Textus Receptus Bibles
Geneva Bible 1560/1599
| 3:1 | My brethren, be not many masters, knowing that we shall receiue the greater condemnation. |
| 3:2 | For in many things we sinne all. If any man sinne not in word, he is a perfect man, and able to bridle all the body. |
| 3:3 | Beholde, we put bittes into the horses mouthes, that they should obey vs, and we turne about all their bodie. |
| 3:4 | Behold also the shippes, which though they be so great, and are driuen of fierce windes, yet are they turned about with a very small rudder, whither soeuer the gouernour listeth. |
| 3:5 | Euen so the tongue is a litle member, and boasteth of great things: beholde, howe great a thing a litle fire kindleth. |
| 3:6 | And the tongue is fire, yea, a worlde of wickednesse: so is the tongue set among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature, and it is set on fire of hell. |
| 3:7 | For the whole nature of beasts, and of birds, and of creeping things, and things of the sea is tamed, and hath bene tamed of the nature of man. |
| 3:8 | But the tongue can no man tame. It is an vnruly euill, full of deadly poyson. |
| 3:9 | Therewith blesse we God euen the Father, and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God. |
| 3:10 | Out of one mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing: my brethren, these things ought not so to be. |
| 3:11 | Doeth a fountaine send forth at one place sweete water and bitter? |
| 3:12 | Can ye figge tree, my brethren, bring forth oliues, either a vine figges? so can no fountaine make both salt water and sweete. |
| 3:13 | Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew by good conuersation his workes in meekenesse of wisdome. |
| 3:14 | But if ye haue bitter enuying and strife in your hearts, reioyce not, neither be liars against the trueth. |
| 3:15 | This wisedome descendeth not from aboue, but is earthly, sensuall, and deuilish. |
| 3:16 | For where enuying and strife is, there is sedition, and all maner of euill workes. |
| 3:17 | But the wisedome that is from aboue, is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, easie to be intreated, full of mercie and good fruites, without iudging, and without hipocrisie. |
| 3:18 | And the fruite of righteousnesse is sowen in peace, of them that make peace. |
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.