"Lighten up!" Could that be what God says when He creates the world? And the serpent who tempts Eve—is he "one bad dude"? This might sound light-years away from the Renaissance English of the King James Bible. And it is. It comes from the The Black Bible Chronicles, Book One: From Genesis to the Promised Land.
Written in Hip-Hop slang, this Bible is designed to reach young people. Listen to the words of R K. McCary, a Bible-studies teacher and author of this version of the Bible: "When an 11-year-old girl tells me that the Serpent [in the story of Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden] reminds her of a crack dealer, something great is happening. I want kids to see why ... ... God's word is relevant to their lives. I look forward to the day when, on any street corner, they not only talk about the great play Michael Jordan made, but the great plays God has for them."
Translations such as this Hip-Hop Bible are among hundreds of versions of the Scriptures undertaken since the publication of the King James Bible in 1611. Some are considered mainstream. Others are on the fringes. Still others are essentially reworks of the King James text.
