Textus Receptus Bibles
Julia E. Smith Translation 1876
| 3:1 | Wo! to the wonderful and oppressing city being redeemed. |
| 3:2 | She heard not to the voice: she received not instruction; she trusted not in Jehovah; she drew not near to her God. |
| 3:3 | Her chiefs in the midst of her are roaring lions; her judges evening wolves; they laid not up for the morning. |
| 3:4 | Her prophets vain-glorious men of treacheries: her priests defiled the holy place, they violated the law. |
| 3:5 | Jehovah is just in her midst; he will not do iniquity: in morning by morning he will give his judgment to the light, he as not wanting; and the evil will not know shame. |
| 3:6 | I cut off the nations: their pinnacles were desolate: I laid waste their streets from none passing by; their cities were destroyed from not a man, from not an inhabitant |
| 3:7 | I said, Surely thou wilt fear me, thou wilt receive instruction; and her dwelling shall not be cut off, all that I reviewed over her but they rose early, they corrupted all their doings. |
| 3:8 | For this, wait for me, says Jehovah, to the day of my rising up for a testimony: for my judgment is to assemble the nations for my gathering the kingdoms to pour upon them my wrath, all the burning of mine anger: for in the fire of my jealousy all the earth shall be devoured. |
| 3:9 | For then I will turn to the peoples a purified lip, for all to call upon the name of Jehovah, to serve him with one shoulder. |
| 3:10 | From beyond to the rivers of Cush incense, the daughter of my dispersed shall bring my gifts. |
| 3:11 | In that day shalt thou not be ashamed for all thy doing which thou didst transgress against me: for then will I remove from the midst of thee those exulting in thy pride, and thou shalt no more add to be elevated in my holy mountain. |
| 3:12 | And I left in the midst of thee a humble and weak people, and they trusted in the name of Jehovah. |
| 3:13 | The remnant of Israel shall not do iniquity, and they shall not speak falsehood: and in their mouth shall not be found a tongue of deceit: for they shall feed and lie down, and none terrifying. |
| 3:14 | Shout for joy, O daughter of Zion; cry with a loud voice, O Israel; rejoice and exult with all the heart, O daughter of Jerusalem. |
| 3:15 | Jehovah removed thy judgments, be turned away thine enemy: the king of Israel, Jehovah in the midst of thee: thou shalt no more see evil. |
| 3:16 | In that day he will say to Jerusalem, Thou shalt not fear: O Zion, thy hands shall not be slack. |
| 3:17 | Jehovah thy God is in the midst of thee: the strong one will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will be silent in his love, he will exult over thee with rejoicing. |
| 3:18 | I will assemble those grieved for the appointment, who were from thee, the lifting up upon it a reproach. |
| 3:19 | Behold me doing all for sake of thee in that time: and I saved her halting, and her being driven out I will gather; and I set them for a praise and for a name in every land of their shame. |
| 3:20 | In that time I will bring you, and in the time of my gathering you: for I will give you for a name and for a praise among all peoples of the earth, in my turning your captivity before your eyes, said Jehovah. |
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.