What Others Are Saying
Hundreds of Bible readers and pastors have read and reviewed The Voice and the response has been overwhelmingly positive. In fact, about two-thirds of the people who have seen it liked The Voice better than their current Bible. Why? They loved that it's a fresh way to experience Scripture. They found it easy to understand, and they especially liked the layout.
The Voice helps people feel they more fully understand the story of Christ, and the combination of the modern language and the layout makes it easy to read.
The Voice Bible is a choral masterpiece. Finally a choir of original voices contribute to a translation designed to meet the most exacting scholarly standards while resonating with as wide a readership as possible.
Leonard Sweet
Drew University, George Fox University, chief contributor to sermons.com
Anticipation is what I feel each morning as I come to The Voice for my personal devotional time. It engages my imagination. It is academically respectable without the boredom factor.
Rev. Dr. Dave McKechnie
President, Texas Theological Foundation
“I LOVE it!!!!!! I've always been pretty traditional when it comes to my Bible translations. I've basically read the same translation for the past 36 years of my life. The Voice is the first translation that has made me audibly say ‘Wow.’ It’s fresh, enlightening and extremely accurate.”
Pete Wilson
Author and Pastor at Crosspoint Church in Nashville, TN
It is truly a one-of-a-kind reading experience for it presents the Bible to the reader in a form that we are all familiar with. We all watch movies, shows, and some perhaps read plays; well reading this translation creates a similar experience. But it is the actual writing itself that is so beautifully well written in my opinion. It is simple to read but never losses the initial intent of what is being said.
In my opinion I believe EVERYONE should own and read a copy of this translation. It has improved my understanding and has given me a new way of thinking but some subjects. I highly recommend it.
The Voice is written as a narrative; it provides background information and fills the readers in on the gaps (some contextual, some from Old Testament, etc.) so the reader is never lost.
In the beginning the authors point out the reasons for writing The Voice and how exactly it was created. They do a beautiful job putting all the pieces together to actually give the reader a FRESH experience, to read the Bible in a way like never before. As the authors point out this is both a word-for-word and thought-for-thought translation of the Bible. It never twists or manipulates the words and is ultimately an exciting, simple, pleasant and informative way of reading the Bible.
Sviatoslav Bouz, San Bernadino, Calif.
Sviatoslav is a 23-year-old anatomy/clinical ministry graduate school student at Loma Linda University in California. Born in Belarus (former Soviet Union) to a pastor has truly taught him to appreciate religious freedom and inspired him to study theology and philosophy as minors in undergrad. He shares a passion for medicine and is currently pursuing to become a doctor. Most of all he wants to want to spread the gospel, and do God’s will throughout the world.
“I really love The Voice. I can hardly put it down! I've read over 25 translations of the New Testament (incuding KJ, NKJ, AMP, RSV, NIV,ASV, Living Bible, Aramaic, Koine Greek, Kenneth Wuest and more). I can't wait to finish this new version (I am now in Acts) so I can do a full review. I have always been a fan of the King James Verson, but I believe this REVOLUTIONARY Bible is for today. I can certainly tell that much prayer and dedication was made to make this precious Word alive for this generation. There is equanimity on every page. The narrative is great in the gospels. The italics are very cleverly inserted and is more convienent than having a bulky (sometimes Calvinist-influenced) commentary. When I read John 1:1 (and the prelude)I found out the reason for the title and I was blown away! I like many bibles for study, but if I only had one, this would be it! Thank God for your team, I have been waiting for a Bible like this for a long time! I am now using The Voice for my ministry websites 'weekly verse.'”
The Rev. Jeff Lowe is a graduate of the International Miracle Institute with a doctoral degree in theology. He also holds an honorary doctorate in divinity from Abundant Life Bible College. He has been in evangelism since 1988. A worldwide-respected Bible teacher and author, Dr. Lowe has studied the New Testament in both Aramaic and Koine Greek, and historic Jewish customs. He is the founder and overseer of Tree of Life Ministries in Long Beach, Calif. He also serves in evangelism, prison ministry and missionary work worldwide with the Cottonwood Church in Cypress, Calif.
Translating for The Voice put me in touch with the Bible in new ways, both intimate and playful. Working so closely with the Hebrew texts reminded me again of their multivalency and the importance of a project like this. It gives readers a first-hand sense of the many voices that populate God's Word, and it allows possibilities for conveying meaning not bound by one-to-one translation. Given room by VOICE editors to reach within our own language, I could strive for a living text -- evocative, poignant, inspirational, disturbing, and comforting -- some of the many ways that the biblical texts mean most powerfully.
Kristin M. Swenson, PhD
Associate Professor of Religious Studies
Virginia Commonwealth University
The Voice has the best of both worlds in that it is both a lively contemporary dynamic translation by people who have a sense of contemporary idiom and the product of careful, thoughtful review by biblical scholars with respect to its accuracy in conveying the original languages. This is combined with a clear and attractive layout and some explanations of cultural and theological terms, and one has a biblical translation that people can understand without needing a pastor or commentator – it is the Bible for those who are turned off by or simply do not understand “religious” language. It has been a delight to work on this translation and to realize how clearly it will communicate to this or that person whom I know. It is also a translation that I enjoy reading myself, when I do not want to read the text in Greek and Hebrew.
Peter H. Davids, PhD
Visiting Professor in Christianity
Houston Baptist University
The screenplay format of The Voice offers churches a key resource for today. It will help congregations rediscover the extraordinary power of Scripture when publicly read in a dramatised way. And Christians who may be struggling in their personal Scripture engagement will find the stimulating background details contained in outlined boxes and the overall reader-friendly layout to be really helpful in rediscovering the compelling story of the Bible.
Rev. Dr. Fergus MacDonald
Director, Center for Scripture Engagement
Taylor University
I have shared The Voice with my family and ministry partners. Without exception, those people—parents in their 70s, ministry partners who are long-time ministers, and teenagers—have found The Voice to be a refreshing, readable, and enlightening presentation of the biblical text. I have received positive feedback using The Voice for individual devotional reading, small group study, and public worship service readings.
Chuck Pitts, PhD
Professor of Old Testament
Houston Graduate School of Theology
The commitment to Biblical accuracy on this project is astounding. As one of the Biblical Scholars involved in the early reviewing process, my editorial suggestions are only one stage in a long, detailed progression from the initial rendering of the text to its final republication. The publishers of THE VOICE are serious in their dedication to conveying the meaning of the Biblical text in a fresh manner while staying as close to the original texts as possible.
Brett W. Dutton, PhD
Senior Pastor
Magnolia Creek Baptist Church
If it is true that the Word of God is alive and active, and if it is also true that many people have not experienced the Bible as a life-giving text, then The Voice can help bridge that gap. Contemporary language, format, and insight make The Voice a wonderful place to hear the old, old story in fresh ways—and in that story to encounter the living God.
Michael J. Gorman, PhD
The Ecumenical Institute of Theology
St. Mary’s Seminary & University
I appreciate very much the fresh and timely translation of The Voice. It provides current English-speaking cultures with a textual bridge that brings them to an ancient and inspiring voice.
J. Andrew Dearman, PhD
Professor of Old Testament
Associate Dean and Director of Fuller Seminary Texas
Since my work happened near the end of the process, I had the pleasure of seeing and experiencing the fruit of the effort that others had already put into the project. As I read through the New Testament, I was struck by several things. Even though my day-to-day job is to study and teach the New Testament, reading through The Voice helped bring to life the message of encouragement that pervades these writings. Through them we don’t just hear random voices of the various human authors. Rather, God's voice speaks through them, and it was His voice that I heard afresh when reading through these texts. In particular, it was God's message to the different Christian communities to remain faithful no matter how hard things get that I heard.
With the waning cultural dominance of the church, the need for a contemporary expression of the church's faith as revealed in the Bible is becoming urgent. The early church struggled to follow God in their pluralistic world, where their claims to truth were not well received. As a result while reading through The Voice, the idea of faithfulness in the face of suffering was more pervasive than I had previously realized. The church today is and will be increasingly facing similar issues and needs a fresh encouragement to remain faithful in the midst of social pressure. Part of that faithfulness is the responsibility to continue to witness to the truth of the Anointed One. As we bring the message of the good news revealed in the Bible and communicated through The Voice, the culture may reject it because of its truth claims, but at least they won’t reject it because it is communicated with archaic or merely ecclesiastical terminology.
Ben Blackwell, PhD
Assistant Professor of Christianity
Houston Baptist University
Rather than imposing a flat, artificial style on the entire Bible, The Voice allows the unique personalities of the biblical writers to shine through their texts. Various features are included to help us "feel" as well as hear scriptural speech and dialogue. Readers experience the Bible as the living word.
Kenneth L. Waters, Sr., PhD
Associate Dean of the Division of Religion and Philosophy and Professor of New Testament
Azusa Pacific University
The Bible informs the intellect about God, the world, and ourselves, but it is more than an information book. God is interested in us as whole people, so his Word also stimulates our imagination, arouses our emotions, and appeals to our will. The Voice combines the skills of biblical scholars with the sensitivities of musicians, novelists, and poets and the result is an accurate and stimulating English translation that readers will find hard to put down. Long time as well as new readers will benefit greatly from their experience of The Voice.
Tremper Longman, PhD
Robert H. Gundry Professor of Biblical Studies
Westmont College
As one who worked on the The Voice---and did so entering in with some skepticism--I can say that much care was given to be accurate as pastors and scholars were teamed up to produce the text. That care is still being shown. As an explanatory paraphrase, a genre with a rich history in biblical translation, The Voice can open up the point of the text in effective ways. This also means it is being checked and reevaluated to make it even better in bringing out the force of the text. With such a commitment to reflecting the text, this translation can serve the church well and help people appreciate the richness of the message of Scripture.
Darrell Bock, PhD
Research Professor of New Testament Studies
Dallas Theological Seminary
It has been a joy for me to work on The Voice translation and other projects. Those who led the projects were not just professional, they were also personable and, while they demanded excellence, they treated every contributor with utmost respect. Readers have often said that they find VOICE’s retelling of the good news of the kingdom of God very refreshing. This was one of the goals the projects had aimed at achieving, without sacrificing the truth in the original text. I found it challenging and liberating at the same time to work on being creative without forgetting the need to maintain the authentic, soul-penetrating message of the text.
Felisi Sorgwe, PhD
Assistant Professor of Christianity, Houston Baptist University
Pastor, Maranatha International Church
How something is said can be as important as what is said. All translation is interpretation; but a mechanical meaning offers a text with little texture. The Voice Bible version distinguishes itself and uniquely lives up to its name by making the English text more engaging and enjoyable to read by giving more attention to the mood and mentality of the speakers, which adds muscle to their message.
W. Creighton Marlowe, PhD
Associate Professor of Old Testament
Evangelische Theologische Faculteit, Belgium
I have been involved in The Voice project for over five years. Many might well ask, "Why do we need yet another Bible translation?" Why? The Bible is an amazingly transparent and yet amazingly puzzling document. Theologians have been translating and interpreting it for millennia, and I daresay they will continue to do so for millennia to come. The Voice represents a new "voice" in the translation and interpretation undertaking, one that genuinely attempts to make the text accessible to the reader of the twenty-first century. Read it for yourself; better, engage it for yourself. Let it draw you in; let it speak to you. And discover in its words "the voice" of the biblical text.
Nancy L. deClaissé-Walford, PhD
Professor of Old Testament and Biblical Languages
McAfee School of Theology, Mercer University
What I appreciate most about THE VOICE is the emphasis on the story of the Bible. It is this story of God's redemptive plan that THE VOICE presents in such an engaging and powerful way. Whether in the classroom or at Church, it is this story that draws us, speaks to us, and transforms us.
Frank Patrick, PhD
Adjunct Professor
Samford University
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