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 6:30-44:

One day, Jesus and his closest followers
were surrounded by so many spectators
       that they didn’t even have a chance to eat.
Jesus said, “Let’s leave here and find a place
       where we can be alone and get some rest.”

So they jumped in a boat and rowed away,
but people found out and walked there
       before the boat arrived.

As Jesus stepped ashore, he noticed the crowd —
it was like a scattering of sheep without a shepherd.
       He felt sorry for the people and started teaching them.

That evening his followers came to him and said,
       “It’s getting dark in this desert-like place.
Stop teaching and release the crowds,
       so they can start searching for somewhere to buy food.”

“You give them something to eat,” replied Jesus

“Don’t you know,” they questioned, “a year’s wages
       would barely be enough to feed this crowd?”

“Find out how much bread is available,” commanded Jesus.

They found out and reported,
       “Five small loaves and two little fish.”

Jesus instructed his followers to tell the people to
sit down on the green grass
       in groups of a hundred and in groups of fifty.

Looking up toward heaven, Jesus blessed
       both the bread and the fish.
Then he broke the bread and handed it to his followers,
       who distributed it among the crowd.
He also divided the fish, so everyone could have some.
After everyone had eaten and was satisfied,
the followers of Jesus gathered enough leftovers
       to fill twelve large baskets.