Tanakh — The Holy Scriptures (NJPS)
The New Jewish Publication Society Tanakh (NJPS, 1985) is the definitive modern English translation of the Hebrew Bible from a Jewish scholarly perspective. Produced by Jewish scholars for Jewish readers, it follows the traditional Jewish canonical ordering (Torah, Nevi'im, Ketuvim) and translates entirely from the Masoretic Text. It does not include the New Testament.
History & Background
The JPS produced an earlier English translation in 1917. The 1985 NJPS was a completely fresh translation — the Torah completed in 1962, the Prophets in 1978, the Writings in 1982, with the one-volume complete Tanakh in 1985. Edited by Harry Orlinsky, H.L. Ginsberg, and Ephraim Speiser. A Gender-Sensitive Edition was published in 2023. The NJPS is widely used in Jewish communities and by Old Testament scholars across all backgrounds.
Canon Proximity Rating
39-book Hebrew Bible (Tanakh/Old Testament only; no NT). The authoritative modern Jewish English Bible; essential for OT scholarship from a Jewish perspective.