Textus Receptus Bibles
Geneva Bible 1560/1599
| 15:1 | Then resorted vnto him all the Publicanes and sinners, to heare him. |
| 15:2 | Therefore the Pharises and Scribes murmured, saying, Hee receiueth sinners, and eateth with them. |
| 15:3 | Then spake hee this parable to them, saying, |
| 15:4 | What man of you hauing an hundreth sheepe, if hee lose one of them, doeth not leaue ninetie and nine in the wildernesse, and goe after that which is lost, vntill he finde it? |
| 15:5 | And when he hath found it, he laieth it on his shoulders with ioye. |
| 15:6 | And when he commeth home, he calleth together his friendes and neighbours, saying vnto them, Reioyce with mee: for I haue founde my sheepe which was lost. |
| 15:7 | I say vnto you, that likewise ioy shall be in heauen for one sinner that conuerteth, more then for ninetie and nine iust men, which neede none amendment of life. |
| 15:8 | Either what woman hauing ten groates, if she lose one groate, doth not light a candle, and sweepe the house, and seeke diligently till shee finde it? |
| 15:9 | And when shee hath found it, shee calleth her friendes, and neighbours, saying, Reioyce with me: for I haue found the groate which I had lost. |
| 15:10 | Likewise I say vnto you, there is ioy in the presence of the Angels of God, for one sinner that conuerteth. |
| 15:11 | He sayde moreouer, A certaine man had two sonnes. |
| 15:12 | And the yonger of them sayde to his father, Father, giue mee the portion of the goods that falleth to mee. So he deuided vnto them his substance. |
| 15:13 | So not many daies after, when the yonger sonne had gathered all together, hee tooke his iourney into a farre countrey, and there hee wasted his goods with riotous liuing. |
| 15:14 | Nowe when hee had spent all, there arose a great dearth throughout that land, and he began to be in necessitie. |
| 15:15 | Then hee went and claue to a citizen of that conntrey, and hee sent him to his farme, to feede swine. |
| 15:16 | And hee would faine haue filled his bellie with the huskes, that the swine ate: but no man gaue them him. |
| 15:17 | Then he came to him selfe, and said, Howe many hired seruaunts at my fathers haue bread ynough, and I die for hunger? |
| 15:18 | I wil rise and goe to my father, and say vnto him, Father, I haue sinned against heaue, and before thee, |
| 15:19 | And am no more worthy to be called thy sonne: make me as one of thy hired seruants. |
| 15:20 | So hee arose and came to his father, and when hee was yet a great way off, his father sawe him, and had compassion, and ranne and fell on his necke, and kissed him. |
| 15:21 | And the sonne sayde vnto him, Father, I haue sinned against heauen, and before thee, and am no more worthie to be called thy sonne. |
| 15:22 | Then the father said to his seruaunts, Bring foorth the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feete, |
| 15:23 | And bring the fat calfe, and kill him, and let vs eate, and be merie: |
| 15:24 | For this my sonne was dead, and is aliue againe: and he was lost, but he is found. And they began to be merie. |
| 15:25 | Nowe the elder brother was in the fielde, and when he came and drewe neere to the house, he heard melodie, and dauncing, |
| 15:26 | And called one of his seruaunts, and asked what those things meant. |
| 15:27 | And hee sayde vnto him, Thy brother is come, and thy father hath killed the fatte calfe, because he hath receiued him safe and sound. |
| 15:28 | Then he was angry, and would not goe in: therefore came his father out and entreated him. |
| 15:29 | But he answered and said to his father, Loe, these many yeeres haue I done thee seruice, neither brake I at any time thy commadement, and yet thou neuer gauest mee a kidde that I might make merie with my friends. |
| 15:30 | But when this thy sonne was come, which hath deuoured thy good with harlots, thou hast for his sake killed the fat calfe. |
| 15:31 | And he said vnto him, Sonne, thou art euer with me, and al that I haue, is thine. It was meete that we shoulde make merie, and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is aliue againe: and hee was lost, but he is found. |
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.