid_28503dlda/#second

Sign up for the Jewish Publication Society's newsletter (http://www.jewishpub.org/product.php?id=473) and you can get a free ebook of their 1917 edition of The Holy Scriptures According to the Masoretic Text. It has a very Hebrew perspective. Of course, there's no New Testament....

Then there's this very nice New Testament translation by Willis Barnstone that retains the original Greek, Aramaic, and Hebrew names of individuals and books:

http://www.amazon.com/Restored-New-Testament-Translation-Commentary/dp/039306493X

Unfortunately it's not available as an ebook.

I'm trying to find an ebook version of the Complete Jewish Bible. This version keeps the Hebrew names intact in the NT and also has more of a "Hebrew perspective" kind of feel to it.

I found one here but I'm not sure if I'll be able to put it on the Kindle since it probably has DRM...
http://www.franklin.com/estore/product/bbalebbaseid_28503dlda/#second

Surely no "Jewish Bible" will contain the New Testament at all.

Thanks to all for chiming in on this topic. While it was clear for me personally, I wanted to see if my compass is completely off. Plus he said "unbiblical" but did not cite any passages. I guess he could have mentioned "Freely ye have received, freely give." Matthew 10:7-8. But I do not think that is applicable here.

Surely no "Jewish Bible" will contain the New Testament at all.

Don't know much about it but there is such a thing as Messianic Judaism.

Yes, I've heard of that too, but when people talk about the "Jewish Bible" they are normally referring to the "tanakh". This is essentially the same as the Christian "Old Testament", but (other than the first five books) it's arranged in a completely different order.

FWIW, he left a similar review on a different KJV, calling for a boycott of the Kindle "UNTIL there is a good usuable(sic) FREE KJV Bible available, easy to find, ready for anyone to HAVE." I'm curious about the fact that it's specifically the KJV that he's focusing on, as though the NIV or others aren't worth being free. (Yes, that sounded backwards, but you know what I mean.)

I've read this entire thread and I'm amazed by the work that Osnova has put into these Bibles, especially since he charges so little for something that has proved to be valuable to many. I'm not a Christian but I am an informal student of religion, and I plan to purchase some of Osnova's offerings very soon. It may sound odd, but I also assist my cousin with her Bible studies sometimes (she has difficulty processing some types of concepts and such) and she's recently expressed an interest in looking more deeply into differences among versions and translations, as well as commentary. DVJ for the available versions combined with Kindle's search abilities sounds like a delight compared to flipping through my many paper Bibles and Googling.

FWIW, he left a similar review on a different KJV, calling for a boycott of the Kindle "UNTIL there is a good usuable(sic) FREE KJV Bible available, easy to find, ready for anyone to HAVE." I'm curious about the fact that it's specifically the KJV that he's focusing on, as though the NIV or others aren't worth being free. (Yes, that sounded backwards, but you know what I mean.)


A not inconsiderable number of people hold the rather curious viewpoint that the KJV is in some way "the one true Bible", even though, in modern terms, it's not terribly good at all. Beautiful language, but not a terribly accurate representation of the "original" Biblical texts. I suspect that this person holds that view.

I get $1.75 from each copy sold, so "no", I am not getting rich on this (although when I was jobless about a year ago, each dollar helped). I am actually deriving "compensation" by reading feedback from people who say that they find my work useful. Too often "free" is not appreciated as much as something that you have paid for (at least this is what I have noticed with myself). Human psychology, I guess. That's why pirating is not such a huge issue as it is often described.

I also find unconvincing the argument that I somehow prevent people from "reading God's Word" by charging for it because not everybody can afford it. If somebody can afford a Kindle, then $5 is not an obstacle, right?

snip

I've read this entire thread and I'm amazed by the work that Osnova has put into these Bibles, especially since he charges so little for something that has proved to be valuable to many. I'm not a Christian but I am an informal student of religion, and I plan to purchase some of Osnova's offerings very soon. It may sound odd, but I also assist my cousin with her Bible studies sometimes (she has difficulty processing some types of concepts and such) and she's recently expressed an interest in looking more deeply into differences among versions and translations, as well as commentary. DVJ for the available versions combined with Kindle's search abilities sounds like a delight compared to flipping through my many paper Bibles and Googling.

I found this article (http://bible.org/article/net-niv-esv-brief-historical-comparison) on translations very interesting to read. I'm really liking the NET version.

I found this article (http://bible.org/article/net-niv-esv-brief-historical-comparison) on translations very interesting to read. I'm really liking the NET version.

Great article - thanks!

I get $1.75 from each copy sold, so "no", I am not getting rich on this (although when I was jobless about a year ago, each dollar helped). I am actually deriving "compensation" by reading feedback from people who say that they find my work useful. Too often "free" is not appreciated as much as something that you have paid for (at least this is what I have noticed with myself). Human psychology, I guess. That's why pirating is not such a huge issue as it is often described.

I also find unconvincing the argument that I somehow prevent people from "reading God's Word" by charging for it because not everybody can afford it. If somebody can afford a Kindle, then $5 is not an obstacle, right?

And, of course, he can always download the KJV with no navigational aids free at Project Gutenberg (http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/10900), if that's all he wants.

I wonder if he expects to be paid when he works?

Below are a bunch of links for your research on various translations:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_translations_of_the_Bible
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modern_English_Bible_translations
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_English_Bible_translations

Some personal views:
http://thislamp.com/?p=990
http://thislamp.com/?p=98
http://www.kencollins.com/bible-t2.htm


Charts:
http://www.apbrown2.net/web/TranslationComparisonChart.htm
http://www.mardel.com/UserFiles/File/Bible%20Translation%20Chart.pdf
http://www.tniv.com/about/docs/bible%20trans%20chart.pdf
http://www.gentles.info/BibleHistory/BF2.pdf

Online parallel Bibles:

http://www.crosswire.org/study/parallelstudy.jsp
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John%203:16&version=NIV;NIV1984;KJV;HCSB;ESV
http://net.bible.org/verse.php?search=John%203:16&book=john&chapter=3&verse=16


Exhaustive resources on English Bible translations are
Chamberlin, William J. Catalogue of English Bible Translations: A Classified Bibliography of Versions and Editions Including Books, Parts, and Old and New Testament Apocrypha and Apocryphal Books. New York: Greenwood Press, 1991.
Taliaferro, Bradford B. Bible Version Encyclopedia. Lulu.com, 2007.

Also see http://www.biblereadersmuseum.com/

Below are a bunch of links for your research on various translations:

:thanks: These will be very helpful!

Any chance you're working on a DVJ version of the HCSB?

I'd love to but need somebody on the inside to give me permission.

Surely no "Jewish Bible" will contain the New Testament at all.

when people talk about the "Jewish Bible" they are normally referring to the "tanakh".

Completely depends on your viewpoint. Jesus is the Messiah so the Brit Chadashah (NT) is just as much part of the Bible as is the Tanakh (OT). Hence the word "complete" in the Complete Jewish Bible. Of course there is always the discussion of translation issues and I have recently learned that this version keeps the original Hebrew names in the NT and seems to be a more accurate translation throughout. Unfortunately, I can't seem to find an ebook anywhere. Amazon only sells it to overseas customers so maybe I'll change my country affiliation and see what happens.

Completely depends on your viewpoint. Jesus is the Messiah so the Brit Chadashah (NT) is just as much part of the Bible as is the Tanakh (OT).


That is the Christian belief, not the Jewish one. Hence my statement that a Jewish Bible (as opposed to a Christian one) does not contain the New Testament.

not the Jewish one.

The adjective "Jewish" conflates religious and ethnic concepts. There are lots of Jews who are atheists, agnostic, or Christian and have nothing to do with Judaism. There are even Jewish neo-Nazis (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/6987848.stm).

That is the Christian belief, not the Jewish one
So the title makes it sound like it's for Jews...but the reality is, regardless of whether you are a Jew, Christian, Messianic Jew, or non-believer...it's probably best to get as close to the original translation as possible.

Sign up for the Jewish Publication Society's newsletter (http://www.jewishpub.org/product.php?id=473) and you can get a free ebook of their 1917 edition The above is a revision of the King James version by early twentieth century American Jewish scholars.

The standard modern Jewish translation is highly readable despite being quite literal, with unobtrusive footnotes showing alternative possible meanings. Unfortunately, it is not free:

http://www.amazon.com/Tanakh-Scriptures-Translation-Traditional-ebook/dp/B0028NC4Y2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&s=digital-text&qid=1293412569&sr=1-1

Jesus is the Messiah so the Brit Chadashah (NT) is just as much part of the Bible as is the Tanakh (OT).I know your sect has its own translation. Just as a factual statement not meant to make a value judgment, the great majority of English speaking self-identified practicing Jews would use the translations WT Sharpe and I mentioned above.

Sign up for the Jewish Publication Society's newsletter and you can get a free ebook of their 1917 edition

the great majority of English speaking self-identified practicing Jews would use the translations WT Sharpe and I mentioned above.

I actually pulled this down earlier and it's great. I'm just looking for something that's combined together...but this will work until I get my hands (er Kindle) around the other one.

The above is a revision of the King James version by early twentieth century American Jewish scholars.

Actually, it's based on the American Standard of 1901, which itself is largely based on the KJV.

I've found this thread to be incredibly helpful. I've purchased OSNOVA's NET and WEB Bibles, am looking at some of the other study helps, and have downloaded a sample of the modern Jewish translation from Amazon that SteveEisenberg listed. Thanks to all of the contributors for a very useful discussion.

Marcus

We are all glad to help here.

Welcome to mobileread, Marcus!