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The Message Old Testament Prophets: In Contemporary Language

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As with the past installments of Peterson's rendering of the Bible, The Message: Old Testament Prophets communicates through the static of cultural and language shifts since the biblical narratives were first put to papyrus and scroll. This crisp rendering of Israel and Judah's prophetic voices lends an authentic credibility to the living Word of God in the hearing of those shaped and formed in a post-Christian millieu. Peterson has blessed us with his scholarship and skill as an interpreter of Scripture and modern culture, but mostly, we have been blessed in The Message by a sensitive pastor with a heart that aches for the written word of the Bible to become an indwelling Word in the human spirit! The Message accomplishes what it set out to do, i.e., it communicates clearly with authority the ancient narrative of the One who speaks life and is willing to do whatever it takes to secure that life in those God loves.

This book is an excellent rendition of the Old Testament Prophets. Like the other Message translations of the Bible, it's written in street English, or what some call "Wal-Mart English." Peterson takes what many people call a boring section of the Bible and makes it comprehendable and relevant for today. Peterson doesn't change the what God intended to say. He merely makes the Old Testament Prophets readable, understandable, and enjoyable.
Mind you, this is not a good study Bible for seminary students or those into weighty theological issues. To those people I'd recommend a study Bible or perhaps the Amplified version. However, if you want to read and understand the Prophets or if you're trying to explain certain Old Testament passages so that people can understand it, this book will be extremely helpful to you. I highly recommend this book to every Christian!

Buy it! Read it!

Though one should be aware that it's a paraphrase rather than a translation, it does convey the message in a terrific manner. It will grab you in ways that reading a more strictly rendered translation may not. I enjoy reading it side-by-side with another translation with which I am more familiar.