Chronicles the ancient history of Israel and its prophets, from Samson to Elijah.

The story of ancient Israel, from the arrival in Canaan to the destruction of the Kingdom of Judah and the Babylonian exile some six centuries later, here is the highly anticipated second volume in Everett Fox’s landmark translation of the Hebrew Bible. The personalities who appear in the pages of The Early Prophets, and the political and moral dilemmas their stories illuminate, are part of the living consciousness of the Western world. From Joshua and the tumbling walls of Jericho to Samson and Delilah, the prophet Samuel and the tragic King Saul, David and Goliath, Bathsheba and Absalom, King Solomon’s temple, Elijah and the chariot of fire, Ahab and Jezebel—the stories of these men and women are deeply etched into Western culture because they beautifully encapsulate the human experience. The four books that comprise The Early Prophets look at tribal rivalries, dramatic changes in leadership, and the intrusions of neighboring empires through the prism of the divine-human relationship. Over the centuries, the faithful have read these narratives as demonstrations of the perils of disobeying God’s will, and time and again Jews in exile found that the stories spoke to their own situations of cultural assimilation, destruction, and the reformulation of identity. They have had an equally indelible impact on generations of Christians, who have seen in many of the narratives foreshadowings of the life and death of Jesus, as well as models for their own lives and the careers of their leaders. But beyond its importance as a foundational religious document, The Early Prophets is a great work of literature, a powerful and distinctive narrative of the past that seeks meaning in the midst of national catastrophe. Accompanied by illuminating commentary, notes, and maps, Everett Fox’s masterly translation of the Hebrew original re-creates the echoes, allusions, alliterations, and wordplays that rhetorically underscore its meaning and are intrinsic to a timeless text meant to be both studied and read aloud.

How will we begin the unfolding history of Israel after the giving of Torah? We have heard the phrase, the Law and the Prophets. The Prophets are the second major division of the Hebrew Scriptures. The prophets recount the history of Israel after the giving of the Law. The first section of the prophets is the subject of four books: Joshua, Judges, Samuel, and Kings. Each of Samuel and Kings is traditionally divided into two parts. Here we read of the occupation of the Promised Land, the early period of the Judges, the call of Samuel, prophet during the lives of Saul and David, the sweet psalmist of Israel, and we read of the progression of the kings of Israel from Solomon to the exile. What a saga! And all of it set to music in the very text itself. The center between first and second Samuel contains the elegy of David over Saul and over Jonathan, his son. Its full sadness is to be known by hearing it recited with its music. To read with the music is an unforgettable reading of the Hebrew Bible. The Former Prophets is volume 2 of the series, The Hebrew Bible and Its Music.

The Old Testament book of 1 Samuel belongs to those books in the Old Testament known as the Former Prophets (Joshua, Judges, 1 & 2 Samuel, 1 & 2 Kings). In the original Hebrew, 1 & 2 Samuel are one book. Samuel the Seer examines this ancient text in which lies the birth of the state of Israel as it exists today

"A masterpiece of contemporary Bible translation and commentary."—Los Angeles Times Book Review, Best Books of 1999 Acclaimed for its masterful new translation and insightful commentary, The David Story is a fresh, vivid rendition of one of the great works in Western literature. Robert Alter's brilliant translation gives us David, the beautiful, musical hero who slays Goliath and, through his struggles with Saul, advances to the kingship of Israel. But this David is also fully human: an ambitious, calculating man who navigates his life's course with a flawed moral vision. The consequences for him, his family, and his nation are tragic and bloody. Historical personage and full-blooded imagining, David is the creation of a literary artist comparable to the Shakespeare of the history plays.

In this introduction to the first five books of the Old Testament, Victor Hamilton moves chapter by chapter--rather than verse by verse--through the Pentateuch, examining the content, structure, and theology. Each chapter deals with a major thematic unit of the Pentateuch, and Hamilton provides useful commentary on overarching themes and connections between Old Testament texts. This second edition has been substantially revised and updated. The first edition sold over sixty thousand copies.

Following on the heels of the successful New Testament for Everyone commentaries by N. T. Wright, John Goldingay, an internationally respected Old Testament scholar, authors this ambitious Old Testament for Everyone series. Covering Scripture from Genesis to Malachi, Goldingay addresses the texts in such a way that even the most challenging passages are explained simply. Perfect for daily devotions, Sunday school preparation, or brief visits with the Bible, the Old Testament for Everyone series is an excellent resource for the modern reader.