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 entirely for free. 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.

The TST systematically synthesizes and compares the following works to find the most accurate word choices:

• Primary Poetic Base: The Jewish Publication Society (JPS) 1917 Edition. Chosen for its unmatched, majestic, and classical English rhythm.
• Primary Structural Base: The Berean Literal Bible (BLB). Utilized to ensure the strict word-for-word grammatical framework of the Hebrew and Greek remains intact.

Comparative 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:

• New American Standard Bible (NASB 1995) — For precise formal equivalence. 
• Young’s Literal Translation (YLT) — For unvarnished grammatical mechanics. 
• King James Version (KJV) — For historical English cadence. 
• World English Bible (WEB) — For modern, public-domain clarity.
• Tree of Life Version (TLV) — For preserving authentic Messianic and Jewish cultural context.
• New Jewish Publication Society Tanakh (NJPS) & Koren Publishers Jerusalem Bible — For authoritative, modern Jewish scholarship and editorial insights.
• Metsudah Publications 2009 — For linear, word-for-word clarity in the Hebrew text.
• The Adam Cohn Translation (2009, Revised 2013) — A contemporary work uniquely based on the JPS 1917, bridging classic style with modern understanding.
• The Schocken Bible (Everett Fox, 1995) — For capturing authentic Hebrew idioms and vocal rhythms.

Beyond physical print editions, my daily research relies heavily on digital study databases like Bible Hub and the Sefaria library. These platforms allow me to easily dissect 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.

My absolute focus for this project is a word-for-word approach, keeping literal 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 highly 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 raw 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 grass” (or sprouted vegetation). 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.

© 2026 Yeshua Daily. All rights reserved.

The text of The Shema Translation (TST) is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0). This means you are completely free to share, copy, distribute, and print this text without seeking prior consent from Yeshua Daily, under the following conditions:

• Attribution Required: You must provide clear credit by including the copyright notice or CC license details below.
• No Commercial Use: You may not use this material for commercial purposes, sales, or profit. You are free to print and use it as long as it is not for profit.
• No Derivatives (No Edits): The text must remain completely unaltered. If you remix, transform, or build upon the material, you may not distribute the modified text.

When copying or distributing sections of the text online or in print, the following notice must appear clearly alongside the material:

“Scripture quotations taken from The Shema Translation (TST), Copyright © 2026 by Yeshua Daily. Licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0.”

Not-for-Sale Media & Social Media:
When quoting short passages from the TST text in not-for-sale print materials, digital media, or social media posts, you may simply include the abbreviation (TST) directly after the quotation.