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THE VOICE: An excellent "reader's script" Bible

the-Voice-BibleTeachers and Drama Workshop Leaders take note.

The Voice is a "dramatic" new kind of Bible from Thomas Nelson that would make a great resource for your Dramatic readings of scripture with kids.

They've laid out the New Testament like a SCRIPT, with Character parts marked, and with an eye towards STORYTELLING.... speaking / hearing the scriptures out loud.

Biblegateway.com offers the Voice as one of its translation options. Here's a link to that. And here is the version information if you would like to read more about the project. (You can see some excerpts below.)

The text has been re-translated into contemporary English FOR HEARING, though it is very interesting to read as well. In some ways, it reminds me of a "toned down" The Message, but with a much more functional layout for use with kids in Bible Study.

Frankly, I'm shocked how good and interesting many passages sound in The Voice, and equally shocked that I have not heard it mentioned before. It released late 2011.  

That said, some passages don't sound right in this translation, such as John 1:1-18 and Psalm 23.  The Voice does dialog and stories really well, but not so well with poetry, IMO.

See examples below.

You can also download a free 11 meg PDF of the VOICE New Testament from their website:

Clever:  The Voice = The Word Spoken
Looking forward to hearing from those who have or will use it.
<>< Neil

EXCERPT from ACT 2 the story of Pentecost:

Acts 2

The Voice (VOICE)

2 When the holy day of Pentecost came 50 days after Passover, they were gathered together in one place

2 Picture yourself among the disciples:

A sound roars from the sky without warning, the roar of a violent wind, and the whole house where you are gathered reverberates with the sound. 3 Then a flame appears, dividing into smaller flames and spreading from one person to the next. 4 All the people present are filled with the Holy Spirit and begin speaking in languages they’ve never spoken, as the Spirit empowers them

5 Because of the holy festival, there are devout Jews staying as pilgrims in Jerusalem from every nation under the sun.6 They hear the sound, and a crowd gathers. They are amazed because each of them can hear the group speaking in their native languages. 7 They are shocked and amazed by this

Pilgrims: Just a minute. Aren’t all of these people Galileans? 8 How in the world do we all hear our native languages being spoken? 9 Look—there are Parthians here, and Medes, Elamites, Mesopotamians, and Judeans, residents of Cappadocia, Pontus, and Asia, 10 Phrygians and Pamphylians, Egyptians and Libyans from Cyrene, Romans including both Jews by birth and converts, 11 Cretans, and Arabs. We’re each, in our own languages, hearing these people talk about God’s powerful deeds.

12   Their amazement becomes confusion as they wonder,

Pilgrims: What does this mean?

Skeptics: 13 It doesn’t mean anything. They’re all drunk on some fresh wine!


EXCERPT of Matthew 26, Jesus at the Last Supper:

The Voice (VOICE)

Jesus: I tell you this: one of you here will betray Me.

22 The disciples, of course, were horrified.

A Disciple: Not me!

Another Disciple: It’s not me, Master, is it?

Jesus: 23 It’s the one who shared this dish of food with Me. That is the one who will betray Me. 24 Just as our sacred Scripture has taught, the Son of Man is on His way. But there will be nothing but misery for he who hands Him over. That man will wish he had never been born.

25 At that, Judas, who was indeed planning to betray Him, said,

Judas Iscariot: It’s not me, Master, is it?

Jesus: I believe you’ve just answered your own question.




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Last edited by Amy Crane
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