The One New Man Bible

The Voice Bible: Step into the Story of Scripture

ISBN-13: 978-1418549015

The New International Version Bible (NIV) Holy Bible Compact

ISBN-13: 978-0310436010

The Holy Bible ranks as the #1 best-selling book of all time.

Through the centuries, Bibles have been printed in nearly every known language. The first hand-written English language Bible manuscripts were produced in the 1380s by Oxford professor John Wycliffe. Johann Gutenberg invented the printing press in the 1450s, and the first book he printed was a Latin language version of The Bible. In each century that followed, new translations, usually based on the original Greek, Latin, and Hebrew texts, pleased the new generation. The King James Bible translation, completed in 1611, remained the unchallenged edition for centuries, and the 1769 edition that was edited by Benjamin Blayney and Francis Sawyer Parris at Oxford still stands as the Bible of choice for many Christians today.

Everything old is new again. New Bible editions are still being produced, and several fresh translations feature striking characteristics while maintaining roots strongly anchored in those original Greek, Latin, and Hebrew texts. For someone searching for a new Bible, the available choices range from the assiduously scholarly to the strikingly atypical. This review covers three new editions that offer unique characteristics:   

The Voice Bible: Step into the Story of Scripture rose from a longtime dream of Chris Seay, pastor of Houston's Ecclesia Church. Seay engaged readers’ imaginations by creating a Bible easy for modern audiences to absorb by inserting words and phrases into the text to clarify the action or smooth transitions. This version reads more like a novel, a ground-breaking concept that has delighted many people who struggled with the Old English of the King James Bible. 

The One New Man Bible brings a greater understanding of the Jewish Roots of Christianity in a translation that helps the Church recognize that Y shua (Jesus) was born Jewish, that He grew up Jewish, and that He is the same today as He was then. Reading this edition, present day believers move toward God’s perfect plan to create One New Man and bring Jewish and non-Jewish people together. Of special note are the Hebrew Scriptures, which are in the traditional Jewish book order, and some passages beautifully shine as literal translations from the original Hebrew.

The New International Version Bible (NIV) Holy Bible Compact originally developed as a completely innovative translation by more than a hundred scholars working from the best available Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek texts. First initiated in 1965 by Howard Long and a trans-denominational and international group of scholars, the project began from scratch using the best available manuscripts in the original languages. Among the many NIV editions, the 2012 Compact edition offers a conveniently portable size and includes translators' footnotes, sectional headings, and a clear 7-point type.

Let’s compare these three new editions to the King James Bible with a parallel examination of some selected passages that are well-known to every Christian and Jew.

Genesis 1:1-5

The King James Bible: In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.

The Voice Bible: Step into the Story of Scripture: In the beginning, God created everything: the heavens above and the earth below. Here’s what happened: At first the earth lacked shape and was totally empty, and a dark fog draped over the deep while God’s spirit-wind hovered over the surface of the empty waters. Then there was the voice of God.

God: Let there be light.

And light flashed into being. God saw that the light was beautiful and good, and He separated the light from the darkness. God named the light “day” and the darkness “night.” Evening gave way to morning. That was day one.

The One New Man Bible: In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. And the earth was totally empty, devoid of all life, (Jer. 4:23) both animal and plant; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God hovered, brooded, over the face of the waters. And God said, “Light, Be!” And there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good, and God divided the light from the darkness. And God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, day one.

The New International Version Bible (NIV) Holy Bible Compact:  In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.

John 3:16

The King James Bible: For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

The Voice Bible: Step into the Story of Scripture: For God expressed His love for the world in this way: He gave His only Son so that whoever believes in Him will not face everlasting destruction, but will have everlasting life.

The One New Man Bible: For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, so that every one who believes in Him would not die but would have eternal life.

The New International Version Bible (NIV) Holy Bible Compact:  For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

Matthew 28:20

The King James Bible:  . . . and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

The Voice Bible: Step into the Story of Scripture:  And I will be with you, day after day, to the end of the age.

The One New Man Bible: . . . and behold I AM with you all the days until the end of the age.

The New International Version Bible (NIV) Holy Bible Compact:  And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

In conclusion, each of the new Bible editions submitted for review contain refreshingly inventive approaches to one of the world’s oldest books, the undisputed top-selling literature work of all time. The Voice Bible: Step into the Story of Scripture presents scriptures with a mesmerizing new take that will thoroughly bless, entertain, and educate readers. In The One New Man Bible, Christianity comes to newfound life with an expressive Hebrew magnification sure to please everyone. The New International Version Bible (NIV) Holy Bible Compact delivers a universally loved translation for those who desire to carry their Bible with them wherever they go.

Every individual has their own special needs, and a Bible exists to fit those particulars. Each of these new editions offers splendidly accurate composition, superb printing, durable binding, and exciting additional features to amplify Bible studies for those who are well-versed, as well as their friends who are just beginning their new walk with God.