Holy Scriptures Contained in the Old and New Testaments: Revised Geneva Translation

De: Various

Narrado por: Steve Cook

The Revised Geneva Translation (based on Shakespeare's favorite Bible translation) was borne of an actor’s need to memorize and speak Scripture out loud with specific meanings and inflections. It is a 21st Century update of the very first widely-distributed version of the Holy Bible in English, The Geneva Bible. Just as in all preceding centuries, Biblical text in the 1500’s was meant to be heard and seen, as much as read, because so many of those who received it were illiterate (especially Gentiles) and needed to memorize it and speak it back to each other often in order to facilitate meditation.

The RGT was created with that in mind. It is specifically designed to be SPOKEN and HEARD, repeatedly; and is built on the premise that a crucial key to revival in the present can be found in one simple practice from the past: speaking God’s Word back to each other in community. To that end, the RGT strives to preserve the textual cadence and poetry that is so essential to Elizabethan literature, while at the same time eliminating archaic and potentially distracting 16th Century words, phrases, and punctuation (such as employing the proper use of parentheses and quotation marks). It preserves the Geneva Bible’s pioneering poetic style (i.e. beginning every verse on a new line—which aids tremendously in memorization).

However, unlike the Geneva Bibles of the 1500’s, there is no commentary or other human adornment. The RGT intentionally omits these things and makes single interpretive choices, based primarily on the translations of William Tyndale and F.H.A. Scrivener. The study of textual variants is left to other Bibles more properly suited for that purpose. Again, the particular purpose of this Bible is to encourage the speaking, hearing and sharing of the simple, powerful, illuminating Word of God alone (Luke 8:21). In scholarly terms, the RGT is a formal or complete equivalency, based on the Byzantine text-type family of manuscripts.

At this writing, the RGT is one of only a handful of modern translations of the New Testament to be so. Most other modern translations, including the NASB, ESV, NIV, and NLT, use the shorter Alexandrian text-type family of manuscripts as their base text, which, in addition to excluding passages such as Mark 16:9-20, John 7:53-8:11, and the “Johannine Comma” of 1John 5:7, also contains hundreds of other undocumented omissions and variations from the text of the Reformation–such as Matthew 17:21, Matthew 18:11, Matthew 23:14, Mark 7:16, Mark 11:26, John 5:4, John 6:47, Acts 8:37, Acts 9:5b-6a, Acts 15:24b, and Colossians 1:14. It is our hope that this project will be a living and active Bible for this generation, built for hearing and doing (Matthew7:24), and that it will be profitable for teaching, convicting, correcting, and instructing in righteousness (2Timothy 3:16)… “…that your faith might not be in the wisdom of man, but in the power of God.” ~1Corinthians 2:5

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This Revised Geneva Audio Bible is the BEST audio Bible I have ever heard!

Five Talents Audio produced this (fivetalentsaudio.com). As far as I can tell, the RGT is the effort of Steve Cook and Robert Bagley. I am used to reading Bibles translated by "committee." So, I have been especailly careful to examine this project, paying particular attention to accuracy. It is tied to the text version, I mean "written book," versions (non-audio) of "Holy Scriptures Contained in the Old and New Testaments - Revised Geneva Translation), a Bible. I was so thrilled with the text version that I bought a second one, despite the $50 cost (I'm used to buying inexpensive outreach Bibles). I have come to see the RGT as a superior translation to the KJV (King James). I find the Geneva, in general, makes the Word of God more understandable, which seem strange since the Geneva is NOT a modern translation, it actually pre-dates the KJV. However, the Revised Geneva is special and helpful because it does update the language to modern English YET while remaining faithful to the original text of the Geneva, which is written in Middle English, complete with the "long s" which looks like an "f" and with "v" meaning "u" and with "j" meaning "i." You will certainly understand if you ever buy a 1560 Geneva. The RGT is based on the 1599 Geneva, which still pre-dates the KJV of 1611. Now, sorry about the long introduction - on to the RGT audio Bible itself - It is easy to see that this project was one of love and devotion. Maximum effort has been made, and it shows. This qualifies as a "dramatized version" and it has been said somewhere that it was meant to be read in "Shakespearean" fashion. The result is wonderful - and never boring. While it does, in rare parts, seems to have been done OVER-dramatically, the majority of the reading absolutely "nails it" - it is so well done, you could even say, "glorious." May God reward the producers of both the text and audio versions of the RGT. I will say that, in the text version, there are some proofreading errors in Matthew, very minor things which do not affect the meaning of the text in any way. I sent an email to Steve. I feel certain this will eventually be worked out. I tend to be a perfectionist - however, these minor imperfections are no reason to discard the RGT. There have been times, since I am so used to the KJV, that I will wonder whether something has been accurately translated in the RGT, but then I will go to the original, Middle English 1560 version of the Geneva to double check it, and it is absolutely accurate and faithfully translated. I still think the KJV is very good but when I compare it to the Geneva, I find the language is clearer. Much clearer. I don't see how anyone could regret buying a copy of the RGT Audio Bible, nor the book version (print version) of the RGT. I am very glad I did buy them.