Textus Receptus Bibles
Geneva Bible 1560/1599
| 12:1 | I Beseech you therefore brethren, by the mercies of God, that yee giue vp your bodies a liuing sacrifice, holy, acceptable vnto God, which is your reasonable seruing of God. |
| 12:2 | And fashion not your selues like vnto this worlde, but bee yee changed by the renewing of your minde, that ye may prooue what that good, and acceptable and perfect will of God is. |
| 12:3 | For I say through the grace that is giuen vnto me, to euery one that is among you, that no man presume to vnderstande aboue that which is meete to vnderstand, but that he vnderstande according to sobrietie, as God hath dealt to euery man the measure of faith. |
| 12:4 | For as wee haue many members in one body, and all members haue not one office, |
| 12:5 | So we being many are one body in Christ, and euery one, one anothers members. |
| 12:6 | Seeing then that we haue gifts that are diuers, according to the grace that is giuen vnto vs, whether we haue prophecie, let vs prophecie according to the portion of faith: |
| 12:7 | Or an office, let vs waite on the office: or he that teacheth, on teaching: |
| 12:8 | Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that distributeth, let him doe it with simplicitie: he that ruleth, with diligence: he that sheweth mercie, with cheerefulnesse. |
| 12:9 | Let loue be without dissimulation. Abhorre that which is euill, and cleaue vnto that which is good. |
| 12:10 | Be affectioned to loue one another with brotherly loue. In giuing honour, goe one before another, |
| 12:11 | Not slouthfull to do seruice: seruent in spirit seruing the Lord, |
| 12:12 | Reioycing in hope, pacient in tribulation, continuing in prayer, |
| 12:13 | Distributing vnto the necessities of the Saintes: giuing your selues to hospitalitie. |
| 12:14 | Blesse them which persecute you: blesse, I say, and curse not. |
| 12:15 | Reioyce with them that reioyce, and weepe with them that weepe. |
| 12:16 | Be of like affection one towardes another: be not hie minded: but make your selues equall to them of the lower sort: be not wise in your selues. |
| 12:17 | Recompence to no man euill for euill: procure things honest in the sight of all men. |
| 12:18 | If it bee possible, as much as in you is, haue peace with all men. |
| 12:19 | Dearely beloued, auenge not your selues, but giue place vnto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine: I will repay, saith the Lord. |
| 12:20 | Therefore, if thine enemie hunger, feede him: if he thirst, giue him drinke: for in so doing, thou shalt heape coales of fire on his head. |
| 12:21 | Bee not ouercome of euill, but ouercome euill with goodnesse. |
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.