(英汉对照)
The Bible is often described as "the greatest book ever written." This is because of its unending significance and influence on people throughout the ages. No other book in history has impacted peoples and cultures like the Bible. So far, the Bible has been translated into 2,018 languages and every year more copies of the Bible are sold than any other single book.

The Bible itself contains a total of 66 books and is divided into two parts, the Old Testament and the New Testament. The Old Testamnet contains 39 books and the New Testament contains 27 books. The word "testament" means "agreement" or "contract." The entire Bible was written over a period of 1,500 years from about 1450 B.C. to 100 A.D. The Bible states that it was written through the divine inspiration of God. Its authors include more than 25 men from a variety of backgrounds including prophets, priests, fishermen, kings, tax collectors, and doctors. 

《圣经》通常被描述为“最伟大的书”。这是因为它对历代人们的无尽的价值与影响，历史上没有一本书像《圣经》一样对人文有如此影响力。到目前为止，《圣经》已被译成2018种语言，《圣经》每一年的销售量比任何一本书的年销售量都要多。 

《圣经》本身包含总共有66本书，分为两部分，《旧约》和《新约》。《旧约》包含39本书而《新约》包含27本书，单词“约”意思是“协约”或“合同”。从公元前1450年到公元100年，整本《圣经》的撰写花了超过1500年。《圣经》是在上帝神圣的指示下完成的，作者超过25人，他们有各种各样的背景，包括预言家，牧师，渔夫，国王，征税者和医生。

The Bible covers a wide range of literary styles. It includes history, poetry, law, biography, prophecy, philosophy, science and inspirational reading. The major theme of the Bible, however, is God's relationship with man. Throughout the Bible, God expresses Himself to mankind through acts of protection, provision, love and judgement. The Bible also answers many important questions that men of all ages have asked such as, "Where have I come from?" "Where am I going?" "Why do I exist?" "What is truth?"

《圣经》涉及多种文学风格，包括历史，诗歌，法律，传记，预言，哲学，科学和励志文章。但是《圣经》的主题是上帝与人类的关系。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》还回答了存在历代人们中的许多重要问题，例如：“我来自何处？”“我将归于何处？”“为什么有我的存在？”“什么是真理？”

Even though it was written more than 2,000 years ago, the Bible continues to influence people today. The Bible has been read and studied by many different kinds of people from national leaders to famous sports figures to scientists. 

Many basic concepts and principles of Western culture have come down from the Bible. Many common English phrases and expressions have their origin in the Bible well. This column contains excerpts from the Bible with notes and examples of various words and phrases.

虽然《圣经》是2000多年前写成的，但是它仍然影响着今天的人们。从国家领导人到著名的体育运动员到科学家，各种各样的人都阅读和学习《圣经》。

西方文化的许多基本概念和原则都是源习于《圣经》，许多英语的短语和词句也是源自《圣经》。本栏目节选自《圣经》，并附有注解和各种单词及短语的举例说明。