Shared Word Translation
A translation for attentive reading together.
The Shared Word Translation (TSW) is a form-conscious English translation of Scripture created in service of the church’s worship, teaching, study, and communal discernment.
Why another translation?
The scriptures have been translated and retranslated for centuries, not because the text itself changes, but because language does. Each generation receives the biblical witness anew and is entrusted with rendering ancient words faithfully for contemporary ears without refashioning the message itself.
What guides TSW?
TSW seeks clear and dignified English while remaining attentive to the form and force of the biblical languages. Grammatical structure, rhetorical patterning, repetition, cadence, literary form, and ambiguity are preserved where they carry meaning. Clarity is pursued without paraphrase.
What is it for?
The translation is intended for public reading, private devotion, communal study, preaching, teaching, and digital use. It assumes an attentive reader and does not try to shield readers from difficulty, tension, metaphor, or unresolved questions in the text.
How should I begin?
Start by reading the text itself. Use Notes and Vocabulary selectively when they help clarify a textual variant, a significant interpretive possibility, or an important word. The reader is designed to keep Scripture primary.