The Covenant
Rendering
A modern English translation of the Hebrew Bible — formal equivalence, translated directly from the Westminster Leningrad Codex, with every decision documented.
Live Example
Genesis 1:1–2
Every verse includes Hebrew, modern English, and full scholarly apparatus
בְּרֵאשִׁ֖ית בָּרָ֣א אֱלֹהִ֑ים אֵ֥ת הַשָּׁמַ֖יִם וְאֵ֥ת הָאָֽרֶץ׃
In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.
KJV In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
This verb is used exclusively with God as its subject in the Hebrew Bible — only God 'bara.' It implies creation that is uniquely divine, distinct from human making or forming.
וְהָאָ֗רֶץ הָיְתָ֥ה תֹ֙הוּ֙ וָבֹ֔הוּ וְחֹ֖שֶׁךְ עַל־פְּנֵ֣י תְה֑וֹם וְר֣וּחַ אֱלֹהִ֔ים מְרַחֶ֖פֶת עַל־פְּנֵ֥י הַמָּֽיִם׃
Now the earth was formless and empty, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters.
KJV And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
A rhyming word-pair (hendiadys) describing primordial disorder. Tohu alone can mean 'wasteland,' 'chaos,' 'nothingness,' or 'futility.' Vohu appears only with tohu and reinforces the sense of emptiness.
The Problem
Every major modern translation is locked behind copyright
The NIV, ESV, and NASB — the translations most widely used in scholarship and study — cannot be displayed on websites, in apps, or in educational materials without licensing fees or restrictive permission requirements.
Bible study apps, open-source tools, educators, and developers are left choosing between the archaic KJV (public domain) and paying for the right to quote Scripture.
The Solution
A scholarly, free rendering anyone can use
The Covenant Rendering is translated directly from the Westminster Leningrad Codex — the same authoritative Hebrew source used by the ESV, NASB, and most modern translations. Every decision is documented. Nothing is hidden.
Released under CC-BY-4.0: attribute the source, then do whatever you want with it. Build apps, cite verses, distribute freely.
Design Principles
What makes TCR different
Formal Equivalence
Word-for-word from the Hebrew wherever English allows. Reading level targets 9th–10th grade — comparable to the ESV — without sacrificing accuracy for accessibility.
Fully Transparent
Every translation decision is documented. Translator notes explain why words were chosen, what alternatives were considered, and where interpretive tension exists.
Developer Friendly
Clean JSON with structured fields: Hebrew, KJV, modern English, notes, and key terms. Build Bible study tools, apps, or research utilities without licensing friction.
Ecumenical & Unaffiliated
No denominational agenda. Translation decisions follow the text and scholarly consensus, not theological tradition. Every interpretive tension is noted openly.
Current Status
Genesis — Complete
50 chapters • 1,534 verses • fully annotated
Exodus and beyond in progress