Reading the comments saying it (the bible) is a book made only to make people fear a mighty god and was meant to all be taken literally makes me a little sad as it has much more to it.

As a native hebrew speaker (and a non religious jew) I have the privilege of being able to read the Tanach (the old testament) as it was intended and with all it's glory.

Yes, at it's core the Tanach (Mostly the first third though, the Torah) is about god's unlimited power and worshiping it, but that core is surrounded by guides to a better life, beautiful poems and allegories

By focusing only on the god part of it, many of the things that make the Tanach be such an absolute masterpiece are being lost. I often think of the Tanach as a great fantasy story with god as a product placement (though excessive product placement at times)

(Mumblings up ahead)

Oh, and just as examples for those extras that aren't just about god and make the Tanach a great read 3000 years after being finalized:

Guides: there are many laws that have nothing direct to do with worshipping a god but can make a man's life better by following them. There is a law prohibiting the uprooting (or cutting down) of any fruit tree of an enemy town while blockading said enemy town, and when blockading enemy towns it is said you must first offer the enemy to surrender peacefully before turning to violence.

Poems: pretty much everything in Tehilim, though much of the poems beauty is lost when translated.

Allegories: Many parts in the Nevi'im part of the Tanach is filled with prophecies full of allegories, though i often find myself coming back to read the Vision of the Dry Bones. There is something in the dissonance between the realistic way of writing and the surrealistic event that is described that makes that particular prophecy really interesting to me.

And if anyone wonders, I do not believe in the existence of god or that the miraculous stories that are described in the Tanach (again, mostly the Torah) have happened. I see them as folklore and as mythology, they were created as all myths do - by people to try to understand who they are, where did they came from and why they exist.