The Message - but it!
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The Message is a paraphrase in modern mid-atlantic English with American spellings which won't be to everyone's taste. I find that The Message though helps me understand for example some of the intricacies of Paul's language in his letters and the concepts outlined in the more elegant English of the NIV. It also helps with explaining at grass roots level say in a sermon given to a wide audience. i started reading odd bits a year ago as it was recommended by my Vicar. I used to read bits off the Biblegateway website which was good but there is a limit to what one can read on screen. however this is useful to see the difference and see if you like the style.
I would highly recommend buying this book.
As the commentator above says the large print makes the text easier to read for those like me who are too mean to buy varifocals.
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An excellent bible for the beginner
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I've been using The Message now for more than six years, and I still find it one of my most-used versions, both to read and for quotes and references. In the 'large print' edition, the print is the same size as in ordinary books, rather than the tiny print that is usual to get a full bible down to a managable (and affordable) size. If you want print comparable to the 'large print' library versions of novels, you need a 'giant print' bible - and that will be in several volumes and very expensive.
I'm a Gideon. In the UK, we distribute Scripture almost entirely as the NIV, which is still my favourite version. But for many people, this still has sufficiently high-level English to prevent smooth reading. For those who find the NIV and other mainstream versions hard to plough through, I find The Message clarifies right away - so it's the version I recommend for beginners.
I wrote the following review five years ago when the Hardback Edition first came out, and it still stands:
There have been many recent efforts to put the Bible into contemporary language. In our varied Western cultures and our so-flexible English language, the translator will always have an impossible task, trying to get across the original sense with a single translation, yet read elegantly and simply.
Some don't try - they render the original (or a 17th century AV) idiom, often trying to translate the ancient language word-for-word and yet somehow get this foreign syntax to read well in modern English. They might, if we're lucky, give us some help to understand this. These can make 'worthy' translations, but they aren't rated well for being intelligible to ordinary folk.
Others go too far with idiomatic paraphrase in addressing a particular sector of readership: think of the 'hip' testaments; or there's the 1000 word Simple English NT that jumped through hoops to 'avoid difficult words', ending up with such clumsy phrasing that intelligibility was compromised to avoid just one more well-known word!
Most modern translations steer a middle course, and for the past 35 years, all those I've seen have done it pretty well. A few are outstanding. The Living Bible and Good News Bible are the two popular versions which get quite colloquial. Both have been criticised for it, usually for missing important - to the critic - nuances. Well, of course! You can never have it all!
Eugene Peterson's 'The Message' New Testament is in the tradition of Weymouth, Moffat, Rieu and Phillips, aiming for an idiom that will be easier to understand than the more formal and especially the 'literal' translations, yet avoiding 'street language' that outdates faster than fresh fish. It first appeared in 1993 and, with help, he has expanded it steadily to finally see a full Bible this year.
It is colloquial, sometimes in the extreme, and uses a homely North American idiom which still feels comfortable in Britain and the Antipodes. What have ensured its steadily rising popularity, though, are Peterson's subtly 'right' turn of phrase, his terse yet apposite choice of words and, above all, his sheer poetry in many places. All of these are shown well in the earlier Psalms.
It isn't an even translation. Some parts are merely well-translated and without the spark of the best. However, I love it for the wonderful passages I keep finding when I look through a dozen versions for quotes to use in talks and prayer notes - and find Peterson has done it again!
No translation can keep everyone happy all of the time, and some reviews here show discontent in those who like their scripture smooth and erudite. Peterson is earthy, pungent and frequently poetic, but his scholarship is good (though imperfect as any mortal's). He hits my spot so often that I like to keep his translation near me for variety, along with the AV, NIV and NLT. Long live the people's translator!
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Inaccessibility
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Wanting to have access to a Bible whilst travelling abroad I purchased and downloaded an e-version of "The Message." This turns out to be, in the age of possibilities given by the computer with such things as hyperlinks and bookmarks, a most remarkably useless and inflexible item. The only way to travel around is by use of the Go To Page Number function. There are no bookmarks or other ways of finding individual books or other landmarks. The only way to use the Go To Page Number function is to look in the Table of Contents and there is no bookmark for that either. You are not allowed to copy the Table of Contents so that you could refer to it separately. I suppose one could laboriously type it out into a Word document, but why should this be necessary? If you are in Isaiah and want to look up a reference in John's gospel, there is no equivalent of keeping your finger in one page whilst referring to the other. The whole process is mind-numbingly laborious, infuriating and time consuming. What a missed opportunity to provide something which was truly useful.
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Does away with the scare-factor!!!
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HI I borrowed the Message from my Mum while she was in Australia for a month and I've been totally loathed to give it back. I've used it every day. It's so accessible and easy to read. I particularly found it useful for reading the Old Testament. It reads like a story and while I certainly wouldn't recommend it as an alternative to the original translation it does take away the "Scare-Factor" I always used to feel. Where the original translation seems distant and irrelevant the Message brings the Bible alive and has given me a great overview that I will now take back to my study of the original text. The characters become real and the story unfolds so that you can follow threads that run through a text which spans hundreds of years and link the old with the new testament without getting bogged down in the language, layout or jargon. I'd definitely recommend this to any Christian contemplating buying it. It's definitely cheaper on Amazon than anywhere else I've seen it, (and no they didn't pay me to write that!).It is a lot of money, but for me it has been a good investment and a great aid for getting my head around the Bible. Hope you find my review helpful Gem
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God speaks in many tongues
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One of the lessons that we have to learn about spirituality is that god wants to communicate with all of us to bring us closer to him. The words of the Bible and the teaching it offers is our way of doing this. Whilst the Message may not be to everyones taste and is in some ways an interpretation than a direct translation it brings the message to us in uncluttered modern language that can be understood by all. It reminds me of history when the bible was translated from latin into different languages. It brings a new generation closer to the word and that can only be a good thing.
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