The Contemporary English Version of the Bible is based on the observation that more people in our day and age hear the Bible than read it for themselves. Based on this reality, the goal of the CEV translation is to be accurate, beautiful, clear, and dignified orally so that a person can read aloud effortlessly and auditors can hear with understanding and enjoyment. The preferred texture is melody with accompaniment. Accompaniments should also not be too instrument-specific, meaning, that they could be easily played on piano, organ, synthesizer, guitar, etc.
Accompaniments can also include rhythmic and counter-melodic parts to enrich the musical texture.
The entire setting will unlock the latent emotional content of the text in such a way that that it will be faithful to the affective meaning of the biblical text and in harmony with its ideal content. Since the Reformation, the thoughts contained in biblical texts have been primarily experienced through declamatory reading and preaching. The feelings contained in biblical texts, on the other hand, have been primarily experienced though musical performance. A composer's task is similar to a preacher's, but on the affective side of the spectrum. To properly set a text, composers need to know or to be guided in the emotional content of a text and how this content has been expressed throughout music history.