Please oh please read another Bible. I don't hate this "translation," I really don't. And if it brings somebody to Christ, then who cares what I rate it. But seriously, I have never cringed so much reading anything before. The great thing about the Bible is that it can be understood through its already fantastic simplicity--parables involving such easily comprehendable things as bread and water, for example--that they really don't have to be re-written so drastically as they are in The Message. And isn't the setting and diction of Christ and his work what makes the Bible such a fantastic literary work? I'm probably just old-fashioned; for every person I know who dislikes The Message I know five that find it wonderful. Personally, I recommend you look it over before you buy, and make sure that if you do purchase it, it's not the only Bible in your library.