It is important to read the story out loud. This is how most of the first-century believers received these stories. The majority of people in the first-century Mediterranean world were not literate enough to read something like the Gospel of Mark on their own. Therefore, it was read aloud to the churches. Reading a text aloud impacts your understanding of it.
As far as the translation you use, try to use a translation that is closer to a word-for-word approach, such as the NASB or ESV or KJV, then use translations such as the NIV or NLT for comparison sake. The Message, though has its place, is NOT a translation and will cause you to miss many key factors in this process. The reason is that key words were often repeated in the original writings to aid in memorization. If a word or phrase is repeated, it was probably important. The NIV, NLT, or paraphrases like The Message, while helpful in some ways, will often miss these repetitions.
The scale below is a bit subjective but generally true.
As far as the translation you use, try to use a translation that is closer to a word-for-word approach, such as the NASB or ESV or KJV, then use translations such as the NIV or NLT for comparison sake. The Message, though has its place, is NOT a translation and will cause you to miss many key factors in this process. The reason is that key words were often repeated in the original writings to aid in memorization. If a word or phrase is repeated, it was probably important. The NIV, NLT, or paraphrases like The Message, while helpful in some ways, will often miss these repetitions.
The scale below is a bit subjective but generally true.
