But what if the Bible had been mistranslated or censored to remove the tawdry bits about pimps, cross-dressers or, ahem, a Brazilian wax as punishment?

That's what biblical scholars John Kaltner and Stephen L. McKenzie of Rhodes College in Memphis, Tenn., were wondering, and they set out to investigate a handful of unorthodox interpretations of Old Testament tales.

The result was ''The Uncensored Bible: The Bawdy and Naughty Bits of the Good Book,'' co-written with Christian satirist Joel Kilpatrick.

They're questions like: Was Eve actually created not from Adam's rib, but ''from something a little lower down''? Was the ''knowledge of good and evil'' in the Garden of Eden a euphemism for sex? And, as Chapter 6 asks, ''Did Abraham Pimp Sarah?''

The answer to many of their questions was no, but it nonetheless makes for some interesting (not to mention steamy) reading. Kaltner and McKenzie were inspired to write the book after hearing the intriguing account of Eve's origin at a conference. From there, they researched other unusual interpretations tucked away in scholarly journals.

In the account of Eve's creation, the Hebrew word used for ''rib'' is ''tsela,'' but that's not how it's translated in other parts of the Bible. Rather, it's usually translated as a ''side'' or ''appendage'' jutting out from a central structure.

All male mammals possess a penis bone - except humans and spider monkeys. So was the ''bone'' used to create Eve not actually Adam's rib after all? The authors conclude the theory has ''compelling advantages'' over traditional interpretations and is not ''bizarre, outrageous or unreasonable.''

The authors insist they are not challenging the integrity of the Bible, but ''just dealing with parts of the Bible that aren't preached from the pulpit that often,'' Kilpatrick said.

''No Bible bashing, please,'' reads the introduction. ''We are not trying to make fun of the Bible. We love the Bible.''

Given its frequently sexual and snarky approach, the book is already drawing fire in the blogosphere. But the book's authors and publisher don't seem to mind.

''This stuff is in the Bible,'' said Mickey Maudlin, editorial director and vice president of publisher HarperOne. ''Sometimes people miss the grittiness of Scripture because they feel it goes against holiness of Scripture, and it doesn't.''