So, less than two months after I began this project, I have finished the book of Genesis. If you have been checking, you will see that the whole text is available at the regular link.
Finishing a whole book is quite the milestone. I will say that editing the text has been a more emotional experience than I would have expected it to be. Coming into contact with each line, altering the words, and attempting to preserve the original meaning is an incredibly intimate experience. The stories in Genesis have always had an emotional impact on me, but when you are just reading, it is easy to disengage if the work becomes uncomfortable.
At various places, I found myself incredibly angry... How could Abraham just hand his wife and child some bread and water and send them into the wilderness? I know the almighty told him it would be okay, but really? Incredibly sad... Watching sisters, Rachel and Leah tear each other apart and create constant conflict that spills over the the kids... Watching Jacob, despite making incredible spiritual progress, succumb to depression and despair, never fully recovering.
More than ever, I am struck by the enormity of the story of this world, created by God for our benefit, slowly descending into chaos. Watching as the children of Abraham walk blindly into exile in Egypt. I know their redemption is coming in the next book, but things never seem to get easier for the Jewish people.
Since I am not under a tight deadline for the rest of the books, maybe I will take some time to blog about my experience with the text as it is happening.
For now, I am undergoing a particularly nasty form of punishment known as text formatting. I am working on a very nice, clean printable copy of the text. With the English and Hebrew side by side. I hope it will be available in a day or two. When it is I will post it here.
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