The Message Remix: Electric Green (Hardcover)

by Eugene H. Peterson (Author) "First this: God created the Heavens and Earth-all you see, all you don't see..." (more)
Key Phrases: filled with fine flour, unraised bread, gold vessel weighing, Tent of Meeting, Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
God’s Word was meant to be read. But more than that, it was meant to be understood. It was first written in the language of the people––of fishermen, shopkeepers, and carpenters. The Message Remix gets back to that: You can read it and understand it.

In The Message Remix, there are new verse-numbered paragraphs that will help you study and find favorite passages. Or, you can just read it like a book and let the narrative speak to you. After all, it is God’s story, with its heroes and villains, conflicts and resolutions. Either way, it’s God’s Word––the Truth––in a user-friendly form. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Back Cover

Read. Think. Pray. Live. The Bible isn't like any other book you'll ever read. Yes, it has all the elements of a great narrative--heroes and villains, epic battles, romance, betrayal--but more than that, it is the story of an eternal Savior and a Father who loved us before we even loved him back. In the same way, The Message Remix isn't like any other student Bible you've seen. It's purely, simply God's Word--in its most easily understood format ever. Make this vital book part of everything you are. Read it, cover to cover. The Remix features verse-numbered paragraphs to help you study and think deeply about the text. Pray that as you read, God will open your eyes to the personal messages he has for you. Finally, live it out. The more time you spend in The Message , the more your life will never be the same.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

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Product Details Hardcover: 2272 pages Publisher: Th1nk Books (June 5, 2005) Language: English ISBN-10: 1576838552 ISBN-13: 978-1576838556 Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.8 x 1.8 inches Shipping Weight: 2 pounds Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (84 customer reviews) Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,576,852 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!

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First Sentence:
First this: God created the Heavens and Earth-all you see, all you don't see. Read the first page

Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
filled with fine flour, unraised bread, gold vessel weighing, lshmael son, temple support staff, holy ban, five yearling lambs, head cupbearer, holy curse, outrageous obscenities, having more sons, holy destruction, doomsday deceivers, scarlet material, fine twisted linen, godless nations, serious fungus, male twenty years, serious skin disease, joram son, angel armies, gate complex, lying preachers, pleasing fragrance, prescribed recipes

Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Tent of Meeting, Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ, The Dwelling, Chest of God, King Solomon, Master Jesus, King David, City of David, Spirit of God, Chest of the Covenant, The Holy of Israel, Red Sea, King Xerxes, Jordan River, Mount Sinai, God Almighty, Holy of Holies, King Nebuchadnezzar, Kiriath Jearim, Mount Zion, God's Son, Israel's God, Beth Shemesh, God the Father

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Citations (learn more)

15 books cite this book:

• To Become One by Chris Seay on page 142, and page 179
• Memorize This: TMS 3.0 by Mason D Rutledge in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
• Read. Think. Pray. Live. (TH1NK) by Tony Jones in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
• Posers, Fakers, and Wannabes: Unmasking the Real You (TH1NK) by Brennan Manning in Back Matter
• Praise Habit: Finding God in Sunsets and Sushi by David Crowder in Back Matter

See all 15 books citing this book

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Adventure Bible, Revised, NIV by Lawrence O. Richards Discusses: filled with fine flour King David King Xerxes Teen Devotional Bible by Carla Barnhill Discusses: filled with fine flour King Solomon King David NASB Zondervan Study Bible by Kenneth L. Barker Discusses: scarlet material fine twisted linen Red Sea Comparative Study Bible, Revised by Comparative Study Discusses: scarlet material fine twisted linen Jesus Christ Loading...

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What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

	46% buy the item featured on this page: The Message Remix: Electric Green 4.1 out of 5 stars (84)
	20% buy The Message Remix: The Bible In contemporary Language 4.1 out of 5 stars (26) $18.47
	12% buy The Message//REMIX 2.0 4.7 out of 5 stars (25) $26.39
	11% buy The Message: The Bible in Contemporary Language (New Testament with Psalms and Proverbs) 4.0 out of 5 stars (347) $9.99

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Customer Reviews

84 Reviews 5 star:  (55) 4 star:  (9) 3 star:  (5) 2 star:  (2) 1 star:  (13)           Average Customer Review 4.1 out of 5 stars (84 customer reviews)		Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews 161 of 174 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars Caution: Camel Ahead, March 29, 2004 By  Richard Brennan (Washington, DC USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)    This review is from: The Message Remix (The Bible In Contemporary Language) (Hardcover) Let me tell you what I love about this translation. It captures the heart and spirit and soul of these long dead writers and makes the message breathe again. It lets you read a letter from Paul in the New Testament and get a glimpse of what it might have been like to be in that first century church when the parchment was opened and read for the first time - hearing your issues, fears, hopes, and sins being directly addressed. I can appreciate that this is far from a word-for-word translation. But word-for-word translation is not the gold standard of biblical scholarship that many make it out to be. The problem with literal translation is that while you can translate the words accurately, you have just ripped them out of their original context and culture and thrown them 2000 years into the future, and plopped them down on to a page for everyone to ooh and aah over. It's all very academically commendable that you can tell me that "in John Chapter 3 verse 15 Jesus says that 'whoever believes may in Him have eternal life'... that is according to a third century papyrus fragment which is also found in a fourth century uncial; but that third century papyrus also adds in the phrase 'will not perish' - but that isn't found in the fourth century Latin manuscripts, or the early Coptic or Syritic versions, so that phrase was probably added..." Sorry, my eyes just glazed over. My mind was wandering... something about missing the forest for the trees. Someone very wise once warned about being too careful to strain out the gnat, while swallowing a camel... Anyway, my point is, by every account, listening to Jesus speak was a life changing experience. This translation captures that essence - which carries crucial meaning and impact. Think of this contemporary example: Martin Luther King's "I have dream" speech. What makes it so powerful? The words are a part of it, certainly. But there is also the context of that unprecedented moment in time - that gathering. There is the very simple vocabulary he used - that conveys the sense that this man is "of the people". There is the rhythm. Those strong Baptist cadences that signal a call and response. That conveyed the sense that this was not just a political message - this is a spiritual message. All of those woven together, consciously or unconsciously, are used to shape our messages. They say, "THIS SENTENCE IS IMPORTANT. This one, not as important, but stay with me because I'm building to something good." Think of what would be missed if you didn't speak English, knew nothing about the 60's in America, but only had a word for word transcription of that speech. You might scratch your head wondering what all the fuss was about. Get my drift? The truth is, anyone who studies language will tell you that we don't communicate words, or even sentences. We speak, we communicate, in paragraphs. A paragraph is an idea. We use sentences, or fragments of sentences to build paragraphs. If you really want to get to the heart of the Bible (yes, I'm finally coming back to that) you want to grab a hold of the paragraphs. Take those ancient Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic words and re-arrange them into meaningful paragraphs, one idea building on another, and you will have come back to what the original author was trying to get across. The ancient words are not (pardon the pun) " the message". They are the tools used get the message across to their contemporaries. If we want to experience that same message, we have to blow the dust off these words, and try to reconstruct the inspired, revolutionary, life altering meaning that burned in their author's hearts. The Message is a tool that can help in that regard. It's not the only tool, to be sure - but even if this was the only Bible you ever read, I think I can safely say that you will be the better for having experienced it. Re: 5 stars - I mean, jeeze, if you don't give THE BIBLE five stars, you must have some pretty tough standards... 24 of 27 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars THE DEAD ARE RAISED..., December 16, 2004 By  NotATameLion (Michigan) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    This review is from: The Message Remix (The Bible In Contemporary Language) (Hardcover) I am glad to see that the Message Remix will soon be coming out in one of those duo-tone covers. I love my hardcover, but it is not built for the kind of wear I put my Bibles through. And I'd feel like a cad if I ever took the publishers up on the free replacement offer (I did my first copy in while messing around in the wet of Yellowstone). Now that we've got that out of the way... I've always been a stickler staying true to the text in translation. I'm not big on "dynamic equivalence." Anyone who (like me) was first taught about Christ in a translation like the NIV or the NLT and who then studied the scriptures in their original languages can testify to the damage that has been done (intentionally or not) to our image of, thoughts about, and even our relationship with God by these slanted "takes on" the Bible. Bearing this in mind, I have much (MUCH) to say in praise of Mr. Peterson's wonderful Message. In a sense, The Message, while being one of the most dynamically equivalent translations, is also more faithful to the Word of God than any other translation currently available to English speakers and readers. God's word was never meant to be the province of those in ivory towers or high pulpits. It was to be the daily bread of people who lived in a hard-bitten, earthy world--people who, as the saying goes, often died with their boots on. The New Testament in particular is a book for the common man--for all men and women; young or old--everyone. Each author (recognizing that there is truly only One Author)in the New Testament has their own style: Paul is wordy--making his sylables into theological equations, Luke is refined, Mark is not, James makes up "Greek" words from Hebrew transliterations, John stands alongside David and Isaiah as the greatest poets of the Bible and has the most uncanny way of phrasing things. Peterson has captured a lot (not all--translators are forced--by their very endevour--to be traitors) of this in The Message. At the same time he manages to let the earthy, down-in-the-dust feel of the this book to shine through. Someone once said that the Church is not a museum for the saints, but a hospital for sinners. In the same way, the Bible is not a repository of high-flown language and myth. These are words of life from the very mouth of God. God is speaking through The Message. In the Middle Ages, illiterate believers gained their knowledge of the gospel from great cathedrals and their stained glass and tapestry retellings of the greatest story. We once more live in a world that has forgotten how to read the Bible. Too many, through familiarity, have lost the ability to hear God speak through his Word. I thank Eugene Peterson for allowing God to reach those who were lost. The deaf can hear. The blind can see. The dead are raised. 19 of 21 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars A Marvel of Modern Literature!, October 22, 2005 By  Plotinus - See all my reviews This review is from: The Message Remix (The Bible In Contemporary Language) (Hardcover) I am a scholar of Ancient Greek, for what it's worth, and I have to say that I was totally blown away by this translation of the Bible. The Bible was something meant to be spoken, and it is written mostly in the idiom of the spoken languages of the time and place. Our modern language is completely different in structure, idiom and cultural reference from those 'dead' languages of long ago. Therefore, if we want to experience what it felt like to hear those words spoken to their intended audience, we need an expert like this Peterson fellow to interpret them for us into our modern language and idiom. The result is astounding! The Message is of a high literary quality that reads like a skilled storyteller or script-writer is at work here. It is actually exciting to read - something most Bibles can't claim to be, that's for sure! I would judge its level of language to be at least High School level, which is a high as any book for enjoyment ought to be, whereas the NIV is about grade 8 and the King James at about grade 5 (once you get what the old second person singular means, and some other simple points of grammar that have changed a bit over the years since 1611). With all the variety of expression, and the idiomatic nature of the work, the Message is a multicolour festivity for the mind. WOW! I have to commend Mr. Peterson for having had the guts to think of embarking on a project of this scope, not knowing what the end result would be. Well, we know now what it is: enjoyment for thousands upon thousands of people! Humour, Drama, Tragedy, Excitement - what the Bible is really all about!		Ad feedback   Most Recent Customer Reviews 1.0 out of 5 stars Political Correctness, Twisted Scripture, Distorts the Truth CAUTION: "The Message," thru Political Correctness, SERIOUSLY distorts the intended biblical truth in at least 20 known passages. Read more Published 1 day ago by Truth Hurts Sometimes 5.0 out of 5 stars Fresh insights to the Bible Peterson's easy-to-read paraphrase brings new life and a fresh perspective to the Holy Bible, often expressing subtle meanings from the original languages not captured in a... Read more Published 11 days ago by Robert Hayton 5.0 out of 5 stars Easy Read The Message Remix (The Bible In Contemporary Language) by Eugene H. Peterson is a book that the author spent ten years working on trying to translate the original text of Greek... Read more Published 3 months ago by John H. Eagan 1.0 out of 5 stars False Teaching This is NOT God's Word but a pathetic PARAPHRASE that waters down the gospel to appease men. I urge those who think this paraphrase is so great to hold it up to real scripture... Read more Published 9 months ago by D. Gumprecht 3.0 out of 5 stars enlightning, but not reliable The message can be very enjoyable as it puts the Scriptures into comtemporary spoken language. Sometimes it speaks the Word of God in a way that is much easier to understand... Read more Published 14 months ago by formerlawyer 4.0 out of 5 stars Great plain language Bible I believe that the Bible can be very intimidating for a young person and that plain language Bibles are a great way to get acquainted with it. Read more Published 16 months ago by B. Powers 5.0 out of 5 stars Easy to read bible I love this bible. My priest recommended it to me and I don't regret it for a second. It's easy to read and understand and there are passages that I never got in a KJV bible... Read more Published 18 months ago by Angela Holtz 5.0 out of 5 stars The Bible you can understand This translation of the Bible has been incredibly useful to me. I bought it to read Job after hearing a wonderful sermon one Sunday. Read more Published 19 months ago by Kathryn Adams 5.0 out of 5 stars A must have for those who love the Bible The Message puts a todays spin on the Bible. The Message is a good verion for Teenagers and those young at heart. Published 20 months ago by A. Lambert 5.0 out of 5 stars Bible in every day language Wonderful interpretation of scriptures. Brought new insights to things I had read many times before. So glad to have it. The everyday language is great. Read more Published on June 26, 2007 by Niki_b_p Search Customer Reviews Only search this product's reviews

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 2272 pages
• Publisher: Th1nk Books (June 5, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1576838552
• ISBN-13: 978-1576838556
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.8 x 1.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (84 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,576,852 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

161 of 174 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Caution: Camel Ahead, March 29, 2004

By	Richard Brennan (Washington, DC USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Message Remix (The Bible In Contemporary Language) (Hardcover)

Let me tell you what I love about this translation. It captures the heart and spirit and soul of these long dead writers and makes the message breathe again. It lets you read a letter from Paul in the New Testament and get a glimpse of what it might have been like to be in that first century church when the parchment was opened and read for the first time - hearing your issues, fears, hopes, and sins being directly addressed.

I can appreciate that this is far from a word-for-word translation. But word-for-word translation is not the gold standard of biblical scholarship that many make it out to be. The problem with literal translation is that while you can translate the words accurately, you have just ripped them out of their original context and culture and thrown them 2000 years into the future, and plopped them down on to a page for everyone to ooh and aah over. It's all very academically commendable that you can tell me that "in John Chapter 3 verse 15 Jesus says that 'whoever believes may in Him have eternal life'... that is according to a third century papyrus fragment which is also found in a fourth century uncial; but that third century papyrus also adds in the phrase 'will not perish' - but that isn't found in the fourth century Latin manuscripts, or the early Coptic or Syritic versions, so that phrase was probably added..."

Sorry, my eyes just glazed over. My mind was wandering... something about missing the forest for the trees. Someone very wise once warned about being too careful to strain out the gnat, while swallowing a camel...

Anyway, my point is, by every account, listening to Jesus speak was a life changing experience. This translation captures that essence - which carries crucial meaning and impact. Think of this contemporary example: Martin Luther King's "I have dream" speech. What makes it so powerful? The words are a part of it, certainly. But there is also the context of that unprecedented moment in time - that gathering. There is the very simple vocabulary he used - that conveys the sense that this man is "of the people". There is the rhythm. Those strong Baptist cadences that signal a call and response. That conveyed the sense that this was not just a political message - this is a spiritual message. All of those woven together, consciously or unconsciously, are used to shape our messages. They say, "THIS SENTENCE IS IMPORTANT. This one, not as important, but stay with me because I'm building to something good." Think of what would be missed if you didn't speak English, knew nothing about the 60's in America, but only had a word for word transcription of that speech. You might scratch your head wondering what all the fuss was about.

Get my drift? The truth is, anyone who studies language will tell you that we don't communicate words, or even sentences. We speak, we communicate, in paragraphs. A paragraph is an idea. We use sentences, or fragments of sentences to build paragraphs. If you really want to get to the heart of the Bible (yes, I'm finally coming back to that) you want to grab a hold of the paragraphs. Take those ancient Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic words and re-arrange them into meaningful paragraphs, one idea building on another, and you will have come back to what the original author was trying to get across. The ancient words are not (pardon the pun) " the message". They are the tools used get the message across to their contemporaries. If we want to experience that same message, we have to blow the dust off these words, and try to reconstruct the inspired, revolutionary, life altering meaning that burned in their author's hearts. The Message is a tool that can help in that regard. It's not the only tool, to be sure - but even if this was the only Bible you ever read, I think I can safely say that you will be the better for having experienced it.

Re: 5 stars - I mean, jeeze, if you don't give THE BIBLE five stars, you must have some pretty tough standards...

24 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars THE DEAD ARE RAISED..., December 16, 2004

By	NotATameLion (Michigan) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

This review is from: The Message Remix (The Bible In Contemporary Language) (Hardcover)

I am glad to see that the Message Remix will soon be coming out in one of those duo-tone covers. I love my hardcover, but it is not built for the kind of wear I put my Bibles through. And I'd feel like a cad if I ever took the publishers up on the free replacement offer (I did my first copy in while messing around in the wet of Yellowstone).

Now that we've got that out of the way...

I've always been a stickler staying true to the text in translation. I'm not big on "dynamic equivalence." Anyone who (like me) was first taught about Christ in a translation like the NIV or the NLT and who then studied the scriptures in their original languages can testify to the damage that has been done (intentionally or not) to our image of, thoughts about, and even our relationship with God by these slanted "takes on" the Bible.

Bearing this in mind, I have much (MUCH) to say in praise of Mr. Peterson's wonderful Message.

In a sense, The Message, while being one of the most dynamically equivalent translations, is also more faithful to the Word of God than any other translation currently available to English speakers and readers.

God's word was never meant to be the province of those in ivory towers or high pulpits. It was to be the daily bread of people who lived in a hard-bitten, earthy world--people who, as the saying goes, often died with their boots on.

The New Testament in particular is a book for the common man--for all men and women; young or old--everyone.

Each author (recognizing that there is truly only One Author)in the New Testament has their own style: Paul is wordy--making his sylables into theological equations, Luke is refined, Mark is not, James makes up "Greek" words from Hebrew transliterations, John stands alongside David and Isaiah as the greatest poets of the Bible and has the most uncanny way of phrasing things.

Peterson has captured a lot (not all--translators are forced--by their very endevour--to be traitors) of this in The Message. At the same time he manages to let the earthy, down-in-the-dust feel of the this book to shine through.

Someone once said that the Church is not a museum for the saints, but a hospital for sinners. In the same way, the Bible is not a repository of high-flown language and myth. These are words of life from the very mouth of God.

God is speaking through The Message.

In the Middle Ages, illiterate believers gained their knowledge of the gospel from great cathedrals and their stained glass and tapestry retellings of the greatest story.

We once more live in a world that has forgotten how to read the Bible. Too many, through familiarity, have lost the ability to hear God speak through his Word.

I thank Eugene Peterson for allowing God to reach those who were lost. The deaf can hear. The blind can see.

The dead are raised.

19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Marvel of Modern Literature!, October 22, 2005

By	Plotinus - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Message Remix (The Bible In Contemporary Language) (Hardcover)

I am a scholar of Ancient Greek, for what it's worth, and I have to say that I was totally blown away by this translation of the Bible. The Bible was something meant to be spoken, and it is written mostly in the idiom of the spoken languages of the time and place. Our modern language is completely different in structure, idiom and cultural reference from those 'dead' languages of long ago. Therefore, if we want to experience what it felt like to hear those words spoken to their intended audience, we need an expert like this Peterson fellow to interpret them for us into our modern language and idiom. The result is astounding! The Message is of a high literary quality that reads like a skilled storyteller or script-writer is at work here. It is actually exciting to read - something most Bibles can't claim to be, that's for sure! I would judge its level of language to be at least High School level, which is a high as any book for enjoyment ought to be, whereas the NIV is about grade 8 and the King James at about grade 5 (once you get what the old second person singular means, and some other simple points of grammar that have changed a bit over the years since 1611). With all the variety of expression, and the idiomatic nature of the work, the Message is a multicolour festivity for the mind. WOW! I have to commend Mr. Peterson for having had the guts to think of embarking on a project of this scope, not knowing what the end result would be. Well, we know now what it is: enjoyment for thousands upon thousands of people! Humour, Drama, Tragedy, Excitement - what the Bible is really all about!