Translations · 2002
MSG — The Message
Eugene Peterson's one-translator paraphrase — vivid, idiomatic, never for study alone.
Updated 18 May 2026 · By the Bibles.co.uk editorial team
The short answer
- Philosophy
- Paraphrase
- Reading level
- Grade 5
- First published
- 2002
- Publisher
- NavPress
Where it sits on the spectrum
Below, every major English translation plotted against MSG (highlighted in burgundy). Translation philosophy runs left-to-right; reading level top-to-bottom.
How it reads
Reading level is one of the cleanest indicators of how easy a translation is to follow cold. The MSG sits at grade 5.
Strengths
- Recovers the punch and surprise of familiar passages
- Great for reading aloud and devotional contrast
Watch-outs
- A paraphrase, not a translation — not for doctrinal study alone
- Heavily reflects one translator's voice
See it in action
Three well-known verses in the MSG. Compare against another translation using the tool below.
MSG The Message | This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. |
MSG The Message | God, my shepherd! I don't need a thing. |
MSG The Message | That's why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good. |
Who uses the {t.abbr}
Devotional readers, preachers wanting a fresh angle on a familiar text.
Translation Comparator
Same verse, two translations
John 3:16
"This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life."
- Style
- Paraphrase
- Level
- Grade 5
- Year
- 2002
John 3:16
"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."
- Style
- Formal
- Level
- Grade 12
- Year
- 1611
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Start the Bible FinderFrequently asked
- Is the MSG a good Bible translation?
- The Message is a contemporary paraphrase of the Bible by Eugene Peterson designed to render the rhythm and idiom of the original languages in modern American English; a devotional companion, not a study Bible. Strengths include: Recovers the punch and surprise of familiar passages; Great for reading aloud and devotional contrast.
- What reading level is the MSG?
- The MSG reads at roughly US grade 5, using a paraphrase translation philosophy.
- Who uses the MSG?
- Devotional readers, preachers wanting a fresh angle on a familiar text.
Keep reading
KJV — King James Version
The 1611 translation that shaped English literature and church liturgy for four centuries.
NASB — New American Standard Bible
The most literal mainstream English translation — sometimes wooden, always transparent to the Greek and Hebrew.
All translations
Compare every major English Bible side by side.