Thursday, November 11, 2010

The Voice New Testament

Some people think that it's not the Bible unless it's the King James version of the Bible, but I like different translations.  I like translations that are actually written in English, in a language I can understand.  When I had a chance to receive and review The Voice New Testament (currently $8 from Amazon), I jumped at the chance.

The Voice is a collaboration among scholars, pastors, writers, musicians, poets, and other artists.  The goal is to help believers experience the joy and wonder of God's revelation.  It is a retelling of the story of the Bible in a way that strives to stay faithful to the ancient texts while giving the present day reader a respectful and moving experience of the Word of God.  They call it "A scripture project to rediscover the story of the Bible."

I have really been enjoying reading The Voice.  Some of the terminology they use is hard to get used to, like Liberating King for Christ, and ritual immersion instead of baptism, but overall it is really easy to read.  It reads like a good book and makes it easy to get a feel for the overall story of the New Testament.  As it says in the introduction: "The Voice brings the biblical narratives to life and reads more like a great novel than the traditional versions of the Bible that are seldom opened in contemporary culture."  And I think that's really the point - getting people to read the Word of God, and making sure it impacts them on a deep and personal level instead of just being words on a page.

I know I've been reading the Bible for years, but The Voice puts things in new ways and has me wanting to read more and seeing things in different ways then I've seen them before.  It's always good to have other translations available for study and to compare, but for just plain sitting down and reading the Bible, The Voice is great.  As far as study goes, I am particularly pleased with the Index to Biblical References in the back.  It starts in Genesis 1:3 and goes through the entire Old Testament listing where each scripture is referenced in the New Testament.  I don't know that it's every single reference, but there's quite a list.

I received a complimentary copy of The Voice New Testament from Book Sneeze in exchange for my review.

2 comments:

  1. I like to read several versions. Although I went through school with the King James and it does have a special beauty in the Psalms for example. it is so much better to have clarity in modern English especially with Paul's epistles the clearer the better. I will go check The Voice out

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  2. That's what I'm reading right now - Paul's epistles. Some things just jump right out!

    There is a version of this that includes Psalms and Proverbs, and it would be interesting to read that because there's a real emphasis on art and beauty - so I'd think the poetry would shine through. I still think you miss stuff in the translation.

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