Book Review: The Voice New Testament

A few months ago, I signed BookFool up for Thomas Nelson’s innovative BookSneeze program that connects bloggers with books in exchange for honest reviews. Our first book to review is The Voice New Testament, a translation by the Ecclesia Bible Society that strives to help “young people fall in love with the Scriptures.”

Our first review is from Ryan P., followed by a quick run-down from yours truly. Ryan says,

The Voice New Testament is a purported re-telling of the scriptures for a post-modern world. In the opening pages, the Ecclesia Bible Society provides the background behind undertaking this revision of the scriptures, twenty years in the making. To achieve its goal, The Voice asked scholars, pastors, writers, musicians, and artists to contribute their ideas in creating a modern narrative style to the scriptures, while remaining faithful to the original purpose of the message.

The Voice reads like a screenplay or a personal blog. The tone of the passages is almost conversational in nature. While I initially found this style too simplistic in regards to my traditional experience with scripture, it eventually became interesting and even challenging in its own way. By stripping away some of the complexity of older, more familiar translations, the message of the New Testament became more immediate and direct. The outlined boxes (written by the contributors and inserted among key verses) helped to expound on the ideas of the passage and provided me with a broader contextual understanding of the message.

I would recommend The Voice to anyone looking for a modernized version of the New Testament. The few missteps that I encountered were based primarily on my personal taste, and may not reflect another reader’s view of the book. Overall, the accuracy and attention to detail are evident throughout, and I truly believe the authors honored the original intent of the Scripture.

And now, my own (less organized) thoughts:

Some people have strong opinions on new translations. (cc) Flickr user ASurroca

I’ve been carrying The Voice around for a month now, reading a page here and there. I took it to Bible class a few times and was initially worried that I wouldn’t be able to find the right scripture when called on to read. You get used to the format quickly, though, and the translation is not so far out that you can’t follow along with people reading from the NIV.

For me, the real test of a plain-English translation is the book of Romans. I’ve always found Paul’s writing style to be confusing and hard to follow. In the KJV and NASB, he seems to jump from idea to idea without connecting them into one coherent thought. I’m willing to admit that the problem lies with me but I’m also searching for a translation that can make sense of Paul’s style for me.

(Side note: Jimmy Allen’s class on Romans was the only “B” I received in my last three years of undergrad. I don’t blame the book of Romans entirely but do consider it a willing accomplice to GPA assassination.)

Consider how The Voice handles this syntactically tricky passage from Romans 8:

Therefore, now no condemnation awaits those who are living in Jesus, the Liberating King, [avoiding sin and embracing the Spirit], because when you live in Him a new law takes effect. The law of the Spirit of life breathes into you and rescues you from the law of sin and death. (Italics indicates text not in the original manuscript but included to clarify the intent.)

The language and intent here is clear. If you’re looking for an easy reading Bible, maybe for your morning devotional, I recommend The Voice highly.

As a matter of practicality, the copy we received is not as durable as a traditional Bible. It’s basically a tough paperback, and the cover is already bent up after a month of semi-regular usage. In this regard, the paperback version of The Voice is best for reading at home, not for taking everywhere you go.