Promotional Information

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- the highly anticipated second volume in Everett Fox's landmark translation of the Hebrew Bible.

Table of Contents

Contents
 
Translator’s Preface ix
Acknowledgments xii
On Using This Book xvii
General Introduction xxi
An Approximate Biblical Chronology xxix

Joshua
Map of the Twelve Tribes of Israel 2
Introduction 3
Part I. Preparations for Conquest (1–5) 13
Part II. Waging War (6–12) 33
Part III. Allotting the Land (13–22) 69
Part IV. Last Words (23–24) 113

Judges
Map of Israelite Settlement 126
Introduction 127
Part I. Opening the Bracket (1–3:6) 135
Part IIa. Early Leaders: Israel Delivered (3:7–8:32) 149
Part IIb. Later Leaders: Decline (8:33–16:13) 185
On the Shimshon Cycle 207
Part III. Closing the Bracket (17–21) 233
Appendix: The Sound and Structure of a Biblical Tale 261

Samuel
Map of the Kingdoms of David and Shelomo 266
Introduction 267
Part I. The Last “Judges”: Eli and Shemuel (I 1–7) 279
Part II. The Requested King (I 8–15) 311 Part III. The Rise of David and the Fall of Sha’ul (I 16–II 1) 351
Part IV. David’s Rule Consolidated (II 2–8) 431
Part V. David in Control and Out of Control (II 9–12) 463
Part VI. The Great Rebellion (II 13–20) 481
Part VII. Final Matters (II 21–24) 527

Kings
Map of Israel and Judah 548
Jerusalem in the Times of David, Shelomo, and Hizkiyyahu 549
Map of the Assyrian Empire 550
Introduction 551
The Kings of Israel in the Book of Kings 559
Part I. Shelomo and His Kingdom (I 1–11) 561
On the Temple 563
Part II. The Split: Kings North and South (I 12–16:22) 631
Part III. Omrides and Prophets (I 16:23–II 13) 657
On Eliyyahu and Elisha (I Kings 17–II Kings 13) 659
Part IV. Southern and Northern Kings: Destruction I (II 14–17) 763
Part V. Judah as Vassal and Rebel: Destruction II (II 18–25) 785

On Three Kings of Judah 787

Recurring Names in The Early Prophets 829
Bibliography 835

About the Author

EVERETT FOX holds the Allen M. Glick Chair in Judaic and Biblical Studies and is a professor in the Department of Language, Literature, and Culture at Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts. He is the translator of The Five Books of Moses- The Schocken Bible, Volume I, the author of studies on biblical narrative and its translation, and coeditor and cotranslator, with Lawrence Rosenwald, of Scripture and Translation, a collection of essays by Martin Buber and Franz Rosenzweig.

Reviews

“Fox’s translation creates a wild reserve where biblical narration roams free. . . . It takes a gutsy translator—especially of the Holy Writ—to countenance mystery, much less messiness. Fox is faithful not only to the text but also to his readers, and he trusts our ability to manage ambiguity. . . .  In a field where divinely enabled delusion is an occupational hazard, Fox’s unwillingness to polish away jaggedness and doubt, his consciousness of the beautiful human mess involved in producing even a Bible, may be his boldest contribution.” —Avi Steinberg, The New Yorker

“In this remarkable volume of translation, Everett Fox has invaded our common assumptions about the Bible, extracted accents and cadences, and brought the text home to us in fresh and compelling ways. . . . He offers succinct notes of commentary that are well informed by current scholarship and that consistently take a commonsense, balanced position. His work will provide a lively script for the performance of the text in Jewish and Christian communities of faith.  This is an immense accomplishment [and] Fox is to be celebrated for his singular achievement. It is the sound of faith that is knowing, empowering, ironic, and summoning.” —Walter Brueggemann, Christian Century

Praise for Everett Fox’s The Five Books of Moses
“Stunning . . . This refreshing and authoritative new translation makes it possible for us to take up the Scripture as if we had never seen it before, as if we were listening to its being read aloud for the first time.” —Edward Hirsch, The New York Times Book Review
 
“Those who have been looking for an English translation of the Hebrew Bible that will, at last, let them glimpse the vitality of the Hebrew text will treasure this new translation and will wait expectantly for more translations from Fox.”  —Edward Mark, The Boston Globe
 
“Fox’s translation has the rare virtue of making constantly visible in English the Hebraic quality of the original, challenging preconceptions of what the Bible is really like. It is a bracing protest against the bland modernity of all the recent English versions of the Bible.” —Robert Alter, University of California, Berkeley
 
“No serious Bible reader—whether Jewish, Christian, or secular—can afford to ignore this volume.” —Jon D. Levenson, Harvard Divinity School
 
“A remarkable and impressive achievement. Anybody who wants to find out what the Bible really says, instead of merely enjoying a decorous experience, should study this translation and Fox’s excellent notes for fresh insights that delight as often as they instruct.” —Karen Armstrong, author of A History of God