The Dead Sea Scrolls Bible: The Oldest Known Bible Translated for the First Time into English

The Dead Sea Scrolls Bible presents the first English translation of biblical texts discovered at Qumran. These ancient manuscripts date to the Second Temple period and represent scriptures as they existed during the time of Jesus and the early rabbis, rather than the Bible translated from manuscripts copied a thousand years after Jesus. The volume compares scroll fragments with the Masoretic Text, the Greek Septuagint, and the Samaritan Pentateuch, documenting hundreds of variants ranging from single words that alter meaning to entire passages absent from modern Bibles. Notable examples include previously lost material from 1 Samuel concerning Nahash the Ammonite, and variations in passages like Genesis 22:14. The translation also includes books found among the Qumran scrolls such as Tobit, Ben Sira, and Jubilees, reflecting the biblical canon before its final standardization. The work provides side-by-side comparisons of the Dead Sea Scrolls against the three most significant ancient biblical texts, offering textual analysis for those studying the Hebrew Bible's history.