The Voice New Testament, by Ecclesia Bible Society

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I wish I had gotten my hands on The Voice New Testament when my children were small. This is a version of the Bible that you may not use for intense study purposes, but that you could curl up with on a rainy day, take turns reading as you sit around the dinner table, or read as a bedtime story. It reads as a script, with a narrator filling in the gaps between conversations.

The scriptures I compared with other versions I trust, seem to accurately portray the message in easy-to-understand terms, but the words being used don't detract from the timeless beauty of the Bible. This is a modern translation that doesn't use street language to make its point.

Four different reading plans are presented, including reading through the New Testament in 24 weeks. Books and certains passages are given a thorough introduction with background information about the setting, the words used, or the cultural significance of what was taking place. Conversations are presented in a dialog format, so that the reader can easily follow what's being said by whom. Different font styles and colors help with the organization of each page. Footnotes clarify definitions or lead to cross references.

I would definitely recommend this Bible to anyone. New Christians or those not familiar with other translations would benefit from the ease of reading it, and those who've grown up with a Bible in their hands would be refreshed from this interesting way of exploring the Word of God.

For further information, including a free download of a book from The Voice, videos, and audio versions, check out the website Hear the Voice.

I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher netGalley.com in exchange for my honest review.