Textus Receptus Bibles
Geneva Bible 1560/1599
| 1:1 | The beginning of the Gospel of Iesus Christ, the Sonne of God: |
| 1:2 | As it is written in the Prophets, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee. |
| 1:3 | The voyce of him that cryeth in the wildernesse is, Prepare the way of the Lord: make his paths straight. |
| 1:4 | Iohn did baptize in the wildernesse, and preach the baptisme of amendment of life, for remission of sinnes. |
| 1:5 | And al ye countrey of Iudea, and they of Hierusalem went out vnto him, and were all baptized of him in the riuer Iordan, confessing their sinnes. |
| 1:6 | Nowe Iohn was clothed with camels heare, and with a girdle of a skinne about his loynes: and he did eate Locusts and wilde hony, |
| 1:7 | And preached, saying, A stronger then I commeth after me, whose shoes latchet I am not worthy to stoupe downe, and vnloose. |
| 1:8 | Trueth it is, I haue baptized you with water: but he will baptize you with the holy Ghost. |
| 1:9 | And it came to passe in those dayes, that Iesus came from Nazareth, a citie of Galile, and was baptized of Iohn in Iordan. |
| 1:10 | And assoone as he was come out of the water, Iohn saw the heauens clouen in twaine, and the holy Ghost descending vpon him like a doue. |
| 1:11 | Then there was a voyce from heauen, saying, Thou art my beloued Sonne, in whome I am well pleased. |
| 1:12 | And immediatly the Spirite driueth him into the wildernesse. |
| 1:13 | And he was there in the wildernesse fourtie daies, and was tempted of Satan: hee was also with the wilde beastes, and the Angels ministred vnto him. |
| 1:14 | Now after that Iohn was committed to prison, Iesus came into Galile, preaching the Gospel of the kingdome of God, |
| 1:15 | And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdome of God is at hand: repent and beleeue the Gospel. |
| 1:16 | And as he walked by the sea of Galile, he saw Simon, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, (for they were fishers.) |
| 1:17 | Then Iesus said vnto them, Folow me, and I will make you to be fishers of men. |
| 1:18 | And straightway they forsooke their nets, and folowed him. |
| 1:19 | And when hee had gone a litle further thence, he sawe Iames the sonne of Zebedeus, and Iohn his brother, as they were in the ship, mending their nets. |
| 1:20 | And anon hee called them: and they left their father Zebedeus in the shippe with his hired seruants, and went their way after him. |
| 1:21 | So they entred into Capernaum, and straightway on the Sabbath day hee entred into the Synagogue, and taught. |
| 1:22 | And they were astonied at his doctrine, for he taught them as one that had authoritie, and not as the Scribes. |
| 1:23 | And there was in their Synagogue a man in whome was an vncleane spirite, and hee cried out, |
| 1:24 | Saying, Ah, what haue we to do with thee, O Iesus of Nazareth? Art thou come to destroy vs? I knowe thee what thou art, euen that holy one of God. |
| 1:25 | And Iesus rebuked him, saying, Holde thy peace, and come out of him. |
| 1:26 | And the vncleane spirit tare him, and cried with a loude voyce, and came out of him. |
| 1:27 | And they were all amased, so that they demaunded one of another, saying, What thing is this? what newe doctrine is this? for he commandeth euen the foule spirites with authoritie, and they obey him. |
| 1:28 | And immediatly his fame spred abroade throughout all the region bordering on Galile. |
| 1:29 | And assoone as they were come out of the Synagogue, they entred into the house of Symon and Andrew, with Iames and Iohn. |
| 1:30 | And Symons wiues mother lay sicke of a feuer, and anon they told him of her. |
| 1:31 | And he came and tooke her by the hand, and lifted her vp, and the feuer forsooke her by and by, and shee ministred vnto them. |
| 1:32 | And whe euen was come, at what time the sunne setteth, they brought to him all that were diseased, and them that were possessed with deuils. |
| 1:33 | And the whole citie was gathered together at the doore. |
| 1:34 | And he healed many that were sicke of diuers diseases: and he cast out many deuils, and suffred not the deuils to say that they knewe him. |
| 1:35 | And in the morning very early before day, Iesus arose and went out into a solitarie place, and there praied. |
| 1:36 | And Simon, and they that were with him, followed carefully after him. |
| 1:37 | And when they had found him, they sayde vnto him, All men seeke for thee. |
| 1:38 | Then he said vnto them, Let vs go into the next townes, that I may preach there also: for I came out for that purpose. |
| 1:39 | And hee preached in their Synagogues, throughout all Galile, and cast the deuils out. |
| 1:40 | And there came a leper to him, beseeching him, and kneeled downe vnto him, and said to him, If thou wilt, thou canst make me cleane. |
| 1:41 | And Iesus had compassion, and put foorth his hand, and touched him, and said to him, I wil: be thou cleane. |
| 1:42 | And assone as he had spoken, immediatly ye leprosie departed from him, and he was made cleane. |
| 1:43 | And after he had giue him a streight commandement, he sent him away forthwith, |
| 1:44 | And sayde vnto him, See thou say nothing to any man, but get thee hence, and shewe thy selfe to the Priest, and offer for thy clensing those things, which Moses commanded, for a testimoniall vnto them. |
| 1:45 | But when he was departed, hee began to tel many things, and to publish the matter: so that Iesus could no more openly enter into the citie, but was without in desert places: and they came to him from euery quarter. |
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.