TM - 1995
The Message
(The New Testament in Contemporary English)
Psalms,ProverbsNewCovenant
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This version, otherwise known as The Message, isthe work of Eugene H. Peterson. He was a pastor of a Presbyterian churchin Maryland and is a professor of spiritual theology at a college in BritishColumbia and is a writer.

A feature of the original writings of the New Testamentis that it was done in the street language of the day. At that time inthe Greek-speaking world, there were two levels of language: formal andinformal. Formal language was used to write philosophy, history, governmentdecrees, and epic poetry. Some people suppose that language dealing witha holy God and holy things should be elevated -- stately and ceremonial.However, Jesus preferred down-to-earth stories and easy association withcommon people.

The followers of Jesus in their witness and preaching,translating and teaching, have always tried to get the Message -- the "goodnews" -- into the language of whatever street they happened to beliving on. In order to understand the Message right, the language mustbe a rough and earthy one that reveals God's presence and action wherewe least expect it.

This version is in a contemporary idiom that is current,fresh, and understandable in the same language that we use in all of ouractivities. The goal was not to render a word-for-word conversion of Greekinto English, but rather to convert the tone, the rhythm, the events, andthe ideas into the way that we actually think and speak. There is an introductionto each book. Verses are not numbered, except at the top of the page wherethe range for that page is given.

A later version contains, in addition, the Old Testament books ofPsalms and Proverbs.

The translator states that most Christians have learnedto pray by praying the Psalms. In his pastoral work of teaching peopleto pray, he started paraphrasing the Psalms into contemporary rhythms.The Psalms in Hebrew are earthy and rough. They are not the prayers ofnice people, couched in cultural language.

The book of Proverbs concentrates on matters of everydaypracticality more than any other book of the Bible. This book distillsit all into riveting images and sound bites that keep us connected in holyobedience to the ordinary.

NavPress (1993, with Psalms/Proverbs 1995)

[Tyndale House, Cambridge, UnitedKingdom]

John1: 1 - 3

The Word was first,
the Word present to God,
God present to the Word.
The Word was God,
in readiness for God from day one.
Everything was created through him;
nothing -- not one thing! --
came into being without him.

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