Book Review - The Voice

The Voice is a unique version of the New Testament. This Bible’s format is similar to a screenplay‘s. This is to enhance the beauty and story of scripture. It’s a narrative intended to provoke emotion and understanding in the reader that often gets lost in the translation process.


Thomas Nelson Publishers and the Ecclesia Bible Society joined together to create this Bible. A team of writers, scholars, poets, and storytellers have embraced the way a new generation processes ideas and information and used it to create The Voice. They argue that people today are more apt to interact with events and characters through observations involving emotions, tangible experiences, cognition, and spiritual sensitivity. They used that knowledge to create “a fresh expression of a timeless narrative.”

A few things that I especially liked about The Voice (besides it’s screenplay format and easy readability) included outline boxes which were scattered throughout to expand on the text, similar to Bible notes in a study Bible. This gives the reader background knowledge and cultural significance of what was happening in the text. They also used italic type to indicate words not directly tied the original language in order to remain faithful and as objective as possible.

This was a very creative and interesting Bible. I would strongly recommend it for casual reading or as a companion to a more traditional translation. I agree that The Voice brings about more emotion, understanding, and thinking than a tradition text. It reminded me of The Message in some ways. However, I would consider it an accompaniment and not be used solely for intense Bible study. I plan to use it as a nightstand reading tool to greater increase my love of scripture and ultimately, my love of the Lord.

This post was possible because I received this book from Thomas Nelson Publishing.  The opinions are my own.  I was not paid for reviewing this book for them.