Genesis
Old Testament

I found it refreshing to read a translation that was upfront with numerous reminders that this is ancient literature that is based on stories from a variety of sources that were retold for hundreds of years around the campfire long before they were written down, and then years later they were combin......more

A fascinating curation and fresh translation of the Biblical stories of Genesis. Mitchell untangles the overlapping edits in the canonical text and undoes much of the work of the Redactor to give us lean and powerful narrative of a dysfunctional family. I had never quite realized how central the the......more

I first was introduced to to Stephen Mitchell's translation of Joseph and the Way of Forgiveness: A Story about Letting Go and was blown away at how much more I related to the story. When I started reading this he mentions his involvement with Bill Moyers on a Genesis special called Genesis: A Livin......more

I'm a Mitchell fan. I think his translation of the Tao Te Ching is the definitive modern version. His scholarly approach is tempered with a poet's sensibility, and the way he writes speaks to me. His reworking of the Genesis mythos was a fascinating read. He teases apart the contributions of the var......more

Lucid and fascinating-- Mitchell separates out the strands composed by the 4 writers and early/late sources to make the book come to life in new & less familiar days. His introduction is very helpful as well. Perhaps not up there with his Gita, Tao & Rilke, but his translations are always refreshing......more