Exposing the Passion Translation Edited

 

For today's post, I will be going over 18 or so verses from the Passion "Translation". I use the brackets because this isn't real translation even though it says so. You will soon find out that Brian Simmons adds and changes the words of scripture. Most of this article will focus on the verse corruption themselves. For more information about the maker of the Passion translation please consider checking out the link below. I will make KJV IN BLUE, the PASSION in RED, and my comments in Black. I am going to list some other relevant information before we actually get into the scripture themselves. It would seem that the Passion translation is of the Dynamic Equivalence Type. It was first published in 2017. 

I was researching the rules of Copyright on this particular bible and it turns out I could posts up to 250 verses but I won't even need a tenth amount of that amount to show you why this translation should be avoided at all costs! I will have to apologize in advance in I appear long winded in this article as another copyright guideline states the Passion quotes can only make up 20% of the work so I'm going to have to write quite a bit just to make sure I don't violate copyright guidelines. 

Psa 18:1  To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David, the servant of the LORD, who spake unto the LORD the words of this song in the day that the LORD delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul: And he said, I will love thee, O LORD, my strength.

Psa 18:1 I love you, Yahweh, and I’m bonded to you, my strength! TPT

As you will be seeing quite frequently in this article simmons just adds words to the text; if you pull out your strong's hebrew and greek concordance you won't find these words in the text. That's because Brian appeals to the "Aramaic" and special revelation. BEWARE. 

Pro 15:33  The fear of the LORD is the instruction of wisdom; and before honour is humility.
Prov 15:33 ... Don’t expect to see Shekinah glory until the Lord sees your sincere humility. TPT

This one verse alone has enough blasphemy in it to condemn the entire translation. The Shekinah is a false pagan goddess and is claimed by the children of the devil to also be the ...oh I don't even want to type it, lets just say a certain member of the Godhead. (unforgivable sin).

Pro 17:6  Children's children are the crown of old men; and the glory of children are their fathers. 
17:6  .... And it's only proper for children to take pride in their parents. TPT

Couldn't he use a better word, Pride is a sin. One thing I like about the KJV is that it never endorses pride. 

Son 2:13  The fig tree putteth forth her green figs, and the vines with the tender grape give a good smell. Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away. 
Song 2:13 Can you not discern this new day of destiny breaking forth around you? The early signs of my purposes and plans are bursting forth. The budding vines of new life are now blooming everywhere. The fragrance of their flowers whispers, “There is change in the air.” Arise, my love, my beautiful companion, and run with me to the higher place. For now is the time to arise and come away with me.TPT

How can this be called a translation when they/he add dozens of new words? All you gotta do is pull a Strong's Hebrew and Greek concordance and see that the extra words just aren't there.

Mat  16:18, Joh 1:42, 1 Cor 3:22, 10:4 I won't wastes space listing the entire 4 verses here, I'll just say these verses contradict naming who is the Rock.

Mar 10:25  It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. 
Mar 10:25 "It is easier to stuff a rope through the eye of a needle than for ..." TPT

There is or was actually a real wall in Jerusalem where they had to unload the camel's burden in order for the camel to get through. So Camel is more accurate given the context of the passage. Those that love their wealth will have to rid themselves of it to enter into life. We lose that teaching with this "translation". 

Rom 12:6  Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith; 
Rom 12:6 ...if God has given you the grace-gift of prophecy, activate your gift by using the proportion of faith you have to prophesy. TPT

Here is yet another addition to the text. Go ahead and compare to other translations if you don't believe me. How do you "activate" your gift I wonder? Does Brian Simmons sell CD's instructing us how to activate our gifts? I don't know. It's just speculation on my part but it wouldn't surprise me if he did. I'm not saying this is Simmons for sure because I don't know his heart but beware of false teachers who teach things they ought not for filthy lucre sake. 

1Co 1:11  For it hath been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by them which are of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you. 

1Co 1:12  Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ. 

1 Cor 1:11-12 My dear brothers and sisters, I have a serious concern I need to bring up with you,  for I have been informed by those of Chloe’s house church  that you have been destructively arguing among yourselves. 12And I need to bring this up because each of you is claiming loyalty to different preachers. Some are saying, “I am a disciple of Paul,” or, “I follow Apollos,” or, “I am a disciple of Peter the Rock,”  and some, “I belong only to Christ.” TPT

There are at least two things wrong with this passage 1. Christ is the Rock (see 1 Cor 10). 2. Sometimes he italicizes his additions to scripture sometimes he doesn't. Just compare the two underlined additions here. This would be better as a paraphrase or commentary, not a translation. 

1Co 10:13  There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it. 

10:13 We all experience times of testing, which is normal for every human being. But God will be faithful to you. He will screen and filter the severity, nature, and timing of every test or trial you face so that you can bear it. And each test is an opportunity to trust him more, for along with every trial God has provided for you a way of escape that will bring you out of it victoriously. TPT

I really don't need to say much here just compare this passage with other word for word translations and you will see the problem. 

1Co 11:4  Every man praying or prophesying, having his head covered, dishonoureth his head. 

1Co 11:5  But every woman that prayeth or prophesieth with her head uncovered dishonoureth her head: for that is even all one as if she were shaven. 

11:4-5 Any man who leads public worship,  and prays or prophesies with a shawl hanging down over his head, shows disrespect to his head, which is Christ. 5And if any woman in a place of leadership within the church prays or prophesies in public with her long hair disheveled,  she shows disrespect to her head, which is her husband, for this would be the same as having her head shaved.TPT

Here are a few more instances where Simmons adds to the text. Not only does it give the condition of it only being dishonoring in public worship but it also adds something that I believe isn't even found explicitly in the pages of scripture, that is mentioning a woman in the place of leadership in the church. I for one personally and not too fond of women pastors but I don't necessarily 100% dogmatically state they are definitely unbiblical; whereas women deacons and bishops are 100 % unbiblical. 

1Co 12:6  And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all. 

1Co 12:7  But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. 

12:6-7 The same God distributes different kinds of miracles that accomplish different results through each believer’s gift and ministry as he energizes and activates them. Each believer is given continuous revelation by the Holy Spirit to benefit not just himself but all. TPT

I'm going to go ahead and skip over the first thing I underlined here and just jump right over to continuous revelation. Although I am a continuationist and believe that all the gifts are active today and I also believe that God does communicate with us today using various methods. This doesn't however mean that you can just take anybody's word for it when they claim to have a revelation from God. 1 John warns us to test the spirits to see whether they are of God because many false teachers are gone out into the world. Also compare what you hear with the written word, that is the 66 books of the Holy bible. Do not go by additional cult writings such as watchtower magazine, the book of Mormon, or the Catholic catechism. Scripture always trumps cult dogma.

Eph 5:22  Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. 
Eph 5:22 ... being devoted to your husbands like you are tenderly devoted to our Lord. TPT

I don't know why Brian doesn't like the word submit (is he a feminist?). It not a bad word. Employee's submit to their bosses, children to their parents, and even the Son to the Father. It's the family structure's order. The man is called to sacrifice the most (to protect, provide, and care for his family) therefore he has the honour of being the head of the household, and Christ his head. There is an order to God's creation and without order you have chaos.

Col 3:6  For which things' sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience: 
Col 3:6 When you live in these vices you ignite the anger of God against these acts of disobedience.  TPT

uuummmm....God isn't going to send sin to hell, he's going to send unrepentant sinners to hell. God doesn't punish the sin he punishes the sinners. 

Col 3:16  Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. 
3:16 ...Apply the Scriptures as you teach and instruct one another with the Psalms, and with festive praises, and with prophetic songs given to you spontaneously by the Spirit, so sing to God with all your hearts! TPT

I find this to be an interesting choice of words. "prophetic songs" hmmmm. Of all my years as a christian reading the KJV i never took the phrase spiritual songs to be implying prophesying spontaneously by the Spirit. I always understood it to mean songs focused on spiritual matters i.e Christ and Christian related material.

Col 3:20  Children, obey your parents in all things: for this is well pleasing unto the Lord. 
3:20 "Let the children respect and pay attention to their parents in everything..." TPT

I'm not sure this has quite the same meaning as to obey your parents. Like I can respect and pay attention my parents as a grown adult but that doesn't mean I have to obey them. 

1Ti 2:11  Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection. 

1Ti 2:12  But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence. 

1 Tim 2:11-12 “Let the women who are new converts be willing to learn with all submission to their leaders and not speak out of turn. I don’t advocate that the newly converted women be the teachers..." TPT

Regardless of what your stance is on women "preachers" it doesn't justify adding words to  scripture. I for one know that a woman can preach, we are all called to preach. The prohibition is against a women teaching not preaching and giving the context it may be only referring to a wife to her husband. We know that women can and should teach younger women from Titus 2, and obviously there would be nothing wrong with a mother teaching her children. 

1Ti 4:3  Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth. 
1Tim 4:3 "They will require celibacy and dietary restrictions that God doesn’t expect, for he created all foods to be received..."TPT

Interesting that he uses the word dietary restrictions instead of meats/meat. I know a SDA coworker who has used the argument that meat can mean something other than animal flesh; this may be true however is this what this passage is implying?

1Pe 1:25  But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you. 
1 Pet 1:25 "but the Word of the Lord endures forever!..."TPT

I may be nitpicking here but Word with a capital W is Jesus. Lower Case indicates the written inspired word. 

Additional Verses about false teachers/prophets

Jer_14:14  Then the LORD said unto me, The prophets prophesy lies in my name: I sent them not, neither have I commanded them, neither spake unto them: they prophesy unto you a false vision and divination, and a thing of nought, and the deceit of their heart.

Jer 23:25  I have heard what the prophets said, that prophesy lies in my name, saying, I have dreamed, I have dreamed. 

Jer 23:26  How long shall this be in the heart of the prophets that prophesy lies? yea, they are prophets of the deceit of their own heart; 

Jer 23:27  Which think to cause my people to forget my name by their dreams which they tell every man to his neighbour, as their fathers have forgotten my name for Baal. 

Jer 23:28  The prophet that hath a dream, let him tell a dream; and he that hath my word, let him speak my word faithfully. What is the chaff to the wheat? saith the LORD. 

Jer 23:29  Is not my word like as a fire? saith the LORD; and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces? 

Jer 23:30  Therefore, behold, I am against the prophets, saith the LORD, that steal my words every one from his neighbour. 

Jer 23:31  Behold, I am against the prophets, saith the LORD, that use their tongues, and say, He saith. 

Jer 23:32  Behold, I am against them that prophesy false dreams, saith the LORD, and do tell them, and cause my people to err by their lies, and by their lightness; yet I sent them not, nor commanded them: therefore they shall not profit this people at all, saith the LORD. 

Jer 23:33  And when this people, or the prophet, or a priest, shall ask thee, saying, What is the burden of the LORD? thou shalt then say unto them, What burden? I will even forsake you, saith the LORD. 

Jer 23:34  And as for the prophet, and the priest, and the people, that shall say, The burden of the LORD, I will even punish that man and his house. 

Jer 23:35  Thus shall ye say every one to his neighbour, and every one to his brother, What hath the LORD answered? and, What hath the LORD spoken? 

Jer 23:36  And the burden of the LORD shall ye mention no more: for every man's word shall be his burden; for ye have perverted the words of the living God, of the LORD of hosts our God. 

Jer 23:37  Thus shalt thou say to the prophet, What hath the LORD answered thee? and, What hath the LORD spoken? 

Jer 23:38  But since ye say, The burden of the LORD; therefore thus saith the LORD; Because ye say this word, The burden of the LORD, and I have sent unto you, saying, Ye shall not say, The burden of the LORD; 

Mat_7:15  Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.

Mat_24:11  And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.

Mat_24:24  For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.

2Pe 2:1  But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. 

2Pe 2:2  And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. 

2Pe 2:3  And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not. 

So in conclusion we see that Brian Simmons Passion Translation is poorly named due to the fact that he takes great liberties with the text by adding much more content than that is provided in scripture, It would be bad enough if this was just a paraphrase or his commentary, but it is worse because this is labeled as a "translation" which implies a much more stricter adherence to translating the very words of God. This is by no means an exhaustive list of problems with the Passion. If you are looking for hours of video researching this topic in detail, may I suggest Mike Winger's Youtube video series. 

https://rationalchristiandiscernment.blogspot.com/2018/08/the-passion-translation-exposed.html

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