The Voice of the Psalms - Book Review

I was very excited to review The Voice of the Psalms as part of the BookSneeze book review program for Thomas Nelson.  This translation has many contributors known as Friends of the Ecclesia Bible Society.  All of its contributors are artists -- musicians, writers, editors and scholars, and this is displayed through the book's beautifully illustrated cover, artistic background on every page, as well as the thick paper it is printed on.  It is a nice book to hold in your hands and read!  Overall, I liked the book.  As a person who has somewhat limited understanding of the Bible on the first read, it is always helpful to find a translation, such as The Voice, that will attempt to put the Word of God into today's language to help the reader understand the scripture.  I do question, however, whether this particular translation holds true to the original context of scripture.  For instance, throughout The Voice, the Name of the Lord has been replaced with The Eternal One.  Although I am not one to judge if this is right or wrong, it is foreign to me to speak of the Lord in this way.  My mind would immediately go back to the translations I was most comfortable with which refer to the Lord as simply that, Lord.  On a more positive note, I did find the small devotionals throughout The Voice helpful, and I appreciated the four Bible reading plans offered (Advent, Lent, comfort and guidance, and praise) which are given to further assist the reader.

I would recommend this book for those who have knowledge and understanding of the Word of God already, who will know and understand if something is being taken out of context.  For those such people, it could be a nice refreshing read.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”