THE PASSION TRANSLATION BIBLE:  JOHN, THE PSALMS, AND PROVERBS

DR. BRIAN SIMMONS

ISBN  978-1-4245-4958-0  (JOHN:  ETERNAL LOVE)

           978-1-4245-4942-0  (PROVERBS:  WISDOM FROM ABOVE)

          978-1-4245-4936-8   (PSALMS:  POETRY ON FIRE)

Holy Bible / Translation / Commentary

Broadstreet Publications

108 pages (John)

143 pages (Proverbs)

301 pages (Psalms)

$ 19.99 (U.S.) Psalms

$14.99  John, Proverbs

The reason for reviewing three different books in one post is due to the fact that the books themselves are not the focus.  Rather, I wish to expose readers to the Passion Translation Project, of which I have received the three volumes for review:  John: Eternal Love, Proverbs:  Wisdom From Above, and The Psalms:  Poetry On Fire.  Each of these volumes is an original translation from the desk of Dr. Brian Simmons.  Brian and Candice Simmons have been described as true pioneers in ministry. As a spiritual father and mother, their teaching and spiritual gifts have opened doors in many nations to take the message of authentic awakening and revival to many. For the last 40 years they have labored together to present Christ in His fullness wherever God sends them.

After a dramatic conversion to Christ in 1971 Brian answered the call of God to leave everything behind and become a missionary to the tribes. Taking his wife and three children to the jungle of Central America they pioneered church plants for many years with the Kuna people group. While serving as missionaries, Dr. Simmons planted churches and established leadership for the churches that Jesus birthed. As a linguist, Brian also was the co-translator for the Kuna New Testament.

Many people have approached the Holy Bible with the preconceived notion that, because the Bible was written over a period of 1500 years, by 40 different authors, in numerous geographical and historical / cultural settings, it must be inherently impossible to dogmatically declare “Thus saith the Lord.”  No one can ever really say what it was that God was communicating in His word, and therefore the Bible is irrelevant to my life today. It’s a best seller, it’s a wonderful book – but it has no authoritative bearing on my life, in the here and now.

Dr. Brian Simmons candidly begs to differ with that point of view, and he does so in a warmly devotional manner, firmly resting on bedrock scholarship.  His ministry has produced THE PASSION TRANSLATION, a dynamic-equivalent translation of the Holy Scriptures from the ancient Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic into modern English.

The Passion Translation Project is a groundbreaking attempt to re-introduce the passion and fire of the Bible to the English reader. God longs to have His Word expressed in every language in a way that would unlock the passion of His heart. The goal of this work is to trigger inside of every English speaker an overwhelming response to the truth of the Bible—unfolding the deep mysteries of the Scriptures in the language of love, the language of the heart. This translation is accurate to the Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic texts, but passionately powerful in a contemporary form.

So why another translation? Many wonderful versions of our Bible now grace our bookshelves, bookstores, software programs, even apps on our phones. So why add one more? The reason is simple: God wants His message of love to be received in every culture, every community, and every language. So, what about the language of love? There is a language of the heart that must express the passion of this love-theology. That is the purpose of the Passion Translation.

The Passion Translation is not merely a word-for-word translation; it is a thought-for-thought expression of God’s passion. Expect to be surprised, even stunned by the depth of revelation that this translation brings to you.

5 stars for a translation burning with passion that springs from compassion