We’ve just added a new Bible to our online library: the Tree of Life Version!

The Tree of Life Version, produced by the Baker Publishing Group and the Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society, invites Christians to explore and understand the Jewish worldview. It began as a seemingly simple project with the idea of using the name Yeshua instead of Jesus, but it quickly grew from that humble goal into a major translation effort by a team of 32 scholars.

The first thing you’ll notice about the Tree of Life Version is its use of key Hebrew names and terms throughout the text (italicized to make them easier to recognize). But beyond that are many other translation decisions made to emphasize the Jewish roots of Christianity, including a re-ordered Old Testament book list (in accordance with Jewish tradition) and the reworking of many sentences to reflect Hebrew (rather than Greek) sentence structure.

Here’s an excerpt (describing one of Jesus’ many miracles) to give you a sense of the Tree of Life Version’s approach:

Ben-David Heals the Blind

Then they came to Jericho. Now as Yeshua was leaving Jericho with His disciples and a large crowd, Bartimaeus the son of Timaeus, a blind beggar, was sitting by the roadside. When he heard that it was Yeshua of Natzeret, he began to cry out, “Ben-David, Yeshua! Have mercy on me!” Many were warning him to be quiet; but he kept crying out all the more, “Ben-David, have mercy on me!”

Yeshua stopped and said, “Call him over.”

So they call the blind man, saying, “Take heart! Get up, He’s calling you!” Throwing off his cloak, he jumped up and came to Yeshua.

And answering him, Yeshua said, “What do you want Me to do for you?”

The blind man said, “Rabboni, I want to see again!”

Yeshua said to him, “Go! Your faith has made you well.” Instantly he regained his sight and began following Yeshua down the road. — Mark 10:46-52 (TLV)

We think you’ll find that the Tree of Life Version brings something fresh and interesting to the experience of reading God’s Word, and that it will give you glimpses of Christianity’s Jewish roots that aren’t always evident in other Bible translations. The Tree of Life Version is available in the Bible selection drop-down at the top of most pages at BibleGateway.com, including the main page. Click here to start reading it now, starting in Genesis 1!