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 Mark 1:16-20:

As Jesus was strolling beside Lake Galilee,
he noticed two fishermen — brothers they were —
       and they were casting their nets into the lake.

“Follow me!” commanded Jesus.
“I’ll give you power to bring in people.”
       At this, they dropped their nets and followed him.

As Jesus continued walking along the shore,
he saw James and John Zebedee
       sitting in a boat, mending their nets.

“Follow me!” commanded Jesus.
Leaving their father and the hired workers,
       they followed him.