Textus Receptus Bibles
Geneva Bible 1560/1599
| 6:1 | Therefore, leauing the doctrine of the beginning of Christ, let vs be led forward vnto perfection, not laying againe ye foundation of repetance from dead workes, and of faith toward God, |
| 6:2 | Of the doctrine of baptismes, and laying on of hands, and of the resurrection from the dead, and of eternall iudgement. |
| 6:3 | And this will we doe if God permit. |
| 6:4 | For it is impossible that they which were once lightened, and haue tasted of the heauenly gift, and were made partakers of the holy Ghost, |
| 6:5 | And haue tasted of the good word of God, and of the powers of the world to come, |
| 6:6 | If they fal away, should be renued againe by repentance: seeing they crucifie againe to themselues the Sonne of God, and make a mocke of him. |
| 6:7 | For the earth which drinketh in the raine that commeth oft vpon it, and bringeth foorth herbes meete for them by whome it is dressed, receiueth blessing of God. |
| 6:8 | But that which beareth thornes and briars, is reproued, and is neere vnto cursing, whose end is to be burned. |
| 6:9 | But beloued, we haue perswaded our selues better things of you, and such as accompany saluation, though we thus speake. |
| 6:10 | For God is not vnrighteous, that hee should forget your worke, and labour of loue, which ye shewed toward his Name, in that ye haue ministred vnto the Saints, and yet minister. |
| 6:11 | And we desire that euery one of you shew the same diligence, to the full assurance of hope vnto the ende, |
| 6:12 | That ye be not slouthfull, but followers of them, which through faith and patience, inherite the promises. |
| 6:13 | For when God made the promise to Abraham, because he had no greater to sweare by, he sware by himselfe, |
| 6:14 | Saying, Surely I wil aboundantly blesse thee and multiplie thee marueilously. |
| 6:15 | And so after that he had taried patiently, he enioyed the promise. |
| 6:16 | For men verely sweare by him that is greater then themselues, and an othe for confirmation is among them an ende of all strife. |
| 6:17 | So God, willing more aboundantly to shew vnto the heires of promise the stablenes of his counsell, bound himselfe by an othe, |
| 6:18 | That by two immutable things, wherein it is vnpossible that God should lye, we might haue strong consolation, which haue our refuge to lay holde vpon that hope that is set before vs, |
| 6:19 | Which hope we haue, as an ancre of the soule, both sure and stedfast, and it entreth into that which is within the vaile, |
| 6:20 | Whither the forerunner is for vs entred in, euen Iesus that is made an hie Priest for euer after the order of Melchi-sedec. |
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.