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

InThe Great Poems of the Bible,James Kugel, acclaimed Harvard scholar and former poetry editor ofHarpers Magazine,selects eighteen essential poems from the Hebrew Bible and offers his own original and articulate translations of these core pieces of religious literature. His eloquent renditions are paired with deeply informed discussions about the conditions surrounding each poem, including its history and what the best religious scholarship and literary criticism tell us about how the poem should be understood. Kugel explains traditions, clarifies often-misunderstood language, and offers readers wonderfully insightful explanations that are indispensable to understanding the poems and, ultimately, the fundamental teachings of the Old Testament.

James L. Kugel served as the Starr Professor of Hebrew at Harvard from 1982 to 2003, where his course on the Bible was regularly one of the most popular on campus, enrolling more than nine hundred students. A specialist in the Hebrew Bible and its interpretation, he now lives in Jerusalem. His recent books include The God of Old, In the Valley of the Shadow and the forthcoming The Great Change.

Contents Introduction 1. Psalm 104"This is where birds make their nest" A Place in the System 2. Psalm 42"My soul longs for You" The Double Agent 3. Psalm 29"Listen! The Lord" The Death of Baal 4. Amos 4:4 5:24"Let justice roll down like waters" A Prophet in Israel 5. 2 Samuel 1:19-27"How the mighty have fallen!" David's Lament 6. Job 28"There is mine for silver" Where Wisdom is Found 7. Judges 5Deborah's Song Tough Women 8. Psalm 51David's Confession A Pure Heart 9. The One-Line Poem (chosen from Proverbs and Ecclesiastes) Solomon's Riddles 10. Isaiah 11:1-9"The wolf will dwell with the lamb" An Ideal Time 11. Psalm 23"The Lord is my shepherd" "And Obscure as That Heaven of the Jews" 12. Jeremiah 12:1-6"You always win, O Lord" Why Do The Wicked Prosper? 13. Psalm 137"By the rivers of Babylon" The Fall of Jerusalem 14. Psalm 119A Psalm of Devotion To Know God 15. The Song of SongsSelections Sea of Love 16. Micah 7:8-20"Who is like You?" God's Character 17. Isaiah 60"Arise, shine!" The Match 18. Ecclesiastes 12"Remember your Creator" For Everyone, a Season Dates of Important Figures and Events Notes on Translations Brief Bibliography Scriptural Index