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Michelle DeRusha

Every Day Faith. Faith Every Day.

March 11, 2013 By Michelle 32 Comments

Hear It on Sunday, Use It on Monday: Why I Read Different Bible Translations

I’m more of an old-fashioned traditionalist when it comes to Bible translations. Not King James-old-fashioned, mind you. More like New International Version. Or, if I’m feeling especially mod, the New Living Translation. But The Message? I resisted it for a long time because it seemed too trendy, too newfangled and hip for me. I figured people like Shane Claiborne read The Message, radical Jesus people; cool people. But not live-in-Nebraska-have-two-kids-and-attend-PTO-meetings kind of people.

Finally, though, I bought my own copy because I wanted to see what all the fuss was about. I’m glad I did, and here’s why:

Initially I read yesterday’s lesson, the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, from the New Living translation. And I skimmed right by these opening verses:

Jesus said, “There was a certain rich man who was splendidly clothed in purple and fine linen and who lived each day in luxury.” (Luke 16:19).

After I read the whole parable, I opened The Message translation to see how the story read there, and I read these opening lines:

“There was once a rich man, expensively dressed in the latest fashions, wasting his days in conspicuous consumption.”

Do you see where I’m going with this?

In the first version, the verses didn’t feel like they applied to me. I’m not splendidly clothed in purple and fine linen. I don’t live each day in luxury. I’m picturing The Emperor’s New Clothes here, people, not a woman who lives in Nebraska and shops at Kohl’s.

So I move on.

But The Message version? The Message version makes me cringe. “Dressed in the latest fashions” strikes an uneasy chord, because, let me tell it to you straight: I do like fashion. I do like clothes. I do like to shop. In fact, several years ago, a colleague told me she thought I was the most fashionable person in the building. Not that I was the kindest or the smartest or the most gracious or even the most professional person at work, but the most fashionable. I wore that complement like a crown.

The description of the rich man in The Message doesn’t let me off the hook so easily because it describes me and one of my many flaws.

I haven’t been reading the Bible all that long. But already I’ve gotten complacent. The more familiar I am with the parables and the messages, the more inclined I am to skate by the truth, to overlook how each story applies directly to me, to neglect the fact that Jesus is talking to me, not to some “other” worse-off person.

I like reading more than one translation because it keeps me on my toes. It doesn’t allow me to get lazy or self-righteous. And sometimes, a different translation hits me where it hurts, which is exactly what I need.

What about you? Did you tend to read more than one translation or do you stick with your favorite? 

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Hear It on Sunday, Use It on Monday: When You Make a Snap Judgment
Blogging Benedict: How to Stop Speed-Reading the Bible

Filed Under: Bible, New Testament, Use It on Monday Tagged With: Bible translations, Gospel of Luke, Hear It on Sunday Use It on Monday, The Message

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Elizabeth@Warrior Wives says

    March 11, 2013 at 6:34 am

    After reading the NIV most of my life, when I bought a new Bible recently, I decided that I needed a different version. Sometimes I just don’t “hear” the words because they are so familiar. Now, reading the ESV, I almost feel like I’m seeing some portions of Scripture completely differently than I used to.

    The Message is always interesting for life application. My only pet peeve with is is when Christian books (mostly directed towards women) ONLY use The Message and never use any actual translations. It makes me feel like the Scripture has to be dumbed down for me.

    Reply
    • Michelle DeRusha says

      March 11, 2013 at 10:50 am

      I should look into the ESV – I don’t think I’ve read much from that one.

      I never thought about The Message being the “go-to” translation for women’s bible studies – that’s an interesting point. Sometimes it does feel a little bit like The Message is a “dumbed-down” version. Then again, a lot of the time I feel like I need the dumbed-down version!

      Reply
  2. Lisa notes says

    March 11, 2013 at 7:12 am

    I’m an avid believer in reading multiple translations. I choose a different version each time I read through the Bible so that I’ll continue to hear it, and not tune out what “I’ve heard a million times before.” I return to the ESV when I want to study and see what it word for word, but for general devotional reading, I like more contemporary language. The Word is living!

    Reply
    • Michelle DeRusha says

      March 11, 2013 at 10:51 am

      I like your routine of reading a different translation every year, Lisa.

      {and thank you, lovely lady, for always commenting here on Mondays – I love to see your smiling face!}

      Reply
  3. Shelly Miller says

    March 11, 2013 at 8:53 am

    I’m like you Michelle. I start out in the ESV for the daily readings and I often go to the NLT and then the Message just to see how it sounds there too. I highlighted a verse from the Message in my post today for that very reason. The translation painted a picture that stuck with me unlike the other versions. And perhaps I like the Message because of the way story and imagery speaks to me in a way like nothing else.

    Reply
    • Michelle DeRusha says

      March 11, 2013 at 10:52 am

      I have to say, I’ve been reading parts of The Message to my kids at dinnertime, and they are riveted – it really does bring out the stories in the Bible loud and clear, and it makes them understandable even for young kids.

      Reply
  4. Sheila Dailie says

    March 11, 2013 at 10:41 am

    Michelle, you put into words so elegantly what I have experienced–the complacency, at times even just skimming over the LIVING WORD. My newest translation is “THE VOICE” which I’d never heard of until it came in my mail-box. And yet, just the weekend, I read I Cor. 13 from the MESSAGE at a bridal shower—love “extravagantly!” God is so good that He continues to find ways to touch our minds and hearts!

    Reply
    • Michelle DeRusha says

      March 11, 2013 at 10:52 am

      The Voice — never heard of that one, Sheila. Thanks for introducing me to yet another translation I will have to check out!

      Reply
  5. Kate @ Teaching What is Good says

    March 11, 2013 at 11:12 am

    I love reading different bible translations — it gives me a broader view of the passage. But when I study, I am careful not to choose a paraphrase as my main text.

    Reply
    • Michelle DeRusha says

      March 11, 2013 at 6:26 pm

      So…dumb question here: is The Message considered a paraphrase? #biblebeginner

      Reply
      • Sheila Dailie says

        March 11, 2013 at 9:31 pm

        Yes, The Message is a paraphrase, which is a thought for thought exchange, while the translation is a word for word, often back to the original text. There is room for both as long as we know which is which. LONG ago, when I was a “wee lass” and multiple versions/paraphrases began coming out, there was quite the discussion about different versions dividing the Church. Yet these comments make me think that they have strengthened believers! God still is working!

        Reply
  6. Kathleen Jaeger says

    March 11, 2013 at 11:25 am

    Sometimes I have found the Lord speaking to me through children’s bibles. I agree that a fresh word via a new translation can help shake up my dulled senses! Isn’t surprising how quickly we can gloss over things, too. I’m thankful for His grace and tender care of speaking to us in fresh ways when we need it.

    Reply
    • Michelle DeRusha says

      March 11, 2013 at 6:27 pm

      The first Bible I ever read was my boys’ – I got a lot out of it…I swear, it was exactly at my level at the time!

      Reply
  7. Sharon says

    March 11, 2013 at 1:17 pm

    I’m a big fan of other translations, too. I love words, and the nuances behind them. Since I can’t read Hebrew or Greek (!!), I find other translations give me shades of meaning that I might miss otherwise. One of my favorites is the Amplified Bible translation. It often *fleshes out* the bones of a verse for me. One of the verses that I love in that translation is this one:

    1 Peter 5:7
    Amplified Bible (AMP)
    7 Casting the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns], [once and for all] on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you [watchfully].

    I have recently purchased a copy of The Message, and I am anxious to read some *familiar* verses to add to the meaning I have in my mind. I think it’s good to expand what God wants to say to us through His Word.

    GOD BLESS!

    Reply
  8. Janis Cox says

    March 11, 2013 at 2:06 pm

    Michelle,
    I love this. And yes I like to check out different versions. When we come across a familiar passage it is so easy to say, “I know this”. But do we really? Every time God speaks a different message through the same Scripture – different time, different circumstance, different me.
    Thanks for this,
    Blessings,
    Janis

    Reply
  9. Connie@ raise your eyes says

    March 11, 2013 at 2:08 pm

    Wow, Michelle, reading that in the Message made my heart skip a beat.

    I value looking up the original words in my KJV study Bible for further insight, and for years I read daily from that for the exquisite, poetical language. The past few years have daily read from NASB, but I think I’ll follow Lisa’s suggestion and read from a different translation yearly.

    Reply
  10. Lyli @ 3dLessons4Life says

    March 11, 2013 at 2:09 pm

    I love the nuances of the different translations, and I am trying to read through a different translation each year as well. So far, I have done KJV, NKJV, NLT, NIV, &HCSB. This year, I am working my way through the ESV. The Message translation has such rich word pictures — I have written many a blog post after reading it….

    Having a smart phone with a Bible app makes this very easy….

    Reply
    • Michelle DeRusha says

      March 11, 2013 at 6:29 pm

      What’s HCSB? I don’t think I’ve heard of that one. This conversation reminds me of the first time I went to buy my very first Bible in Barnes and Noble — all those acronyms nearly did me in!

      Reply
  11. Laurie Collett says

    March 11, 2013 at 2:10 pm

    KJV for me! To me, the others lack the poetry, and the theology concerns me (translating “virgin” as “young girl” for example — what’s so special about a young girl getting pregnant?0 or omitting references to the blood. Thanks for the great post & for hosting & God bless.

    Reply
    • Michelle DeRusha says

      March 11, 2013 at 6:30 pm

      I agree that the KJV has a poetic beauty that the others don’t match. Truthfully, I hadn’t really thought of the theology question either — interesting point, Laurie.

      Reply
  12. Hazel Moon says

    March 11, 2013 at 3:51 pm

    There was a time I needed to complete the Bible in a short time. I played a CD of the Living Bible while I read the King James. The new translations do give us thought where we didn’t see things that way on ouf King Jame try.

    Reply
  13. Sheila Seiler Lagrand says

    March 11, 2013 at 8:35 pm

    Love this, Michelle. I’m reading the Message now. For study I go to the ESV (I have a Ryrie study ESV that I love). But I try to read a fresh translation each time. It adds so much depth.

    I like reading about the different translations, too. Resources like this one are helpful to me: http://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/cms_content?page=73521&sp=104481&event=1003SB|58674|1003|2275884|1003

    Reply
  14. laura says

    March 11, 2013 at 8:37 pm

    Since I’ve been preaching it really does help me to read more than one translation. Prior to that, I was mostly an NIV kind of girl. I don’t think I’ve ever read that parable in the Message though, Michelle. Ouch. Yes, hard to be named that way…

    Reply
  15. Courtney says

    March 11, 2013 at 8:53 pm

    Oh man, The Message made me cringe there too! Ouch. But that’s why it is good. I don’t own it, but that may change soon. I think I need to. I use biblegateway.com often to look at different translations, The Message being the top of the list.

    Reply
  16. Laura says

    March 11, 2013 at 9:25 pm

    Me? I pretty much stick with my NIV. But lately, my preacher son votes for the ESV…in seminary, another version is required. So I’m slowly opening my horizons. (Then my old childhood memorization days kick in and I revert to KJV…) :0)

    Reply
  17. Sandra Heska King says

    March 11, 2013 at 11:19 pm

    I read mostly from the NIV, study from the NASB, and more perspective from the Amplified. I read the Message devotionally.

    I’m taken Margaret Feinberg’s challenge to read the whole Bible in 40 days for Lent. But I’m listening to dramatic audio CDs in the NIV. And I’m telling you, I’m hearing things I never say before. It’s opened my eyes to whole new light.

    Reply
  18. Mary Gemmill says

    March 12, 2013 at 2:03 am

    Hey Michelle- I certainly get your point- the Message sends a pointed Message often, i find.
    I spend much of my adult life firmly planted in the Living Bible- but after that I had been reading the bible in that version for around 30 years, I needed a fresh new translation to keep me learning new things.
    I often delight people with the way things are put in the Message, and I love it that it is a very accurate rendition of the original languages. A favourite passage I share often is: Psalm 143:9-10 If you wake me each morning with the sound of your loving voice, I’ll go to sleep each night trusting in you. Point out the road I must travel; I’m all ears, all eyes before you.
    Whenever I want to hear from God about something- I ” do this”- and every time, so long as I stop to listen to the answer, I hear it- it’s a wonderful practice I have learnt from the Message.
    God Bless you Michelle.
    Mary, New Zealand

    Reply
  19. Susan McCurdy says

    March 12, 2013 at 9:46 am

    I have several translations that I use for reading and study. However, I am old -fashioned too…and “KJV old fashioned.” Go ahead and laugh. Your “aside” – “mind you not KJV old fashioined.” was so smug. Why do we find it necessary to take a swipe at someone who uses a KJV? Even if they do only use a KJV ….so what? It is a better question to see how they are applying the translation they are using. Although I do not believe that the KJV is the only inspired Word of God I do believe it is still the Word of God and I love it. Some of the most godly people I know use only the KJV and they live it. The attitude that we can belittle someone who makes more conservative choices or uses a KJV is very “pharisaical”….(i.e….”I’m better than you because I’m “free”.) Would you please consider how to include people who use the KJV and love when offering encouragement about Bible Studies and translations. People who use the KJV , old-fashioned or not are part of the body of Christ, are they not? Thank you.

    Reply
  20. Beth says

    March 12, 2013 at 9:32 pm

    I love reading from different translations. Always love reading from The Message. I’m also a fan of the Amplified. I agree…it keeps you on your toes!

    Reply
  21. Dana@DeathbyGreatWall says

    March 17, 2013 at 6:14 pm

    Food for thought. I usually stick to one translation, because I like for the Bible to sound like “the Bible” for me. As a young believer someone gave me a New King James Version. It mimics the style of the King James Version with a little more modern language. One of my pastors (who liked this version as well) told me that the NKJV woodenly translates the original languages. So you get some odd phrases like “Daniel set his heart,” where other versions might say “Daniel purposed,” or “Daniel decided.” But your post about the message has got me excited about reading through the Bible again, and I haven’t been that excited about it recently. I think I’ll order one and get started.

    Reply
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    April 9, 2013 at 11:03 pm

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Living out faith in the everyday is no joke. If you’re anything like me, some days you feel full of confidence and hope, eager to proclaim God’s goodness and love to the world. Other days…not so much.

Let me say straight up: I wrestle with my faith. Most days I feel a little bit like Jacob, wrangling his blessing out of God. And most days I’m okay with that. I believe God made me a questioner and a wrestler for a reason, and I believe one of those reasons is so that I can connect more authentically with others.

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