A fresh translation of the Bible excavating the rich soil of the original languages – to tap the roots of meaning and value, and cultivate a living wisdom.

Is it possible to reopen the Bible?

To reopen the whole thing in the deepest sense, so that it makes an actual invitation to a Postchristian culture? To see it resurface through the murky depths of traditional religious language - luminous and clear and alive?

We think that it is.

Gutenberg brought the Bible from the realm of clergy into the hands of the people. Pilgrim Bible is interested in a similar caper: deliver the original languages (and their stunningly rich meanings) from the realm of academics into the hands of the everyday reader.

Our approach

Our translation includes key terms from the original Greek and Hebrew in the margins. This extends our reach into the roots of the Bible’s origin, and in so doing, opens value and meaning.

By working with etymology and synonyms, we flesh out the original Greek or Hebrew and instantly offer our reader a “cloud of meaning” rather than merely one-to-one equivalence (which as every translator knows, is always a case of oversimplification).

The terroir of language

We have come into an age where people care deeply about provenance. Our modern culture now understands the critical value of the origin story, where a thing comes from – the soil it grew in – it's terroir. The more specific the details of the provenance can be, the more value it has.

This translation intentionally asks the reader to participate in a process of forming their own dynamic experience by digging deep into the original languages. Here's a sample:

1. metanoia – From meta (to change or move beyond) and noia – from nous (mind, thought). Literally, “a change of mind” or “to move beyond the current mode of thinking” – this is an invitation to a radical renewal of one’s life, values and actions, addressing one’s mode of being at its core. Traditionally translated as “Repent!"

Mapping ancient and modern

We love maps. So let's make sure we have really good ones in our Bible. And we will footnote all those places and tell you about their modern-day equivalents so that it actually makes sense. Chaldea? That's Southern Iraq.

Poet

"I sometimes wonder if we need to start over from a totally naïve place, asking questions and seeking answers without a particular end in mind. Pilgrim Bible is facilitating this and at the same time has given me a groundedness and connection. It's been something of a life raft.”

Brand Marketer

"A wholly delicious and exciting Bible, marrying old and new, ancient and modern, high and low with beautiful design and rich words. I want to keep reading..."

Baker

"A permeating, revelatory translation – with enormous impact on my family’s interaction with scripture... far more complex, far fuller, far purer, and simultaneously simpler than the Bible of my childhood. Pilgrim has revitalized the story I thought I knew; it's like I'm reading scripture again, for the first time."

““The great hope of this project is to bring people into a mode of wrestled, living interconnectedness with the Bible.””