Textus Receptus Bibles
Geneva Bible 1560/1599
| 2:1 | And when the day of Pentecost was come, they were al with one accord in one place. |
| 2:2 | And suddenly there came a sounde from heauen, as of a russhing and mightie winde, and it filled all the house where they sate. |
| 2:3 | And there appeared vnto them clouen tongues, like fire, and it sate vpon eche of them. |
| 2:4 | And they were all filled with the holy Ghost, and began to speake with other tongues, as the Spirit gaue them vtterance. |
| 2:5 | And there were dwelling at Hierusalem Iewes, men that feared God, of euery nation vnder heauen. |
| 2:6 | Nowe when this was noised, the multitude came together and were astonied, because that euery man heard them speake his owne language. |
| 2:7 | And they wondered al, and marueiled, saying among themselues, Beholde, are not all these which speake, of Galile? |
| 2:8 | How then heare we euery man our owne language, wherein we were borne? |
| 2:9 | Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and the inhabitants of Mesopotamia, and of Iudea, and of Cappadocia, of Pontus, and Asia, |
| 2:10 | And of Phrygia, and Pamphylia, of Egypt, and of the partes of Libya, which is beside Cyrene, and strangers of Rome, and Iewes, and Proselytes, |
| 2:11 | Creetes, and Arabians: wee hearde them speake in our owne tongues the wonderful works of God. |
| 2:12 | They were all then amased, and douted, saying one to another, What may this be? |
| 2:13 | And others mocked, and saide, They are full of newe wine. |
| 2:14 | But Peter standing with ye Eleuen, lift vp his voice, and said vnto them, Ye men of Iudea, and ye all that inhabite Hierusalem, be this knowen vnto you, and hearken vnto my woordes. |
| 2:15 | For these are not drunken, as yee suppose, since it is but the third houre of the day. |
| 2:16 | But this is that, which was spoken by the Prophet Ioel, |
| 2:17 | And it shalbe in the last daies, saith God, I wil powre out of my Spirite vpon al flesh, and your sonnes, and your daughters shall prophecie, and your yong men shall see visions, and your old men shall dreame dreames. |
| 2:18 | And on my seruauntes, and on mine handmaides I will powre out of my Spirite in those daies, and they shall prophecie. |
| 2:19 | And I wil shew wonders in heauen aboue, and tokens in the earth beneath, blood, and fire, and the vapour of smoke. |
| 2:20 | The Sunne shalbe turned into darkenesse, and the moone into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come. |
| 2:21 | And it shalbe, that whosoeuer shall call on the Name of the Lord, shalbe saued. |
| 2:22 | Yee men of Israel, heare these woordes, JESUS of Nazareth, a man approued of God among you with great workes, and wonders, and signes, which God did by him in the middes of you, as yee your selues also knowe: |
| 2:23 | Him, I say, being deliuered by the determinate counsell, and foreknowledge of God, after you had taken, with wicked handes you haue crucified and slaine. |
| 2:24 | Whome God hath raised vp, and loosed the sorrowes of death, because it was vnpossible that he should be holden of it. |
| 2:25 | For Dauid sayeth concerning him, I beheld the Lord alwaies before me: for hee is at my right hand, that I should not be shaken. |
| 2:26 | Therefore did mine heart reioyce, and my tongue was glad, and moreouer also my flesh shall rest in hope, |
| 2:27 | Because thou wilt not leaue my soule in graue, neither wilt suffer thine Holy one to see corruption. |
| 2:28 | Thou hast shewed me the waies of life, and shalt make me full of ioy with thy countenance. |
| 2:29 | Men and brethren, I may boldly speake vnto you of the Patriarke Dauid, that hee is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre remaineth with vs vnto this day. |
| 2:30 | Therefore, seeing hee was a Prophet, and knewe that God had sworne with an othe to him, that of the fruite of his loynes hee woulde raise vp Christ concerning the flesh, to set him vpon his throne, |
| 2:31 | Hee knowing this before, spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soule shoulde not bee left in graue, neither his flesh shoulde see corruption. |
| 2:32 | This Iesus hath God raised vp, whereof we all are witnesses. |
| 2:33 | Since then that he by the right hande of God hath bene exalted, and hath receiued of his Father the promise of the holy Ghost, hee hath shed foorth this which yee nowe see and heare. |
| 2:34 | For Dauid is not ascended into heauen, but he sayth, The Lord sayd to my Lord, Sit at my right hande, |
| 2:35 | Vntill I make thine enemies thy footestoole. |
| 2:36 | Therefore, let all the house of Israel know for a suretie, that God hath made him both Lord, and Christ, this Iesus, I say, whome yee haue crucified. |
| 2:37 | Now when they heard it, they were pricked in their heartes, and said vnto Peter and the other Apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we doe? |
| 2:38 | Then Peter said vnto them, Amend your liues, and bee baptized euery one of you in the Name of Iesus Christ for the remission of sinnes: and ye shall receiue the gift of the holy Ghost. |
| 2:39 | For the promise is made vnto you, and to your children, and to all that are a farre off, euen as many as the Lord our God shall call. |
| 2:40 | And with many other words he besought and exhorted them, saying, Saue your selues from this froward generation. |
| 2:41 | Then they that gladly receiued his word, were baptized: and the same day there were added to the Church about three thousand soules. |
| 2:42 | And they continued in the Apostles doctrine, and fellowship, and breaking of bread, and prayers. |
| 2:43 | And feare came vpon euery soule: and many wonders and signes were done by ye Apostles. |
| 2:44 | And all that beleeued, were in one place, and had all things common. |
| 2:45 | And they sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all me, as euery one had need. |
| 2:46 | And they continued dayly with one accord in the Temple, and breaking bread at home, did eate their meate together with gladnesse and singlenesse of heart, |
| 2:47 | Praysing God, and had fauour with all the people: and the Lord added to the Church from day to day, such as should be saued. |
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.