By Simon Bubb
Bible Gateway asked Simon Bubb (@simonbubb) to offer his thoughts about narrating the New King James Version, NKJV, Voice Only Bible (Thomas Nelson, 2019).
It was a very great privilege to be asked to narrate the latest edition of the New King James Version. Although I’ve read – or been read – most of the Bible over the years, I had never actually gone through it in its entirety. I’m very grateful that I’ve now been able to do that, and not just by reading it but by narrating it.
Thanks to its origins in the KJV, written for an age when more people accessed the Bible through hearing it read aloud than reading it, the NKJV works especially well as a spoken, and therefore aural, experience. This is particularly the case with the beautiful poetry to be found in books like the Psalms or Job. I did my best to try and allow the natural rhythm of these passages to come through, remembering that sacred texts are not just for informing the mind but stirring the heart and soul.
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Narrating any audiobook, you want to strike the right balance between not imposing yourself too much on the text on the one hand, and on the other hand making it sufficiently interesting and varied to keep the listener’s attention. With a novel, I normally use different accents and voices to differentiate the various characters. With the Bible, however, this approach didn’t seem right. With the Bible more than any other book, you have to try and let it speak for itself and allow the listener as much space as possible to connect with it in their own way. So I had to find variety through subtle changes of tone and pace, with adequate pauses to make it clear when a new character is speaking.
All of which brings us to the most challenging question of all. How to do the Voice of God? I’ve always thought the most successful attempt at this was in the DreamWorks movie The Prince of Egypt, in which Yahweh speaks to Moses in a voice that beautifully combines masculine strength and feminine tenderness. Unfortunately, only having one voice box, and not having special effects at my disposal, this wasn’t an option for me.
It is impossible not to give some sort of an interpretation whatever voice you choose for God. No matter how subtle and unobtrusive you wish to be, you have to decide what qualities and characteristics you think that voice should convey. For me that was a combination of strength and compassion, the Lion and the Lamb. I hope my interpretation won’t conflict with too many people’s idea of the God found throughout the pages of the Bible, whether in the form of Yahweh or Jesus.
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David Angus, producer/director of the new NKJV recordings, offers his thoughts below:
Very well put Simon! I have little to add but this:
It’s always a problem finding the right note in reading a book aloud. One is ever conscious of not intruding your own personality or feelings between the author and the listener. On the other hand, if you just spout the words robotically, the text begins not to make sense—and anyway, why would anyone want to listen to a book read to them by a machine?
Listening to some older recordings of the Bible, I was struck by the majestic tone some of the narrators brought to the words, particularly in the more powerful passages; although generally, to me at any rate, this was counter-productive. Sometimes it became melodramatic. This actually depowers the language and, if you’re not careful, it can descend into bathos and absurdity. In this book more than any other, one simply cannot allow that to happen.
So, although, of course, we had discussed it before we began, I was ready as the producer to jump on Simon if ever he veered in that direction. As we went on, I never had to—I’m glad to say—and I thought Simon continually struck just the right balance between a commitment to the words and allowing them to speak for themselves.
The New King James Version, NKJV, Voice Only Bible is published by HarperCollins Christian Publishing, Inc., the parent company of Bible Gateway.
Bio: Simon Bubb (@SimonBubb) is an actor based in London, England and has narrated many audiobooks, including Ghost Boy: The Miraculous Escape of a Misdiagnosed Boy Trapped Inside His Own Body for which he won an Audie Award.
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