An Imprint of Human Development Books
Welcome to our most recent Creative Commons offering
THE SPOKEN ENGLISH NEW TESTAMENT
A New Translation from the Greek by J. Webb Mealy
Click here to download full PDF (590 pages)
“Here’s a translation that successfully bridges the gap between conformity to the original Greek of the New Testament, and the English language as it is normally spoken nowadays. No small feat!”
– Robert H. Gundry, Scholar-in-residence and Professor emeritus of New Testament and Greek, Westmont College
“This version has the potential of being one of the best Bible translations I have seen.”
– Peter Kirk, Better Bibles Blog
Why should there be a “spoken English” New Testament?
In ancient times reading aloud was actually the standard way of reading a book. Most of the New Testament was written to be read aloud in Christian communities. The Gospels record the spoken teachings and conversations of Jesus, and they were regularly read aloud to groups of Christians. The Apostle Paul typically dictated his letters with his voice, rather than writing them by hand. And many non-Pauline letters (such as 1 John, James, and the letters of Peter and Jude) appear to be composed of material from sermons. Perhaps most obvious of all, passages of the New Testament are read aloud in churches every single week!
What’s unique about this Spoken English New Testament (“SENT”)?
SENT gives the reader the closest possible rendering of the scriptural text, while rendering the text into natural and accessible spoken English.
SENT supplies numerous easy-to-understand explanations of Bible words and and terms, and gives many “literal” and alternative renderings in footnotes.
SENT assists reading aloud by sounding out unfamiliar words, names, and place names. Italics in the main text help the reader by suggesting words to emphasize when reading a sentence aloud.
SENT has been tested and improved with the help of dozens of real readers who read the text aloud in focus groups. Various kinds of Christians and non-Christians when reading a sentence aloud.
SENT has been placed into the Creative Commons, and may be freely incorporated into other educational materials. PDF editions of the full text are available free of charge from the publisher.
J. Webb Mealy holds a PhD in Biblical Studies from the University of Sheffield, England, and is an experienced editor of academic books in biblical studies. A Christian theologian, biblical scholar, and peace and justice activist, he makes his home in Whitsett, North Carolina.
Published by Head, Heart & Hands Books, an imprint of Human Development Books, Eugene, Oregon, in cooperation with Lulu.com.
Click here to download full, free, PDF (590 pages)
Printed copies available from Lulu.com ($20 plus shipping)