A Book of Psalms: Selections Adapted from the Hebrew

by Stephen Mitchell

Psalm 93God acts within every moment
and creates the world with each breath.
He speaks from the center of the universe,
in the silence beyond all though.
Mighter than the crash of a thunderstorm,
mighter than the roar of the sea,
is God's voice silently speaking
in the depths of the listening heart.

Genres: Poetry, Spirituality, Religion, Judaism, Nonfiction

108 pages, ebook

First published May 18, 1994

About the author

Stephen Mitchell was educated at Amherst College, the Sorbonne, and Yale University, and de-educated through intensive Zen practice. He is widely known for his ability to make old classics thrillingly new, to step in where many have tried before and to create versions that are definitive for our time. His many books include The Gospel According to Jesus, The Second Book of the Tao, two books of fiction, and a book of poetry.

Mitchell’s Selected Poetry of Rainer Maria Rilke has been called “the most beautiful group of poetic translations [the twentieth] century has produced.” William Arrowsmith said that his Sonnets to Orpheus “instantly makes every other rendering obsolete.” His Book of Job has been called “magnificent.” His bestselling Tao Te Ching, Bhagavad Gita, and Gilgamesh—which are not translations from the original text, but rather poetic interpretations that use existing translations into Western languages as their starting point—have also been highly praised by critics, scholars, and common readers. Gilgamesh was Editor’s Choice of The New York Times Book Review, was selected as the Book Sense 2004 Highlight for Poetry, was a finalist for the first annual Quill Award in poetry. His translation of the Iliad was chosen as one of the New Yorker’s favorite books of 2011. He is a two-time winner of the Harold Morton Landon Translation Award from the Academy of American Poets.

His books for young readers include The Wishing Bone, winner of the Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award as the best book of poetry for children published in the United States in 2003, and Jesus: What He Really Said and Did, which was chosen by the American Library Association’s Booklist as one of the top ten religious books for children in 2002.

He is also coauthor of two of his wife Byron Katie’s bestselling books: Loving What Is and A Thousand Names for Joy. www.thework.com

You can read extensive excerpts from all his books on his website, www.stephenmitchellbooks.com.

Reviews

[Anne Kearns · Rating 4 out of 5]

poetry, religious, praise, suffering

i have no translation to compare this to but i thought it was pretty well done. it was interesting that in psalm 92 he added a line from both rilke and emerson; blending poetry/literature and prayer. good introduction to the psalms because it was accesible and selected. i would be interested to compare this translation with the official translation. my initial thought is that it is more poetical than the original.

funnily enough, this is the type of “poetry” that works for me. maybe because it is so old and feels so timeless.

my only problem: he didn’t give context for the psalms nor the person who wrote it. not a huge deal but would have been nice to have.

[Jerry Winsett · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this version of the Psalms!

Stephen Mitchel in his forward states that this is not THE Psalms but rather his translation of them from the Hebrew. His form is less rigid, and much more poetic and therefore more readable and enjoyable. Therefore this translation is much more accessible not only to those of the Jewish or Christian faith, but also those of other faiths as well. (And perhaps inspirational to those with no faith).

I will be revisiting these pages over and over again.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had to get this back to the library, so I didn't read all of it. What I did read, I enjoyed. His translations end up sounding quite different from the King James Version that I am used to. There's a spare elegance to Mitchell's language that I find very moving.

[Joshua Daley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I grew up with the Psalms. This is an adaptation more than a translation, but for me, it makes it all the more approachable. Mitchell's years soaked in Zen Buddhism lends a soulful but serene perspective on these old Davidic rants. A few have moved me to tears, and that's value.

[Douglas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mitchell rewrites 50 Psalms to reflect his own perspective and theology. He has a universal approach that relates to Psalms to multiple religious traditions and philosophies.

[B. Rule · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a selective but lovely riff on the Psalms, highlighting their essential existential stance of gratitude. It can hardly be called a translation, as Mitchell takes a great deal of license in approaching the text. I thought what was gained exceeded whatever loss of fidelity resulted, but know this in choosing the volume. If you want scholarly apparatus, transparency of translation, etc., move on. If you want to shout your thanks along with a long tradition of appreciators of existence, this short book might just be one for you.

[Rosalinda Sepeda · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a translation from Hebrew into English of selected Psalms. I did not like the idea that Stephen Mitchell does indicate he changes some of the words to his vocabulary “paraphrased, expanded, contracted, deleted shuffled the order of other verses, and freely improvised on the themes of the originals”. I expected to read the original Hebrew version of Psalms.

[Michael Chen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Stephen Mitchell has masterfully deceived many of the readers here into thinking that this is a translation of Psalms. It is not a translation, nor a faithful paraphrase like the Message, but a complete rewriting to impose a Zen Buddhist worldview onto the ancient Hebrew psalmists. The result is nonetheless beautiful.

[Melelani]

So far I've read one translation of the Gita, and am now reading Mitchell's. Meanwhile, I got curious as to his adaptation of the Book of Psalms (seeing as I read the NKJ version growing up). I really enjoyed it.

[Kristin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Again, I don't remember the source that triggered my interest in reading this book, especially since I've become an agnostic, but I was intrigued.

I was not disappointed.

Beautiful. Inciteful. Thought-provoking. Calming. A balm.

[CARLA McMurry-Kozak · Rating 5 out of 5]

Keep it near my night stand for enlightenment...

[Shmuel Steinberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very interesting and beautiful translation of selected Psalms.

[Bill Dauster · Rating 5 out of 5]

A loose translation of selected Psalms, allowing us to read them with new eyes

[Steve Gambino · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are a fan of the Book of Psalms in the Hebrew scriptures, you will love the selected psalms which Mitchell has rendered.

[Francis Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

All time favorite

[William Barrick · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mitchell's translations of selections from the Hebrew Psalter left much to be desired. Not only did the translation exhibit some inaccuracies, but it failed to provide the readability it proposed to provide. Even at the BookBub discount price this was not worth the purchase.

[Alan Crowley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Elicits the fullness of joy and gratitude for God's mercy.

Mitchell blends a reverent enthusiasm for the original sources with a creative integration with the voice of other traditions of Love poems to God. It is common to divide the psalms as songs of praise, of petition, and of gratitude. Mitchell's translation unites them as songs of joyful amazement.

[Amos Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Psalms are a spiritual treasure of the Christian tradition, chanted daily by Christian monks in monasteries throughout the world, East and West..

Mitchell's translation of select Psalms is unique and illuminating.

Highly recommended!

-Amos Smith (author of Healing The Divide)

[Krista the Krazy Kataloguer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Stephen Mitchell's translations! He breathes new life into 50 of the Psalms-- just beautiful!

[elbren · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Book of Psalms: Selected and Adapted from the Hebrew by Stephen Mitchell (1994)

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

Free, at times anachronistic, beautiful versions by a favorite translator.