To Korean readers
Introduction to the Message Bible
How to Use the Message Bible
To the readers of 『Message』
Preface to "Message"
Reviewer's note
Preface to the Book of Prophecy

Isaiah
Jeremiah
lamentations
Ezekiel
Daniel
Hosea
Joel
Amos
Obadiah
Jonah
Micah
Nahum
Habakkuk
Zephaniah
Haggae
Zechariah
Malachi

References
One year of meditation on the Word
『Message Bible Reading Guide』
Subject Index

▶ Key Features of the Message Bible

1.
600 commentaries on the text to aid meditation
We've included short passages throughout the Bible to help you understand what the text is about or what reactions arise within you as you read it.


2.
400 Questions for Application and Sharing
Throughout the book, we've included questions that encourage us to pause and reflect on how what's happening in the text intersects with what's happening in our lives.
These 'pause' questions can prompt us to think more calmly about the passage, reflect on our own past, or even invite us to pray and act in faith on what we read.

3.
52 Reflections for a Year of Meditation on the Word
Sometimes the best way to enter the Bible is to sit with God for a while.
After the preface, each book includes a brief introduction to the important passages in the book.
Taking some time to reflect and examine the main ideas of the passage, prepare yourself to pray about it, and delve deeper into the Bible will be greatly helpful.

4.
Book-by-book introductions providing an overview of the entire Bible
At the beginning of each book (or books) of the Bible, there is a preface explaining the topic.
Rather than focusing on academic details like time periods or geographical locations, this introduction focuses on how God's grand vision that runs through the Bible is revealed through specific words written to and about specific people in specific places.


5.
The Message Bible Reading Guide to Help You Read the Bible Every Day
The Message Bible Reading Guide is specially designed to help you read the Bible.
By reading four different sections of the Bible each day, you will not only explore the diversity of perspectives but also come to understand the unity of Scripture.


“900,000 readers have read The Message, and they continue to do so.”
Global Village Church, Sarang Church, Onnuri Church, Samil Church, Bundang Woori Church, Nampo Church, Seoul Yeongdong Church, Seoul Eunhyeon Church, Seoul Dream Church, Basic Church, Hyanghyang Church, Oryun Church, Suyeongro Church, Manna Church, Ulsan Church, Ansan Dongsan Church, Jesus Village Church, Ilsan Grace Church, Bundang Dure Church, Gwacheon Church, Seomun Church, Busan Bujeon Church, Dongan Church, Jangseok Church, Incheon Juan Methodist Church, Christian Holiness Church of Korea Gangnam District, missionary organizations IVF, CCC, JOY, ESF, UBF, YWAM, Far East Broadcasting, Ministry of National Defense Chaplaincy, BBB (Workplace Bible Study Group), G&M Cultural Foundation
In addition, many churches and organizations recommend The Message or use it as a Bible reading, and as a reference text for sermons, Bible study, and personal meditation.

The Message is a readable Bible written in everyday language.
The Message began with a pastor's passion to get his congregation reading the Bible.
“What a refreshing shock it would be for church members to be able to read the Bible in its original text,” I thought, and began translating the book of Galatians into the everyday language they use, so that they could approach the Bible more closely.
Those who read the translation, which took a year to complete, found that the Bible was a book that could be read, understood, and read without any help.
Because the Bible was written in the language we use on the streets, in the marketplace, and at the dinner table, the everyday language we use with our families, friends, and colleagues.

The Message is a Bible that faithfully translates the original text of the Bible.
"The Message" is the culmination of a lifetime of experience by Eugene Peterson, a scholar who has spent his entire life reading, studying, and teaching the Bible in its original language, and who has also served as a pastor for 35 years.
Rather than a direct translation, of which there are already many good translations, he paraphrased the original text in contemporary language to convey its meaning more vividly and impressively.
I spent 6 hours a day, 5 days a week, on this translation project for 10 years.
In this way, The Message is a personal translation based on one person's theological, pastoral, and historical background, but it has been academically verified through the review of trusted Old and New Testament scholars in North America.

The Message is a Bible that follows the tradition of Bible translation.
William Tyndale, one of the greatest Bible translators of the 16th century, said he would translate the Bible so that “a boy who plows the field may read it.”
Following the tradition of translation that requires everyone to read it in the language of the time, the Bible has been constantly retranslated to suit new times and readers.
It was because of this precious tradition that everyone could access the gospel message through the Bible, which everyone could read.
The Message also follows the long history and tradition of Bible translation.

The Message is the Bible chosen by 10 million readers.
Since the publication of the New Testament in 1993 and the complete translation in 2002, 10 million readers in the English-speaking world alone have chosen to read The Message.
As a "Bible beside the Bible," not only supporting and superbly complementing the existing Bible, but also bringing the meaning of the text to life, The Message is the most widely read and cited of all the Semantic Bibles.

The Message is the Bible for you.
Whether you are a first-time Bible reader or someone who has been reading for so long that it feels so familiar that it feels unfamiliar, someone who wants to study the Bible or someone who wants to meditate deeply on the Word alone, a preacher or Sunday school teacher who teaches the Bible, a seeker or non-believer who feels the need to read the Bible… The Message is the Bible for you.

"The Message" is a "readable Bible" that condenses Eugene Peterson's 35 years of pastoral experience and expertise as a theology professor.
This book, brimming with scholarly rigor as well as a sense of intimacy and warmth that a public translation of the Bible cannot offer, provides an opportunity for both Christians and the general public to become closer to the Bible.
_「Kookmin Ilbo」

I thank God for giving me the ‘Message’.
Eugene Peterson's The Message helped the church read the Bible anew.
_Christianity Today