In conclusion, I consider it my indispensable duty to express, on behalf of the staff of the Institute, our heartfelt gratitude to all those who, during all the years of our work on the translation of the Torah, supported us with their prayers, advice, and also means. A particularly significant contribution to the work on the new text of the Pentateuch was made at different times by such philologists and biblical scholars as A.V. Vozdvizhenskaya, I.Y. Grits, and A.B. Somov.

In the translation and preparation of this book for publication, the following specialists who devoted themselves entirely to this work worked with me: I.V. Lobanov, V.S. Lyakhu, M.V. Opiyar, O.V. Pavlova, V.V. Sergeev. For the gratifying opportunity to use their talents and knowledge in this great cause, I thank God.

If the work done by the Institute's staff encourages someone to deepen their fellowship with the Bible, not just to look at it as a remarkable, if outstanding, literary work of the past, but also to advance in understanding what exactly God is telling us today with this sacred text, this will be the highest reward for all who participated in the creation of this translation.

December 3, 2008

M.P. Kulakov,

Director of the Institute for Bible Translation in Zaoksky

Explanations, conventions and abbreviations

The present translation of the Torah is from the Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia (Stuttgart, 1990).

The Russian text of this translation is divided into semantic passages with subheadings. Italicized subheadings, while not part of the text, are introduced to make it easier for the reader to find the right place in the proposed translation.

The word "Lord" is written in small capital letters when this word conveys the name of God – Yahweh, written in Hebrew with four consonants (tetragrammaton).

Italics indicate words that are actually absent in the original text, but the inclusion of which seems justified, since they are implied in the development of the author's thought and help to clarify the meaning of the text.

An asterisk (or an asterisk with a letter if there is more than one note in the same verse) after the word (phrase) above the line indicates the note at the bottom of the page.

Separate footnotes are given with the following abbreviations:

Letters. (literally): a formally accurate translation. It is given in cases when, for the sake of clarity and a more complete disclosure of the meaning in the main text, it is necessary to deviate from a formally accurate rendering. At the same time, the reader is given the opportunity to come closer to the original word or phrase and see conceivable translation options.