Bible (YLT) 01: Genesis

Young's Literal Translation represents the most extreme attempt to render the Hebrew and Greek scriptures into English word for word. Published by Robert Young in 1862 (with revisions in 1887), this translation sacrifices elegance for precision, giving readers as close a view of the original texts as English allows. Genesis, the book's opening narrative, traces creation from the divine speak of light to the fall of man, from fraternal bloodshed to the flood's destruction, from Abraham's covenant to Joseph's betrayal and redemption. The language here is spare, often jarring, stripped of the grandeur that characterizes other translations. This is Genesis without ornament: direct, immediate, sometimes harsh. Readers seeking to understand the underlying structure of the biblical text, or scholars tracing how specific Hebrew words have been rendered, will find YLT indispensable. It is not the translation for devotional reading or beauty of prose. It is the translation for those who want to hear the text as nearly as an English speaker can.