《圣约》包括历史、诗歌、法律、传记、预言、哲学、科学和励志文章。它的主题是帝与人类的关系。在整部《圣经》中，上帝通过对人类进行保护，委以圣职，给予爱护和进行判决，来表达自己的旨意。

《圣经》是一部极为重要的世界遗产，产生过极大的影响，其中许多故事如亚当与夏娃、挪亚方舟、大力士参孙、所罗门判案、耶稣诞生、最后的晚餐等也广为流传。《圣经故事》讲了犹太人的历史以及耶稣的一生等等，是一本内容极为丰富的历史宗教故事集，对于全面了解新旧的圣经，传播古代文化，具有极其重要的意义。这些故事反映了人类的社会心理演变的进程显现出人类渴望与追求真理的一种形式，一直吸引着历代的艺术家和文学家。

《圣经》是记载古代亚、欧、非一些国家政治、经济、文化、民俗等方面的典籍，长期以来，西方的政治体制、文学创作，乃至风俗习惯无不受其影响，被视为西方精神文明的支柱。《圣经》的完成花了1550年的时间。它是在上帝神圣的指示下完成的，作者超过了25人，他们包括预言、牧师、渔夫、国王、征税者和医生。《圣经》分为两个部分—《旧约》和《新约》，包含了66本书。《旧约》包含39本书，《新约》包含27本书。《旧约》原来是犹太教的经典。基督教从犹太教中分化出来以后，继承了这部经典，发展出自己的经典—《新约》。因此，《圣经》又称为《新旧约全书》。

PREFACE

前言

THE OLD TESTAMENT

(旧约)  

THE STORY OF A BEAUTIFUL GARDEN

一座美丽花园的故事

THE GREAT SHIP THAT SAVED EIGHT PEOPLE

拯救了八个人的大船

THE TOWER THAT WAS NEVER FINISHED

永远修不成的通天塔

THE STORY OF A LONG JOURNEY

一个长途迁徙的故事

HOW LOT'S CHOICE BROUGHT TROUBLE AND ABRAM'S BROUGHT BLESSING

罗得的选择招致灾祸；亚伯兰的选择却蒙受恩典

THE RAIN OF FIRE THAT FULL ON A CITY

天火降落在城中

THE BOY WHO BECAME AN ARCHER

成为弓箭手的男孩

HOW AN ANGEL’S VOICE SAVED A BOY'S LIFE

天使的声音拯救了男孩的生命

HOW JACOB CAME TO WRESTLE WITH AN ANGEL

雅各与天使摔跤

THE RICH MAN'S SON WH0 WAS SOLD AS A SLAVE

被卖为奴的富家子

FROM THE PRISON TO THE PALACE

从监狱到殿堂

HOW JOSEPH'S DREAM CAME TRUE

约瑟梦想成真

A LOST BROTHER FOUND

与失散的弟弟团圆

FROM THE LAND OF FAMINE TO THE LAND OF PLENTY

从饥荒之地到丰足的国度

THE BEAUTIFUL BABY WH0 WAS FOUND IN A RIVER

河边捡到的漂亮婴儿

THE VOICE FROM THE BURNING BUSH

燃烧的灌木丛发出的声音

THE RIVER THAT RAN BL00D 

流淌血水的河

THE NIGHT WHEN A NATlON WAS BORN

一个民族的诞生之夜

HOW THE SEA BECAME DRY LAND，AND THE SKY RAINED BREAD

大海变旱地天上降面包

THE MOUNTAIN THAT SMOKED AND THE WORDS THAT WERE SPOKEN FROM IT

烟雾缭绕的大山开口说话

HOW THE LONG JOURNEY OF THE ISRAELITES CAKE TO AN END

古以色列人的长途跋涉结束

HOW MOSES LOOKED UPON THE PROMISED LAND

摩西俯瞰迦南

THE STORY OF A RED ROPE 

红绳子的故事

HOW JOSHUA WON THE LAND OF CANAAN

约书亚赢得了迦南的土地

THE STRONG MAN：HOW HE LIVED AND HOW HE DIED

大力士的生与死

A UTTLE SHEPHERD BOY OF BETHLEHEM

伯利恒的小放羊娃

THE SHEPHERD BOY BECOMES KING 

放羊娃成了国王

THE NEW TESTAMENT

(新约)

THE ANGEL BY THE ALTAR

祭坛边的天使

THE MANGER OF BETHLEHEM

伯利恒的马槽

THE PROPHET IN THE WILDERNESS 

旷野中的先知

JESUS IN THE DESERT AND BESIDE THE RIVER

耶稣在沙漠和海边

JESUS’S FIRST MIRACLE

耶稣行的第一次神迹

A NET FULL OF FISHES

满满一网鲜鱼

THE TWELVE DISCIPLES AND THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT

十二使徒和登山宝训

A DANCING GIRL AND WHAT WAS GIVEN TO HER

跳舞的女孩所得的赏赐

THE FEASlT BESIDE THE SEA AND WHAT FOLLOWED IT

海边盛宴及后事

THE GLORY OF JESUS ON THE MOUNTAIN

耶稣登山显荣光

THE MAN WITH CLAY ON HIS FACE

脸上涂了黏土的男人

PALM SUNDAY 

棕树主日

THE LAST VISITS OF JESIJS TO THE TEMPLE

耶稣对圣殿的最后造访

A PARABLE ON THE MOUNT OF OLIVES 

橄榄山上的寓言

THE LAST SUPPER 

最后的晚餐

THE OLIVE ORCHARD

橄榄园

THE CROWN OF THORNS 

荆棘作成的王冠

THE DARKEST DAY OF ALL THE WORLD

全世界最黑暗的一天

THE BRIGHTEST DAY OF ALL THE WORLD

全世界最光明的一天

THE STRANGER ON THE SHORE 

岸上的陌生人

(旧约)

一座美丽花园的故事

我们居住的这个巨大而浑圆的世界是十分古老的；它太古老了，以至于没有人知道它产生的年代。但是远在还没有大地、太阳和星星以前。就有上帝了。上帝是永恒的，他总是存在的。很久。很久的时候，上帝发出了指令，于是就有了地和天。但是，那时的地不像现在这样美丽、有高山峡谷．河流海洋，还有树木鲜花。它只是一个巨大、漆黑、冒烟的球体，其中的陆地和水流混沌一团，上面没有生命。

当大地还是漆黑一团的时候，上帝说：“要有光。”于是光照到了地上。地上有一部分时间是亮的，另一部分时间是黑的。上帝把黑的时间叫做夜晚，亮的叫做白天。这就成了地上的第一日。

此后，根据上帝的旨意，地球四周的乌云开始散开，呈现出天空。云中的水也开始同地上的水分离。大地上方那拱形的天空，上帝叫做天。这样夜晚和清晨又用了一天。

接着上帝说：“让地上的水都聚集到一处．使旱地显露出来。”他的话实现了，世界各地的水都汇集到一处，形成了一片汪洋，旱地也从中露了出来。上帝把汪洋叫做海洋，给旱地起名叫做陆地。接着上帝又说：“让陆地上长满绿草，树木，鲜花和果实。”立刻，陆地便被绿草，鲜花和结满果实的树木覆盖，变的一片葱绿，这是地上的第三天。

接着上帝又说：“在地上要看得见太阳，月亮和星星。”于是太阳便开始在白天、月亮和星星则在夜晚照耀着大地。这一切是在第四天完成的。

上帝又说：“海里要有鱼，天上要有飞鸟。”这样各种大小鱼类便开始在海洋里游弋；乌儿也像现在一样在大地的上空翱翔。这都是第五天的事情。

此后上帝又说：“地上要有大小动物，既要有能走的，也要有能爬的。”于是，树林间，田野里因为有了各种各样的动物而生机盎然。大地也因为有了这些居民显得更美了，但是，世界上还是没有人类。所以上帝就说：“我要造人。他要能站立。有灵魂，像上帝一样，他要成为大地和地上的一切的主宰。”于是上帝就从地上抓了一把泥土，用它捏了一个人；又向他吹了一口灵气，这人就活了。在地上站了起来。

THIS great round world, on which we live, is very old; so oldthat no one knows when it was made. But long before there was anyearth, or sun, or stars, God was living, for God never began to be.He always was. And long, long ago, God spoke, and the earth andthe heavens came. But the earth was not beautiful as it is now, withmountains and valleys, rivers and seas, with trees and flowers. Itwas a great, dark, smoking ball, with land and water combined intoone mass. And upon this mass there was no life.

While all was dark upon earth, God said, "Let there be light,"and then the light began to come upon the world. Part of the time itwas light, and part of the time it was dark, just as it is now. AndGod called the dark time Night, and the light time Day. And thatwas the first day upon this earth.

Then, at God's word, the dark clouds all around the earth be-gan to break, and the sky came in sight, and the water that was inthe clouds began to be separate from the water that was on theearth. And the arc of the sky, which was over the earth, God calledHeaven. Thus the night and the morning made a second day.

Then God said, "Let the water on the earth come together inone place, and let the dry land rise up." And so it was. The waterthat had been all over the world came together, and formed a greatocean, and the dry land rose up from it. And God called the greatwater Sea, and the dry land he named Earth. Then God said, "Letgrass and trees, and flowers, and fruits, grow on the earth." And at once the earth began to be green and bright with grass, and flowers,and trees bearing fruit. This made the third day upon the earth.

Then God said, "Let the sun, and moon, and stars come intosight from the earth." So the sun began to shine by day, and themoon and the stars began to shine in the night. And this was doneon the fourth day.

And God said, "let there be fishes in the sea, and let there bebirds to fly in the air." So the fishes, great ones and small, beganto swim in the sea; and the birds began to fly in the air over theearth, just as they do now. And this loas the fifth day.

Then God said, "Let the animals come upon the earth, greatanimals and small ones; those that walk and those that crawl on theearth." And the woods and the fields began to be alive with ani-mals of all kinds. And now the earth began to be more beautifulwith all its inhabitants, but there were no people in the world. SoGod said, "I will make man. He shall stand up and shall have asoul, and shall be like God; and he shall be the master of the earthand all that is upon it." So God took some of the dust that was onthe ground, and out of it he made man; and God breathed into himthe breath of life, and man became alive, and stood up on theearth.   P16-19

喜欢读有趣的故事、小说是人类的天性，读英语小说当然是学英语的好方法，但很多英语学习者都有读不懂小说的痛苦经历。我常看到有些学生读小说的时候，没读完一行就遇到好几个生词，在书上密密庥麻注满了音标和释义。同学们在勉强坚持了一段时间后实在受不了这种煎熬，只能放弃——读小说反倒打击了很多人学英语的自信心。

本套读物由美国作家执笔，以5500个最常用的单词写成，语言现代、地道、标准。原汁原味，而且通俗易懂。你躺在床上不用翻字典就可以津津有味地学英语。小说里有人，有人的吃、喝、拉、撤、睡，有人的七情六欲，有人与人之间复杂的关系，以及人与自然、与社会的冲突和调和。从语言习得的角度来看，本套渎物实现了使用5500个基本单词细致入微地表述和阐释生活的细节和人们丰富的内心世界的目的。走进一部英文小说你实际上就生活在一个“英语世界”里，这是解决中国人学英语没有英语语言环境的最佳途径。光读几本教科书就想学好英语，这个想法不现实。

本套读物精选了国外一百部值得你在一生中去读的文学作品，读这些作品不但可以掌握英语，而且可以积淀西方文化，提高个人的品位和修养。

这套读本真正帮你实现了英语学习的生活化!一年就可以读20本，两年读40本。读过40本读物，就相当于在英语环境里生活了两年，绝对能够习得很强的英语运用能力。切记，没有几百万字的英语输入，是不可能学好英语的。