Barclay Newman, a translator on the teams for both the Good News Bible and the Contemporary English Version, translated passages of the New Testament into English and published them in 2014, “in a publication brief enough to be non-threatening, yet long enough to be taken seriously, and interesting enough to appeal to believers and un-believers alike.” The following is the translation of Luke 23:44-49:

The sun stopped shining and shadowy darkness
       spread like a shroud from noon to mid afternoon.
The temple curtain split down the middle,
as the final words of Jesus thundered,
       “Father, I trust myself to you!”

A Roman soldier witnessed the events and exclaimed,
       “Today I’ve seen a truly good man!”

The crowd that had gathered to gape at the gruesome sight,
       dispersed and disappeared with broken hearts.
But the close friends of Jesus — especially the women
who had accompanied him from Galilee —
       stood at a distance as solemn witnesses.