The Everyday Life Bible

PREFACE

In 1958 The Lockman Foundation and Zondervan Publishing House issued the first edition of the Amplified New Testament. In 1962 and 1964 the two-volume Amplified Old Testament was released. In 1965 the complete Amplified Bible was published, and in 1987 the Amplified Bible, Expanded Edition was completed. Over fifty years have passed since the Amplified New Testament was translated and during that time there have been changes in both the style and usage of the English language; therefore, it seemed appropriate for The Lockman Foundation to revisit this well-loved translation of God’s Word. Accordingly, Dr. Robert G. Lambeth, President of The Lockman Foundation, established a translation team and under his leadership the project was developed and completed.

The Lockman Foundation is now pleased to present the Amplified Bible of 2015. The English has been updated based on contemporary usage, a substantial number of new amplifications have been added to the Old Testament, and original amplifications have been updated, expanded, refined, or clarified where needed. The translation team has also added a significant number of new footnotes and references.

The result is a translation that is contemporary and firmly based on the foundation established by the Amplified Bible of 1965. That original translation project was envisioned and led by Frances Siewert (1881-1967), an amazing and gifted woman who devoted her life to serving the Lord and to making His Word available in an entirely new format. Her contribution to the spread of the Gospel through the Amplified Bible is impossible to quantify and her vision continues to speak to the hearts of people today.

The Amplified Bible of 2015 has been editorially recast so that a verse may be read either with or without amplification. The basic verse is the literal equivalent translation of the Hebrew, Aramaic, or Greek text. The basic verse is then amplified in a way that permits the reader to have a greater understanding of the relationship between the crispness of contemporary English and the depth of meaning in the biblical languages.

EXPLANATION OF GENERAL FORMAT

Amplification is indicated within the English text by parentheses, brackets, and italicized conjunctions.

Parentheses in Roman type ( ) supply the definition in context of the preceding name, place, or word. When the Amplified Bible is read aloud the definition in context may be skipped over.

Parentheses in bold type () indicate a parenthetical phrase that is part of the original language and should be included when Scripture is read aloud.

Brackets in Roman type [ ] contain justified words, phrases, or brief commentary not fully expressed in the preceding English text, but which are validated by the meaning of the original Hebrew, Aramaic, or Greek, or are validated elsewhere by Scripture. The amplifications within brackets serve many purposes. They may expand the depth of meaning in the underlying Hebrew, Aramaic, or Greek word; they may clarify a theological word or concept; they may expand a teaching or principle; they may supply information that helps the reader grasp the context of the passage.

Brackets in bold type [ ] are footnoted and indicate text not found in early mss or found only in some early mss.

Italicized conjunctions: and, or, nor are not in the original text, but are used to connect additional English words indicated by the original Hebrew, Aramaic, or Greek.

Italicized words are not found in the original language, but implied by it.

Proper names of persons, places, or things are often used to replace pronouns. When pronouns are retained in the text they may be followed by a name placed in parentheses.

Pronouns referring to God, the Father; Jesus, the Son; and the Holy Spirit are always capitalized, so that the reader immediately recognizes Deity in the text.

Paragraphs are identified by bold verse numbers or bold letters. This allows paragraphs to be clearly identified without displaying the verses in paragraph format. The text can still be read or studied by paragraphs, but individual verses are much easier to find when each verse begins on a new line.

Small capital letters are used in the New Testament to indicate Old Testament quotations or obvious references to Old Testament texts. Variations of Old Testament wording are found in New Testament citations depending on whether the New Testament writer translated from a Hebrew text, used existing Greek or Aramaic translations, or restated the material. It should be noted that modern rules for the indication of direct quotations were not used in biblical times; therefore, the ancient writer would use exact quotations or references to quotations without specific indication of such.

The proper name of God in the Old Testament is most significant and understandably so. The most common name for the Deity is God, a translation of the Hebrew word, Elohim. One of the titles for God is Lord, a translation of Adonai. There is yet another name which is particularly assigned to God as His special or proper name, that is, the four letters YHWH (Exodus 3:14 and Isaiah 42:8). This name has not been pronounced by the Jews because of reverence for the great sacredness of the divine name. Therefore, it has been consistently translated LORD. The only exception to this translation of YHWH is when it occurs in immediate proximity to the word Lord, that is, Adonai. In that case it is regularly translated GOD in order to avoid confusion. When the name of God appears within parentheses or brackets, the context of the verse determines which name and type style is used.

Verse references are placed in brackets at the end of some verses. If a verse contains more than one Scripture reference, the references are listed in biblical order.

Section headings are included in the text, but are not part of the original language.

ABBREVIATIONS AND SPECIAL MARKINGS

THE LOCKMAN FOUNDATION

The Lockman Foundation wishes to express deepest gratitude to all those who have contributed to the development of the 2015 edition of the Amplified Bible. Throughout these years of translation many people have shared their time, talent, prayers and very best effort to bring this Bible translation to completion.

It is our prayer that each participant—whether scholar or staff, professor or proofreader, consultant or critical reader—will look at these pages of Scripture and know that each one’s contribution is treasured… nothing is insignificant when dealing with God’s Word.

To quote F. Dewey “Granddad” Lockman (1898–1974), “This work is a symphony, not a solo!” May each of you be specially blessed and always hold a special joy in your heart whenever you read the new Amplified Bible 2015. Thank you beloved.

Phoebe McAuley Lambeth Coordinating Editor

A Personal Word from Joyce Meyer

For more than forty years, I have enjoyed and greatly benefitted from the Amplified Bible. It gives insights I have not found in other translations I have used. Because God has used the Amplified Bible in my life to open up many truths from His Word to me, I wanted to share the insight He has given me to help others. I prayed for many years to get permission from the publisher to produce a specialty Bible using this version and was thrilled when permission was finally granted.

God’s Word is very precious to me. I can truly say that I love God’s Word. It has changed me, and it has changed my life. I have also witnessed transformation in the lives of multitudes of people over the years through studying and believing God’s Word. God’s words are not ordinary words, as the words of people are. His words are filled with power. The power of God is actually inherent in His Word and it heals, delivers, comforts, saves, corrects, and encourages us.

When people are very discouraged, they can actually take God’s Word as medicine for their souls. It encourages the discouraged, lifts up the lowly and downtrodden, heals the sick, saves the lost, fills the empty, and counsels those who need to make a decision.

Jesus is the Word of God Who took on human flesh and dwelt for a while among people (see John 1:14). When we read, study, meditate on, or confess the Word of God, we are fellowshipping with Jesus. We are actually taking Him as our nourishment and we find that only He can satisfy our souls. God’s Word is our spiritual food and we need it regularly, just as we need natural food. The prophet Jeremiah said, “Your words were found and I ate them, and Your words became a joy to me and the delight of my heart” (Jeremiah 15:16).

God’s Word is very important to Him. The Bible says in Psalm 138:2 that He has magnified together His name and His word. We should always respect and honor God’s Word and give it a place of priority in our everyday lives. I truly believe that God’s Word contains an answer to every problem and situation we encounter in life. It is certainly spiritual, but it is also very practical and has been given for our everyday lives. This is why, when we first produced this Bible, using the Amplified Classic Bible, we called it The Everyday Life Bible. This new edition uses the most current Amplified Bible translation (2015). I believe that many people have connected the Bible only with church or some other spiritual activity when it really is a life-giving Book we can apply to our lives daily.

I also believe the Bible is largely a book about relationships. It offers in-depth information about our relationships with God, ourselves, and our fellow human beings. Much of the difficulty we face in life is the result of poor relationships. I have learned through God’s Word how to receive His love, love myself in a balanced way, and let His love flow through me to others. I pray that this would be your goal because Jesus said that the thing we should concentrate on is loving God and loving others as we love ourselves (see Matthew 27:37–39).

Let me encourage you to be a “lifetime learner.” Apply God’s Word to situations in your life as you would apply medicine to an injury. If you are having a particular struggle such as anger, depression, or fear, go to God’s Word and select passages that deal with these subjects (I have provided in the back of this Bible a topical index called “The Word for Your Everyday Life,” which makes finding these passages easy for you). As you read these verses, slowly take them in, and roll them over and over in your mind. You will find a change taking place in your heart and life. I encourage you to love God’s Word, for in it you will find resurrection power and contentment far greater than anything the world has to offer.

Now, I want to make sure you are aware of the special features The Everyday Life Bible has to offer because I believe they will help tremendously as you live your life by the Word of God.

Book Introductions: At the beginning of every book of the Bible, you will find basic historical background information on that particular book, along with my thoughts on why each book is important and how it relates to practical living. You will also find “Everyday Life Principles,” which summarize the key points and general themes of each book.

Everyday Life Articles: These articles are the longest, most thorough entries in the Bible. They correspond to specific verses or passages, and provide great insight and advice on a variety of topics. I wrote many of them especially for The Everyday Life Bible, and I believe they will help you tremendously in your everyday life.

Life Points: If you have followed my teaching ministry for long, you may realize that I often use short, catchy, to-the-point phrases or “one-liners” to emphasize certain principles or truths. Life Points include many of these well-known phrases, as well and other nuggets of encouragement and exhortation.

Speak the Word: I believe that confessing God’s Word is vital to a successful Christian life. Anywhere you see an entry entitled, “Speak the Word,” you will find a Scripture verse or passage adapted as a first-person confession or prayer. I encourage you to speak and pray these words as you come across them in this Bible and use them to teach you how to pray and confess other verses throughout God’s Word.

Putting the Word to Work: We all need to apply the truths of God’s Word to our lives. The “Putting the Word to Work” feature takes biblical principles and gives you opportunities to meditate on them, answer questions about them, and think about how you can specifically apply them to the situations in your life.

The Word for Your Everyday Life: Located in the back of this Bible, “The Word for Your Everyday Life” is a list of topics you are likely to face over the course of your life—perhaps many times. Under each topic heading, you will find Scripture references pertaining to that topic. Read those verses and passages, and you will discover biblical answers and guidance to help you overcome every challenge and live your life victoriously.

How To Receive Jesus as Your Personal Lord and Savior: The most important relationship of your life is a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. If you would like to receive Him as your Lord and Savior, and enter into the greatest relationship you have ever known, please pray the prayer at the back of the Bible on the page entitled, “How To Receive Jesus as Your Personal Lord and Savior.”