This book began as an introduction to the Bible for educated people unfamiliar with it. As public ethics in the United States began to fray, it changed into focusing on the key values in biblical literature and the costs of disregarding them. Biblical values were organized into systems known as covenants or testaments between human beings and the god Yahweh. The covenants developed by Moses and Jesus are the most important covenants in the Bible. They are not the only ones, but it is these two covenants that go most deeply into our survival or failure as individuals and as a species. The last third of the book analyzes various aspects of public life today in the light of covenantal teaching and suggests ways to strengthen commitment to them. The author's goal is to get this book into the hands of people who share his concerns and who would like to revive the influence of public ethics.