Many great movies are available in your choice of the theatrical version or, for those who just can’t get enough, the extended edition, which adds another 20 or 30 minutes or so.
The extra content in the extended edition is just as entertaining and just as high quality as the rest of the movie. The actors, directors, and film crew worked just as hard on it as they did the rest of the movie. The extra content enhances the story by giving us more details. But in the interest of time, the scenes were removed. In the interest of time, most people missed out on part of the story.
The same idea applies to the Bible Extended Edition. The purpose for this new edition is to get every ounce of meaning from every verse of scripture. Since the scriptures have been translated from the original languages, Hebrew for the Old Testament and Greek for the New Testament, the translators were forced to make choices between different English words that define the words from the original languages. In the interest of being as concise as possible, they translated the Hebrew and Greek into as few English words as possible. For some verses that worked just fine because the meaning is clear. However, for other verses some of the original meaning was lost in translation in what we call the deleted scenes. So most Bible translations today are comparable to the theatrical version. Now you can have the full Bible with the deleted scenes added back!
There is more to the story. For most people, the shorter, more concise version might be okay. But for those who are hungry for more, the Extended Edition is here for them. It is for those who consume the word of God like gluttons, savoring every bite and every ounce of every meal and always hungry for more. For them, the most concise translation just doesn’t satisfy. The Bible Extended Edition is for them.
THREE REASONS FOR THE EXTENDED EDITION
Here are three reasons why we are working on this new edition.
- The more concise translations (like the New International, New American Standard, and King James Versions) left out much of the meaning that is in the original languages.
- The looser translations (like the Living Bible, the Good News Bible, and the Message Bible) make it more readable, but they add new meanings and misinterpretations of the original language.
- The Amplified Bible was a step in the right direction but it did not go far enough in bringing out the full meaning. The Amplified Bible is also hard to read because it is not written the way people talk. The Extended Edition is like the Amplified Version on steroids and in a format that is easier to read.
GET THE FULL MEANING
The problem with the more concise translations is there is a big difference between our English language and the original Bible languages. A word of Hebrew or Greek sometimes requires more than one English word to give us an accurate understanding of the meaning. So when we limit it to one English word some of the meaning is lost.
The good news for most Americans today, thanks to modern technology, is we have easy access to all the tools we need to study every word of scripture in the original Hebrew and Greek. No previous generation has had what we have today. Plus we have the benefit of all the work done by other people who have provided us with exhaustive word studies, such as the Strong’s Bible Concordance. We have access to the complete definitions of every word of scripture. By using all of these tools, we can dig into the scriptures to a level that goes beyond what was possible for earlier generations.
Until now, if you wanted to get the full meaning from each verse, you had to quit your day job because an enormous amount of time was required to look up the definitions of every word. But now you can keep your day job without missing anything from God’s Word. The Bible Extended Edition does the digging for you and puts the full meaning into each verse in a readable format that flows together seamlessly.
The Extended Edition uses as many words as needed to get the full meaning. Some verses require using a lot more English words than other Bible translations, while other verses don’t require any extra English words because the meaning is already clear in the more concise translation.
STRICT TRANSLATION
The Bible Extended Edition is not like any other Bible translation. Although it uses more words and puts them in modern, readable language, it also strives for a strict interpretation of the meaning found in the original language. So it is not like the Living Bible or the Message Bible, which both use very loose translations. The Bible Extended Edition is a strict translation of the original meaning, not a loose paraphrase. The only English words used are ones that come straight from the definition of the Hebrew or Greek words. It strives to make the meaning as clear as possible by using more words and phrases that communicate the meaning of each verse.
READABLE TEXT
The Bible Extended Edition uses the English definitions of Hebrew and Greek words to create sentences that are easy to read because it all flows together like it would in a conversation, which is the way we all communicate and understand. It does not just add a laundry list of different meanings, which is what the Amplified Bible does. That approach is harder to read because it requires the reader to sort it all out. People don’t talk to each other that way because it is harder to understand. The Bible Extended Edition makes it easy for the reader because all words are presented in the context of the verse. So the text flows naturally and is more readable.
ALL NAMES ARE IN THE ORIGINAL LANGUAGE
The Bible Extended Edition does not translate the names of people, but leaves them in the original language of the individual. So Hebrew names of Hebrew people are shown in Hebrew, even though the New Testament translates some of them into Greek because it was written in Greek. Therefore, instead of using the name of Jesus, which is the Greek translation of the original Hebrew name for the Lord, the Extended Edition uses the Hebrew name for the Lord, which is Yeshua. When He was on the earth, He was not called Jesus. He was called Yeshua, so that is what we call Him today.
In the same way, the name Jehovah appears thousands of times in scriptures but is most commonly translated as Lord. In our view, that is not an accurate translation even though Jehovah is the Lord. It is like the difference between the name of the person who is President of the United States and the title of President of the United States. The name refers to the person and is therefore more personable than the title.
Both the Hebrew and the Greek languages have different words for Lord and Jehovah. They are not the same words. So the Bible Extended Edition leaves the name Jehovah as Jehovah and only uses the word Lord when that is what appears in the original language. In verses where more than one point is made about Jehovah, the additional occurrences are translated as the meaning of the name because in the Hebrew culture the meaning of names was very significant. So the additional usages of Jehovah are translated as the Eternal Living One or as the One Who calls Himself I Am Who I Am.
The Bible Extended Edition translates the word ‘Christ’ because it is not a name. It is a Greek word that means ‘anointed one’. So wherever it appears it is translated as either the anointed one, or as the Messiah, which also means the anointed one.
NOTHING ADDED TO THE SCRIPTURES
The Bible Extended Edition does not add any new words or verses or chapters or books to the scriptures. This is a very important point because the scriptures warn us not to add anything to what is already there. The Extended Edition does not add anything new, it only brings out the meaning that is not already in the original language.
The Bible Extended Edition strives to interpret the meaning of each verse by relying strictly on the English definitions of the original words from the original languages. It simply uses more English words where needed to achieve a clearer meaning of what was written in the original languages. At times it might appear things are added because some parts are repeated where needed to achieve clarity and readability. So while some words get repeated, nothing gets added.
MODERN LANGUAGE
The Bible Extended Edition uses the same modern language that we use in our everyday conversations. So you won’t find words like ye, thee, thou, or thy.
EXAMPLE VERSE
Here is an example of how it works. The following provides different Bible translations for Matthew 12:7 with the Extended Edition shown last. This is a verse that I had previously read many times without understanding the meaning.
If you had known what these words mean, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the innocent. (New International Version, 20 words)
But if you had known what this means, ‘I desire compassion, and not a sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the innocent. (New American Standard, 22 words)
But if ye had known what this meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the guiltless. (King James Version, 22 words)
If you had any idea what this Scripture meant – ‘I prefer a flexible heart to an inflexible ritual’ – you wouldn’t be nitpicking like this. (The Message Bible, 26 words)
The scripture says, “It is kindness that I want, not animal sacrifices.’ If you really knew what this means, you would not condemn people who are not guilty. (Good News Translation, 28 words)
And if you had only known what this saying means, I desire mercy [readiness to help, to spare, to forgive] rather than sacrifice and sacrificial victims, you would not have condemned the guiltless. (Amplified Version, 33 words)
But if you had come to know what this means and understand what was established when the scripture says, ‘I desire you to show compassion to those who are afflicted. I want you to show mercy to those who are miserable. It is when you show kindness and good will to people that you are pleasing me the most. I take no pleasure in the sacrifices that you are required to make or in the valuable things that you surrender. I am not trying to make you a victim.’ If you had understood these things then you would not have condemned the innocent and you would not have made judgments against those who are not guilty of doing anything wrong. (Extended Edition, 121 words)
OUR MISSION
The Bible Extended Edition is an enormous project that has just gotten started. Our goal is to complete the whole Bible by 2015. Here is the scope of our mission and the steps we are undertaking to make this important new version available to everyone.
- As each book of the Bible is completed, we will make it available as a free downloadable e-book available here on this website.
- Each book will then be translated into multiple languages so it can be shared with people all over the world.
- The completed Bible will eventually be available as a free downloadable e-book on this website.
- E-books of the whole Bible will also be provided in multiple languages.
- Free apps for mobile devices such as phones and tablet computers will be developed and made available.
- Printed copies will be made available for free and shipped to anyone who wants one. Due to the fact that it is several times longer than the more common translations, the printed copies will be divided into several volumes.
- Audio versions of the Extended Edition will be produced in dramatized and non-dramatized formats and in multiple languages. These files will be available in downloadable mp3 format here on this website.
To give us your feedback please contact us.
READY FOR A TEST DRIVE?
We currently have only a few chapters available on our website with more coming soon so come back and visit us again to see more chapters!
Here are a few samples of what we have available now:
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