It's Time for The Passion "Translation" to Die

We are blessed with many good English versions of the Bible and I'm grateful for the opportunity to read and compare so many different ones. Unfortunately, there are also some Bible versions that are less helpful. Some are even less-than-helpful, and one of the worst is called The Passion Translation.

I've known for years that TPT is a poor choice for a Bible translation.

First, it's definitely not a translation but a paraphrase, despite the claims of Brian Simmons, who created it, and BroadStreet Publishing, who publishes it. False advertising is especially bad when what you are advertising is (supposed to be) God's word.

Now paraphrases do have a useful place--just like commentaries and sermons--by sharing one person's understanding of the meaning and significance of God's word. There's nothing wrong with that.

But TPT is a particularly bad paraphrase. If you doubt that, consider this random example I discovered just last night while browsing a devotional book written by Simmons. Here is Psalm 61:5 in some trusted translations:

KJV: "For thou, O God, hast heard my vows: thou hast given me the heritage of those that fear thy name."

ESV: "For you, O God, have heard my vows; you have given me the heritage of those who fear your name."

NIV: "For you, God, have heard my vows; you have given me the heritage of those who fear your name."

NASB: "For You have heard my vows, God; You have given me the inheritance of those who fear Your name."

NLT: "For you have heard my vows, O God. You have given me an inheritance reserved for those who fear your name."

Obviously this isn't a complicated verse to translate; the translations are effectively the same all the way from the KJV to the NLT. Even a paraphrase like the TLB doesn't change the verse much:

"For you have heard my vows, O God, to praise you every day, and you have given me the blessings you reserve for those who reverence your name."

But here's what Simmons did to this verse in his TPT:

"You have heard my sweet resolutions to love and serve you, for I am your beloved. And you have given me an inheritance of rich treasures, which you give to all your lovers."

Huh?! How did a verse about making vows to God and fearing him turn into a semi-erotic ramble about sweet resolutions from a lover to her apparently polygamous partner? And aren't inheritances usually given to children, not to lovers? Nevermind that there is no basis in either the Hebrew or the LXX (Greek OT) for such language in this verse.

These sorts of criticisms of TPT are not new. Unfortunately, they don't seem to stick with the highly devoted and apparently growing fanbase of TPT, which likes TPT's stated purpose of emphasizing emotion, heart, and passion rather than the intellect. (Simmons has even claimed that the TPT "does a mind bypass and goes directly into the heart" [1:37].)

Recently, however, I've learned that the problems with TPT run deeper than I imagined.

On June 4, 2026, researchers of the TPT (Minor Prophets and Mike Winger) shared a new video that documents a long history of deceptions by Brian Simmons--deceptions especially about his qualifications as a translator and the sources he used for TPT. The problems include much more than the following:

• Claiming (but later denying he ever did so) that "an angel named Passion" was sent to him to help him with his work,

• Making false claims about using the "original Aramaic" texts of the New Testament (there is no such thing),

• Borrowing from a quack "translator" of a supposed ancient Aramaic text that has never been made public,

• And very extensive un-credited borrowing (plagiarism?) from other paraphrase Bibles, especially The Message and The Living Bible.

If you like the TPT or are on the fence about it, I urge you to watch the video for yourself.

It's terribly long--over 4-1/2 hours. I almost never watch videos, because they are far less efficient than reading texts. But the video format is crucial here, for it includes video evidence of claims Simmons has made in the past. I would have tweaked the presentation at some points, but I'm glad I watched the whole thing and I found almost all of it convincing.

The researchers who shared the video have launched an appeal to YouVersion to remove TPT from its Bible app. Please read and sign their petition on Change.org, then share it widely.

Do you want to do more? Then respond to the invitation that used to be included in the copyright notice of TPT: "If you find a mistake in the Bible text or footnotes, please contact the publisher at tpt@broadstreetpublishing.com." Why not email BroadStreet a link to the video and express your concern?

My prayer is that Simmons and BroadStreet will be forced to address these latest revelations head-on, rather than dancing around them as they have with past critiques.

Of course I don't have perfect knowledge of every charge against TPT. That said, the charges are now so multi-faceted and the evidence strong enough that I believe it's past time to act. Even if only half the charges should prove true, then there is ample reason for TPT to die a permanent death--not only because it is a bad paraphrase, but because its production and promotion has been so riddled with deception. The body of Christ has been duped, God's name has been mocked, and it is time for an accounting.

Those who mishandle God's word for profit have surely not learned to fear him, no matter how much they may claim to be his lovers.

Postscripts:

• Rest easy, I have no plans to turn into a "discernment blogger" who narrowly focuses on warning of false teachers. That said, I feel that this TPT warning fits well with my stated purpose of helping the church "listen well to the Scriptures."

• In critiquing TPT, I do not mean to critique anyone who has been innocently using it and even blessed by it. If that's you, let me remind you that your real love is for Jesus and his words, not for TPT. Let that deeper love guide you as you evaluate TPT. Is it faithful to the Savior you love?

• I'm also not trying to deny that some people haven truly been drawn closer to Jesus through reading TPT. Much of its content mercifully remains faithful to God's word, despite the many parts that are unfaithful linguistically and sometimes theologically. What I am saying is that a) there are many translations far more faithful and b) even if it were now massively revised into a better translation, its production has been so riddled with deception that Simmons and BroadStreet have no right to continue profiting from its publication and sale. It is time for repentance.