Jubilee Bible: From the Scriptures of the Reformation

Over a decade ago, the publishers of The Jubilee Bible sent me a copy to review, so I was pleasantly surprised to hear from the new publisher, Ransom Press International, advising me of the updated version, which they kindly sent me to examine and review.

The back of the protective sleeve my copy arrived in states an extraordinary aspect of this translation: “The Jubilee Bible is the only one we know of that has each unique Hebrew and Greek word matched and mated with a unique English word.”

My first impression of the packaging and the actual copy was, “Well-done!” This edition has an attractive, flexible cover with sewn-in pages that lay flat, revealing wide margins and a very readable 10.5 type with ample leading between the lines. Although no maps have been included, the back matter has a “Bible Dictionary of the Proper Names in Scripture.”

That page also provides a URL for the online Concordance, which, not only shows words translated consistently throughout the Bible, but lists the number of occurrences. For example, “Forgive” occurs as that particular word 111 times, while “Grace” appears 205 times, and “Reconcile” 120.

And speaking of reconciling, the editor and translator, Russell Stendal, who was once held hostage by Colombian rebels, has since spent his life as a missionary to the same peoples. That work even includes trips deep into the jungle and parachute drops of Bibles!

In the earlier review, I offered no comparisons of actual scripture, which I’d like to remedy now by showing some well-known verses in the King James Version and in the Jubilee Bible too.

Genesis 1:1-2

KJV – “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.”

JB –” In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. And the earth was without order, and empty, and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.”

Exodus 20:12-13

KJV – “Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee. Thou shalt not kill.”

JB – “Honour thy father and thy mother that thou days may be lengthened upon the land which the LORD thy God gives thee. Thou shalt not murder.”

John 14:2

KJV – “In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.”

JB – “In my Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.”

I expect this Bible will have a place with me in my weekly study group. And, since I’m writing this on Ash Wednesday, I’d like to encourage you to read the Bible every day of Lent.

With adequate reading time, it’s possible to read the entire book! If that sounds too intimidating, consider reading the Gospels and Psalms during Lent, and if that’s still overwhelming, pick a book, preferably from the New Testament to study. Surely, God will guide you into what will speak to you during this season and throughout the year.

May the Lord bless you and your study of His Word in Jesus’ Name.

 

Mary Sayler

The Jubilee Bible

As an ecumenical Christian eager to promote, not uniformity but unity in the church Body of Christ, I began to read the foreword of The Jubilee Bible with trepidation. This translation published by Aneko Press resulted from ten years of studious work by Russell Stendal, a missionary to the people of Columbia, including the very people who once held him hostage!

As impressive and loving as that it, I really didn’t want to review a Bible with any slams against any particular church – especially over murderous debates and family feuds a few hundred years old that I pray will soon be put to rest! However, the “To The Reader” section pointed to those terrible times only by way of introduction to a Bible translation that got caught in the crossfire.

But why bother to translate that ancient Spanish Bible into English now when new translations seem to be cramming the shelves? Actually, that is why!

New versions range from contemporary (even faddish or slang) English that lessens the rich vocabulary of the Bible to easy-to-read versions that lose connotations important to the context to “politically correct” versions that seem more interested in pleasing people than conveying what God inspired.

Leafing through The Jubilee Bible, however, one might think it’s another King James Version with its use of “Thee” or “Ye and “Thou,” and in many ways, it is. Unlike KJV though, this translation aimed for consistency in the many synonyms translators can choose to say the same thing.

As the publisher explained, this translation “has each unique Hebrew word matched and mated with a unique English word so that the usage (number of occurrences and number of verses where the word occurs) sets forth a meaningful number pattern and a complete definition of what God means by each word.”

If you’re a Bible student or lover of God’s Word, as I am, who likes to compare texts to deepen your understanding, as I do, you might want to order a full copy as shown below.

©2014, Mary Harwell Sayler, reviewer

The Holy Scriptures Jubilee Bible, paperback

Jubilee Bible, imitation leather


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