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THE JERUSALEM BIBLE
READER'S EDITION
La Bible de Jerusalem, originally published in France, was the culmination of
decades of research and biblical scholarship. It was immediately recognized
the world over as one of the greatest Bible achievements of our times. The
publication of the English translation in 1966 was equally enthusiastically received by scholars and readers of all faiths for its vigorous, contemporary literary style. It is truly the modern Bible for the modem reader seeking a
greater understanding and appreciation of the scriptures in the language and
imagery of today.
In response to popular demand, this Reader's Edition has been designed to
provide the general reader with an edition that is suited to his needs. It contains the complete text of THE JERUSALEM BIBLE in a translation that employs
all the beauty and majesty of the English language- but always as a living
language of the twentieth century. It includes many of the features of the Regular Edition: single-column pages for easy reading; verse numbers in the margin for ready and convenient reference; 8 pages of nine maps-four in color,
five in black-and-white; a Chronological Table; and Tables of Measures and
Money. The notes and introductions were carefully gone over by Alexander Jones, the General Editor, and abridged to relieve the average reader of
burdensome detail while retaining necessary and helpful information for a
fuller understanding and appreciation of the scriptures.
In preparing this translation, the translators made full use of the ancient
Greek, Aramaic and Hebrew texts. How this was done while still retaining the
interpretations and insights of the French edition is explained by Father Jones:
"The translation of the biblical text itself could clearly not be made from
the French. In the case of a few books the initial draft was made from the
French and then compared word for word with the Hebrew or Aramaic
. . . and amended where necessary to ensure complete conformity with
the ancient text. For the much greater part, the initial drafts were made
from the Hebrew or Greek and simultaneously compared with the French
when questions of, variant reading or interpretation arose. Whichever system was used, therefore, the same intended result was achieved, that is,
an entirely faithful version of the ancient texts which, in doubtful points,
preserves the text established and (for the most part) the interpretation
adopted by the French scholars in the light of the most recent researches
in the fields of history, archaeology and literary criticism."
THE JERUSALEM BIBLE has been acclaimed by biblical scholars and readers of
all denominations for its vigorous and vital translation, faithful in all respects
to the original sources-a translation that captures for contemporary man the
vitality and immediacy that the Bible had for the first Christians.
General Editor
ALEXANDER JONES
L.S.S., S.T.L., I.C.B.