A BREAKTHROUGH IN
BIBLE TRANSLATIONS
The Bible as Poetry New Testament has more ‘firsts’ than any other Bible translation. It is the:
- FIRST to show the whole New Testament is poetry more
All poetry has some form of repetition. Most English poetry repeats the sound at the end of a line. The poetry in the Bible repeats a word or a thought.
To display the poetry, the Bible as Poetry indents matching lines by the same amount. Then you can easily see which lines match each other. An example of this is Jesus’ comment in John 17:22-23.
I gave them the honour
which you gave me,
so that they may be one
as we are one –
I in them
and you in me.
The first two lines above are poetic matches because they both have the word ‘gave.’ Similarly the middle two lines are poetic matches because they repeat ‘one.’ And the last two lines match by repeating ‘in.’
What is astonishing is that the whole New Testament follows this repeating pattern. But until now, almost no one has noticed it.
- FIRST to identify 2424 double meanings more
The New Testament writers were brilliant. They constantly used double meanings to entice their readers. But today, hardly anyone knows the double meanings exist.
One example of a double meaning is Acts 8:2. It reports that after Stephen was murdered, “devout men” buried him. However, the Greek also means “nervous men” or “fearful men.” These men would have been nervous because by honouring Stephen with a decent burial they could be the next to be executed. Double meanings like this give us incredible new insights into the Scriptures.
There are almost 10 double meanings per chapter in the New Testament. Discovering them all will give you a Bible-reading experience beyond anything you’ve ever had before.
Only a handful of scholars know about these double meanings. Now the Bible as Poetry reveals them to everyone.
- FIRST to locate the Bible’s ‘missing verses’ more
Many people worry that modern translations leave out Bible verses. But the verses aren’t missing at all. And the Bible as Poetry is the first modern translation to prove it.
The ‘missing verses’ are still in the Bible – if you know where to look. And the Bible as Poetry shows you where to look.
Here’s how ‘missing verses’ were created.
In ancient times it cost a year’s wages to buy enough paper to write out the New Testament. Many people could only afford enough paper to have one Bible book. While copying, say, Matthew, a person might see that Luke’s version of the same story adds an extra thought. So the copyist put Luke’s words into this personal copy of Matthew (because the copyist knew he would never be able to afford his own copy of Luke).
Over the centuries that manuscript of Matthew was copied by others. And eventually it became the basis for the first printed English Bibles. That meant the early English Bibles include these transposed words – which actually came from somewhere else in Scripture. Modern English Bibles leave these transposed words out, or put them in the footnotes. And that makes some people worry that modern Bibles have left out important words.
But at last we have the answer! Now the Bible as Poetry tells you where 200XXX sets of transposed words come from. For example, most modern translations leave out Matthew 18:10. That verse says, “The Son of man came to save what was lost.” Many people are upset that those beautiful words are left out. But the ‘missing verse’ isn’t missing at all. The Bible as Poetry margin shows you that it’s still in the Bible – it’s in Luke 19:10.
The Bible as Poetry lets people know that these words actually are part of the Bible. They just belong in another part of Scripture. This gives readers confidence that these verses haven’t been added or left out of Scripture.
- FIRST to let its readers understand Revelation more
This is the first translation to provide the clues to interpret the Book of Revelation. Revelation has 873 unseen quotes from the Old Testament. These are placed in italics.
The italics show that most of Revelation’s strange symbols are quotes from Old Testament chapters. Without exception, if you look up the Old Testament chapter, it will give you an interpretation of the symbol. This is the Bible’s own interpretation. And the Bible as Poetry is the first translation that lets you discover what these strange symbols mean.
- FIRST to list added words as footnotes more
All English translations add words that are not in the original Greek. But when you read them, you may not know which words they’ve added.
Some translation put added words in italics. But they haven’t been thorough in doing the job. They mark only 30% of the total words they’ve added.
The Bible as Poetry has done the most thorough survey ever made of English words added to the New Testament. And it puts these added words in a list at the bottom of each page.
So now there’s a Bible translation really lets you know what words have been added.
- FIRST to identify 1200 instances of Humor more
There is a large amount of humour in the New Testament. Unfortunately it’s lost in translation.
But the Bible as Poetry comes to the rescue. It shows you when Jesus, Paul, or Peter is being funny. And that’s important when you want to understand their message.
This is the first translation to identify 1200 instances of humour in the margin. That’s almost five cases of humour for each chapter.
- FIRST accurate translation kids can understand more
Many translation claim they combine simplicity and accuracy. This translation is the first that genuinely does it.
The simplicity of the Bible as Poetry comes from its short sentences. The accuracy comes from precisely translated words placed in these short sentences. So while individual words may be harder, overall the sentences are easier.
The Fog Index of Reading Difficulty confirms that the Bible as Poetry is particularly easy to understand. It shows that to easily understand the Bible as Poetry requires about 3-6 years’ less education than other popular translations. Yet the Bible as Poetry is one of the most accurate translations ever produced in the English language.
- FIRST with this brilliant new page layout more
Modern magazines and books have good layout. But the layout of most Bible translations is still in the Dark Ages.
The Bible as Poetry has changed all that. You no longer have to search in the middle of a long paragraph to find the start of a verse. You no longer have to subconsciously ignore verse numbers while you read. You no longer have to tolerate a page that looks like a mass of ugly type.
This layout is designed to be both practical and beautiful. Once you have read the Bible as Poetry for two weeks, you won’t want to go back to the Dark Ages again.
- FIRST with 2000 subtle Greek meanings others miss more
The New Testament often duplicates a word to intensify its meaning. Most translations ignore that fact; but not the Bible as Poetry.
An example of this is ‘not not.’ It is used about 80 times in the New Testament. For example, it’s in Matthew 5:26; 10:42; 16:22. Most translations simply omit one “not,” but this loses the impact. The Bible as Poetry usually says “certainly not” or “certainly won’t” to capture the intensified meaning.
The Greek language of the New Testament had 40 different words for ‘go.’ But most translations don’t let you know the subtle differences. One word means “quietly go” and it occurs 81 times in the New Testament. Most versions simply translate it “go.” But the Bible as Poetry usually captures the nuance of leaving quietly or secretly. (For examples, see Matt 4:10; 5:24, 41; 8:4; 13, 32).
As a form of insult the ancients called a person “this.” It is a slur used about 150 times in the New Testament. (You’ll find it in Matthew 9:3; 13:54-56; 21:38). Most translations don’t try to capture the smear. Instead, they just use the English word “he,” so the insult is lost on English readers. The Bible as Poetry usually captures the derogatory flavour by translating the term as “this fellow,” or “this female.”
These are just a few of the extra subtle meanings you’ll find in the Bible as Poetry. There’s not just dozens of them, and not just hundreds. There are an incredible 2000 places where the Bible as Poetry translates subtle meanings that almost every other translation misses.
- FIRST with 20,000 less words, so you can read it quicker more
Most English translations have 30% more words than the Greek. But the Bible as Poetry has only 15% more words than the Greek. So you can read the Bible as Poetry much faster.
In fact, at a reading speed of 200 words a minutes (which is fairly slow), you can read it all in only 13 hours.
And you don’t miss any of the meaning.
- FIRST to identify 4800 quotes from the Old Testament more
The Bible as Poetry used a computer to match the Old and New Testaments. This revealed 4800 places where the New Testament quotes the Old. But in most places it doesn’t say it’s quoting; so most people don’t know.
In about 2000 of these 4800 places, the Old Testament source adds a little extra meaning to the New Testament words. Imagine that! Two thousand places with meanings hidden below the surface. And only the Bible as Poetry lets you discover them.
- FIRST to give the time to read each book more
At the start of each New Testament book, the Bible as Poetry tell you how long it takes to read it. That’s practical. Before you start, you know if you have enough time to read it all.
- FIRST with ultra-easy-to-find verses more
The Bible as Poetry has an extra column just for verse numbers. It makes it incredibly easy to find the verse number you’re looking for.
- FIRST with LORD in capitals in the New Testament more
Most Bibles put LORD in capitals in the Old Testament. It lets you know that the original word was Yahweh (or Jehovah). But the Bible as Poetry goes further. When the original Hebrew was ‘Yahweh’ it uses LORD in capitals in the New Testament.
It gives you unexpected new insights.
- FIRST with hundreds of explanations about history more
The original readers of the New Testament knew the situation in their day. But to us it’s ancient history. And most of us don’t know it.
The Bible as Poetry margin has hundreds of facts about history and geography. This helps give you the same prior knowledge that the original readers had.
- FIRST to give dates at the start of each book more
If you were one of the first readers of a letter from Paul, you knew the time when it was written. But most of us today don’t have a clue when he wrote it.
The Bible as Poetry has a date at the start of each New Testament book. That helps fix the book in time, as it was fixed in time for its original readers.
- FIRST to rate the certainty of variant readings more
Sometimes two ancient manuscripts have different words in the same verse. Good translations let you know the alternative reading in their footnotes. But the Bible as Poetry goes even further. It rates the certainty that the manuscript followed in the translation was right.
The Bible as Poetry ratings are {a} {b} {c} and {d}. An {a} lets you know when the variant followed in the text is virtually certain. Or a {c} tells you when each variant has an almost equal chance of being original.
Until you’ve had this feature at your fingertips, you have no idea how valuable it can be.
- FIRST with 25,900 marginal notes more
The Bible as Poetry has 25,900 notes in its margin. That’s an incredible number. There are notes for almost every New Testament verse. In fact, the Bible as Poetry has an average of four notes for every verse.
This will help make you an ‘instant expert’ on almost every verse in the New Testament.
- FIRST to combine genuine simplicity and accuracy more
Until now, simple translations have not been very accurate. And accurate translations have been almost impossible to understand. But the Bible as Poetry has changed all that.
In most verses of the New Testament, it is the most accurate translation. And that’s an astonishing claim for a translation that’s so easy to understand.
This translation is accurate enough for a preacher to use when preparing his sermon. Yet it’s so simple he could read it to the kids at church.
- FIRST with 53,000 alternative meanings more
Most English words have narrow meanings. But most Greek words have broad meanings. So it may take three English words to cover the same spectrum of meaning as one Greek word.
The Bible as Poetry margin gives you a broad spectrum of meanings. Discovering all these extra meanings will make the New Testament seem like a new book to you. You’ll love it.
- FIRST with a ‘ticker-tape’ at the bottom of the page more
Some Bibles put headings in the text. But these break up the flow when you’re trying to read a long passage. The Bible as Poetry puts its headings at the bottom of the page (if you can still call them a heading when they’re at the bottom). These ‘headings’ don’t interrupt you when you’re reading a long passage.
There are almost 2000 of these ‘ticker-tape’ listings. That’s one for every five verses of the New Testament. So if you know approximately were a subject is, this ‘ticker-tape’ lets you find it far quicker.
- FIRST with just two clicks to find any chapter more
Sometimes it's hard to find a chapter in an electronic Bible. But with this one, just two clicks of the mouse takes you to the start of any chapter.
So at last there is an electronic version that's much, much quicker to use than a version printed on paper.
- FIRST to reveal Old Testament concealed imagery more
Sometimes a group of friends have words with special meanings that only they understand. That was true of the New Testament Christians.
Many early Christians had memorised large parts of the Old Testament. And often words in the Old Testament were used in a context which gave them a special meaning.
When the Christians used those words, other Christians understood the special meanings. But most other people did not.
Scholars call this ‘concealed imagery.’
And now for the first time, the Bible as Poetry helps you discover the New Testament’s ‘concealed imagery.’
The Bible as Poetry identifies hundreds of Old Testament key words and phrases. It shows where they were used in the New Testament. And it lets you know where to find those words in the Old Testament. When you look up the Old Testament, you can see their special meaning for yourself. So you can discover (without any suggestions from anyone else) the concealed messages that New Testament writers put into what they wrote.
- FIRST to give modern money, times, weights and distances more
Four hundred years ago, the King James Bible asked, “Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing?” (Matthew 10:29). That makes sparrows seem worth only a few cents. But the Bible as Poetry says, “Aren’t two sparrows sold for ten dollars?” That gives a far more accurate picture of how much sparrows cost.
The KJV told us that a woman had “three pecks of flour.” (Matthew 13:33). A ‘peck’ doesn’t seem much, but it was actually a lot. The Bible as Poetry tells you that she had “fifty pounds of dough.” And in the margin it tells you that that’s 25 kilograms.
The KJV and many modern Bibles tell us that Jesus died at “the ninth hour.” But what time of day is that? The Bible as Poetry tells us it was three o’clock in the afternoon.
It makes it so much easier to read when the Bible uses modern measurements.
And wherever the Bible as Poetry uses modern measurements, it gives you the original measurement in the margin.
- FIRST to capture the original beauty of language more
Some Bibles try to add beauty of language when they translate into English. The Bible as Poetry tries to capture the beauty of the original language.
So there’s nothing artificial about how beautiful it is to read the Bible as Poetry. That’s how beautiful it was when the original readers first read it.
- FIRST to give the meanings of Biblical names more
In Bible times, people’s names had meanings. So Bible names are far more meaningful than the names most of us have today.
The Bible as Poetry puts the meaning of names in the margin in 450 places. So you can see for yourself which names are significant.
For example, why did the angel insist that Mary call her baby ‘Jesus’? The Bible as Poetry margin lets you discover the reason for yourself. And why did Jesus change Simon’s name to ‘Peter’? Again, the Bible as Poetry lets you find the answer.
- FIRST to show interrupted conversations more
Ancient Greek had a special way to let readers know when someone was interrupted before they finished speaking. But until now our English translations have ignored this.
The Bible as Poetry lets you see when one person didn’t finishing before another started talking. It makes the conversations so much more natural and alive. And it let’s you capture the feeling of conversation that the original readers also felt.
- FIRST with newly-discovered meanings for difficult words more
Since 1975, scholars have published thousands of Greek documents and inscriptions from New Testament times. It has clarified the meanings of many New Testament words.
So when you read the Bible as Poetry, you’ll discover that Jesus wasn’t only a carpenter. You’ll also find that the word often translated ‘brother’ can be talking about women! You’ll find that Jesus didn’t ask the Pharisees, “Why are you tempting me?” (Matthew 13:55). And you’ll discover that Jesus didn’t call the Pharisees “hypocrites.”
- FIRST with internet passwords for people who buy more
The title page of each copy of the Bible as Poetry has an internet password. This will give you access to hundreds of features on the Bible as Poetry website. And it will let you download free copies of amazing new Christian books – without paying a cent more for them.
- FIRST that’s truly suitable for all age groups more
At last! We have a translation that everyone in the family can use. Grandfather can read it to himself like the scholar that he is. And he can read it aloud to his young granddaughter, who will be delighted to hear these words from his lips.
THIS IS a genuinely unbiased translation. It caters for readers from all schools of thought. And it caters for you.
People can read it for hours at a time -- that's how good it is.
It aims to be the most accurate translation of New Testament. And it succeeds!
Despite this incredible accuracy, it is simple enough for children to understand.
A nine-year-old picked up a PDA hand-held computer. It had the Bible as Poetry on its display. An hour later the nine-year-old said, “I’ve almost finished reading Matthew.”
This shows three incredible things about the Bible as Poetry.
- It is simple enough for a child to understand.
- It doesn’t have the ‘inbuilt barriers’ that stop people reading.
- And once people start reading the Bible as Poetry, it draws them in. They want to keep reading it.
Simple enough for kids to understand.
Accurate enough to prepare a sermon.
Here’s what people are saying about the Bible as Poetry.
- “The Bible as Poetry is a wonderfully readable and accurate translation. It is a masterpiece" -- Mike Cleveland, Pastor, Ohio Valley Church
- “Your translation is awesome” -- Robert Stankovic, University Student
- “The Bible as Poetry has blessed me more than any other version I’ve ever read” -- Sarah Asaftei, Writers Travail Blog
- “I am really impressed with your new translation. The whole concept is awe-inspiring” -- Kathleen McCurdy, La Organización Familia Escolar, Concepción, Chile.
- “I found it powerfully eye-watering to read about the love of Christ. (That’s surprising considering that tears are not something that come to my eyes all that often). I found it very easy to read too, and I'm no great reader” -- Jared Davison, Computer Programmer
- “The Bible as Poetry will make a significant contribution to those longing for the Word” -- Rev Nicholas Connolly on Twitter.
- “It’s refreshing. It looks at things from a new angle. I like it” -- Cornel Jongejan, Retired Salesman
- "This translation is a monumental work. The word choice, syntax, and semantics are awe-inspiring" -- Heather Tredoux, Former Bible School Principal, South Africa.
- “It’s the most beautiful translation of the New Testament you will ever read” -- David Gibbons, Christian TV Program Host
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