This version of the Bible has been prepared especially for people who want an English translation
that accurately expresses the full meaning of the original text in a style that is clear and
easy to understand. It is especially helpful for those who have limited experience with English,
including children and people who are just learning English. It is designed to help such people
overcome or avoid the most common difficulties to reading with understanding.
The writers of Scripture, especially those who produced the New Testament writings, showed
by the language style they used that they were interested in good communication. The translators
of this English version considered this an important example to follow. So they worked to
express the meaning of the Biblical text in a form that would be simple and natural. They used
language that, instead of working as a barrier to understanding, would provide a key to unlock
the truths of the Scriptures for a large segment of the English-speaking world.
The translation is based directly on the original languages of Scripture. In the case of the Old
Testament, the translators followed the Hebrew Masoretic Text as it is found in the latest
printed edition of Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia (1984), while referring occasionally to some
earlier readings in the Dead Sea Scrolls. In some cases, they also followed the Septuagint (LXX),
the Greek translation of the Old Testament, where it has readings that are actually earlier than
any known Hebrew manuscript. For the New Testament, the source text was that which is
found in both the United Bible Societies’ Greek New Testament (fourth revised edition, 1993)
and the Nestle-Aland Novum Testamentum Graece (twenty-seventh edition, 1993). The occasional
variation from these printed editions was guided by reference to the findings of more
recent scholarship.
Several special features are used to aid understanding. Brief explanations or synonyms (italicized
within parentheses) sometimes follow difficult or unusual words in the text. If a word
or phrase needs fuller explanation, it is specially marked in one of two ways: (1) If its usage
is unique or unusual, it is marked by a letter of the alphabet (a) linking it to a footnote that
provides an explanation or important information. Included in such footnotes are references
to Scripture quotations and information about alternate readings when significant differences
occur in the ancient manuscripts. (2) If it is a word that occurs frequently with the same meaning,
its first occurrence in a section is marked with an asterisk (*) indicating that an explanation
can be found in a Word List at the end of the Bible.
As in all translations, words that are implied by the context are often supplied in the text to
make the meaning clear. For example, the phrase that in Greek is simply “David of Jesse” is
always translated into English as “David the son of Jesse.” If such explanatory words or phrases
are extensive or unusual, they may be marked by half brackets. For example, in the translation,
“The LORD gave this command to Moses {for the people},” the phrase in half brackets is added
to avoid any misunderstanding that the Lord’s command was intended only for Moses and not
for all the people.
In the Old Testament two different words are translated “Lord.” When “Lord” is printed with
small capital letters (LORD), it represents the Hebrew YHWH, which in some versions has been
transliterated into English as “Jehovah” or “Yahweh.” In a few cases, where YHWH is obviously
used as the name of God or in place names, it is translated “Yahweh.” When the word
“Lord” contains lower case letters, it represents the Hebrew word adonai or a pronoun that
refers to either adonai or YHWH. When adonai occurs together with YHWH, it is translated
“Lord” and YHWH is translated GOD, as in “the Lord GOD.” In cases where the speaker does
not recognize that the one being addressed is God, adonai may be translated “Sir.” The same is
true in the New Testament for the Greek word kurios, which may be translated either “Lord”
or “Sir,” depending on the context.
Finally, in the Gospels, the first four books of the New Testament, the section headings are
often followed by cross references. These identify where the same or similar material is found
in one or more of the other Gospels.
The word Bible comes from a Greek word meaning “books.” The Bible is actually two collections
of books, often referred to as the “Old Testament” and the “New Testament.” The word
translated “testament” was used to mean a covenant or agreement. It refers to God’s promise
to bless his people. The Old Testament is the collection of writings that relate to the agreement
that God made with the descendants of Jacob (Israel) in the time of Moses. The New Testament
is the collection of writings that relate to the agreement God made with all people who
believe in Jesus Christ.
The Old Testament writings tell about the great things God did for the people of Israel and his
plan for them as his chosen people to bring his blessings to the whole world. These writings
look forward to the coming of a savior or “Messiah” (see “Christ” in the Word List). The New
Testament writings continue the Old Testament story. They describe the coming of that savior
(Jesus Christ) and the meaning of his coming for all people. The Old Testament is important
for understanding the New Testament, because it provides the necessary background. And the
New Testament completes the story of salvation that began in the Old Testament.
The Old Testament writings are a collection of thirty-nine different books produced by many
different authors. They were written mainly in Hebrew, the language of ancient Israel. There
are a few sections in Aramaic, an international language in Bible times. Portions of the Old
Testament were written over 3500 years ago, and more than 1000 years passed between the
writing of the first book and the last. In this collection there are books of law, history, prose,
songs, poetry, and wise sayings.
The Old Testament is often divided into three main sections: the Law, the Prophets, and the
Holy Writings. The Law contains five books called “The Five Books of Moses.” The first book
is Genesis. It tells about the beginning of the world as we know it, the first man and woman,
and their first sin against God. It tells about the Great Flood and the family God saved through
that flood, and it tells about the beginnings of the nation of Israel, the people God chose to use
for a special purpose.
God made an agreement with Abraham, a great man of faith. In that agreement God promised
to make Abraham the father of a great nation and to give him and his descendants the land of
Canaan. Abraham was circumcised to show that he had accepted the agreement, and circumcision
became the proof of the agreement between God and his people. Abraham did not know
how God would do what he had promised but trusted him to make it happen. This pleased
God very much.
God told Abraham to leave his home in Mesopotamia and led him to Canaan (later called the
land of Israel, which was approximately the same geographical area known today as Palestine).
In his old age Abraham had a son named Isaac, who had a son named Jacob. Jacob (also called
Israel) had twelve sons and a daughter. This family became the nation of Israel, but it never
forgot its tribal origin. It continued to refer to itself as the twelve tribes of Israel—descendants
of the twelve sons of Jacob: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Issachar,
Zebulun, Joseph, and Benjamin. The three main ancestors—Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob
(Israel)—are known as the “fathers” or “patriarchs” of Israel.
Abraham was also a “father” of another kind. Many times in ancient Israel, God called certain
people to speak for him. These special people, or prophets, were God’s representatives to the
rest of his people. Through the prophets God gave the people of Israel promises, warnings,
laws, teachings, lessons drawn from past experiences, and lessons based on future events.
Abraham “the Hebrew” is the first prophet mentioned in the Scriptures.
The family of Jacob (Israel) grew to include about 70 of his direct descendants. One of his
sons, Joseph, became a high official in Egypt. Times were hard, so Jacob and his family moved
to Egypt, where there was plenty of food and life was easier. This tribe of Hebrews grew to
be a small nation, and the Pharaoh (the title or name of the king of Egypt) made them serve
as slaves. The book of Exodus tells about how finally, after 400 years, God used the prophet
Moses to free the people of Israel from slavery and lead them eventually to settle again in
Palestine. The price for freedom was high, but the Egyptians were the ones who had to pay.
God punished them with a series of ten plagues, demanding with each one that his chosen
people be set free. But following each disaster, the king stubbornly refused to free them. The
final plague, however, brought about the death of the firstborn sons of all the families of Egypt,
including the Pharaoh’s son. This caused the king finally to agree to let the Israelites go free.
The people of Israel had been given special preparations to make for their trip to freedom.
Dressed and ready for the escape, each family killed and roasted a lamb. They put the blood
from the lamb on their doorposts as a special sign to God. They hurriedly baked bread without
yeast and ate their meal. That night the Lord went through the land. If the blood of the lamb
was not on the doorposts, the firstborn of that family died. This is why the firstborn sons of
the Egyptians were put to death, while the Lord “passed over” the homes of his people. This
night and the events surrounding it were later remembered in many ways in the worship and
sacrifices of the people of Israel.
After the Israelite slaves were set free and were leaving Egypt, the Pharaoh changed his mind
again. He sent his army to catch them and bring them back, but God saved his people. He
divided the Red Sea, making a path through it to lead them to freedom on the other side. Then
he released the waters to destroy the army of Egyptians that was following them. After Moses
led the people in a song of praise to God for his protection and kindness, he led them on a long
and difficult journey. Finally, they came to a mountain in the desert of Sinai on the Arabian
Peninsula, where God made a special agreement with his people.
God’s rescue of the people of Israel and his agreement with them at Mount Sinai set this nation
apart from all others. This agreement contained promises and laws for the people of Israel. A
part of this agreement, known as the Ten Commandments, was written by God on two stone
tablets and given to the people. These commands contain the basic principles for the kind of
life God wanted the people of Israel to live, including their duty to God, family, and others.
The Ten Commandments and the rest of the rules and teachings given at Mount Sinai became
known as “the Law of Moses” or simply “the law.” Many times these terms are used to refer to
the first five books of the Scriptures and often to the entire Old Testament.
Besides the Ten Commandments and other rules of conduct, the Law of Moses contains rules
about priests, sacrifices, worship, and holy days. These rules are found in the book of Leviticus.
According to the Law of Moses, all priests and their helpers came from the tribe of Levi. These
helpers were called “Levites.” The most important priest was called the high priest.
The Law of Moses included instructions for building the Holy Tent (“Tabernacle”), or Meeting
Tent, the place where the people of Israel went to worship God. It also has instructions for
making all the things to be used in their worship. This prepared the Israelites for the building
of the Temple, the holy building in Jerusalem on Mount Zion, where the people would later
go to worship God. The rules about sacrifices and worship forced the people to see that they
sinned against each other and against God. But they also gave the people a way to be forgiven
and to be reunited with one another and with God. These sacrifices prepared the way for a better
understanding of the sacrifice God was preparing to give for all the people of the world.
The Law of Moses also contained instructions for celebrating a number of holy days or festivals.
Each festival had its own special meaning. Some festivals were happy occasions to celebrate
special times of the year, especially harvest times. These included the Festival of Weeks in the
spring and the Festival of Shelters in the fall. (See these terms in the Word List.)
Other festivals were for remembering the wonderful things God had done for his people. Passover
was this kind of holy day. Each family relived the escape from Egypt, gathering in their
homes to remember this part of Israel’s history and to sing songs of praise to God. A lamb was
slaughtered and the meal prepared. Each cup of wine and piece of food reminded the people
of the things God had done to save them from a life of pain and sadness.
One holy day, in particular, was very serious. Every year, on the Day of Atonement, the people
had to remember the many wrong things they had done to others and to God. This was a day
of sadness, and the people did not eat. But on that day the high priest offered special sacrifices
to “cover over” or atone for their sins.
The agreement between God and Israel was very important to the writers of the Old Testament.
Almost all the books of the Prophets and Holy Writings are based on the fact that the
nation of Israel, and every citizen of Israel, had made a very special agreement with their God.
They called it the “agreement of the LORD” or simply “the agreement.” Their books of history
interpret events in light of the agreement: If the individual or nation was faithful to God and
the agreement, then God rewarded them. If the people abandoned the agreement, then God
punished them. God sent his prophets to remind the people of their agreement with him. The
poets of Israel sang of the wonderful things God did for his obedient people, and they mourned
the pain and punishments that came to those who disobeyed. These writers based their concepts
of right and wrong on the teaching of the agreement. And when innocent people suffered,
the poets struggled to understand why.
The story of ancient Israel is the story of people who were always leaving God, God rescuing
the people, the people turning back to God and eventually leaving him again. This cycle began
almost as soon as the people had accepted God’s agreement, and it was repeated again and
again. At Mount Sinai the people of Israel agreed to follow God, and then they rebelled and
were forced to wander 40 years in the desert. Finally, Moses’ helper, Joshua, led the people
into the promised land. Then came the battles to gain control of the different areas and settle
the first parts of what later came to be known as the land of Israel. For the first few centuries
after this settlement, the people were governed by local leaders called judges.
Eventually, the people wanted a king. The first king God appointed for them was Saul. But
Saul did not obey God, so God chose a shepherd boy named David to be the new king. The
prophet Samuel came and poured oil on his head, anointing him king of Israel. God promised
David that the future kings of Israel would be his descendants from the tribe of Judah. David
conquered the city of Jerusalem and made it his capital and the future site of the Temple. He
organized the priests, prophets, songwriters, musicians, and singers for the Temple worship.
David even wrote many of the songs (or psalms) himself, but God did not let him build the
Temple.
When David was old and about to die, with God’s blessing he made his son Solomon king of
Israel. David warned his son to always follow God and obey the agreement. As king, Solomon
built the Temple in Jerusalem that David had planned, and he expanded Israel’s borders. At
this time Israel was at the high point of its power. Solomon became famous, and Israel became
strong.
At Solomon’s death there was disagreement and a struggle among the people, and the nation
was divided. The northern ten tribes called themselves Israel. The southern tribes called themselves
Judah. (The modern term “Jew” comes from this name.) Judah remained loyal to the
agreement, and David’s dynasty (family of kings) continued ruling in Jerusalem for several
hundred years.
In the northern kingdom (Israel) numerous kings and dynasties came and went, because the
people did not follow the agreement. The kings of Israel had several capital cities at various
times, the last of which was Samaria. In order to strengthen their hold on the people, the
kings of Israel changed the way to worship God. They chose new priests and built two new
temples—one at Dan (on the northern border of Israel) and the other at Bethel (along Israel’s
border with Judah). There were many wars between Israel and Judah.
During this time of civil war and troubles, God sent many prophets to Judah and Israel. Some
of the prophets were priests; others were farmers. Some were advisors to kings; others lived
a much simpler life. Some of the prophets wrote their teachings or prophecies; many others
did not. But all the prophets spoke for justice, fairness, and the need to depend on God
for help.
Many prophets warned that the people would be defeated and scattered if they did not turn
back to God. Some prophets saw visions of future glories as well as future punishments. Many
of them looked forward to the time when a new king would come to rule the kingdom. Some
saw this king as a descendant of David who would lead the people of God into a new Golden
Age. Some spoke of this king as ruling forever over an eternal kingdom. Others saw him as a
servant who would suffer many things in order to bring his people back to God. But all of them
saw him as the Messiah, the one anointed (chosen) by God to bring in a new age.
The people of Israel did not listen to God’s warnings. So in 722/721 B.C. Samaria fell to the
invading Assyrians. The people of Israel were taken from their homes and scattered throughout
the Assyrian Empire, lost forever to their brothers and sisters in Judah. Then the Assyrians
brought in foreigners to resettle the land of Israel. These people were taught about the religion
of Judah and Israel, and many of them tried to follow the agreement. These people came to be
known as the Samaritans. The Assyrians tried to invade Judah. Many cities fell to the invaders,
but God saved Jerusalem. The defeated king of Assyria returned to his homeland, and there he
was murdered by two of his sons. So Judah was saved.
For a while the people of Judah changed. They began to obey God, but only for a short time.
They, too, were finally defeated and scattered. The nation of Babylon rose to power and invaded
Judah. At first they took only a few important people away as captives. But a few years later, in
587/586 B.C., they returned to destroy Jerusalem and the Temple. Some of the people escaped
to Egypt, but most of them were taken as slaves to Babylon. Again God sent prophets to the
people, and they began to listen. It seems that the destruction of the Temple and Jerusalem
and the exile in Babylon brought about a real change in the people. The prophets spoke more
and more about the new king and his kingdom. One of the prophets, Jeremiah, even spoke of
a new agreement—an agreement that would not be written on tablets of stone, but would be
in the hearts of God’s people.
Meanwhile, Cyrus came to power over the Persian Empire and conquered Babylon. Cyrus
allowed people to return to their homelands. So after 70 years of exile, many of the people of
Judah went back home. The people tried to rebuild their nation, but Judah remained small and
weak. The people rebuilt the Temple, although it was not as beautiful as the one Solomon had
built. Many of the people truly turned to God and began studying the Law, the writings of the
prophets, and the other holy writings. Many men became scribes (special scholars), who made
copies of the Scriptures. Eventually, these men organized schools for studying the Scriptures.
The people began meeting together on the Sabbath (Saturday) to study, pray, and worship God
together. In their synagogues (meetings) they studied the Scriptures, and many people began
looking for the Messiah to come.
In the West, Alexander the Great gained control of Greece and soon conquered the world. He
spread the Greek language as well as the customs and culture of Greece to many parts of the
world. When he died, his kingdom was divided. Soon another empire grew and gained control
of a large part of the known world, including Palestine, where the people of Judah lived.
The new rulers, the Romans, were often cruel and harsh, and the Jewish people were proud
and not willing to submit to Roman rule. In these troubled times there were many Jews who
were looking for the Messiah to come in their own lifetime. They wanted to be ruled only by
God and the Messiah who God had promised to send them. They did not understand that God
planned to save the world through the Messiah. They thought that God’s plan was to save the
Jews from the world! Some were content to wait for God to send his Messiah. Others thought
that they should “help” God establish his new kingdom by making sure that the Law of Moses
was observed and that the Temple, the land, and the Jewish people were kept pure. In order to
make this happen, they were willing to suffer, to die, or to kill anyone, foreigners or other Jews,
who threatened these goals. Such Jews eventually came to be known as “Zealots.”
By the first century B.C., the Law of Moses had become extremely important to the Jews. They
had studied and argued over it for centuries. The people understood the law in different ways,
but many Jews were ready to die for that law. There were three major religious groups among
the Jews, and there were scribes (scholars or experts in the law) in each group.
The Sadducees
One of the groups was called the Sadducees. This name probably comes from the name Zadok,
the high priest in King David’s time. Many of the priests and the people in authority were
Sadducees. These men accepted only the law (the five books of Moses) as their authority in
religious matters. The Law of Moses taught many things about the priests and sacrifices, but it
did not teach about life after death. So the Sadducees did not believe that people would ever
be raised from death.
Another group was called the Pharisees. This name comes from a Hebrew word meaning “to
interpret (explain)” or “to separate.” These men tried to teach or interpret the Law of Moses
to the common people. The Pharisees believed that there was an oral tradition going back to
Moses’ time. They believed that people of each generation could interpret the law in a way
that would allow it to meet the needs of that generation. This meant that the Pharisees could
accept not only the Law of Moses as their authority, but also the Prophets, the Holy Writings,
and even their own traditions. These men tried very hard to follow the law and their traditions.
So they were very careful about what they ate and what they touched. They were careful about
washing their hands and bathing. They also believed that people would be raised from death,
because they understood many of the prophets to say that would happen.
The Essenes
The third major group was the Essenes. Many of the priests in Jerusalem did not live the way
God wanted them to. Also, the Romans had appointed many of the high priests, and some of
these men were not qualified according to the Law of Moses. Because of this, the Essenes did
not think that the worship and sacrifices in the Jerusalem Temple were being done properly.
So they moved out into the Judean desert to live. They formed their own community, where
only other Essenes could come and live. They fasted, prayed, and waited for God to send the
Messiah to purify the temple and the priesthood. Many scholars believe that the Essenes were
connected in some way with the Qumran Community and the many ancient writings (including
the Dead Sea Scrolls) found at Qumran and other places in that area of the Judean desert.
God had begun his plan. He had chosen a special nation. He had made an agreement with
those people that would prepare them to understand his justice and his goodness. Through
prophets and poets he had revealed his plan to bless the world by establishing a perfect spiritual
“kingdom” based on a new and better agreement. This plan would begin with the coming
of the promised Messiah. The prophets had spoken of his coming in great detail. They had told
where the Messiah would be born, the kind of person he would be, and the work he would
have to do. It was now time for the Messiah to come and begin the new agreement.
The part of the Bible that is now called the New Testament (which means “new agreement”)
describes how God’s new agreement was revealed and put into effect by Jesus, who was the
Christ (meaning “the Anointed One,” the Messiah). This collection of writings teaches that
this agreement was to be for all people. And it tells how people in the first century responded
to God’s kind offer of love and became a part of the new agreement. The New Testament writings
explain how many things that were part of the first agreement are given new meaning
under the new agreement, especially ideas related to Israelite worship, such as temple, priesthood,
and sacrifice. These writings give instructions to God’s people about how to live in this
world. They also describe the blessings that God promises his people for a full and meaningful
life here and for life with him after death.
The New Testament writings include twenty-seven different “books” by at least eight different
writers. All of them wrote in Greek, which was widely spoken in the first-century world. More
than half of the total writing was done by four “apostles,” men chosen by Jesus to be his special
representatives or helpers. Three of these, Matthew, John, and Peter, were among the twelve
closest followers of Jesus during his life on earth. The fourth, Paul, was chosen as an apostle
later by Jesus through a miraculous appearance.
The first four books, called “Gospels,” are separate accounts of the life and death of Jesus
Christ. Generally, these books emphasize Jesus’ teaching, the purpose of his appearance on
earth, and the special significance of his death, rather than just the historical facts of his life.
This is especially true of the fourth book, the Gospel of John. The first three Gospels are very
similar in content. In fact, much of the material in one is found in one or both of the others.
There are differing points of emphasis in each one, however, and each writer seems to have
been addressing a different audience, with perhaps a different goal or goals in view.
The four Gospels are followed by Acts, a history of the events following the death of Jesus. It
describes how God’s offer of love to all people was announced throughout the world by Jesus’
followers. It tells how the proclaiming of this “gospel” or “Good News” resulted in the conversion
of thousands of people throughout Palestine and the Roman world to faith in Jesus Christ.
The book of Acts was written by a medical doctor named Luke, an eyewitness of much that he
recorded. Luke was also the author of the third Gospel. His two books make a logical unit with
Acts being the natural sequel to his account of the life of Jesus.
Following Acts, there is a collection of letters written to individuals or groups of believers in
Christ. These letters were sent from leaders in the faith, such as Paul and Peter, two of Jesus’
apostles. These letters were written to help the people of that time deal with problems they
were facing. They serve to inform, correct, teach, and encourage not only those people but
all who become followers of Jesus in regard to their faith, their life together, and their life in
the world.
The final book of the New Testament, Revelation, is very different from all the others, although
its purpose is similar to that of other letters to churches. It begins with words of criticism,
encouragement, and instruction addressed to groups of believers in seven different cities of
Asia Minor (modern Turkey). But it continues with a picture of spiritual warfare that is of
interest to all followers of Christ. It uses highly figurative language and tells of visions seen by
the author, the apostle John. Many of the figures and images are from the Old Testament and
can best be understood by comparing them to the Old Testament writings. This last book of
the New Testament is a message of hope given to God’s people through the Holy Spirit. This
message assures believers in Jesus Christ of ultimate victory over the forces of evil.
Today’s reader of the Bible should keep in mind that these books were written thousands of
years ago for people who lived in cultures very different from ours today. Many of the historical
accounts, illustrations, and references they contain can only be understood with some knowledge
of the time and culture in which the writers lived. Generally, however, the writings focus
on principles that are universally true. For example, Jesus told a story about a man sowing grain
in a field that had different types of soil conditions. Those exact conditions may be unfamiliar
to a person today, but the lesson Jesus draws from the example is appropriate for people in
any time or place.
The modern reader may find the world of the Bible somewhat strange. The customs, the
attitudes, and the way people talk may be quite unfamiliar. It is only reasonable to judge these
things by their experience and ideals, not by today’s standards. It is also important to note that
the Bible was not written as a book of science. It was written mainly to describe historical
events and present the significance of those events in ways that relate to all people. Its teachings
present universal truths that are beyond the realm of science. It remains relevant even in
our own time, because it deals with people’s basic spiritual needs, which never change.
If you read the Bible with an open mind, you can expect to receive many benefits. You will
gain knowledge about the history and culture of the ancient world. You will learn about the
life and teachings of Jesus Christ and what it means to be his follower. You will gain basic
spiritual insights and learn practical lessons for living a dynamic and joy-filled life. You will find
answers to life’s most difficult questions. There are, therefore, many good reasons for reading
this book, and if you read it with a sincere and receptive spirit, you may well discover God’s
purpose for your life.
World Bible Translation Center
Last Updated: September 21, 2006
Copyright © 2006 by World Bible Translation Center
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