While fine translations of the bible abound, there is no substitute for reading the bible in the original languages. The transition from reading a translation to the original is like moving from black-and-white to color -- one cannot help but gain new perceptions and insights.

Greek, a beautiful language with a liquid feel, is a major fountainhead of Western languages like Latin and English. With good learning tools, an English speaking person should be able to acquire proficiency in Greek with time and dedication. Here are resources that I recommend to learn Koine Greek, the form of Greek spoken from about 400 BC to 400 AD -- the language of the New Testament.

• Basics of Biblical Greek by William Mounce. Learning Greek has the reputation of being a dry and boring process. However, Mounce's textbook radiates enthusiasm and love for the language, which soon infects the reader. Along with the accompanying workbook, the book excels at having the reader translate the New Testament from the outset. Quite popular at many seminaries across the country, its informal and relaxed style is refreshing. The book's weaknesses are its pronunciation scheme and lack of English to Greek exercises that facilitate "thinking in Greek." The workbook should be purchased as well; the only way to properly learn a language is to become an active participant.
• Notes on the Pronunciation System of Phonemic Koine Greek by Randall Buth. Several schemes exist on how to pronounce Koine Greek, including classical, Erasmian, and modern. (The Mounce book above essentially teaches the Erasmian.) While each has its advantages, Buth and others have advocated a "reconstructed" Koine pronunciation, thought be how Greek was spoken in the first century Roman Empire, and thus how Paul and others would have spoken. Except for rare differences in the vowels and diphthongs, it closely resembles the modern pronunciation. For the reasons he provides, pronouncing reconstructed Koine has many advantages to the Erasmian way. Speaking Greek according to modern pronunciation also has many advantages. In addition to being extremely close to reconstructed Koine, the modern system affords the benefits of being a living language that can be practiced with Greek-speaking friends or by visiting Greece. Hence, I recommend using the Buth or modern pronunciation schemes instead of the Erasmian.
• The New Testament in the Original Greek (Robinson-Pierpont) Carrying a Greek bible to church and reading it before looking at the English sharpens one's skills and supplies weekly motivation. While difficult in the beginning, patience and diligence yields the fruit of proficiency. [Note that there are several editions of the Greek New Testament available. To read reasons why I believe that this edition is superior, click here or here.]
• Lexical Aids for Students of New Testament Greek by Bruce Metzger. Having a strong vocabulary makes reading a pleasure, partly by eliminating the need to constantly look up unknown words. Arranged in order of word-usage frequency and containing plenty of English cognates, this handy and inexpensive book should be useful for any Greek student. Bruce Metzger, professor emeritus at Princeton and one of the eminent New Testament textual scholars of the 20th century, wrote this slim volume.

The Hebrew language evokes a sense of mystery with his rugged sounds and long history that exceeds nearly any language spoken today. Unlike Greek, however, Hebrew offers few connections to English, making it more difficult to learn. The Old Testament (Tanakh) was written in Hebrew and Aramaic, another Semitic language. Hundreds of years later, Jesus spoke Aramaic to his followers and used Hebrew as a Rabbi. Learning Hebrew offers many insights into not just the Old Testament, but also the New, which so often weaves translations of Hebrew texts with original Greek.

• The First Hebrew Primer (3rd edition) by Ethelyn Simon et al. Written by several Jewish authors, this book represents a "teach yourself" resource. One of the first obstacles to learning Hebrew is the difficulty in discerning the differences between its similarly shaped letters (for example: dalet and resh). This book contains absolutely beautiful, large fonts with plenty of exercises to reinforce the language. The book also has many useful Hebrew to English and English to Hebrew exercises. The accompanying answer book should be obtained as well.
• Student's Vocabulary for Biblical Hebrew and Aramaic by Larry Mitchel. A good resource to begin building your Hebrew/Aramaic vocabulary.
• The Interlinear NIV Hebrew-English Old Testament by John R. III Kohlenberger. English on one side with Hebrew on the other with the literal English text beneath the Hebrew.

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