Textus Receptus Bibles
The Great Bible 1539
| 2:1 | And it chaunced in those dayes: that ther went oute a commaundement from Augustus the Emperour, that all the world shulde be taxed. |
| 2:2 | And thys taxinge was the fyrst, & executed when Syrenius was leftenaunt in Syria. |
| 2:3 | And euery man went vnto his awne cytie to be taxed. |
| 2:4 | And Ioseph also ascended from Galile, out of a cytie called Nazareth, into Iewry: vnto the cytie of Dauid, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lynage of Dauid, |
| 2:5 | to be taxed with Mary his spoused wyfe, which was with childe. |
| 2:6 | And it fortuned that while they were there, her tyme was come that she shulde be deliuered. |
| 2:7 | And she broughte forth her fyrst begotten sonne, & wrapped him in swadlinge clothes, and layde him in a maunger, because ther was no rowme for them in the ynne. |
| 2:8 | And ther were in the same region shepherdes, watchynge and kepinge their flocke by night. |
| 2:9 | And lo, the angell of the Lorde stode harde by them, and the brightnes of the Lorde shone rounde aboute them, & they were sore afrayed. |
| 2:10 | And the angell sayde vnto them: Be not afrayed. For beholde, I bringe you tydinges of greate ioye, that shall come to all people: |
| 2:11 | for vnto you is borne this daye in the cytie of Dauid, a saueoure which is Christ the Lord. |
| 2:12 | And take this for a sygne: ye shall fynde the childe wrapped in swadlinge clothes, & layed in a manger. |
| 2:13 | And streyght waye ther was with the angel a multitude of heauenly sowdyers, praysing God: & sayinge: |
| 2:14 | Glory to God on hye, and peace on the erth, & vnto men a good wyll. |
| 2:15 | And it fortuned, as sone as the angels were gone awaye from them into heauen, The shepherdes sayde one to another: let vs go now euen vnto Bethlehem, and se this thing that we heare saye is happened, which the Lorde hath shewed vnto vs. |
| 2:16 | And they came wt hast, & founde Mary and Ioseph & the babe layde in a manger. |
| 2:17 | And when they had sene it, they publisshed a brode the sayinge, which was tolde them of that chylde. |
| 2:18 | And all they that hearde it, wondred at those thynges which were tolde them of the shepherdes. |
| 2:19 | But Mary kepte all those saienges, and pondered them in her hert. |
| 2:20 | And the shepherdes retourned, praysynge and laudinge God for all the thinges that they had herde and sene, euen as it was tolde vnto them. |
| 2:21 | And when the eyght daye was come that the childe shulde be circuncised his name was called Iesus which was named of the Angell, before he was conceaued in the wombe. |
| 2:22 | And when the tyme of their purificacion (after the lawe of Moses) was come, they brought him to Hierusalem, to present him to the Lorde |
| 2:23 | (as it is wrytten in the lawe of the Lorde euery man chylde that fyrst openeth the matrix, shalbe called holy to the Lord) |
| 2:24 | and to offer (as it is sayde in the lawe of the Lorde) a payre of turtle doues, or two yonge pigions. |
| 2:25 | And beholde, ther was a man in Hierusalem whose name was Simeon. And the same man was iuste & godly, & loked for the consolacion of Israel, and the holy goost was in him. |
| 2:26 | And an answer had he receaued of the holy goost that he shulde not se deeth, excepte he fyrst sawe the Lordes Christ. |
| 2:27 | And he came by inspiracion into the temple. And when the father & mother brought in the chylde Iesus: to do for him after the custome of the lawe, |
| 2:28 | then toke he him vp in his armes, & sayd: |
| 2:29 | Lorde, now lettest thou thy seruaunt departe in peace, accordynge to thy promes. |
| 2:30 | For myne eyes haue sene the saluacion: |
| 2:31 | which thou hast prepared before the face of all people |
| 2:32 | A lyght to lighten the gentyls, & the glory of thy people Israel. |
| 2:33 | And his father & mother: meruylled at those thinges, whych were spoken of hym. |
| 2:34 | And Simeon blessed them, and sayde vnto Mary his mother: beholde, this chyld is sett to be the fall and vprising agayne of many in Israel, & for a sygne which is spoken agaynst. |
| 2:35 | And moreouer, the swearde shall pearce thy soule that the thoughtes of manyhertes maye be opened. |
| 2:36 | And ther was a Prophetisse, one Anna, the daughter of Phanuel of the trybe of Aser: which was of a greate age, & had lyued with an husbande .vij. yeres from her virginite. |
| 2:37 | And she had bene a wedowe aboute .iiij. scoore & .iiij. yere, which departed not from the temple, but serued God with fastinges and prayers nyght & daye. |
| 2:38 | And she came forth that same houre, and praysed the Lorde, & spake of him, to all them that loked for redempcyon in Hierusalem. |
| 2:39 | And whan they had perfourmed all thinges accordyng to the lawe of the Lorde, they returned into Galile, to their awne citie Nazareth. |
| 2:40 | And the chylde grewe, and wexed stronge in sprete, & was fylled with wysdome, & the grace of God was vpon him. |
| 2:41 | And his father & mother went to Hierusalem euery yere at the feaste of easter. |
| 2:42 | And when he was .xij. yere olde, they went vp to Hierusalem after the custome of the feast daye. |
| 2:43 | And when they had fulfylled the dayes: as they returned home, the chylde Iesus a bode styll in Ierusalem, & hys father & mother knewe not of it: |
| 2:44 | but they supposyng him to haue bene in the company, came a dayes iorney & sought him amonge their kynsfolke & acquayntaunce. |
| 2:45 | And when they founde him not, they went backe agayne to Hierusalem, and sought him. |
| 2:46 | And it fortuned that after .iij. dayes, they founde him in the temple, syttynge in the middes of the doctours, hearyng them, & posynge them |
| 2:47 | And all that hearde him, were astonnyed at his vnderstonding & answers. |
| 2:48 | And when they sawe him, they marueyled. And his mother sayde vnto him: sonne, why hast thou thus dealt with vs? Beholde, thy father & I haue sought the, sorowenge. |
| 2:49 | And he sayde vnto them: how is it that ye sought me? Wist ye not, that I must goo aboute my fathers busynes? |
| 2:50 | And they vnderstode not that sayinge which he spake vnto them. |
| 2:51 | And he went downe wt them, & came to Nazareth, & was obedient vnto them. But his mother kept all these sayenges together in her hert. |
| 2:52 | And Iesus prospered in wysdome & age, and in fauoure, with God & men. |
The Great Bible 1539
The Great Bible of 1539 was the first authorized edition of the Bible in English, authorized by King Henry VIII of England to be read aloud in the church services of the Church of England. The Great Bible was prepared by Myles Coverdale, working under commission of Thomas, Lord Cromwell, Secretary to Henry VIII and Vicar General. In 1538, Cromwell directed the clergy to provide "one book of the bible of the largest volume in English, and the same set up in some convenient place within the said church that ye have care of, whereas your parishioners may most commodiously resort to the same and read it."