(Nashville, Tenn) June 17, 2008 – Thomas Nelson, Inc.’s Bible group is set to release The Voice New Testament in October 2008, featuring the first completely new Bible translation available to readers in several years.
The Voice represents a collaboration of historians, poets, storytellers and songwriters which provides a true interpretation of the traditional Bible text while including historical and cultural expansions of the story. With additional background on setting and characters, the project’s screenplay-like format is ideal for group studies and dramatizations, and the inserted devotional commentary will further help readers understand the context of the biblical story.
About 40 different authors are believed to have been inspired by God to write the Scriptures. The Voice retains the perspective of the human writers. Most English translations attempt to even out the styles of the different authors in sentence structure and vocabulary. Instead, The Voice distinguishes the uniqueness of each author. The heart of the project is retelling the story of the Bible in a form as fluid as modern literary works while remaining true to the original manuscripts.
Featured writers, scholars, artists and musicians for The Voice include the president of Ecclesia Bible Society and internationally acclaimed speaker and pastor Chris Seay (project founder); Blue Like Jazz author Donald Miller; internationally known speaker and author of over 12 highly acclaimed books Brian McLaren; theologian, author, and futurist Leonard Sweet; and nationally renowned author Lauren Winner. The translation and literary style of The Voice have been checked by biblical reviewers, theological scholars and a biblical archeologist, among others.
Replicating the manner in which the Bible was originally available in the church’s first century beginnings, The Voice translation has previously been introduced to the marketplace through the release of single books of the Bible, including Acts, Matthew, Luke, John, Hebrews, Mark and the soon-to-be-released The Voice of Romans. However, the release of The Voice New Testament marks the official launch of The Voice translation, bringing the previously released Scripture projects and the remaining Bible books together into one complete New Testament offering. The Thomas Nelson scholar/author team is also currently working on the Old Testament books which when finished will form The Voice Bible in its entirety.
The Voice translation is already garnering applause from media and biblical scholars, including:
“The Voice, let me assert dramatically, is a really cool book, very accessible, and filled to the brim with ancillary information to the text that helps flesh out the gospel story….Straightforward, challenging and invigorating. There you have it. What more could one ask in a Bible translation?”
– Powells.com
“Overall I think The Voice project is a fresh, revitalizing concept that largely delivers on its promise to bring the books of the Bible to life in contemporary re-tellings. . . [The Voice] helps to restore to the Bible, its original vitality, color and flow. I applaud The Voice team for faithfully re-narrating a work that was always meant to be, above else, a moving story.”
– Precipicemagazine.com
“The Voice might well assure [people] that the Bible doesn’t have to sound ‘archaic’ or simply be handed out as a soon-forgotten, special-occasion gift.”
– Kim Shippey
Senior Writer
Christian Science Sentinel
“Translating ancient Hebrew or koine Greek into colloquial English can feel like trying to represent a Monet painting with a potato stamp. The Voice opened up to its writers a full range of techniques and tools to render the rich sense and varied tone of the Bible’s languages into an engaging English form. The result is a moving and thought-provoking representation of God’s Word for today’s readers.”
– Kristin M. Swenson,
PhD, Assistant Professor of Religious Studies
Virginia Commonwealth University
“In a recent news article in Belgium, guitarist Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones was quoted as saying ‘I read the Bible some but I find it deadly dull.’ Past and present generations are looking for a Bible version that is both current and captivating. Boring preachers and publications have negligible impact. The Voice, however, is the first to blend cutting-edge literary creativity with the characteristics of a true translation. When I gave The Voice of Matthew to a friend, she read it in one sitting. Artists and academics have teamed up and succeeded in giving us a Bible that is a page-turner. Tell Keith not to give up yet.”
– W. Creighton Marlowe, PhD
Old Testament Professor
ETF Leuven, Belgium
The Voice New Testament will be offered in both a flexible cloth and leather cover and in paperback. For more information on The Voice New Testament and The Voice translation, visit www.hearthevoice.com or www.nelsonbibles.com.
Thomas Nelson, Inc. is a leading provider of Bibles, products and live events emphasizing Christian, inspirational and family value themes. For more information on the company and titles, visit www.thomasnelson.com.