Textus Receptus Bibles
Geneva Bible 1560/1599
| 2:1 | VNto the Angel of the Church of Ephesus write, These things saieth he that holdeth the seuen starres in his right hand, and walketh in the middes of the seuen golden candlestickes. |
| 2:2 | I knowe thy workes, and thy labour, and thy patience, and howe thou canst not beare with them which are euill, and hast examined them which say they are Apostles, and are not, and hast found the liars. |
| 2:3 | And thou wast burdened, and hast patience, and for my Names sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted. |
| 2:4 | Neuertheles, I haue somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first loue. |
| 2:5 | Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and doe the first workes: or els I will come against thee shortly, and will remooue thy candlesticke out of his place, except thou amend. |
| 2:6 | But this thou hast, that thou hatest the workes of the Nicolaitanes, which I also hate. |
| 2:7 | Let him that hath an eare, heare, what the Spirite saith vnto the Churches, To him that ouercommeth, will I giue to eate of the tree of life which is in the middes of the Paradise of God. |
| 2:8 | And vnto the Angel of the Church of the Smyrnians write, These things saith he that is first, and last, which was dead and is aliue. |
| 2:9 | I knowe thy workes and tribulation, and pouertie (but thou art riche) and I knowe the blasphemie of them, which say they are Iewes, and are not, but are the Synagogue of Satan. |
| 2:10 | Feare none of those things, which thou shalt suffer: beholde, it shall come to passe, that the deuill shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tryed, and ye shall haue tribulation tenne dayes: be thou faithfull vnto the death, and I will giue thee the crowne of life. |
| 2:11 | Let him that hath an eare, heare what the Spirit saith to the Churches. He that ouercommeth, shall not be hurt of the second death. |
| 2:12 | And to the Angel of the Church, which is at Pergamus write, This saith he which hath that sharpe sworde with two edges. |
| 2:13 | I knowe thy workes and where thou dwellest, euen where Satans throne is, and thou keepest my Name, and hast not denied my faith, euen in those dayes when Antipas my faithfull martyr was slaine among you, where Satan dwelleth. |
| 2:14 | But I haue a fewe things against thee, because thou hast there them that maintaine the doctrine of Balaam, which taught Balac to put a stumbling blocke before ye children of Israel, that they should eate of things sacrificed vnto Idoles, and commit fornication. |
| 2:15 | Euen so hast thou them, that maintaine the doctrine of the Nicolaitanes, which thing I hate. |
| 2:16 | Repent thy selfe, or els I will come vnto thee shortly, and will fight against them with the sworde of my mouth. |
| 2:17 | Let him that hath an eare, heare what the Spirite saith vnto the Churches. To him that ouercommeth, will I giue to eate of the Manna that is hid, and will giue him a white stone, and in the stone a newe name written, which no man knoweth sauing he that receiueth it. |
| 2:18 | And vnto ye Angel of the Church which is at Thyatira write, These things saith the Sonne of God, which hath his eyes like vnto a flame of fire, and his feete like fine brasse. |
| 2:19 | I knowe thy workes and thy loue, and seruice, and faith, and thy patience, and thy workes, and that they are more at the last, then at the first. |
| 2:20 | Notwithstanding, I haue a few things against thee, that thou sufferest the woman Iezabel, which calleth her selfe a prophetesse, to teache and to deceiue my seruants to make them commit fornication, and to eate meates sacrificed vnto idoles. |
| 2:21 | And I gaue her space to repent of her fornication, and she repented not. |
| 2:22 | Beholde, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit fornication with her, into great affliction, except they repent them of their workes. |
| 2:23 | And I will kill her children with death: and all the Churches shall know that I am he which searche the reines and heartes: and I will giue vnto euery one of you according vnto your workes. |
| 2:24 | And vnto you I say, the rest of them of Thyatira, As many as haue not this learning, neither haue knowen the deepenes of Satan (as they speake) I will put vpon you none other burden. |
| 2:25 | But that which ye haue alreadie, hold fast till I come. |
| 2:26 | For he that ouercommeth and keepeth my workes vnto the end, to him will I giue power ouer nations, |
| 2:27 | And he shall rule them with a rodde of yron: and as the vessels of a potter, shall they be broken. |
| 2:28 | Euen as I receiued of my Father, so will I giue him the morning starre. |
| 2:29 | Let him that hath an eare, heare what the Spirite saith to the Churches. |
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.