SPCK acquires global rights to produce a new Anglicised edition of The Message Bible

SPCK Group has secured global rights to produce a new Anglicised edition of The Message Bible.

Our Deputy CEO, Wendy Grisham, acquired world rights from Tyndale House Publishers who represents NavPress, the publisher of The Message Bible. SPCK’s Anglicised edition is due to be published in March 2029.

The Message: The Bible in Contemporary Language, translated by Eugene Peterson, was produced to make the Bible’s meaning direct, immediate, and accessible to modern readers. Endorsed by Bono, Stu G (lead guitarist of Delirious) and Alpha Course pioneer Nicky Gumbel, the original edition of The Message Bible has sold an estimated 20 million copies since it was first published in 2002.

The Message translation conveys the ideas, tone, rhythm, and narrative force of scripture by using the contemporary language of daily life, and prioritises sharing the meaning, clarity, and impact of the Bible in its original languages over literal, word-for-word equivalence.

“I am delighted that SPCK Group has secured global rights to produce an Anglicised edition of The Message Bible. For decades, The Message has transformed the spiritual lives of millions through its direct and accessible translation of the Bible, and it is a true honour to be part of this new stage in its legacy. With UK Bible sales reaching their highest point on record in 2025, we are confident that SPCK’s Anglicised version of The Message Bible - which caters directly to speakers and readers of British English - will allow the word of God to reach even more people in the UK and wider English-speaking world”.

— Wendy Grisham, Deputy CEO of SPCK Group

SPCK Group’s new, Anglicised edition of The Message Bible features endorsements from acclaimed British pop star and gospel & worship singer-songwriter Yazz, who included the original Message translation of The Lord’s Prayer in her gospel album Running Back To You (2008), and Sarah Yardley, theologian, writer and lead pastor at Emmaus Road.

The team at SPCK are excited to offer a fresh, faithful rendering of Eugene Peterson’s beloved original translation, adapted for UK readers and other English-speaking audiences beyond North America.

Since its original publication, The Message Bible has been expressed in contemporary American English, drawing on US idiom, spelling, and cultural references. SPCK’s Anglicised edition will carefully replace Americanisms with British linguistic equivalents, ensuring the text reads fluently and naturally for readers and speakers of British English, while remaining faithful to Peterson’s distinctive voice and mission.

“I am delighted that SPCK Group is producing a new, Anglicised edition of The Message, and for the incredible opportunity this will create for people across the UK and wider, English-speaking world to connect even more deeply with the God of all creation.”

— Yazz, acclaimed British pop artist and Christian singer-songwriter

The project will also seek to update some terms and expressions where appropriate to reflect changes in language since the work was first published in 2002. In addition, SPCK will collaborate with NavPress to ensure ongoing theological clarity and resonance in keeping with scholarly feedback over the ensuing decades.

The result will be a revitalised Anglicised edition of The Message that retains the immediacy, accessibility, and pastoral warmth of the much-loved original edition, while offering a version better suited to UK readers and the wider global English-speaking church.

“Words frame my world, open the doors of my heart, spark my imagination. My lifelong love for Scripture has been broken open in fresh and deep ways through The Message. The lasting gift of Eugene Peterson to our generation is a powerful expression of God’s Word, reframed with the heart of a pastor, the mind of a scholar, and the authority of a prophet, offering ancient passages fresh vocabulary. I’m thrilled to see this Anglicised edition bringing a vibrant expression of The Message for a generation more open to Scripture than ever before. Read it, enjoy it, feast on truth, and allow this book to be the one that reads you”

— Sarah Yardley, theologian, writer, and Lead Pastor at Emmaus Road