Rating: 
Summary: good for reading
Review: I highly recommend this version to encourage daily Bible reading, but wouldn't use it as my only Bible. Use it as a supplement to another, more 'literal' translation for broader, deeper insight.
For Bible studies and following along when someone is teaching, I usually use my NIV (because I put years worth of notes in the margins before realizing that it has a couple of serious flaws in translation) or the Amplified Bible (excellent and interesting!).
Before I fell so in love with Jesus that I now crave reading the Bible, I mostly only read it when I felt obligated. I had received Christ into my life, but got most of my Bible teaching verbally and through media about the Bible. I just couldn't get interested in the text enough to sit still and keep reading it for myself.
I did eventually read the Bible enough to become fascinated with it. But I wish I'd had The Message version when I was younger, since seeing it help several other people who are like I was--intimidated and antsy about reading the Bible for myself.
It makes a great gift (supplementing a more "literal" version). And for me, when I'm not in "study" mode and I'm just reading for Biblical encouragement, I find The Message a refreshing, encouraging choice.
Rating: 
Summary: Good study, but not a Bible.
Review: I thought this book was actually very helpful. I look at it just as I do any other book written by man, because it is. I do, however, think it is quite misleading to call this book a "Bible" since it is grossly misinterpreted and shares almost solely the view of the author. This is the word of Eugene Peterson, not the Word of God. As long as that is kept in mind, it can be very helpful.
Rating:
Summary: Refreshing, surprisingly accurate & revives tired verses...
Review: If you've been in church for more than a year, it's likely you've already heard certain verses over and over and over. There's more to God's Word than John 3:16!!! This well done paraphrase (from the original languages) helps you tackle the whole of the Bible. In addition, those overdone verses are given new life! Here's John 3:16 in the Message Remix:
"This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed, by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life."
or John 1:1 "The Word was first, the Word present to God, God present to the Word. The Word was God, in readiness for God from day one."
Amazingly enough, passages such as John 6 53-58 are virtually unchanged from NIV or like translations. Here is John 6 :53-58
"But Jesus didn't give an inch. "Only insofar as you eat and drink flesh and blood, the flesh and blood of the Son of Man, do you have life within you. The one who brings a hearty appetite to this eating and drinking has eternal life and will be fit and ready for the Final Day. My flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. By eating my flesh and drinking my blood you enter into me and I into you. "When Mr. Patterson gets it right-it's downright beautiful! As for the craftsmanship of the Bible, I have the hardbound version. The pages are thick enough that print does not bleed through. Print is a decent size. Also, this Remix has the chapter verse for easy to find convenience. The Bible appears to be well put together, sewn pages-not "glued in". Lastly, the size is easy to carry-a big improvement over the original message. This is about 5 x 7 and about 3" thick.
Rating:
Summary: Caution: Camel Ahead
Review: Let me tell you what I love about this translation. It captures the heart and spirit and soul of these long dead writers and makes the message breathe again. It lets you read a letter from Paul in the New Testament and get a glimpse of what it might have been like to be in that first century church when the parchment was opened and read for the first time - hearing your issues, fears, hopes, and sins being directly addressed. I can appreciate that this is far from a word-for-word translation. But word-for-word translation is not the gold standard of biblical scholarship that many make it out to be. The problem with literal translation is that while you can translate the words accurately, you have just ripped them out of their original context and culture and thrown them 2000 years into the future, and plopped them down on to a page for everyone to ooh and aah over. It's all very academically commendable that you can tell me that "in John Chapter 3 verse 15 Jesus says that 'whoever believes may in Him have eternal life'... that is according to a third century papyrus fragment which is also found in a fourth century uncial; but that third century papyrus also adds in the phrase 'will not perish' - but that isn't found in the fourth century Latin manuscripts, or the early Coptic or Syritic versions, so that phrase was probably added..." Sorry, my eyes just glazed over. My mind was wandering... something about missing the forest for the trees. Someone very wise once warned about being too careful to strain out the gnat, while swallowing a camel... Anyway, my point is, by every account, listening to Jesus speak was a life changing experience. This translation captures that essence - which carries crucial meaning and impact. Think of this contemporary example: Martin Luther King's "I have dream" speech. What makes it so powerful? The words are a part of it, certainly. But there is also the context of that unprecedented moment in time - that gathering. There is the very simple vocabulary he used - that conveys the sense that this man is "of the people". There is the rhythm. Those strong Baptist cadences that signal a call and response. That conveyed the sense that this was not just a political message - this is a spiritual message. All of those woven together, consciously or unconsciously, are used to shape our messages. They say, "THIS SENTENCE IS IMPORTANT. This one, not as important, but stay with me because I'm building to something good." Think of what would be missed if you didn't speak English, knew nothing about the 60's in America, but only had a word for word transcription of that speech. You might scratch your head wondering what all the fuss was about. Get my drift? The truth is, anyone who studies language will tell you that we don't communicate words, or even sentences. We speak, we communicate, in paragraphs. A paragraph is an idea. We use sentences, or fragments of sentences to build paragraphs. If you really want to get to the heart of the Bible (yes, I'm finally coming back to that) you want to grab a hold of the paragraphs. Take those ancient Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic words and re-arrange them into meaningful paragraphs, one idea building on another, and you will have come back to what the original author was trying to get across. The ancient words are not (pardon the pun) " the message". They are the tools used get the message across to their contemporaries. If we want to experience that same message, we have to blow the dust off these words, and try to reconstruct the inspired, revolutionary, life altering meaning that burned in their author's hearts. The Message is a tool that can help in that regard. It's not the only tool, to be sure - but even if this was the only Bible you ever read, I think I can safely say that you will be the better for having experienced it. Re: 5 stars - I mean, jeeze, if you don't give THE BIBLE five stars, you must have some pretty tough standards...
Rating: 
Summary: For mature readers only...
Review: My recommendations if you must read "The Message": 1) Read with a mature Christian
2) Always read side-by-side with a real translation
3) Use as a study aid, not a Bible
4) Do not use for memorization A paraphrase is a restatement of a text in different words, hopefully to clarify the meaning of the original. Although "The Message" succeeds at this in a number of places, it fails in far too many--either to clarify or to restate the original meaning. Having said the above...I do believe that the author created this work with good faith and intent. He is a good writer with a flair for the poetic, which I appreciate. His "take" on some passages has led me to research them in the original texts and reflect on them further, which certainly benefits me. As I said, my recommendation, if you are going to use "The Message," is to use it with great care.
Rating:
Summary: just bought it .
Review: okay i just bought this (paraphrased)bible about 2 hours ago. which would be 6:55 p.m. 4/17 .. i work at a bookstore and i noticed this new bible. the cover caught my attention right away and i wanted to know what it was about. i wanted something that would help me get me through the bible. i had tried once before to read the niv bible . i only got halfway through it, before putting it down. and that was a few years ago. I have a few diffrent views and beliefs than most christians, but I want to read His word , i want to read something that i can understand better. I am reading some of these reviews and a few people are complaining about how his paraphrase is way diffrent from the original text. the funny thing is .. there a lot of people who i have spoken to who feel the same way about diffrent versions of the bible , like kjv, nkjv, niv, nlt, nrsb, etc.. some people will only read certain ones because they feel the other versions aren't telling the real truth. with that said. the editors specifically write in the intro of this (paraphrased) bible, "that this is a reading bible , and is not intended to replace study bibles"when you come across ideas , or words that you don't understand, don't hesitate to get some help from someone who may have spent more years reading the Bible than you have. And at some point along the way, you may find it helpful to get a standard study Bible to facilitate further study. Until then, just pray as you read through the Bible , asking God to have his way with your life." there it is folks. it is recommended that you have a study bible. so it even admits that this isn't something to replace the actual Bible. i am more than happy to have bought this paraphrase feeling like i will get through the whole Bible a lot more easier now, with some help from a guy who wants more people like me get to know Gods' word. i will write further reviews on this as i get through the reading. so stay tuned in.
Rating: 
Summary: Helpful, but not to be used in place of the Bible
Review: Recently I purchased a devotional so that I could study the Bible daily and really begin to study and understand God's word. As we all know, the Bible isn't the easiest thing to understand at times. There are some scriptures that I just can't understand completely, and I really didn't like getting a vague idea about what I was reading. I'd sit there for long periods of time thinking it over and over, praying about it, but I just couldn't get it sometimes. So, I bought The Message Remix to help me. I still belive strongly that The Message Remix should NOT be read in place of the Bible, but should be used ONLY as an aid in reading the Bible. It's a good source to turn to for quick clarification.
Rating:
Summary: SloppyNoodle.com Youth Review -Understanding for Modern Life
Review: Recommended not to replace the bible, but as a representation of the bible for todays everyday modern life.
Rating:
Summary: Easy to understand.
Review: Thank you Mr. Peterson for a Bible that I can finally understand. It's not that I am lazy, it's just that I sometimes find biblical passages hard to understand and need a little extra help with what the passage is trying to say. My sister actually bought this for me a few months ago and I've been steadily reading it in between my school work and other activities. My friends joke around with me and ask why I'm reading a Bible with contemporary language. They say something like "did you get to the part yet where Jesus checks his email?" or some other obnoxious phrase. They of course have no idea that as they are struggling through their bible verses, I'm crusing towards the finish line. If you find yourself in the same situation as I once did, pick this Bible up! I strongly recommend.
Rating: 
Summary: The Bible in Deceptive New Age Terminology
Review: The Message is not a translation of biblical scripture. True translation is taking the original Greek and Hebrew texts, being very careful to preserve their true meaning as much as possible, word by word and phrase by phrase, while translating them into another language so that the exact meaning is kept intact, nothing is removed or added, and there is no discrepancy about what God is actually saying in the text. Anything outside of this is changes the true meaning of the Bible, and is re-wording God's Word. Please allow me to illustrate to you several terms that Mr. Peterson has used in his paraphrase that show that he did not directly translate the Greek and Hebrew text, and thus has changed not just God's actual meaning of key phrases and verses, but has removed key phrases from his paraphrase that directly change the actual words, phrases, and true message of God. This then makes The Message one man's interpretation and paraphrase rather than God's direct Word. Example 1: Please compare Matthew 6:9-13, the Lord's prayer, below with Mr. Peterson's version: Matthew 6:9-13 from the NIV:"Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation,But deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. From The Message: "Our Father in heaven,Reveal who you are. Set the world right; Do what's best-As above, so below. Keep us alive with three square meals. Keep us forgiven with you and forgiving others. Keep us safe from ourselves and the Devil. You're in charge!" Let me extract from Mr. Peterson's words, the phrase "As above, so below." This is the key phrase here that is not a direct translation of scripture, and it does not even come close. Here is why: This is a classic new-age term and phrase used widely in the new-age realm. It got its start, and has its main domain, in the new-age movement. It does not represent Christianity. If you do a Google search on the phrase you will see how many Wiccan, pagan, and new-age sites come up that use this phrase and its meaning. "As above, so below" agrees with the "immanent" new-age view that God is not only outside of creation, but also within creation. It means that God is "in" everyone and everything, and denotes the new-age concept of "One-ness." It is a pantheistic term. Pantheism has no place in Christianity or the Bible. It says all of the universe (the heavens and heaven), the cosmos, and the earth-everything existent in creation-is part of God, is one with God, and one with everything, in a form of new-age unity that opposes scripture and the true nature of God. From the new-age book written by Ronald S. Miller and the editors of "New Age Journal" titled "As Above, So Below": ..." 'As above, so below; as below, so above.' This maxim implies that the transcendent God beyond the physical universe and the immanent God within ourselves are one." Mr. Peterson should not be using this terminology to paraphrase the Bible when Christianity and God's terms and meanings are as opposite to the pagan new-age movement and their beliefs as night-time is to day-time. Mr. Peterson again presents a similar use of this new-age phrase in place of "in heaven" and "in earth" in Colossians 1:16: "For everything, absolutely everything, above and below..." Example 2: Mr. Peterson has directly removed key phrases and meanings from a lot of the scripture he has paraphrased. Let's look again at the Lord's prayer for a key example: The NIV: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.Your kingdom come. The Message: Our Father in heaven, Reveal who you are. Set the world right; "Hallowed be Your name" has been totally removed, and not even rephrased and added back in with the rest of his words. "Your kingdom come" has also been removed. This essentially takes the actual words and meaning which the Lord Jesus spoke and changes what He actually said. It removes the expressed, exact meaning, and therefore it removes the value of the written text. "Reveal who you are" and "Hallowed be Your name" are not even close to having the same distinct meaning to each other. "Your kingdom come" and "Set the world right" do not even come close to having the same distinct meaning. Jesus was speaking directly of the Father's kingdom; Mr. Peterson is talking about the world in his paraphrase. This re-phrasing of the Lord's prayer changes the Lord Jesus' spoken words and teaching into flimsy "requests" that He did not say. He was not making requests, He was teaching us, sinful people, how to we are to approach a pure and holy God in prayer. Mr. Peterson has changed the true meaning and character of the scripture here. This is not a translation of true text. No man has any right to do this. The Bible is clear about that. There is plenty of warning in the Bible about removing from or adding to God's words and His distinct meanings. For example, Deuteronomy 4:2 "You shall not add to the word which I command you to observe, nor take anything from it..." Deuteronomy 12:32 "Whatever I command you, be careful to observe it; you shall not add to it nor take away from it." Proverbs 30:5-6 "Every word of God is pure...Do not add to His words, lest He reprove you, and you be found a liar." Mr. Peterson has both added meanings that are not being represented by actual scripture and he has removed key phrases and meaning from the actual scripture, thus greatly changing the meaning in many parts. There are other verses that Mr. Peterson has done the same thing with as the examples above, but time does not allow for that here. Anyone can compare Mr. Peterson's words to the actual Word of God and see for themselves as a personal study. These are just a few examples of why Mr. Peterson's The Message should not be even referred to as a translation of the Bible. It is easy to accept and believe everything that comes along that is labeled "Christian", but the new-age movement is creeping into the Church and many Christians can't see it. Jesus said, "Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free." What I would like to know is, if Mr. Peterson is a Christian then why did he choose to use the new-age phrase "as above, so below" and from what source did he get it from?
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