Teen Resources
BiblesThe following Bibles are all Study/Life Application Bibles for teenagers. These Bibles contain special features within the pages of the Bible to encourage the application of God’s Word to everyday life. I would recommend this type of Bible for teens needing direction on what the Bible says about teen issues common today. I have included the New International Version (NIV) and New Living Translation (NLT), Christian Standard Bible (CSB), and New English Translation (NET).
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The following reviews are based solely on my opinion from having read through the content and gathered feedback from other like-minded moms. Some of the age ranges were taken from the author’s description, while others are my own opinions based on the vocabulary level, amount of words used in the text, and observations from having used them with children. Be sure to check back for more great resources to come!
Zondervan
Best for ages 13-16
Here is an amazing teen Bible for girls that offers interesting features including stories of girls’ struggles and wisdom from scripture on how to cope, a Teen-relevant Topical Index, Book Introductions, an Explanation of the Gospel, and 100 Love Notes from God. I appreciate how this Bible is packed full of fun ways to make God’s Word relevant to this age group! I had the pleasure of giving this Bible to a sweet teenager that I know, and she treasures it!
Zondervan
Best for ages 13-18
This Bible is great for teen girls and includes daily devotional readings from well-known female authors, sections on godly advice related to scripture, and Bible insights related to real life teen issues. It also includes profiles on women from the Bible and book introductions to help your teen understand the Bible more in depth.
Zondervan
Best for ages 13-18
Like the teen girls’ Bible, this Bible includes daily devotional readings from well-known male authors, sections on godly advice, and Bible insights related to common teen boy issues. It also includes profiles of men from the Bible and book introductions to help your teen understand the Bible more in depth.
Zondervan
Best for ages 13-18
This Bible for either gender includes features such as a summary of the Apostles’ Creed explaining the foundations of the Christian faith, Biblical advice related to teen issues, topical indexes, book introductions, and highlighted key Bible verses to memorize. There is also a question and answer section in this version to test Bible knowledge. A college student I know loves her copy of this Bible and still uses it today!
Tyndale House Publishers
Best for ages 11-14
This is another great pre-teen to early teen Life Application Bible with some great features to note. There is a Quick Answers Index, Reading Plan, along with “Is it OK?” and “What Now?” sections to help students apply God’s Word to their everyday lives through scenarios and questions and answers. The Foundations for Your Faith sections discuss topics such as how to follow Jesus, first steps to following Jesus, and how to share what you believe with others. This Bible will help your boys grow in their knowledge of God’s Word and how to apply it to their lives.
Tyndale House Publishers
Best for ages 11-14
Just like the Boys Life Application Study Bible, this girls’ Bible has a similar format and is great for teen girls surrounded by worldly influences. In addition to a great translation for teens, this Bible features book introductions and timelines, personal stories from older teens, amazing facts, lessons to be learned from famous women of the Bible, and scenarios to help teens make good choices. I have known several teen girls with this Bible, and they tell me it’s easy to understand and helps them relate the Bible to their everyday life. This Bible is also full of girly designs, making it appealing to pre-teen and teen girls.
Tyndale House Publishers
Best for ages 15-20
This Life Application Study Bible is best for older teens, whereas the girls’/guys’ version reviewed above is more suited for younger teens. There are fewer fun graphics in this Bible, and the language in the life application sections is at a higher level than the Girls/Guys’ Life Application Study Bible. This Bible does have great study and application components, such as book introductions, personal profiles of people from the Bible, and real-life scenarios related to the text. These scenarios help teens think more about their choices from a Biblical perspective. If your teen is older and more mature in his or her thinking, this may be the best choice.
Michael & Haley DeMarco
Thomas Nelson
Best for Ages: 15+
This unique Bible is a great choice for older teens and includes a method to study the Bible, TEXT: T-Talk to God, E-Encounter God and Humanity, E-Examine Your Heart, T-Talk to God and Others. Additional features include Anatomy of the Text where literary elements are explained, Get to Know the Text with explanations of people and events, Who is God – devotionals on God’s character, and Terms of the Text that give you definitions of difficult words found in the text.
Raechel Myers
Holman Bible Publishers
Best for Ages: 16+
While this Bible is for women, it is also perfect for older teen girls as well! It really encourages teens to go deeper in God’s Word by providing features, such as a Custom Reading Plan, Colorful Timelines, Charts, Maps, and Book Introductions providing cultural context and purpose of book, and Devotionals to help girls apply God’s Word to their own lives. There is also plenty of space in the margins to take notes as they study God’s Word.
Bible Applications/Resources
Bible Gateway (biblegateway.com)
Zondervan Corporation
Best for ages 13-18
This amazing Bible application has become very popular among our tech-savvy next generation. Many youth pastors have commented that teens prefer to use their Bible application on their phone than to bring their Bible to Bible study. Bible Gateway allows you to choose the translation you want to use and easily search by words or phrases to find a verse. You can also “friend” people now, which gives it a social media feel and allows teens to stay connected with each other about what they are reading and studying in the Bible. The application also provides daily, topical Bible plan options to choose from and will send you a reminder to do your Bible plan each day. Teens also love creating a verse image by clicking a verse they like and adding a fun background to it to share with others. A youth pastor’s wife I spoke with encourages her students to download the full version of Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Bible Gateway application, as his love and enthusiasm appeal to students, and it gives teens yet another way to go deeper in understanding God’s Word. While Bible applications should never replace the tangible Bible, it has its benefits and keeps teens coming back to God’s Word.