Textus Receptus Bibles
Geneva Bible 1560/1599
| 1:1 | In the beginning was that Word, and that Word was with God, and that Word was God. |
| 1:2 | This same was in the beginning with God. |
| 1:3 | All things were made by it, and without it was made nothing that was made. |
| 1:4 | In it was life, and that life was the light of men. |
| 1:5 | And that light shineth in the darkenesse, and the darkenesse comprehended it not. |
| 1:6 | There was a man sent from God, whose name was Iohn. |
| 1:7 | This same came for a witnesse, to beare witnesse of that light, that all men through him might beleeue. |
| 1:8 | He was not that light, but was sent to beare witnesse of that light. |
| 1:9 | This was that true light, which lighteth euery man that commeth into the world. |
| 1:10 | He was in the world, and the worlde was made by him: and the worlde knewe him not. |
| 1:11 | He came vnto his owne, and his owne receiued him not. |
| 1:12 | But as many as receiued him, to them he gaue prerogatiue to be the sonnes of God, euen to them that beleeue in his Name. |
| 1:13 | Which are borne not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of ye wil of man, but of God. |
| 1:14 | And that Word was made flesh, and dwelt among vs, (and we sawe the glorie thereof, as the glorie of the onely begotten Sonne of the Father) full of grace and trueth. |
| 1:15 | Iohn bare witnesse of him, and cryed, saying, This was he of whom I said, He that commeth after me, was before me: for he was better then I. |
| 1:16 | And of his fulnesse haue all we receiued, and grace for grace. |
| 1:17 | For the Lawe was giuen by Moses, but grace, and trueth came by Iesus Christ. |
| 1:18 | No man hath seene God at any time: that onely begotten Sonne, which is in the bosome of the Father, he hath declared him. |
| 1:19 | Then this is the record of Iohn, when the Iewes sent Priestes and Leuites from Hierusalem, to aske him, Who art thou? |
| 1:20 | And he confessed and denied not, and said plainely, I am not that Christ. |
| 1:21 | And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? And he said, I am not. Art thou that Prophet? And he answered, No. |
| 1:22 | Then said they vnto him, Who art thou, that we may giue an answere to them that sent vs? What sayest thou of thy selfe? |
| 1:23 | He said, I am the voyce of him that cryeth in the wildernesse, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the Prophet Esaias. |
| 1:24 | Nowe they which were sent, were of the Pharises. |
| 1:25 | And they asked him, and saide vnto him, Why baptizest thou then, if thou be not that Christ, neither Elias, nor that Prophet? |
| 1:26 | Iohn answered them, saying, I baptize with water: but there is one among you, whom ye knowe not. |
| 1:27 | He it is that commeth after me, which was before me, whose shoe latchet I am not worthie to vnloose. |
| 1:28 | These things were done in Bethabara beyond Iordan, where Iohn did baptize. |
| 1:29 | The next day Iohn, seeth Iesus comming vnto him, and saith, Beholde that Lambe of god, which taketh away the sinne of the world. |
| 1:30 | This is he of whom I saide, After me commeth a man, which was before me: for he was better then I. |
| 1:31 | And I knewe him not: but because he should be declared to Israel, therefore am I come, baptizing with water. |
| 1:32 | So Iohn bare recorde, saying, I behelde that Spirit come downe from heauen, like a doue, and it abode vpon him, |
| 1:33 | And I knewe him not: but he that sent me to baptize with water, he saide vnto me, Vpon whom thou shalt see that Spirit come downe, and tary still on him, that is he which baptizeth with the holy Ghost. |
| 1:34 | And I sawe, and bare record that this is that Sonne of God. |
| 1:35 | The next day, Iohn stoode againe, and two of his disciples. |
| 1:36 | And he behelde Iesus walking by, and said, Beholde that Lambe of God. |
| 1:37 | And the two disciples heard him speake, and followed Iesus. |
| 1:38 | Then Iesus turned about, and saw them follow, and saide vnto them, What seeke ye? And they saide vnto him, Rabbi (which is to say by interpretation, Master) where dwellest thou? |
| 1:39 | He saide vnto them, Come, and see. They came and sawe where hee dwelt, and abode with him that day: for it was about the tenth houre. |
| 1:40 | Andrew, Simon Peters brother, was one of the two which had heard it of Iohn, and that followed him. |
| 1:41 | The same founde his brother Simon first, and said vnto him, We haue founde that Messias, which is by interpretation, that Christ. |
| 1:42 | And he brought him to Iesus. And Iesus behelde him, and saide, Thou art Simon the sonne of Iona: thou shalt be called Cephas, which is by interpretation, a stone. |
| 1:43 | The day following, Iesus woulde goe into Galile, and founde Philip, and said vnto him, Followe me. |
| 1:44 | Nowe Philip was of Bethsaida, the citie of Andrew and Peter. |
| 1:45 | Philippe founde Nathanael, and saide vnto him, Wee haue founde him of whom Moses did write in the Lawe, and the Prophetes, Iesus that sonne of Ioseph, that was of Nazareth. |
| 1:46 | Then Nathanael sayde vnto him, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saide to him, Come, and see. |
| 1:47 | Iesus sawe Nathanael comming to him, and saide of him, Beholde in deede an Israelite, in whom is no guile. |
| 1:48 | Nathanael sayde vnto him, Whence knewest thou mee? Iesus answered, and sayd vnto him, Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast vnder the figge tree, I sawe thee. |
| 1:49 | Nathanael answered, and saide vnto him, Rabbi, thou art that Sonne of God: thou art that King of Israel. |
| 1:50 | Iesus answered, and sayde vnto him, Because I sayde vnto thee, I sawe thee vnder the figtree, beleeuest thou? thou shalt see greater things then these. |
| 1:51 | And he saide vnto him, Verely, verely I say vnto you, hereafter shall yee see heauen open, and the Angels of God ascending, and descending vpon that Sonne of man. |
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.