In a world with dozens of Bible translations, why would we possibly need another one? That is a completely fair question to ask. Hello, I’m the voice behind Yeshua Daily. My name is Theresa Joy, and I am an independent researcher. I do not have a formal degree or a prestigious scholarly title and no, I don’t have a degree in being a researcher either!

What I do have is a deep love for compiling factual information and sharing my findings. Being autistic has given me a unique ability to sit for hours and days at a time, hyper focusing, comparing, and analyzing data to find the most accurate answers possible. Through this process, I fell in love with the word-for-word, rhythmic beauty of the Scriptures. 

Goal and Mission

My goal for The Shema Translation (TST) is to create a compact, focused book, available eventually as a paperback and ebook, as a ministry project to give away. Reading through the entire Bible can be a struggle for many people. Because of that, I am intentionally filtering out the historical and prophetic timelines to compile a text that contains just the Torah, Proverbs, Matthew, and James.

This selection is not meant to replace the whole Bible. Instead, it is designed as a focused tool to help readers go directly the core instructions of God, the wisdom for daily living, and how to walk faithfully with the Messiah. I am releasing a chapter at a time here at Yeshua Daily, chapter-by-chapter, as I work through it.

To find the absolute best English words for The Shema Translation, I sat down with two resources side-by-side to compare, synthesize. The JSP 1917 is the base of my text for poetry while Berean helps as a secondary base text.

• Primary Poetic Base: The Jewish Publication Society (JPS) 1917 Edition.
• Primary Structural Base: The Berean Literal Bible (BLB).

Reference Library: When the base texts do not provide an English word that most accurately describes the original language, I cross reference several highly respected translations, including but not limited to:

• The Adam Cohn Translation JSP 1917: The Torah / The Prophets / The Writings, translated by Adam Cohn (2009, CC BY: , Revised 2013).
• King James Version (KJV): The Holy Bible, King James Version (Public Domain).
• Koren Publishers Jerusalem Bible: The Koren Jerusalem Bible (Koren Publishers Jerusalem).
• Metsudah Publications: The Metsudah Chumash/Tanach, translated by Rabbi Avrohom Davis (Metsudah Publications, CC BY: 2009).
• New American Standard Bible (NASB 1995): New American Standard Bible (The Lockman Foundation, 1995).
• The Schocken Bible: The Five Books of Moses, translated by Everett Fox (Schocken Books, 1995).
• Tree of Life Version (TLV): Tree of Life Translation (Tree of Life Bible Society, 2014).
• World English Bible (WEB): The World English Bible (Public Domain).
• Young’s Literal Translation (YLT): Young’s Literal Translation of the Holy Bible, translated by Robert Young (Public Domain).

Beyond a variety of Bible translations and editions, my daily research relies on online study tools like Bible Hub and the Sefaria library. These platforms allow me to easily compare word-by-word language structures, look up original Hebrew and Greek dictionary definitions, and compare multiple textual sources side-by-side to ensure the most accurate English word choices. I also cross-reference a variety of scholars, commentaries, and papers on textual variants.

My focus for this project is a word-for-word approach, keeping close Hebrew and Greek meaning first, and readability second. I prioritize staying as close to the original grammar as possible, choosing modern English words only when necessary to ensure the text remains clear, readable, and poetic. However, translating ancient languages requires navigating difficult intersections where pure literalism clashes with modern English comprehension.

When a hard choice must be made, the TST evaluates the text through a specific lens: if a repetition breaks the poetic flow so severely that it confuses a modern reader, a dignified English standard is chosen, and the raw mechanics are preserved in the footnotes.

The Hebrew of Genesis 1:11 uses the phrase tadshe deshe (תַּדְשֵׁא דֶּשֶׁא). A completely unvarnished word-for-word rendering would be “sprout sprouts” or “grass grass.”

• The Problem: Modern readers do not instinctively understand what “sprout sprouts” means. They might assume it simply means a redundant “grow grow.” In modern English, “sprouts” evokes alfalfa or Brussels sprouts rather than an energetic, cosmic blanket of lush green life popping out of the dirt.
• The Solution: Forcing that direct repetition breaks the sweeping, majestic rhythm of the text. Because my secondary goal is poetic excellence, I opt for the classic, authoritative compromise “bring forth vegetation” (or grass). It remains beautifully accurate to the concept of the earth yielding green life, while the energetic Hebrew wordplay is fully unpacked for you in the bottom footnotes.

The TST takes a reverent, non-dogmatic approach to the Sacred Name of God. In the original Hebrew scrolls, the Creator’s personal name is written using four holy consonants known as the Tetragrammaton: יהוה

• The TST Policy: This translation does not use modern English hybrid names or force a specific spelling on the reader. Instead, the The Shema Translation (TST) acknowledges the four letters in Hebrew as יהוה (YHVH)
• Your Pronunciation: I deliberately leave the pronunciation up to the individual reader’s conviction and conscience. Whether you choose to read it silently, replace it with the traditional “LORD,” “ADONAI,” or “HASHEM,” or pronounce a specific name you believe it to be, the text preserves the exact placement of the four letters where they originally stand, honoring the truth that God is One.

Copyright © 2026 Theresa Joy – Yeshua Daily / The Shema Translation.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0). You are free to copy, distribute, and transmit this text for non-commercial purposes, provided the work is unaltered and properly attributed to The Shema Translation. Commercial sale, profit, or modification of this text is strictly prohibited.

When quoting short verses or passages, the abbreviation (TST) may be used for attribution.

Thank you for keeping God’s word free and not for profit!