Textus Receptus Bibles
Geneva Bible 1560/1599
| 4:1 | So I turned and considered all the oppressions that are wrought vnder the sunne, and beholde the teares of the oppressed, and none comforteth them: and lo, the strength is of the hand of them that oppresse them, and none comforteth them. |
| 4:2 | Wherefore I praysed the dead which now are dead, aboue the liuing, which are yet aliue. |
| 4:3 | And I count him better then them both, which hath not yet bin: for he hath not seene the euill workes which are wrought vnder the sunne. |
| 4:4 | Also I beheld all trauaile, and all perfection of workes that this is ye enuie of a man against his neighbour: this also is vanitie and vexation of spirit. |
| 4:5 | The foole foldeth his hands, and eateth vp his owne flesh. |
| 4:6 | Better is an handfull with quietnesse, then two handfuls with labour and vexation of spirit. |
| 4:7 | Againe I returned, and sawe vanitie vnder the sunne. |
| 4:8 | There is one alone, and there is not a second, which hath neither sonne nor brother, yet is there none end of all his trauaile, neither can his eye be satisfied with riches: neither doeth he thinke, For whome doe I trauaile and defraude my soule of pleasure? this also is vanitie, and this is an euill trauaile. |
| 4:9 | Two are better then one: for they haue better wages for their labour. |
| 4:10 | For if they fal, the one wil lift vp his felow: but wo vnto him that is alone: for he falleth, and there is not a second to lift him vp. |
| 4:11 | Also if two sleepe together, then shall they haue heate: but to one how should there be heate? |
| 4:12 | And if one ouercome him, two shall stand against him: and a threefolde coard is not easily broken. |
| 4:13 | Better is a poore and wise childe, then an olde and foolish King, which will no more be admonished. |
| 4:14 | For out of the prison he commeth forth to reigne: when as he that is borne in his kingdome, is made poore. |
| 4:15 | I behelde all the liuing, which walke vnder the sunne, with the second childe, which shall stand vp in his place. |
| 4:16 | There is none ende of all the people, nor of all that were before them, and they that come after, shall not reioyce in him: surely this is also vanitie and vexation of spirit. (Ecclesiastes : ) Take heede to thy foote when thou entrest into the House of God, and be more neere to heare then to giue the sacrifice of fooles: for they knowe not that they doe euil. |
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.