About the Audio Bible

The JPS TANAKH: The Jewish Bible, audio version is a recorded version of the JPS TANAKH, the most widely read English translation of the Hebrew (the Jewish) Bible. Produced and recorded for The Jewish Publication Society (JPS) by The Jewish Braille Institute (JBI), this complete, unabridged audio version features over 60 hours of readings by 13 narrators. Learn more about the narrators.

FAQs

Why an audio version?

Since 1985, when the new JPS translation was published, we have wanted to produce an audio version of the complete JPS TANAKH. The goal was to make our Bible available to the blind and visually impaired. And we wanted to have others be able to experience the Bible as it was originally communicated—orally. The sounds of the Hebrew names for places and people are rich and filled with nuance, and through the spoken word you can truly appreciate the cadences and word patterns that infuse the biblical language. Your ears pick up meanings that your eyes might miss.

Who are the voices of the audio Bible?

The readers include stage and TV actors, radio personalities, teachers, and voiceover talents, as well as special guest readers. There are many voices contributing to this recording, just as there are many "voices" in the Bible itself—female and male, young and old, bold and gentle, bringing to it experience and innocence, inquisitiveness and wonder.

How can I get a copy of the audio Bible?

It is available for purchase from this website and from Audible.com. Download the entire TANAKH, only the Torah, or individual books of the Torah—whatever best suits your needs. The audio Bible is available for free to eligible visually impaired and blind individuals from the JBI Library (Jewish Braille Institute). Please contact JBI at Library@jbilibrary.org or call toll-free: 800.433.1531.

Can I sample the audio Bible before I buy it?

Yes. The weekly portion is available for free and can even be embedded in your own site. Each portion is also available in print, so you can read along as you listen.

Who created the audio Bible?

The JPS TANAKH: The Jewish Bible, audio version is a collaboration between The Jewish Publication Society (JPS) and The Jewish Braille Institute (JBI).

JPS, a nonprofit organization, is the oldest publisher of Jewish works in English. Established in 1888, JPS strives to provide readers with a wide variety of texts, including Bible study and Bible commentaries, biographies, histories, lifecycle event titles, books for young readers, religious and philosophical studies, translations of scholarly and popular classics, and of course, the JPS TANAKH.

JBI, also a non-profit organization, provides individuals who are blind, visually impaired, physically handicapped or reading disabled with books, magazines and special publications of Jewish and general interest in Audio, Large Print and Braille formats. The unique services provided by JBI, all of which are free of charge, enable over 35,000 children, adults and seniors—from New York to New Zealand, from Ft. Lauderdale to Moscow, from Tel Aviv to Buenos Aires—to participate more fully in the life of their communities.

Read about the people behind the audio Bible.

Narrators

• Michael Bernstein
• Theodore Bikel
• Bruce Feiler
• Tovah Feldshuh
• Norma Fire
• Kathy Ford
• Lisa Kirsch
• Harold Kushner
• M.D. Laufer
• Elizabeth London
• Francie Anne Riley
• Jonathan Roumie
• Marciarose Shestack

JBI Production Team

• Lisa Ann Kirsch, Producer
• Peter Rinaldi, Editor-in-Chief
• James Morss, Editor
• Jennifer Lopata, Editorial Associate & Hebrew Language Advisor
• Phil Rutstein, Editorial Associate & Hebrew Language Advisor
• Jennifer Horowitz, Hebrew Language Advisor
• Rebecca Fine, Quality Control
• Irv Goldfarb, Quality Control
• Jessia Leonard, Quality Control
• Erika Scott, Quality Control
• Sarah Wolf, Quality Control
  
  
Post-Production:
• Barry Pelofsky, Manager
• Illiana Aguilar
• Robert Fiorello

JPS Project Team

• Carol Hupping, COO and Publishing Director
• Alx Block, Online Sales and Marketing Manager
• Laurie Schlesinger, Director of Sales and Marketing
  
  
Special Thanks to:
• Jon O'Neill, Audio Engineer

Jon O'Neill is an accomplished audio engineer best known for his commitment to quality. His areas of expertise include concert audio, audio-visual production for business presentations and special events, music production, and post-production audio. You can find him online at http://oneillaudio.com

Donors

Funding for this recording is made possible through the generosity of:

• Aaron Feingold, M.D., in memory of Esther Feingold, who saw life "with a good eye" (Pirke Avot)
• Dr. Seymour and June Kessler, in memory of Harry and Rose Kessler, remembered with love
• Norman and Edith Weisfeld, in loving memory of Benjamin and Rose Krumholz and David Weisfeld.

Press

• Radio Interview with Carol Hupping, JPS COO and Publishing Director:

• Q&A with Carol Hupping (JPS COO and Publishing Director)
  and Ellen Isler (JBI President and CEO) [73K PDF]

© Copyright 2009 by The Jewish Publication Society (JPS), Philadelphia, Pennsylvania All rights reserved. No part of this recording may be reproduced without the permission of The Jewish Publication Society.