The Septuagint with Apocrypha: Greek and English

First, a word about the actual physical book: It is a sturdy volume of quality binding, and has a quality feel and look to the covers and spine. The pages are quality clean white opaque pages, as one would expect in a quality reference book, and not transparent onion-skin. Printing is sharp and clear, albeit quite small. The English is smaller than the Greek. The English I believe is 6 pt. type. Rather uncomfortable for lengthly reading- it appears to be included only as a help to those who would be reading the Greek. The Greek print is larger and easier to read.The binding is sturdy. This book will last.My biggest complaint about this volume is the lack of chapter demarcations. Verses are fairly well marked, but trying to figure out what chapter you are in is basically a crap-shoot, aided by page headings and memory. Personally, when making notes, I look it up in the King Jimmy to be sure.This book seems to be intended for those who want to read the Greek, with Mr. Brenton's excellent translation into English being added for reference, presumably for those of us who are not expert in Greek.I purchased this merely wanting an English translation (and Mr. Brenton's in particular) of the LXX. I do not read Greek. I do also have the Apostolic Polyglot, which, for a non Greek-reader such as myself, is actually a better study tool, as it places each Greek word directly above the English word which translates it, and also includes the Strong's number of each Greek word- neither of which this volume does- but, alas, the Apostolic Polyglot is not very practical for actual reading.Ultimately, someone such as I needs both books- The Apostolic Polyglot for word studies (I love to see how New Testament words are used in the LXX! -it really gives insight!), and this version of the LXX for actual reading of the English translation of the LXX.Just to be clear about this version of the LXX: It is formatted so that each page contains two columns of text: The outer, narrower column (and in smaller type) is the English; and the inner column, which is somewhat wider, and of somewhat larger type, is the corresponding Greek. That is it.If you don't read Greek, this book is only helpful as an English translation- but in rather small print. No Strong's numbers; and you won't know which Greek word corresponds to which English word- as the English text is only there as a help to those who are at least fairly familiar with the Greek.Personally, what I am really looking for, is JUST an English version of Mr. Brenton's translation of the LXX. As far as I know, that does not currently exist though, so if you're looking to read this widely accepted translation of the LXX, this is pretty much it. Suffer through the small print and narrow columns! If the preceding describes you, then get this!If, on the other hand, you are looking to do Greek word studies from the LXX, and don't fluently read Greek, but need the corresponding English and the Strong's numbers...get the Apostolic Polyglot.(Be warned: The Apostolic Polyglot's binding is NOT of the same quality, and it falls apart quite easily!). Better yet, get both books, and you'll be fully armed!A note about the LXX in general: I'm a big advocate of the KJV, and reject all of the modern Bible [per]versions- but there is just no denying that when it comes to the Old Testament, the LXX is just more accurate than the Masoretic Text (Which basically was put together in the 9th century AD. by the Jews, and edited or at least "tweaked" a little to hide many of the Messianic prophesies).No matter how many times you've read the Bible, you will gain insight and knowledge the first time you read the LXX. You will see things which just don't appear in the standard English translations of the Masoretic text- bearing in mind that Greek is a much more precise language than Hebrew/Aramaic; the LXX has not been messed with as much as the Masoretic; and, as will be obvious to you when you read it, if you are familiar with the New Testament, this is the version which Jesus and the Apostles quoted. It also does not contain the contradictions and errors found in the Masoretic text/English translations/KJV.

Came wrapped in plastic pretty tight - had caused the top corner to bend a little, but nothing that impacts the use of the Septuagint. Beautifully bound and printed, it feels solid. The pages are thin similar to other Bible pages. Note that there are no chapter divisions and the books flow into each other (there is no separation of starting a new page for the next chapter). You'll quickly pick up how to read the separation of chapters. An initial high-level comparison to Psalms, Proverbs, and Isaiah in the Douay-Rheims shows very similar translation. The text is smaller, as other reviewers have noted, but even for someone who wears reading glasses, I've been able to read it without glasses. An excellent resource!

Unlike other reviews posted for this item, I have found little to no issues with this Bible. The Septuagint (LXX) translation by Lancelot C. Brenton is an excellent translation, especially given its original translation date (mid-1800s). Translated mostly from the Vaticanus codex, and some parts from Alexandrian codex, Brenton has faithfully translated the text as much as possible. Unlike other newer translations of the Septuagint, Brenton preserves the Greek Old testament translation without mixing other outside influences from other texts (such as the Masoretic text). For those of you who don't know, the LXX is a very old (roughly 2,200 years old) translation of the ancient Hebrew Scriptures, of which we do not have anymore, because they have been lost for 1,700 years or more. The modern Hebrew Scriptures, i.e. the Masoretic text (circa 500-600 A.D.) varies in meaning and differentiates from the Septuagint text. The Dead Sea Scrolls, which date during the time of Yahshua, also agree more in meaning and translation with the LXX (roughly 84% more), and less with the Masoretic text (agrees around 68% of the time).Pros of Brenton's translation include:+Bi-lingual text, so readers can learn Greek words, and if you know Greek, you can read the text in its original translation. Every honest translator knows that thoughts and ideas from one language and culture are not always carried to another language. Things do get lost in translation!+Footnotes to help explain passages, especially Greek lit. (literal) meanings. These can differ from the English translation. Brenton also uses the Alexandrian codex where ever the Vaticanus is unclear.+Faithful translation to the text it came from+Hardcover, sturdy constructionCons of Brenton's translation include:- Smaller print size for English translation. The Greek original translation is slightly bigger and easier to read.- Because it is a re-print of the original translation completed around mid-1800s, some spots of the ink are worn or missing, but this is far and few in between.- Chapters / verses are not numbered very clearly, and switching from one chapter and verse to another can be tricky. Also, Chapters are in Roman numerals, not 1, 2, 3 numerical fashion. This can take some getting used to. (L = 50, X = 10, I = 1, V = 5; LX = 60, XL = 40, etc).- Because the names are not in English composure (transliteration), but in Greek, that can be confusing at times. Esias = Isaiah.Also, Ist and 2nd Kings = 1st and 2nd Samuel.Please remember, with all respect and kindness, this is not necessarily a Scripture text for "1st grade" English readers. This is a text for a student interested in learning more from the ancient Scriptures, and not a casual Bible reader. Even though I wish everyone would read Yah's Word diligently, I read reviews knocking this translation simply because it doesn't "feel right for them".Also, very important. This text is not "missing" or leaving out Scripture! One reviewer said that verses and chapters are missing in Psalms and various other places, such as Jeremiah. Actually, the truth is that some verses are in the Masoretic (modern Hebrew) text are not in the Vaticanus codex. These could have been lost (due to age or otherwise) from the ancient LXX sources. Brenton did not leave them out, nor did the Vaticanus codex. There are 4 ancient codices for the Septuagint: The Vaticanus, The Alexandrian, The Sinaticus, and another one I can't think of at the moment. Look up 4 unical codices and see what I am referring to. Some have what others do not in regards to the Greek OT. The Masoretic text also has several codexes (complete, together manuscripts) as well (such as Aleppo and Leningrad) that differ slightly with each other (mainly in a word choice or vocabulary). This is a well documented fact, and should be understood by all students of the Bible.I personally use both the Masoretic text and the Septuagint for Bible Studies, and recommend any diligent Bible student to do the same. I also read the Aramaic New testament as well.I use: (1) ISR The Scriptures, 2) Green's Interlinear Hebrew, Greek, English Bible 3) Brenton's LXX, 4) Andrew Roth's AENTOur Scriptures are thousands of years old, and very reliable! HalleluYah!