Textus Receptus Bibles
Geneva Bible 1560/1599
| 55:1 | To him that excelleth on Neginoth. A Psalme of David to give instruction. Heare my prayer, O God, and hide not thy selfe from my supplication. |
| 55:2 | Hearken vnto me, and answere me: I mourne in my prayer, and make a noyse, |
| 55:3 | For the voyce of the enemie, and for the vexation of ye wicked, because they haue brought iniquitie vpon me, and furiously hate me. |
| 55:4 | Mine heart trembleth within mee, and the terrours of death are fallen vpon me. |
| 55:5 | Feare and trembling are come vpon mee, and an horrible feare hath couered me. |
| 55:6 | And I said, Oh that I had wings like a doue: then would I flie away and rest. |
| 55:7 | Beholde, I woulde take my flight farre off, and lodge in the wildernes. Selah. |
| 55:8 | Hee would make haste for my deliuerance from the stormie winde and tempest. |
| 55:9 | Destroy, O Lord, and deuide their tongues: for I haue seene crueltie and strife in the citie. |
| 55:10 | Day and night they goe about it vpon the walles thereof: both iniquitie and mischiefe are in the middes of it. |
| 55:11 | Wickednes is in the middes thereof: deceit and guile depart not from her streetes. |
| 55:12 | Surely mine enemie did not defame mee: for I could haue borne it: neither did mine aduersarie exalt himselfe against mee: for I would haue hid me from him. |
| 55:13 | But it was thou, O man, euen my companion, my guide and my familiar: |
| 55:14 | Which delited in consulting together, and went into the House of God as companions. |
| 55:15 | Let death sense vpon them: let them goe downe quicke into the graue: for wickednes is in their dwellings, euen in the middes of them. |
| 55:16 | But I will call vnto God, and the Lord will saue me. |
| 55:17 | Euening and morning, and at noone will I pray, and make a noyse, and he wil heare my voice. |
| 55:18 | He hath deliuered my soule in peace from the battel, that was against me: for many were with me. |
| 55:19 | God shall heare and afflict them, euen hee that reigneth of olde, Selah. because they haue no changes, therefore they feare not God. |
| 55:20 | Hee layed his hande vpon such, as be at peace with him, and he brake his couenant. |
| 55:21 | The wordes of his mouth were softer then butter, yet warre was in his heart: his words were more gentle then oyle, yet they were swordes. |
| 55:22 | Cast thy burden vpon the Lord, and hee shall nourish thee: he wil not suffer the righteous to fall for euer. |
| 55:23 | And thou, O God, shalt bring them downe into the pitte of corruption: the bloudie, and deceitfull men shall not liue halfe their dayes: but I will trust in thee. |
Geneva Bible 1560/1599
The Geneva Bible is one of the most influential and historically significant translations of the Bible into English, preceding the King James translation by 51 years. It was the primary Bible of 16th century Protestantism and was the Bible used by William Shakespeare, Oliver Cromwell, John Knox, John Donne, and John Bunyan. The language of the Geneva Bible was more forceful and vigorous and because of this, most readers strongly preferred this version at the time.
The Geneva Bible was produced by a group of English scholars who, fleeing from the reign of Queen Mary, had found refuge in Switzerland. During the reign of Queen Mary, no Bibles were printed in England, the English Bible was no longer used in churches and English Bibles already in churches were removed and burned. Mary was determined to return Britain to Roman Catholicism.
The first English Protestant to die during Mary's turbulent reign was John Rogers in 1555, who had been the editor of the Matthews Bible. At this time, hundreds of Protestants left England and headed for Geneva, a city which under the leadership of Calvin, had become the intellectual and spiritual capital of European Protestants.
One of these exiles was William Whittingham, a fellow of Christ Church at Oxford University, who had been a diplomat, a courtier, was much traveled and skilled in many languages including Greek and Hebrew. He eventually succeeded John Knox as the minister of the English congregation in Geneva. Whittingham went on to publish the 1560 Geneva Bible.
This version is significant because, it came with a variety of scriptural study guides and aids, which included verse citations that allow the reader to cross-reference one verse with numerous relevant verses in the rest of the Bible, introductions to each book of the Bible that acted to summarize all of the material that each book would cover, maps, tables, woodcut illustrations, indices, as well as other included features, all of which would eventually lead to the reputation of the Geneva Bible as history's very first study Bible.