Wacky Bible
I wanted to share about this version of the Bible that Angela and I have been reading together, in a "read the Bible in one year" edition. It's called The Message. The translator has opted to render all of the texts into a very informal contemporary style. This is perhaps most notable in the Psalms. He comes out with a bang with Psalm 1:
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How well God must like you--
you don't hang out at Sin Saloon,
you don't slink along Dead-End Road,
you don't go to Smart-Mouth College.
Instead you thrill to God's Word,
you chew on Scripture day and night.
You're a tree replanted in Eden,
bearing fresh fruit every month,
Never dropping a leaf,
always in blossom.
You're not at all like the wicked,
who are mere windblown dust--
Without defense in court,
unfit company for innocent people.
GOD [i.e. YHWH] charts the road you take.
The road they take is Skid Row.
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Anyway, so far it's been a nice solution to a longstanding problem Angela and I have had with doing Bible reading together. I've read so much of the Bible so many times, and in several translations, that it simply isn't very interesting to me to just read through it again, without "working" on it in some way. Angela, on the other hand, has some pretty big gaps in her Bible knowledge, and just wants to cover as much of it as possible and to handle any "analysis" in a casual and gentle manner. The great thing is that this translation is so wacky, that it is virtually a new book to me, and I've enjoyed reading it with Angela. We try to read at least one day's worth (I say "at least" because we started in the beginning of January and we're about a month "behind schedule" already) in bed before turning off the light.
So far, going through the daily dollops that have been portioned out for us, we've read Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Matthew, part of Hebrews, some Psalms and some Proverbs. And yes, you're right-- there's only so wacky you can get with Leviticus.
----------------------------------------
How well God must like you--
you don't hang out at Sin Saloon,
you don't slink along Dead-End Road,
you don't go to Smart-Mouth College.
Instead you thrill to God's Word,
you chew on Scripture day and night.
You're a tree replanted in Eden,
bearing fresh fruit every month,
Never dropping a leaf,
always in blossom.
You're not at all like the wicked,
who are mere windblown dust--
Without defense in court,
unfit company for innocent people.
GOD [i.e. YHWH] charts the road you take.
The road they take is Skid Row.
----------------------------------------
Anyway, so far it's been a nice solution to a longstanding problem Angela and I have had with doing Bible reading together. I've read so much of the Bible so many times, and in several translations, that it simply isn't very interesting to me to just read through it again, without "working" on it in some way. Angela, on the other hand, has some pretty big gaps in her Bible knowledge, and just wants to cover as much of it as possible and to handle any "analysis" in a casual and gentle manner. The great thing is that this translation is so wacky, that it is virtually a new book to me, and I've enjoyed reading it with Angela. We try to read at least one day's worth (I say "at least" because we started in the beginning of January and we're about a month "behind schedule" already) in bed before turning off the light.
So far, going through the daily dollops that have been portioned out for us, we've read Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Matthew, part of Hebrews, some Psalms and some Proverbs. And yes, you're right-- there's only so wacky you can get with Leviticus.
posted by Joel GL at 2:27 PM
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