Read the Yiddish Bible Online — Artists for Israel International

Artists for Israel International (AFII) is pleased to announce that both the Yiddish Tanakh and the Yiddish Brit Chadasha (New Testament) are now freely available online at HaKtuvim.co.il, the scholarly Bible study platform of the Bible Society in Israel. These editions, prepared and updated by Dr. Phil Goble, represent decades of Messianic Jewish biblical scholarship in the historic Ashkenazi Yiddish tradition.

Begin Reading — Click a Link Below

Yiddish Tanakh · Old Testament

Genesis Chapter 1

בראשית א׳ — בראשיט קאפיטל איין

Mordecai Bergman translation (1912 Masoretic text), updated by Dr. Phil Goble · © AFII 2025

Open on HaKtuvim ↗

Yiddish Brit Chadasha · New Testament

Matthew Chapter 1

מתתיהו א׳ — מתתיהו קאפיטל איין

Aharon Karlnbaum translation (1946 Greek NT), updated by Dr. Phil Goble · © AFII 2022

Open on HaKtuvim ↗

Step 1 — Navigate the First-Time Setup Wizard

When you first visit HaKtuvim.co.il, an 8-step onboarding wizard appears in Hebrew. Below is every step translated side by side so you can follow along. Steps marked in red are the ones you must act on; the others you can simply click through using הבא ← (Next).

#	עברית — Hebrew on screen	English meaning	What to do
1	בחירת שפת הממשק למשתמש	Choose the interface display language	Leave on HE (Hebrew) — click הבא ← (Next)
2	בחירת ספר ופרק להצגה	Choose a book and chapter to display	The chapter grid appears — click הבא ← (Next)
3	בחירת השפה ומקור התרגום של הטקסט המקראי	Choose the language and translation source of the biblical text	A list of Bible versions appears. Scroll down the list until you see the heading יידיש (Yiddish). Under it, select תנ"ך וב"ח ביידיש for the Yiddish Tanakh, or ברית חדשה ביידיש for the Yiddish New Testament. Then click הבא ←
4	הגדרות תצוגה של הטקסט המקראי	Display settings of the biblical text	Controls verse numbers, headings, nikud, cantillation, night mode — click הבא ←
5	הסבר אודות מקור הטקסט וזכויות היוצרים	Explanation about the text source and copyright	Attribution information — click הבא ←
6	הפעלה והגדרות שמע של הטקסט המקראי	Activation and audio settings of the biblical text	The audio player (▶ play button) is here — press ▶ to hear the Israeli reader. Then click הבא ←
7	הסבר מילוני קצר של המילה הנבחרת	Brief lexical explanation of the selected word	Click any word in the text to see its Hebrew dictionary entry — click הבא ←
8	באפשרותכם לבחור בין ארבעה סוגי חיפוש	You may choose between four types of search	Search panel — click סיום וסגירה (Finish and Close) to exit the wizard

🔊 Audio reader note: After completing the wizard, the שמע ◄ (Listen) button remains visible in the top toolbar of the page. Click it at any time to open the audio player and hear the Israeli reader reciting the Hebrew text of the chapter you are viewing.

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Step 2 — Activate the Yiddish Text Column (at Wizard Step 3)

1

At wizard Step 3, the version selector panel will open automatically — or click the blue gear icon ⚙ in the upper-right corner of the text column at any time after completing the wizard.
2

In the version selector panel, scroll down until you see the section labeled יידיש (Yiddish).
3

In the panel that opens, scroll down until you see the section labeled יידיש (Yiddish).
4

Select your desired edition:
תנ"ך וב"ח ביידיש — for the Yiddish Tanakh (Old Testament)
ברית חדשה ביידיש — for the Yiddish New Testament
5

Click the blue אישור (Confirm) button at the bottom of the panel.
6

The Yiddish text will now appear as a reading column alongside the Hebrew. You may navigate to any book and chapter using the site's navigation arrows or the address bar.

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Textual Attribution

Tanakh Mordecai Bergman Yiddish translation (1912 Masoretic text), updated edition by Dr. Phil Goble · © Artists for Israel International, 2025

NT Aharon Karlnbaum Yiddish translation (1946 Greek New Testament), updated by Dr. Phil Goble · © Artists for Israel International, 2022

Hosted by HaKtuvim.co.il — Bible Society in Israel

Published by Artists for Israel International (AFII) · New York, NY