The Great Poems of the Bible: A Reader's Companion with New Translations

James Kugel, professor of biblical studies at Harvard University, has taken the Bible's greatest poems and given each of them a dose of fresh thinking and a new translation. Chapter by chapter, Kugel leads readers into a new and sometimes profoundly different translation based on his interpretation of the original Hebrew Bible. As a lover and scholar of many languages, Kugel offers translations that are both eloquent and spiritually stirring. As a result, this is a feast for anyone who treasures beautiful language. But more so, it is a deeply satisfying discussion of beliefs in the biblical world. Kugel's essays boldly venture into the big questions: What does the Bible mean when it talks about people's souls? Where is the soul and what does it do? What is the source of human evil? These expertly written discussions never once bog down the poems. Rather, they bring greater texture and meaning to the ancient words. --Gail Hudson