Old Testament Texts

The Jewish Study Bible, which comes in a protective slipcase, combines the entire Hebrew Bible--in the celebrated Jewish Publication Society TANAKH Translation--with explanatory notes, introductory materials, and essays by leading biblical scholars on virtually every aspect of the text, the world in which it was written, its interpretation, and its role in Jewish life. The quality of scholarship, easy-to-navigate format, and vibrant supplementary features bring the ancient text to life.

This second edition includes revised annotations for nearly the entire Bible, as well as forty new and updated essays on many of the issues in Jewish interpretation, Jewish worship in the biblical and post-biblical periods, and the influence of the Hebrew Bible in the ancient world.

The Septuagint (the ancient Greek translation of Jewish sacred writings) is of great importance in the history of both Judaism and Christianity. The first translation of the books of the Hebrew Bible (plus additions) into the common language of the ancient Mediterranean world made the Jewish scriptures accessible to many outside Judaism. Not only did the Septuagint become Holy Writ to Greek speaking Jews but it was also the Bible of the early Christian communities: the scripture they cited and the textual foundation of the early Christian movement. Translated from Hebrew (and Aramaic) originals in the two centuries before Jesus, the Septuagint provides important information about the history of the text of the Bible. For centuries, scholars have looked to the Septuagint for information about the nature of the text and of how passages and specific words were understood. For students of the Bible, the New Testament in particular, the study of the Septuagint's influence is a vital part of the history of interpretation. But until now, the Septuagint has not been available to English readers in a modern and accurate translation. The New English Translation of the Septuagint fills this gap.

Awash in a sea of Bible translations, do we need yet another? Most translations bend the text toward us. They make the rough places smooth, the odd bits more palatable to our modern sensibilities. In every translation something is gained and something lost. In The First Testament: A New Translation, John Goldingay interrupts our sleepy familiarity with the Old Testament. He sets our expectations off balance by inviting us to hear the strange accent of the Hebrew text. We encounter the sinewed cadences of the Hebrew Bible, its tics and its textures. Translating words consistently, word by word, allows us to hear resonances and see the subtle figures stitched into the textual carpet. In a day of white-bread renderings of the Bible, here is a nine-grain translation with no sugar or additives. In The First Testament the language of Zion comes to us unbaptized in pious religiosity. Familiar terms such as salvation, righteousness, and holiness are avoided. We cock our ears to listen more carefully, to catch the intonations and features we had not caught before: "Yahweh said to Abram, 'Get yourself from your country, from your homeland, and from your father's household, to the country that I shall enable you to see, and I shall make you into a big nation. I shall bless you and make your name big and you'll become a blessing." (Gen 12:1-2) "Hey, you who wish for Yahweh's day. What good really is Yahweh's day to you?-- it will be darkness, not light." (Amos 5:18) "My shepherd being Yahweh, I don't lack; he enables me to lie down in grassy pastures. He leads me to settled water; he turns my life back." (Ps 23:1-3) The First Testament is an invitation to read the sacred text through the eyes of one of the most accomplished Old Testament scholars in the English-speaking world today. With introductions to each book, it is an attractive translation for the classroom as much as for personal study and enjoyment. Premium FeaturesLimited editionFull-cloth hardcover with two-color foil stampingAttached bookmark ribbon

A landmark event: the complete Hebrew Biblein the award-winning translation that deliversthe stunning literary power of the original. A masterpiece of deep learning and fine sensibility,Robert Alter's translation of the Hebrew Bible, nowcomplete, reanimates one of the formative works of ourculture. Capturing its brilliantly compact poetry and finelywrought, purposeful prose, Alter renews the Old Testamentas a source of literary power and spiritual inspiration.From the family frictions of Genesis and King David'sflawed humanity to the serene wisdom of Psalms and Job'sincendiary questioning of God's ways, these magnificentworks of world literature resonate with a startling immediacy.Featuring Alter's generous commentary, which quietlyalerts readers to the literary and historical dimensions ofthe text, this is the definitive edition of the Hebrew Bible.

From the dramatic find in the caves of Qumran, The Dead Sea Scrolls Bible presents the world's most precious and ancient version of the Bible. One thousand years older than any existing manuscripts, these scrolls allow us to read the Bible it was in the time of Jesus. Preserving parts of all but one biblical book, scrolls confirm that the text of the Old Testament as it has been handed down through the ages is largely correct. Yet, they also reveal numerous important differences. The Dead Sea Scrolls Bible: Offers new and striking textual readings that clarify millennia-old puzzles Restores lost psalms Reveals previously unknown details about the lives of biblical figures Provides new information on how the Hebrew Bible was created The Dead Sea Scrolls Bible presents all 220 of the Dead Sea biblical scrolls, arranged to be read in canonical order. The texts are translated into English by Eugene Ulrich, one of the three general editors of the Dead Sea Scrolls, Peter Flint and Martin Abegg Jr., the directors of the Dead Sea Scrolls Institute. Commentary by the editors provides insight into the rich cultural and religious traditions behind the scrolls and the Bible itself.