4.43 avg rating — 9,648 ratings

"Whether you believe the Christian Bible was divinely inspired or not, its influence on the world, as the very first book published by Gutenberg, cannot be disputed. The Bible is indeed the best book ever. It contains basic instructions before leaving Earth. Eugene Peterson's vocation as pastor led him to paraphrase the Christian Bible to minister to his flock. Thank God he was also a Bible scholar, fluent in Hebrew and Greek! This book represents his teachings. If that was all, I would be nervous about relying on it. However, he consulted with other Bible scholars while preparing the book for publication. I have red through the NIV translation several times. I am reading this version because it brings the "message" alive in contemporary language and idioms, while remaining remarkably true to the original Hebrew and Greek words. (This is my layman's opinion. I am not a professional Bible scholar.)"