THE BIBLE IN EARTH TONES

Last week, I began reading through Eugene Peterson’s translation of the New Testament. Entitled “The Message,” it is the New Testament translated into contemporary English. It has been a fun read so far.

But far from seeing this read as a diversion from the more serious translations of the Bible, I am trying to recapture the feel of the original version. After all, the New Testament was written in the everyday language of the day, not the stiffer version used by scholars. And lest we forget, the King James Version, when it was first produced, was intended to make the Bible accessible to the common person, as all other translations were in a Latin form only understandable by professional clergy.

It’s a shame that all of the other translations of the Bible besides Eugene Peterson’s are considered scholarly and stuffy, and that when we contemporarize Biblical stories and lessons we are often accused of watering down the Bible. The original Bible was a lot earthier than we realize. May we as 21st century Bible readers capture that earthiness, and broadcast it to those around us, who may be turned off by a stuffy tome but may be spoken to in an earthier tone.