The Old Testament

This project of translating the Old Testament is one that has been going on since the summer of 1999, when I took a summer class in Hebrew at Regent College. As with my translation of the New Testament, my original intention was not to translate the Bible. It came about gradually, as I taught the Bible at various Christian high schools over the years. I would translate a particular passage or chapter I was planning to cover, so that I would have a better handle on it. Over time, I'd realize that I would have a certain book almost done, so I would translate the rest of it and finish it off. At some point, as I kept going, it became a goal of mine to translate the entire Bible. I was no doubt inspired by my grandfather, who had taught himself rudimentary New Testament Greek so that, with the aid of lexicons, he hand-wrote his own translation of the New Testament over the course of 50 years. This translation is primarily a work of personal devotion. I have no illusions that this will compete with the likes of the ESV, NIV, NRSV, or any official translation for that matter. I'll just be happy if anyone who buys it takes the time to drop me a note to tell me what they thought about it...as well as point out any small errors that are undoubtedly nestled in these pages. As often as I've read through this translation, I'm sure I've missed a few mistakes. In any case, there are a number of distinctives to this translation. Allow me to point them out here: (A)Words Used in Relation to God: I've decided to use the actual Hebrew words Elohim/elohim and its variants instead of God/gods, and Adonai instead of "lord" or "master." In addition, I use YHWH to denote the Tetragrammaton instead of the usual LORD used in most English translations. (B)Transliterations instead of Translations: There are also a handful of other Hebrew words that I've chosen to simply transliterate, in order to give this translation a more "Hebrew feel," as well as to call attention to the importance of some words. (C)Translational Choices: In addition, there are a few specific translational choices I've made that are different than most translations. There are numerous other translational distinctives throughout this work that I explain in the footnotes. For that matter, I've made it a point to keep the footnotes to a minimum. I want to be sure to give enough information to help the reader understand what is being said, but I don't want to interfere with the task of reading well. And that really is the goal of this translation: as much as possible, I want the reader to be able to read in English the various words, names, and literary features that would be obvious to one who reads the Old Testament in Hebrew. In even the best translation, there are literary elements that are lost. I hope that in this translation a few of those literary elements can be found again. I find the Old Testament fascinating. Simply put, it's a good read! I hope this translation helps to open the door to the world of the Old Testament, so that the reader can explore the fascinating story of God getting down in the mud of human history. If the Old Testament shows one thing, it is that salvation is a dirty business. At the same time, there's something liberating about being a kid again and playing in the mud. So enjoy. I also have a blog entitled "resurrecting orthodoxy" at joeledmundanderson.com. Drop me a note and tell me your impressions of the translation.