The Passion Translation The New Testament: With Psalms, Proverbs and Song of Songs, Brown, Faux Leather

(Updated to include additional info and quotes taken from Brian Simmons and sharefaith.)This is perhaps my more FAVORITE translation for reading to connect with the heart. Each page of TPT really captures your emotions and opens the door to an intimacy and longing for deep communion with our Lord. I can't say enough about the quality of the paper, print size and ease on my eyes when reading. I have ordered 5 of these so far to give to loved ones who I feel would so benefit from this in-depth, soul-stirring adventure in the Word. Below each page are notes containing further information on specific words, meanings and translations- there was no detail overlooked when this version was printed.Now, for the validity of TPT bible. This is in response to the many who so readily spoke against this beautiful work.Is The Passion Translation a translation?"Every translation is, to a degree, a paraphrase. A truly literal translation would make no sense to today’s reader, since Greek phrases, clauses, word order and many other grammatical points are not the way we speak in English. So there is a necessity, at times, to change word order, phrases and even at times, clauses to fit English. This would be true in every translation that is more “literal.” So if they are moving phrases around, wouldn’t that be a para-phrase? To me, a literal translation would read more like a lexicon. The use of italicized word in most translations shows that there are words added to complete an ellipsis or to enhance the meaning for an English reader. I’m sure you’re aware of the sentence length of the Greek text of Ephesians 1:3-16. To write a sentence like that in English would little more than confuse. Plus, the well known idioms of the Bible, such as “It is harder for camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God,” becomes unintelligible to leave in a literal form. There is a cultural and linguistic aspect to appropriately translating this that is superior to leaving it in a literal form. The word “camel” is an Aramaic homonym that can also mean “rope.” To say “it is easier to force a rope through the eye of a needle” is the best way to translate it.Let’s just use the meaning of the word “translation.” Here’s what Webster’s Dictionary states: “an act, process, or instance of translating: a rendering from one language into another; also the product of such a rendering; a change to a different substance, form, or appearance.” So TPT qualifies most definitely as a translation." - Brian Simmons, The Passion Translation Debate."It provides fresh, new phrasal and lexical equivalents in English for all readers today that produce a deeper understanding of what God is saying in His Word today.” (Gary S. Greig, PhD, Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations, The University of Chicago, and Former Associate Professor of Old Testament and Hebrew at Regent University School of Divinity).A quote from sharefaith "We can all agree that regardless of the translation, God longs for his Word to be expressed in every language in a way that unlocks the passion of His heart. That is what The Passion Translation believes and the goal of The Passion Translation is to trigger inside every reader an overwhelming response to the truth of the Bible, revealing the deep mysteries of the scriptures in the love language of God, the language of the heart."Dr. Brian Simmons, who is the lead translator for The Passion Translation says: "If you’re hungry for God and want to know him on a deeper level, The Passion Translation will help you encounter God’s heart and discover what he has for your life.”The Passion Translation ComparisonOkay, so by now you’re probably wondering how The Passion Translation compares to the more well-known translations out there. So let’s take a look at Psalm 23:1-6 from various translations to see how much they differ:King James Version1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. 3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. 4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. 5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. 6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.New International Version1 The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, 3 he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake. 4 Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 6 Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.New Living Translation Version1 The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need. 2 He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams. 3 He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name. 4 Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me. 5 You prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies. You honor me by anointing my head with oil. My cup overflows with blessings. 6 Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the Lord forever.The Passion Translation1 The Lord is my best friend and my shepherd. I always have more than enough. 2 He offers a resting place for me in his luxurious love. His tracks take me to an oasis of peace, the quiet brook of bliss. 3 That’s where he restores and revives my life. He opens before me pathways to God’s pleasure and leads me along in his footsteps of righteousness so that I can bring honor to his name. 4 Lord, even when your path takes me through the valley of deepest darkness, fear will never conquer me, for you already have! You remain close to me and lead me through it all the way. Your authority is my strength and my peace. The comfort of your love takes away my fear. I’ll never be lonely, for you are near. 5 You become my delicious feast even when my enemies dare to fight. You anoint me with the fragrance of your Holy Spirit; you give me all I can drink of you until my heart overflows. 6 So why would I fear the future? For your goodness and love pursue me all the days of my life. Then afterward, when my life is through, I’ll return to your glorious presence to be forever with you!Hope this helps! Prepare for your heart to be moved!

WHAT DO YOU EXPECT?People buy a Bible for many reasons: pride of ownership, an understandable translation, font readability. This imitation leather, large print TPT comes as close to fulfilling all of the above as most Bible today. It is a word-4-word translation but is not bound by the rigors imposed by the inherent problems, with any language translation. In my opinion, it is not subject to those objecting to single person translations like the original “Living Bible.” The statement, “More is not better, just more” comes to mind.UNDERSTANDING THE TRANSLATIONThis is a translation of the N.T, Psalms and Proverbs and Solomon’s love letter, Song of Songs. There will be more to come.What sets this Bible apart is the passion and knowledge of the translator, Dr, Simmons. He cut his teeth working for Wycliffe and JAARS, translating the Bible into a readable translation for the isolated, rain forest Indian tribes; each who have their own unique spoken language but no need for a written one. Books? You mean those things you start a fire with?These dedicated men and women of JAARS face the prodigious task of creating a Bible for these small tribes, in their own unique written language and teaching them to read it. Reading obviously must come before presenting them with their own Bible; written in their own language. Typically that requires 20 years to complete. They live in the sweltering heat of insect infested jungles, sharing their lives and meals, becoming intimate trusted friends; teaching them what it means to be Christians. Besides changing lives in the here and now, their only reward is the souls who will live with us in heaven. Few of us have the technical ability, dedication and passion to fit that mold.WHAT IS JAARS?I mention this to give you a picture of the passion required to face and complete their task. They take passion and dedication to a level we “sit at home readers” can never comprehend. I had friends who worked with JAARS outside Charlotte, NC [supporting the Wycliffe translators]. So I know a little more about these special men and women who selflessly dedicate their lives to reach unknown people most of us know nothing about.By the way, JAARS accepts donations from those who believe in their mission. They are not a 501 c3 as they believe in serving God, not government. I feel strongly that Christian organizations have no business being associated with the regulations and limitations imposed by government. How can we accept the mantle of government before God? You tell me.AN EXAMPLE OF THE TRANSLATION PASSIONLet me share one small thing about this translation explained by my wife. The word used in translating “relationship” is explained as pitching your tent with God. To picture that, tells that you live with Him, sharing your lives together. It is much like these dedicated translators in JAARS.MY WAY OF READING HIS WORDMy purpose in Bible reading is to learn how to do that with God. My goal is to become His son, not a servant or relative but an obedient son whose Father is everything; a son who has learned to think like His Father in everything. I have not arrived and probably never will, but it is my passion; like Dr. Simmons.The Passion Translation comes closest to helping me achieve my goal than any of the 30 odd Bibles I accumulated during my 80 odd years. As an engineer, I had to learn to think differently than most. I always ask why and how to gain understanding. But God also is teaching me to understand myself. We are our second greatest mystery, after God. The Bible teaches us that.HOW THIS BIBLE HELPS ME LEARN ABOUT GODNow that you know why I read God’s Word; understand that my approach is that the Bible is a supernatural book, whose author is God Himself. Hopefully this pictures how I approach learning from Him.The footnotes add much to this unique translation. I am not impressed by some of the superficial study Bible commentaries, so this has been a surprise. Their brevity is refreshing and their clarity improves the reader’s insight without my being subjected to the commentary’s wordy opinion.What it cannot do is to allow a reader’s insight into some of the hidden messages God has for those searches of Truth. It can help but those are reserved for true searchers. My hope is to become one eventually.ABOUT THE TECHNICAL DETAILSThe large print, soft cover is PU imitation leather. This is polyurethane plastic covering an internal fabric. It improves the flexibility to give the feel of real leather. I believe its life will equal top grain leather and be superior to bonded leather. It is one of the best faux leathers available. You have a choice of colors; I chose brown. My cover has a faint hint of leather which is not typical of my other PU covers. No other reviewers mention this; it’s odd but I like it.Do you kiss your Bible before reading it? If you do you will smell leather. I decided to buy additional scent to enhance it. So that’s me, I admit to being a little different. To me a kiss is a show of respect and reverence. It is a statement of who I am and who God is to me.Where was I?The difference between the standard and large print is the overall size of the Bible [this is the standard size 9.5 x 6.5 cover dimensions]. Providing a picture is redundant, so have not duplicated other reviewers. The pages of the hardback and this are identical with the last page being 1046 in both the standard and large print. Try to picture each page as being magnified slightly.The font is a modern serif, so its readability is superior to the typical “Times Roman,” found in most Bibles. The font size is 11 point, not quite equal to some other large print Bibles, but adequate for many readers. I can read it without glasses but my eyes are better than most my age [82].Contrary to opinions of others, it is Smyth Sewn and lies flat as you expect from more expensive Bibles. An extra perk is the print. It is “line matched,” a feature found in very expensive Bibles. With lined matched pages the print on the opposite pages are lined up to improve readability. No matter how opaque the pages, when the print is not line matched the print on the opposite page shows thru. When line matched, you do not see ghosting because the opposite page print is masked by the print you are reading. It is a small thing but one that improves readability. I hope this makes sense.I find no fault in the paper quality, contrary to the opinion of a few reviewers. I have seen better and worse. I give it an 8 on a scale of 10. It is not rice paper but modern Bibles no longer bear that expense. That harks of a bygone era.You will not be disappointed when you own this Bible. Just do not put it on your shelf. God wrote it so you can get to know Him.

God bless you brother, please translate it in Spanish.The Spanish speaking readers need this translation, to be free from religiosity and legalism. Thank you 🙏🏼

This is hands down, the best devotional-oriented dynamic equivalent translation I have read. He stays very true to the original intent of the text while opening up insight into the heart of God and the spirit of what is being said. I find it particularly good in the epistles where Paul was working to encourage people, clarify the truths needed to strengthen people’s faith, or correct a problem in the early church. For example, the translation of Romans 8 almost perfectly states central truths that can be used to help restore and strengthen a person's sense of value and worthiness to be loved. He does it by covering both the intent and the wording of the passage. For a true study Bible, I would always recommend a more word-for-word translation like the NASB. But even some of the most ardent hermeneutical advocates recommend dynamic equivalent translations for devotions. This is the best of those that I have owned.

I’ve been reading this translation in booklet forms and now treasure this as a book. The Passion translation is so awesome. I study on line with various translations but for my devotional and studies this version is my favorite. I read a passage as if for the first time. After some 35 years si can truly say it gives me a fresh enthusiasm for the word. What more can I say. It’s rekindling that first live in me. Beyond the text, the footnotes are worth the price. You owe yourself one.

I love this

The passion translation is Ideal if you are new to the Bible. It explains things in an easy to read way, using modern language, and introduces you to who Jesus is, and explains what Christianity is all about.There are many foot notes. It has to be said that some notes are simply the authors own opinion, but on the whole, they are very helpful. Not all the Bible has been translated yet into this version, but you get the whole of the New testament, (which is the most important bit,) and also the Psalms and one or two other books.Most Christians that I know love it.As said, if your new to the Bible, or just seeking to find out about Jesus, then this version is for you.

I love the different choices of colors, and choice between regular print and large print

I love this translation. So good to have a big large print beautiful bible to read until the days my eyes fail me...

This is set to become as important a publication/document as the NIV was in 1979. It oozes life 😊.