when my friend stephen told me last october about the Voice, a new bible translation project, it sounded really neat. i looked it up online and saw that i could get a just-published New Testament for FREE! what could be better? the only catch--i had to blog about it. well, better late than never, eh?
from the website:
"Much like the Hebrews at the time of the New Testament, emerging generations today connect with story rather than isolated facts. Too often, preaching is reduced to articulating truth statements somehow hidden in a complex, powerful, and redemptive story. Jesus taught through parables and metaphors; modern Christians have attempted to translate His teaching into a system of irrefutable fact statements and something seems to be getting lost in the translation.
Hence, a group of writers, poets, scholars, pastors, and storytellers have committed to work together to bring the Scriptures to life in a way that celebrates both beauty and truth.
The result is a retelling of the Scriptures: The Voice, not of words, but of meaning and experience.
The Voice is a fresh expression of the timeless narrative known as the Bible. Stories that were told to emerging generations of God's goodness by their grandparents and tribal leaders were recorded and assembled to form the Christian Scriptures. Too often the passion, grit, humor, and beauty has been lost in the translation process. The Voice seeks to recapture what was lost."
and from the preface of the Voice New Testament:
"The Voice uniquely represents collaboration among scholars, pastors, writers, musicians, poets, and other artists. The goal is to create the finest Bible products to hep believers experience the joy and wonder of God's revelation. Four key words describe the vision of this project: holistic (considers heart, soul, and mind); beautiful (achieves literary and artistic excellence); sensitive (respects cultural shifts and the need for accuracy); and balanced (includes theologically diverse writers and scholars)...The heart of the project is retelling the story of the Bible in a form as fluid as modern literary works yet remaining painstakingly true to the original manuscripts."
i have really enjoyed reading through the Voice. i have appreciated the way the collaborators made an effort to draw out the context so the reader can really understand how the listeners of that day would be hearing the message. i have been on the fence for a while about the Message version of the bible but i feel the Voice is different. i think where the Message paraphrases things to make them more transferable to today's language, the Voice's concern about the way the original audience would have heard what was being said is emphasized. it is more of a direct translation, and less of a paraphrase, so the authenticity of the words still shines through. it has really illuminated meaning and value for me to read certain passages in the Voice and then compare those to another version and see the depth of what i'm reading. a lot of the text is broken up into sort of stage directions, with "narration" given between the "players' lines." this is helpful to clarify some dialogue and also helps in imagining the scene during Jesus' time.
some of my favorite passages from the Voice, and you can do the homework of comparing them to another bible version to see the differences....
"There is a sure way for us to know that we belong to the truth. Even though our inner thoughts may condemn us with storms of guilt and constant reminders of our failures, we can know in our hearts in His presence that God Himself is greater than any accusation. He knows all things and has chosen to offer grace instead of condemnation. My loved ones, if our hearts cannot condemn us we can stand with confidence before God. Whatever we may ask, we receive it form Him because we follow His commands and take the path that pleases Him. His command is clear: believe in the name of His Son, Jesus, our Liberating King, and love one another as He commanded. The one who follows His teaching and walks this path lives in an intimate relationship with God." (1 John 3:19-24)
"So my brothers and sisters, you owe the flesh nothing! You do not need to live according to its ways, so abandon its oppressive regime. For if your life is just about satisfying the impulses of your sinful nature, then prepare to die. But if you have invited the Spirit to destroy these selfish desires, you will experience life. If the Spirit of God is leading you, then take comfort in knowing you are His children." (Romans 8:12-14)
"Finally, brothers and sisters, keep rejoicing and repair whatever is broken. Encourage each other, think as one, and live at peace; and God, the Author of love and peace, will remain with you." (2 Corinthians 13:11)
"We have cause to celebrate because the grace of God has appeared, offering the gift of salvation to all people. Grace arrives with its own instruction: run away from anything that leads us away from God; abandon the lusts and passions of this world; live life now in this age with awareness and self-control, doing the right thing and keeping yourselves holy. Watch for His return; expect the blessed hope we all are to share when our amazing God and Savior, Jesus, the Liberating King, appears again. He gave His body for our sake and will not only break us free from the chains of wickedness, but He will also prepare a community uncorrupted by the world that He would call His own--people who are passionate about doing the right thing." (Titus 2: 11-14)
"The Liberating King suffered for us and left us His example so that we could follow in His steps. When He was verbally abused, He didn't return the abuse; when He suffered, He didn't make threats to cause suffering in return; instead, He trusted that all would be put right by the One who is just when He judges." (1 Peter 2:22-23)
another neat thing is that there have been two audio projects as part of the Voice, and these put the psalms of the Old Testament to music. i have heard a few of these selections and if you can get your hands on these, i highly recommend them! for more info check these out: hearthevoice.com, Songs from the Voice (Vol. 1), Songs from the Voice (Vol. 2).
Hence, a group of writers, poets, scholars, pastors, and storytellers have committed to work together to bring the Scriptures to life in a way that celebrates both beauty and truth.
The result is a retelling of the Scriptures: The Voice, not of words, but of meaning and experience.
The Voice is a fresh expression of the timeless narrative known as the Bible. Stories that were told to emerging generations of God's goodness by their grandparents and tribal leaders were recorded and assembled to form the Christian Scriptures. Too often the passion, grit, humor, and beauty has been lost in the translation process. The Voice seeks to recapture what was lost."
and from the preface of the Voice New Testament:
"The Voice uniquely represents collaboration among scholars, pastors, writers, musicians, poets, and other artists. The goal is to create the finest Bible products to hep believers experience the joy and wonder of God's revelation. Four key words describe the vision of this project: holistic (considers heart, soul, and mind); beautiful (achieves literary and artistic excellence); sensitive (respects cultural shifts and the need for accuracy); and balanced (includes theologically diverse writers and scholars)...The heart of the project is retelling the story of the Bible in a form as fluid as modern literary works yet remaining painstakingly true to the original manuscripts."
i have really enjoyed reading through the Voice. i have appreciated the way the collaborators made an effort to draw out the context so the reader can really understand how the listeners of that day would be hearing the message. i have been on the fence for a while about the Message version of the bible but i feel the Voice is different. i think where the Message paraphrases things to make them more transferable to today's language, the Voice's concern about the way the original audience would have heard what was being said is emphasized. it is more of a direct translation, and less of a paraphrase, so the authenticity of the words still shines through. it has really illuminated meaning and value for me to read certain passages in the Voice and then compare those to another version and see the depth of what i'm reading. a lot of the text is broken up into sort of stage directions, with "narration" given between the "players' lines." this is helpful to clarify some dialogue and also helps in imagining the scene during Jesus' time.
some of my favorite passages from the Voice, and you can do the homework of comparing them to another bible version to see the differences....
"There is a sure way for us to know that we belong to the truth. Even though our inner thoughts may condemn us with storms of guilt and constant reminders of our failures, we can know in our hearts in His presence that God Himself is greater than any accusation. He knows all things and has chosen to offer grace instead of condemnation. My loved ones, if our hearts cannot condemn us we can stand with confidence before God. Whatever we may ask, we receive it form Him because we follow His commands and take the path that pleases Him. His command is clear: believe in the name of His Son, Jesus, our Liberating King, and love one another as He commanded. The one who follows His teaching and walks this path lives in an intimate relationship with God." (1 John 3:19-24)
"So my brothers and sisters, you owe the flesh nothing! You do not need to live according to its ways, so abandon its oppressive regime. For if your life is just about satisfying the impulses of your sinful nature, then prepare to die. But if you have invited the Spirit to destroy these selfish desires, you will experience life. If the Spirit of God is leading you, then take comfort in knowing you are His children." (Romans 8:12-14)
"Finally, brothers and sisters, keep rejoicing and repair whatever is broken. Encourage each other, think as one, and live at peace; and God, the Author of love and peace, will remain with you." (2 Corinthians 13:11)
"We have cause to celebrate because the grace of God has appeared, offering the gift of salvation to all people. Grace arrives with its own instruction: run away from anything that leads us away from God; abandon the lusts and passions of this world; live life now in this age with awareness and self-control, doing the right thing and keeping yourselves holy. Watch for His return; expect the blessed hope we all are to share when our amazing God and Savior, Jesus, the Liberating King, appears again. He gave His body for our sake and will not only break us free from the chains of wickedness, but He will also prepare a community uncorrupted by the world that He would call His own--people who are passionate about doing the right thing." (Titus 2: 11-14)
"The Liberating King suffered for us and left us His example so that we could follow in His steps. When He was verbally abused, He didn't return the abuse; when He suffered, He didn't make threats to cause suffering in return; instead, He trusted that all would be put right by the One who is just when He judges." (1 Peter 2:22-23)
another neat thing is that there have been two audio projects as part of the Voice, and these put the psalms of the Old Testament to music. i have heard a few of these selections and if you can get your hands on these, i highly recommend them! for more info check these out: hearthevoice.com, Songs from the Voice (Vol. 1), Songs from the Voice (Vol. 2).
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