The Message: The Bible In Comtemporary Language, Large Print Numbered Edition

It is in the spirit of this "soiled ordinariness" that Eugene Peterson translates John 1:14 (NIV: "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us") to "The word became flesh and blood and moved into the neighborhood." Likewise, in Romans 8:3 where the NIV renders "For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering," The Message reads, "God went for the jugular when he sent his own son.... In his son, Jesus, he personally took on the human condition, entered the disordered mess of struggling humanity in order to set it right once and for all." Peterson offers no pretense of elevated language or intellectualism, only the insistence that God is relevant in 20th-century work-week and weekend lives.

This kind of translation is not a new enterprise, however. Tyndale--the man singularly responsible for our English translations of the Bible--is purported to have said in a dispute with opposing clergy, "If God spare my life, ere many years I will cause a boy that driveth the plow to know more of the Scriptures than thou dost." We're simply glad someone of our own generation chose to do the same. --Benjamin Gebhardt

Book Description
ntroducing an all-new large-print version of one of today's most popular translations, The Message. After carefully reviewing consumer feedback, this large-print version was created using a comfortable font that reads well and satisfies a wide range of customer tastes. Designed for those who prefer a larger type for easier reading, this edition of The Message allows you to reach more customers than ever before. Specifications: 1. Size - 6 13/16 x 9 3/16 2. Font size - 12.5 (larger than many standard large-print Bibles) 3. Pages - 2,048 4. Binding options: a. Hardback b. Leather-look 5. Contains the same charts and maps as the full-size numbered edition 6. Ribbon marker

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What would happen if you received a letter from God? Would your heart pound? Would your mind race? Would your life change?

With The Message, Eugene Peterson's best-selling paraphrase of the Bible, you can join the millions of readers who have experienced God's Word in the form of a personal message.

Enthusiasm for The Message has boosted its popularity as the most reader-friendly Bible available today. Every book of Scripture unfolds like a page-turner you can't put down! With no distracting verse numbers or stiff, formal language, passages you've read many times before will come alive, revealing the vibrant energy of God's Word.

"I hope that when readers find the poetry, the stories, the prayers, the songs in this Book in their language -- the sort of language in which it was written -- they will read it from cover to cover, nonstop," says Eugene Peterson.

The challenge for the translators was to create a text that would make the same impact in the life of modern readers that the original text had for the original readers. In the New Living Translation, this is accomplished by translating entire thoughts (rather than just words) into natural, everyday English. The end result is a translation that is easy to read and understand and that accurately communicates the meaning of the original text.

"Whether it's the poetry of the Psalms, the thundering tirades of the Old Testament prophets, or the ageless words of Jesus, Peterson breathes new life into timeless passages in this fresh-voiced paraphrase."
   CINDY CROSBY