THE BIBLE

Paraphrase Bible Translations

From the childhood favorite Living Bible to the more modern Message, Bible paraphrases aren't new. Should we use them? And if so, how and when?

Day One: Paraphrase Pros & Cons
A paraphrase is a retelling of something in your own words. A paraphrase of the Bible is different from a translation in that a translation attempts (to varying degrees) to communicate as "word-for-word" or as "thought-for-thought" as possible...
Read More

Day Two: Easy-to-Read Version
The Easy-to-Read Version of the Bible, published in 1989 by the World Bible Translation Center — founded in 1973 in Arlington, Texas — was initially prepared to meet the special needs of the deaf and was first published by Baker Book House as The English Version for the Deaf...
Read More

Day Three: GOD'S WORD Translation
Completed in 1995, the GOD'S WORD Translation (GW) is an English translation of the Bible by the God's Word to the Nations Society...
Read More

Day Four: Good News Bible/Today's English Version
The Good News Bible, also known as the Good News Translation and Today's English Version, was first published by the American Bible Society as a "common language" Bible. It was conceived because of a need in Africa and the Far East for a version of the Bible that was friendly to non-native English speakers...
Read More

Day Five: The Living Bible
First published in 1971, The Living Bible (TLB) is a version of the Bible created by Kenneth N. Taylor, the founder of Tyndale House...The Living Bible was very popular in the 1970s and was, in fact, the best-selling book in America in 1972 and 1973...
Read More

Day Six: The Message
The Message: The Bible in Contemporary Language was created by pastor, scholar, author, and poet Eugene H. Peterson...The Message is not a translation, nor can it strictly be said to be a paraphrase of the original languages of the Bible...
Read More