Eugene Peterson, the writer of The Message translation of the Bible was born on the 6th November 1932. Probably best known for this translation he was also a pastor, poet, author and scholar. His intention was to make the original meaning of the Bible accessible to the people of today.
In an interview he once said ‘We are story-telling people and our lives are stories ………….. the Bible is our greatest story.’ He described everyone as being in a hurry but that our Christian life is one of being a disciple and a pilgrim. As disciples we spend our lives apprenticed to out Master and as pilgrims we spend our lives going to God. Peterson’s language is the language of the every day. In his translation in Hebrews 13:5 he writes, ‘I’ll never let you down, never walk off and leave you.’His words give us a clarity when we read The Message alongside one of other favourite translations.