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The Message Compact NT with Psa/Prov Burg Leather

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A couple of reviews back a reader from Sioux City asked some questions about the translation of this book. I felt it might be appropriate for me to respond.

I worked for NavPress when this project was proposed and saw it come to fruition. At the time I had access to some of the initial drafts, and also had the opportunity to interact with the editor on a daily basis.

During the planning stages of The Message NavPress was very sensitive to the accuracy of the translation largely because their parent organization (The Navigators) is relatively influential within the evangelical community. Also, while I can't comment on Eugene Peterson's qualifications as a translator (I am unaware of his credentials), I do know that he reads the Bible in its original languages.

An interesting note: when the drafts were circulated around the office many of us were blown away. We simply couldn't put them down. Unfortunately many of the original passages were considered too inflamatory, so they were toned down prior to publication.

Personally speaking, The Message has helped me through some very tough times. Were it not for the voice that spoke to me from its pages, I would have in all likelyhood walked away from the Christian faith bitter and hateful.

Take up and read!

Okay, let me just say this now: I LOVE this book and I highly recommend it.I recommend it to people who read The Bible often and have 87 other versions on their shelves. But I also (highly) recommend it to those who never read the Bible and don't know much about it.

Sure, I agree with what a lot of the reviewers are saying, that the Bible is poetry, and Peterson's translation utterly destroys that poetry. Well, okay, I'll go with that. But, look, the King James and the NIV and all the other (closer to original, "poetic") versions of the Bible aren't going anywhere. I'm not about to throw those versions out and neither, probably, is anyone else. The Message, however, gives me a different look at what I already know, (and also at that which I don't yet know!), a fresh perspective, a second glance. It brings scripture down-to-earth for me, and helps me understand. It may sound blasphemous but sometimes the language of the Bible gets in my way.

Sometimes I enjoy just opening my Bible at bedtime and reading whichever Psalm the page falls to. The Message has brought the Psalms (and Proverbs) to life for me. I relate much better, now, to David. It's not beautiful poetry, and I wouldn't trade it for the eloquence of the original, but there are evenings when I can completely understand his crying out, "Take my side, God-- I'm getting stomped on every day. Not a day goes by but somebody beats me up; They make it their duty to beat me up" (Psalm 56). There are times when I, too, would like to yell, "Don't turn a deaf ear when I call you, God! All I get from you is deafening silence!" (Psalm 28.) And, gloriously, there are days when I also understand, "Hallelujah! Thank God! And, why? Because He's good, because his love lasts" (Psalm 106.)

The Message helps me relate to the writers (and characters) of the Bible on a more personal level, which keeps me reading. I'll read from The Message when I can't bear to read any of the other versions.

THE MESSAGE is a great addition to the Bible translations commonly accepted today. His writing is enjoyable and the common language used really lets the reader see the text in the light that it was written in.

The back of the book jacket says that the Bible was not written in scholarly Greek, but in a common, conversational tone -- in the language of the streets and the marketplace. The way The Message was written makes the New Testament infinitely more accessible.

I believe Eugene Peterson _did_ translate directly from the Greek, and not from another English translation of the New Testament, therefore, I think this translation rings very true to the original text. (I'm not a Bible scholar, however).

One characteristic that occasionally bothers me is the overabundance of idioms -- English cliches. Phrases like "you can't see the forest for the trees" distract rather than inspire me. It should also be noted that verses are not numbered, as in traditional translations, although the chapters are designated. This isn't a complaint, but an interesting feature.

I highly recommend THE MESSAGE -- it's a revolutionary way to read the Bible. You can read it on its own, or with another translation of the Bible as a companion. If you know someone who is having trouble "getting into the Word," then definitely let them know about The Message.

I grew up in a fundamentalistChristian home, and -- dare I say this! -- the Bible has often bored me. It was stuffed down my throat as a child, and now as an adult I feel, "Wow, I've read this so many times. Can there actually be something relevant in here for me, now?" Yes, there is, and this book helps me see that clearly. Don't be misled, though -- this isn't a "version" of the Bible, it is one man's paraphrase. Serious, scholarly research couldn't, of course, be done with this book. But how many of us need the scholarly research in our daily lives? Not me, not usually. What I do need is to be reminded that God is alive and real and right here, right now, and "The Message" does that for me.

I will point out that this is a very "Americanized" book, and that is unfortunate because it is limited only to an American audience. People in other countries, even those who speak good English, would have difficulty with so many idioms. But putting that aside, this book has helped me feel God's reality in my life once again.

The title and author were what I wanted, but, unfortunately, neither the listing nor description of this book indicates the fact that it is only the New Testament, as opposed to the whole Bible, which is what I want and need for an ongoing project. [The cover of the book makes this clear, but was not large enough to read on the web.] Very disappointing omission!

i am happy with the bible but i thought i was purchasing the entire bible the picture on the website you can't read the words that it is only the new testament psalms and proverbs, it should be listed in the description.

Personally I think the argument over the legitimacy of "The Message" is somewhat ridiculous. Having had the great opportunity to receive formal training at a Christian college I study texts in the original language, but I would never preach or teach from a Greek edition. Why? Because few, if any, would understand it!

Perhaps the reason so many of the church attending public are biblically illiterate is because of the over-emphasis on word for word translations. These translations are good for studying, but honestly are not easy reading. Though the biblical authors were inspired, their language was not. Language is simply a tool used to communicate ideas; the goal of Peterson's translation is to "convert the tone, the rythym, the events, the IDEAS, into the way we actually think and speak" (Introduction, emphasis added.)

Not everything in the Bible can be easily understood, and until the end of this present world there will be those God has gifted with the building up of the church who are able to offer additional assistance - but this easy to read paraphrase is certainly a good avenue for the layperson to become familiar with the Bible's content.

Look, I'm going to make this as simple as is possible. This book is not the Bible. It is a mistranslation, and a deliberate one. What this means is that every time the "translator" came to some passage that they thought you would have a hard time understanding, they asked themselves:

"What does this passage mean? Forget what it says, what does it mean?"

They DID NOT ask themselves:

"How can I translate what this passage says into contemporary, easy to read English?"

What this means is that every time the "translator" thought that a part of the Bible might be confusing, he took away your ability to puzzle over the Scripture. He said to himself, "It's more important that they think it says something easy to understand than it is for them to think about what it means."

Now, I'm hardly dogmatic when it comes to your Bibles. I know some Biblical Hebrew, so I take translation seriously, but I think that many of the Bibles that are out there have good things to add. Here are some many examples:

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The Bible: Authorized King James Version (Oxford World's Classics) - This Bible has beautiful language, but it can be difficult to read because it is not contemporary English. There are some translation issues as well, but for the most part it is very accurate. A good Bible.

Holy Bible, Revised Standard Version - An easy to read contemporary translation of the Bible.

The Holy Bible: New International Version - This is easy to read. It does have some issues with paraphrasing "confusing passages," but they are not nearly as prevalent. Still, I don't recommend it, but it is at least closer to a Bible than this "Message" piece of garbage.
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Now, before you buy this book you should really ask yourself these question seriously:

If the Bible has places in it that are confusing or difficult to understand, do you want to take one man's word for what those confusing parts mean, without even being made aware of which parts he is completely rewriting in order to make it "easier to understand"?

Without knowing him?

Without understanding his beliefs?

Or, would you prefer to read the Bible, another way? You could, for example, skim the confusing parts, and mark them with little post-it notes. Then, when you have read the Bible, you could come back to those post-it notes in a leisurely fashion, one post-it note for the month, and re-read the passage, and really think about what it could mean.

It isn't that hard to read the Bible. If you buy this book, you will have a travesty, not a Bible.

the Message is to small of print making this hard to read. the way it is writen is easy to find what you are looking for

Okay, so you've had it with those other translations. Perhaps the idea of reading the Bible through has made you throw your hands up in defeat. Perhaps you've read it through and would simply like to draw it into yourself more deeply. Or perhaps, like me, the Bible has been a constant (yet fractured and fragmented) companion that you'd like to get to know better.

Quite frankly, I'm usually too tired to give the Bible the intellectual energy that most translations demand. The easier translations have no bite. But this one does.

Point blank, read it. You will not regret it. It will open your eyes, thrill you, touch you, convict you, and comfort you. I particularly recommend this to those who thought they would never read the Bible and to those who think they know it.

You won't regret it.