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 12:28-34:

Jesus had just frustrated a group of theologians,
when a noted biblical scholar asked him,
       “What’s the most important teaching in the Bible?”

Jesus answered, “The Bible itself says,
       Love God with all your heart!
And the Bible also says,
       Love others as much as you love yourself!
No teachings are more important than these.”

“Teacher,” answered the man, “you’re certainly right.
We must love the one and only God with all our heart,
       and love others as much as we love ourselves.
To obey these two commands is more important
       than offering all kinds of gifts to God.”

Jesus realized the depth of the man’s answer and said,
       “You already have one foot in the Ultimate Kingdom.”

After this, no one dared put Jesus to the test.