Textus Receptus Bibles
Julia E. Smith Translation 1876
| 118:1 | Confess ye to Jehovah, for he is good, for his mercy is forever. |
| 118:2 | Now shall Israel say that his mercy is forever. |
| 118:3 | The house of Aaron shall now say that his mercy is forever. |
| 118:4 | They fearing Jehovah shall now say that his mercy is forever. |
| 118:5 | Out of distress I called upon Jah: Jah answered me in an enlarging. |
| 118:6 | Jehovah for me, I will not fear what man shall do to me. |
| 118:7 | Jehovah for me in my help, and I shall look upon those hating me. |
| 118:8 | Good to trust in Jehovah rather than to trust in man. |
| 118:9 | Good to trust in Jehovah rather than to trust in nobles. |
| 118:10 | All nations surrounded me: in the name of Jehovah but I will cut them off. |
| 118:11 | They surrounded me; also they surrounded me: in the name of Jehovah but I will cut them of |
| 118:12 | They surrounded me as bees; they were quenched as the fire of thorns: in the name of Jehovah for I will destroy them. |
| 118:13 | Being thrust, I was thrust down to fall, and Jehovah helped me. |
| 118:14 | Jah my strength and music, and he will be to me for salvation. |
| 118:15 | A voice of rejoicing and salvation in the tents of the just the right hand of Jehovah did strength. |
| 118:16 | The right hand of Jehovah was exalted: the right hand of Jehovah did strength. |
| 118:17 | I shall not die, for I shall live and I shall recount the works of Jah. |
| 118:18 | Jah correcting, corrected me, and he gave me not to death. |
| 118:19 | Open to me, ye gates of justice: I will go into them, I will praise Jah. |
| 118:20 | This the gate to Jehovah, the just shall go into it |
| 118:21 | I will praise thee, for thou didst answer me, and thou wilt be to me for salvation. |
| 118:22 | The stone the builders refused will be for the head of the corner. |
| 118:23 | This was from Jehovah; he was wonderful in our eyes. |
| 118:24 | This the day Jehovah made, we will rejoice and be glad in it |
| 118:25 | Now, O Jehovah, save now: now O Jehovah, give now success. |
| 118:26 | Blessed he coming in the name of Jehovah: we blessed you from the house of Jehovah. |
| 118:27 | God is Jehovah, and he will shine to us: make ye fast the festival with interweavings, even to the horns of the altar. |
| 118:28 | Thou my God, and I will praise thee: my God, I will exalt thee. |
| 118:29 | Confess ye to Jehovah, for he is good; for his mercy is forever. |
Julia E. Smith Translation 1876
The Julia Evelina Smith Parker Translation is considered the first complete translation of the Bible into English by a woman. The Bible was titled The Holy Bible: Containing the Old and New Testaments; Translated Literally from the Original Tongues, and was published in 1876.
Julia Smith, of Glastonbury, Connecticut had a working knowledge of Latin, Greek and Hebrew. Her father had been a Congregationalist minister before he became a lawyer. Having read the Bible in its original languages, she set about creating her own translation, which she completed in 1855, after a number of drafts. The work is a strictly literal rendering, always translating a Greek or Hebrew word with the same word wherever possible. Smith accomplished this work on her own in the span of eight years (1847 to 1855). She had sought out no help in the venture, even writing, "I do not see that anybody can know more about it than I do." Smith's insistence on complete literalness, plus an effort to translate each original word with the same English word, combined with an odd notion of Hebrew tenses (often translating the Hebrew imperfect tense with the English future) results in a translation that is mechanical and often nonsensical. However, such a translation if overly literal might be valuable to consult in checking the meaning of some individual verse. One notable feature of this translation was the prominent use of the Divine Name, Jehovah, throughout the Old Testament of this Bible version.
In 1876, at 84 years of age some 21 years after completing her work, she finally sought publication. The publication costs ($4,000) were personally funded by Julia and her sister Abby Smith. The 1,000 copies printed were offered for $2.50 each, but her household auction in 1884 sold about 50 remaining copies.
The translation fell into obscurity as it was for the most part too literal and lacked any flow. For example, Jer. 22:23 was given as follows: "Thou dwelling in Lebanon, building as nest in the cedars, how being compassionated in pangs coming to thee the pain as in her bringing forth." However, the translation was the only Contemporary English translation out of the original languages available to English readers until the publication of The British Revised Version in 1881-1894.(The New testament was published in 1881, the Old in 1884, and the Apocrypha in 1894.) This makes it an invaluable Bible for its period.