Textus Receptus Bibles
Julia E. Smith Translation 1876
| 25:1 | Festus therefore having come to the province, after three days went up to Jerusalem from Cesarea. |
| 25:2 | And the chief priest and first of the Jews exhibited to him against Paul, and besought him, |
| 25:3 | Asking favor against him, that he might send for him to Jerusalem, making an ambuscade to kill him in the way. |
| 25:4 | Then truly answered Festus, Paul to be kept in Cesarea, and himself quickly about to go forth. |
| 25:5 | Therefore the able among you, he says, having gone down together, if there be anything in this man, let them accuse him. |
| 25:6 | And having tarried with them more than ten days, having gone down to Cesarea, on the morrow, having sat upon the judgment seat, he commanded Paul to be brought. |
| 25:7 | And he having come, the Jews having come down from Jerusalem stood round about, bringing many and heavy charges against Paul, which they could not prove. |
| 25:8 | He justifying himself, That neither against the law of the Jews, nor against the temple, nor against Caesar have I sinned any thing. |
| 25:9 | And Festus, wishing to render a favor to the Jews, having answered Paul, said, Wilt thou, having gone up to Jerusalem, there be judged by me of these things? |
| 25:10 | And Paul said, At Caesar's judgment seat am I standing where I must he judged: I injured the Jews nothing, as thou also knowest better. |
| 25:11 | For if truly I act with injustice, and have done anything worthy of death, I refuse not to die: but if there be nothing of which these accuse me, no one can yield me up to them. I appeal to Caesar. |
| 25:12 | Then Festus, having conversed with the council, answered, Thou hast appealed to Caesar, to Caesar shalt thou go. |
| 25:13 | And certain days having intervined, Agrippa the king and Bernice arrived at Cesarea, having saluted Festus. |
| 25:14 | And as they tarried there many days, Festus set up to the king the things of Paul, saying, There is a certain man left in bonds by Felix: |
| 25:15 | About whom, I being at Jerusalem, the chief priests and the elders of the Jews exhibited, asking judgment against him. |
| 25:16 | To whom I answered, That it is not the custom to Romans to yield up any man to destruction, before that the accused may have the accusers before the face, and take place for defence for the accusation. |
| 25:17 | Therefore, they having come here together, having made no delay, in order having sat upon the judgment seat, I commanded the man to be brought. |
| 25:18 | About whom the accusers, having stood up, brought no charge of what I supposed: |
| 25:19 | But had certain questions of their own superstition against him, and of a certain Jesus, having died, whom Paul declared living. |
| 25:20 | And I doubting at the question concerting this, said, If he be willing to go to Jerusalem, and there be judged of these things. |
| 25:21 | And Paul having appealed for him to be kept for the determination of Augustus, I commanded him to be kept till I send him to Caesar. |
| 25:22 | And Agrippa said to Festus, I wished myself also to hear the man. And he said, Tomorrow thou shalt hear him. |
| 25:23 | Therefore the morrow, Agrippa having come, and Bernice, with much display, and having come into the hall, also with captains of thousands, and men of the city being in eminence, and Festus having commanded, Paul was brought. |
| 25:24 | And Festus said, King Agrippa, and all men being present with us, ye behold this, of whom all the multitude of Jews addressed me, both in Jerusalem and here, crying out he must no more live. |
| 25:25 | And I discovering nothing he has done worthy of death, and he also himself having appealed to Augustus, I judged to send him. |
| 25:26 | Of whom I have not anything certain to write to the lord. Wherefore I brought him to you, and especially to thee, king Agrippa, so that, examination having been, I should have some thing to write. |
| 25:27 | For it seems to me unreasonable sending one in bonds, and not to signify the charges against him. |
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.