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The Message: The Bible In Contemporary Language, Burgundy Bonded Leather Paperback – January 1, 2004

by Eugene H. Peterson (Author)

4.7 2,191 ratings

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Perfect for today's busy Christian, this convenient size of The Message allows the best-selling contemporary translation of the Bible to fit into a briefcase, purse, or backpack.

The Message Burgundy Full Leather Compact Size Bible presents God's Word in the language of today.

Trim size: 3 7/8 x 5 3/4

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From the Back Cover

Every once in a while you experience something that changes you forever. What would happen if you received a letter from God? Would your heart pound? Would your mind race? Would your life change? Find out by reading this convenient pocket-sized version of The Message, Eugene Peterson s best-selling paraphrase of the Bible.

About the Author

EUGENE H. PETERSON is a pastor, scholar, writer, and poet. He has authored more than twenty books, including A Long Obedience in the Same Direction, The Contemplative Pastor, and Leap Over a Wall. He is Professor Emeritus of Spiritual Theology at Regent College in Vancouver, B.C., Canada. Eugene founded Christ Our King Presbyterian Church in Bel Air, Maryland, where he was the pastor for twenty-nine years. He lives with his wife, Jan, in Montana. They have three children and six grandchildren.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ The Message; Poc edition (January 1, 2004)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 1451 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1576835197
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1576835197
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 14.4 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 4.75 x 1.25 x 6.5 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #3,684,795 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #21,360 in Christian Bibles (Books)
- #45,728 in Christian Bible Study (Books)

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Eugene H. Peterson

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Peterson, now retired, was for many years James M. Houston Professor of Spiritual Theology at Regent College in Vancouver, British Columbia. He also served as founding pastor of Christ Our King Presbyterian Church in Bel Air, Maryland. In addition to his widely acclaimed paraphrase of the Bible, The Message (NavPress), he has written many other books.

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2,191 global ratings

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DEBORAH

Great Bible

Reviewed in the United States on January 23, 2024

Verified Purchase

I purchased this Bible for my daughter and myself. It put scripture in plain understandable language. It so easy to read. Highly recommended.

2 people found this helpful

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A. Runte

Perfect new look at the Bible

Reviewed in the United States on January 15, 2011

Verified Purchase

I am so pleased with this purchase. My husband gave me an ESV Bible as my bride's gift and we used it to read through the whole Bible together (first time for both of us) last year. While shopping for a Bible for a friend who is saved but doesn't attend church and only recently started attending Bible study with me, I decided to get her the Message Bible hoping she'd find it easier to pick up and read. I got her a beautiful leather bound Message Bible and before giving it to her, my hubby and I took a look at it and both agreed that it might be nice to have one and read through the Bible again using this version. The only downside to the one I got her is that it's very difficult to find an exact verse. So in a church or Bible Study setting, if you are asked to turn to a specific passage, she'd know she was on the right page but would have to wait until the scripture was read before browsing the page to find it. It also was purely Bible. No help understanding what each book was or anything.
This particular Bible (Tan & Dark Brown Lthr Lk)is what I got my husband for Christmas and he really likes it. He doesn't generally take his Bible to church (opts to read it on the screen or look on mine) and has never taken it with him anywhere. However, he's been taking it to work with him almost daily. It's a rather masculine cover (though I wouldn't feel funny carrying it - it's not super masculine) and I'm not unhappy with the fake leather. It's actually the same material as mine. If feels and looks nice. What I especially like about it is the verses are more closely numbered. They still aren't numbered verse by verse but each paragraph says what verses it contains next to it. So you only have to guess with 1-3 instead of an entire page. And my husband really likes not having each verse numbered. He says it feels more like you are reading a regular book. I also like that it gives a very good history of each book as well as the Old and New Testaments and the Books of Moses, Law, Prophets etc.
I highly recommend this particular Message Bible.

16 people found this helpful

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Aubrey Lauren Padilla

Comfortable text size

Reviewed in the United States on January 17, 2024

Verified Purchase

For those of you wondering, the cover is the exact same as the dust jacket. The text size is comfortable and it's so refreshing to read the Bible without the mystery.

One person found this helpful

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GTOlson

Exciting, dynamic and surprising

Reviewed in the United States on October 26, 2005

Verified Purchase

After perusing the opinions expressed, I feel compelled to offer mine:

I love the Message translation/adaptation. My first real Bible was the King James Version (KJV). I liked the beautiful wording but to me now it seems archaic. I doth not speaketh in the style `tis written. To this day the KJV takes me back to uncomfortable polished pews, boring sermons and generally feels stale to me. I craved a translation that captured the beauty of the KJV translation but with contemporary grammatical construction. I found it in the New King James Version which to this day remains my primary study translation.

Enter the Message. My father gave me a copy and I love it. People point out it may not be a good study Bible. I don't think it was ever meant to be a study Bible - hence no chapter or verse numbers, but rather a fresh and contemporary interpretation of Biblical meaning. People may disagree on the philological nuances; however, the translation is fresh and adds a new perspective to Scripture for me.

Christianity to me is exciting, dynamic, and surprising. This is also my description of the Message. Is it more of a paraphrase or a commentary? I don't know - maybe in some sections, but I don't think it ever perverts the meanings of the Scripture. You can in some degree make the same assertion about any texts outside of the ancient Greek and Hebrew originals - we all bring our interpretation of language to any specific translation - just as we all bring our own personal experiences and biases to our walk with God.

Should we then all agree upon one translation and put this issue out of our minds? After all that's what other "religions" have done with their texts - i.e. the Koran and the Book of Mormon. Of course not. Different translations/interpretations speak more powerfully to different readers.

In the end I view the Message as a fun and fresh way to read Scripture. Not a substitute for the academic translation of your choice, but I believe it makes God's word more accessible.

26 people found this helpful

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Martin Rose

Amazing. A fresh look for new believers.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 21, 2023

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I love this version. Not above any other version I have read but, it is so easy to digest. It is not meant to be a replacement but an addition.

Gilbert Brave

Priceless

Reviewed in Canada on March 24, 2021

Verified Purchase

Bought this Message Bible for $13 less because it was used. Great deal, although I don’t know who lets go of the book of life

One person found this helpful

Bet

Great additional Bible

Reviewed in Germany on November 24, 2021

Verified Purchase

This is a great additional Bible to have. The font size is good, but the ink is faint, which makes it harder for me to read. I wish it had more visual contrast.

DIANA ISIS BRISEÑO

REALMENTE NOS HACE LLEGAR TODO EL MENSAJE BÍBLICO A NUESTOS CORAZONES

Reviewed in Mexico on February 11, 2020

Verified Purchase

200% Recomendable !

La Biblia me llegó en perfecto estado y puntualmente en el día señalado. Por mucho es de toda mi colección de Biblias la que más amo; el tamaño de su letra así
como la disposición del texto en una sola columna son magníficos para leerla con mucha comodidad y ni que decir del contenido, es maravillosa la forma en como el Pastor Eugene H. Peterson traduce el texto bíblico al lenguaje actual de los jovenes y de toda nuestra sociedad moderna en general, NO ES una traducción fiel palabra por palabra de los textos originales lo que SÍ ES es una interpretación pastoral en el lenguaje actual que nos hace llegar a nuestras mentes y a nuestros corazones ""EL MENSAJE"" integro de la Biblia en una forma que resulta ser realmente emotiva, atractiva, poderosa, carismática, explicativa, luminosa y clarificadora como posiblemente nunca antes nadie nos lo había hecho llegar, es como escuchar en vivo de boca del Pastor Peterson un pequeño sermón sobre cada capítulo de la Biblia o sobre cada grupo de versículos de esta. ¡¡¡ ADORO ESTA BIBLIA !!!