Textus Receptus Bibles
Geneva Bible 1560/1599
| 1:1 | Now these are the names of the children of Israel, which came into Egypt (euery man and his housholde came thither with Iaakob) |
| 1:2 | Reuben, Simeon, Leui, and Iudah, |
| 1:3 | Issachar, Zebulun, and Beniamin, |
| 1:4 | Dan, and Naphtali, Gad, and Asher. |
| 1:5 | So al the soules, that came out of the loines of Iaakob, were seuentie soules: Ioseph was in Egypt already. |
| 1:6 | Nowe Ioseph died and all his brethren, and that whole generation. |
| 1:7 | And the children of Israel brought foorth fruite and encreased in aboundance, and were multiplied, and were exceeding mightie, so that the land was full of them. |
| 1:8 | Then there rose vp a newe King in Egypt, who knewe not Ioseph. |
| 1:9 | And he sayde vnto his people, Beholde, the people of the children of Israel are greater and mightier then we. |
| 1:10 | Come, let vs worke wisely with them, least they multiplie, and it come to passe, that if there be warre, they ioyne them selues also vnto our enemies, and fight against vs, and get them out of the land. |
| 1:11 | Therefore did they set taskemasters ouer them, to keepe the vnder with burdens: and they built the cities Pithom and Raamses for the treasures of Pharaoh. |
| 1:12 | But the more they vexed them, the more they multiplied and grewe: therefore they were more grieued against the children of Israel. |
| 1:13 | Wherefore the Egyptians by crueltie caused the children of Israel to serue. |
| 1:14 | Thus they made them weary of their liues by sore labour in clay and in bricke, and in al worke in the fielde, with all maner of bondage, which they layde vpon them most cruelly. |
| 1:15 | Moreouer the King of Egypt commanded ye midwiues of the Ebrewe women, (of which the ones name was Shiphrah, and the name of the other Puah) |
| 1:16 | And sayde, When ye doe the office of a midwife to the women of the Ebrewes, and see them on their stooles, if it be a sonne, then yee shall kill him: but if it be a daughter, then let her liue. |
| 1:17 | Notwithstanding ye midwiues feared God, and did not as the King of Egypt commanded them, but preserued aliue the men children. |
| 1:18 | Then the King of Egypt called for the midwiues, and sayde vnto them, Why haue yee done thus, and haue preserued aliue the men children? |
| 1:19 | And the midwiues answered Pharaoh, Because the Ebrewe women are not as the women of Egypt: for they are liuely, and are deliuered yer the midwife come at them. |
| 1:20 | God therefore prospered the midwiues, and the people multiplied and were very mightie. |
| 1:21 | And because ye midwiues feared God, therefore he made them houses. |
| 1:22 | Then Pharaoh charged all his people, saying, Euery man childe that is borne, cast yee into the riuer, but reserue euery maide childe aliue. |
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.