Textus Receptus Bibles
Matthew's Bible 1537
| 1:1 | For asmuche as manye haue taken in hande to compyle a treatyse of those thynges which are surelye knowen amonge vs, |
| 1:2 | euen as they declared them vnto vs, which from the begynnynge sawe theim their selues, and were ministers at the doyinge, |
| 1:3 | I determined also, assone as I had searched out dylygentlye all thinges from the beginning, that then I would write vnto the, good Theophilus: |
| 1:4 | that thou mightest knowe the certaintye of those thynges wherof thou art enfourmed. |
| 1:5 | Ther was in the dayes of Herode kynge of Iurye, a certaine prieste named Zacharias, of the course of Abaia. And his wyfe was of the doughters of Aaron and her name was Elizabeth. |
| 1:6 | Both were perfect before God, and walked in al the lawes and ordinaunces of the Lorde, that no man coulde fynde faute with them. |
| 1:7 | And they had no childe: because that Elyzabeth was barren, and both were well striken in age. |
| 1:8 | And it came to passe, as he executed the priestes office before God, as his course came |
| 1:9 | (accordinge to the custome of the pryestes offyce) his lot was to bourne incense. |
| 1:10 | And wente into the tempell of the Lorde and the whole multytude of the people were without in prayer while incense was a burninge. |
| 1:11 | And ther appeared vnto hym an Aungell of the Lorde standynge on the ryght syde of the altare of incense. |
| 1:12 | And when Zacharias sawe him, he was abashed, and feare came on him. |
| 1:13 | And the aungel sayde vnto him: feare not Zacharye, for thy prayer is heard: And thy wyfe Elysabeth shall beare the a sonne, & thou shalt call his name Iohn, |
| 1:14 | and thou shalt haue ioye and gladnes, and manye shall reioyce at his birth. |
| 1:15 | For he shalbe greate in the syght of the Lorde, and shall neyther drinke wyne nor stronge drinke. And he shalbe fylled with the holy ghost, euen in his mothers wombe: |
| 1:16 | and manye of the children of Israel shal he turne to their Lorde God. |
| 1:17 | And he shall go before hym in the spryte of power of Helyas, to turne the hertes of the fathers to the chyldren and the vnbeleuers to the wisdome of the iust men, to make the people redy for the Lord. |
| 1:18 | And Zacharias sayde vnto the aungel: wherby shal I knowe this? seyinge that I am olde and my wyfe well stricken in yeares. |
| 1:19 | And the aungell aunswered and sayed vnto hym. I am Gabryel that stande in the presence of God, and am sente to speake to the: & shewe the these glad tidinges. |
| 1:20 | And behold thou shalt be dombe, and not able to speake vnto the tyme that these thinges be performed, because thou beleuest not my wordes whiche shalbe fulfylled in their ceason. |
| 1:21 | And the people wayted for Zacharias, and maruayled that he taryed in the temple. |
| 1:22 | And when he came out he coulde not speake to them. Wherby they perceyued that he had sene some vysyon in the temple. And he beckened vnto them, and remayned speacheles. |
| 1:23 | And it fortuned assone as the time of his offyce was out, he departed home into his owne house. |
| 1:24 | And after those dayes his wyfe Elyzabeth conceyued and hid hir selfe .v. monethes, sayinge. |
| 1:25 | This wyfe hath God dealt with me in the dayes when he loked on me, to take from me the rebuke that I suffred amonge men. |
| 1:26 | And in the .vi. moneth the aungell Gabriel was sent from God, vnto a citye of Galile, named Nazareth, |
| 1:27 | to a vyrgin spoused to a man whose name was Ioseph, of the house of Dauid, and the virgins name was Mary. |
| 1:28 | And the aungel wente in vnto her, & sayde Hayle full of grace, the Lorde is with the: blessed art thou amonge women. |
| 1:29 | When she sawe hym, she was abashed at his sayinge: and caste in her mynde what maner of salutacion that shoulde be. |
| 1:30 | And the aungell sayed vnto her: feare not Mary: for thou haste founde grace wyth God. |
| 1:31 | Lo: thou shalt conceyue in thy wombe & shalt beare a sonne, and shalt call his name Iesus. |
| 1:32 | He shalbe greate, and shalbe called the sonne of the hiest. And the Lorde God shal geue to hym the seat of his father Dauid, |
| 1:33 | and he shall raigne ouer the house of Iacob for euer, & of his kingdome shall be no ende. |
| 1:34 | Then sayde Mary to the aungell. How shall this be, seyinge I knowe not a man? |
| 1:35 | And the aungell aunswered and sayd vnto her: The holye ghoste shall come vnto the, and the power of the hyest shall ouer shadowe the. Therfore also that holye thynge whiche shall be borne shalbe called the sonne of God. |
| 1:36 | And beholde thy cosyn Elyzabeth hath also conceyued a sonne in her age: & thys is her syxt moneth though she be called barren: |
| 1:37 | for with God can nothing be vnpossyble. |
| 1:38 | And Marye sayde: beholde the hande mayden of the Lord, be it vnto me euen as thou haste said. And the aungel departed from her. |
| 1:39 | And Mary arose in those dayes, & went into the mountaines with hast, into a cytye of Iurye, |
| 1:40 | and entred into the house of Zachary, and saluted Elisabeth. |
| 1:41 | And it fortuned as Elysabeth hearde the salutacion of Marye, the babe spronge in her belly. And Elizabeth was fylled with the holye ghost, |
| 1:42 | and cryed wyth a loude voice, and sayde: Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the frute of thy wombe. |
| 1:43 | And whence happeneth this to me that the mother of my Lorde shoulde come to me? |
| 1:44 | For lo, assone as the voice of thy salutacion sounded in myne eares, the babe sprange in my bellye for ioye. |
| 1:45 | And blessed art thou that beleuedest: for those thinges shall be performed, whiche were tolde the from the Lorde. |
| 1:46 | And Marye sayde: My soule magnifyed the Lorde. |
| 1:47 | And my sprete reioyceth in God my sauiour. |
| 1:48 | For he hath loked on the poore degre of his hande maiden. Beholde now from henceforth shall all generacions cal me blessed. |
| 1:49 | For he that is mightye hath done to me great thinges, and holy is his name. |
| 1:50 | And his mercy is on them that feare hym thorowe out all generacions. |
| 1:51 | He sheweth strength with his arme, he scattereth them that are proude in the ymagynacion of their hertes. |
| 1:52 | He putteth doune the mightye from their seates, and exalteth them of low degre. |
| 1:53 | He fylleth the hongry with good thinges, & sendeth away the ryche empty. |
| 1:54 | He remembreth mercye, and helpeth his sernaunte Israell. |
| 1:55 | Euen as he promysed to our fathers Abraham and to his sede for euer. |
| 1:56 | And Marye abode with her aboute a .iij. moneths, and retourned againe to her owne house. |
| 1:57 | Elyzabeths time was come that she should be delyuered, and she brought forth a sonne. |
| 1:58 | And her neighbours and her cosyne harde tell howe the Lorde had shewed great mercye vpon her, And they reioyceth with her. |
| 1:59 | And it fortuned the .viij. daye, they came to circuncyse the childe, and called his name Zacharias, after the name of his father. |
| 1:60 | How be it his mother aunswered, and sayde: not so, but he shalbe called Ihon. |
| 1:61 | And they saide vnto her: There is none of thy kinne that is named with this name. |
| 1:62 | And they made sygnes to his father: howe he woulde haue him called. |
| 1:63 | And he axeth for writtyng tables, and wrote sayinge: his name is Ihon. And they maruayled al. |
| 1:64 | And his mouthe was opened immediatlye, and his tonge also, and he spake laudinge God. |
| 1:65 | And feare came on all them that dwelt nye vnto them. And all these sayinges were noysed abrode throughout al the hyll country of Iury, |
| 1:66 | and all that hearde them laide them vp in their hartes sayinge: What maner chylde shall this be? And the hande of the Lorde was with him. |
| 1:67 | And his father Zacharias was fylled with the holye ghost, and prophecied sayinge: |
| 1:68 | Blessed be the Lorde God of Israel, for he hath visyted and redemed his people. |
| 1:69 | And hath reysed vp an horne of saluacion vnto vs in the house of his seruaunt Dauid. |
| 1:70 | Euen as he promised by the mouthe of his holye prophetes which were sence the worlde began. |
| 1:71 | That we shoulde be saued from oure enemyes, & from the power of all that hath vs. |
| 1:72 | To fulfyll the mercy promysed to oure fathers, and to remember his holye couenaunt. |
| 1:73 | And to performe the othe which he sware to oure father Abraham, |
| 1:74 | for to geue vs. That we delyuered out of the power of oure enemyes, might serue him without feare |
| 1:75 | all the dayes of our lyfe, in such holynes and ryghtuousnes as are accept before hym. |
| 1:76 | And thou chylde shalt be called the prophete of the hiest: for thou shalt go before the face of the Lorde to prepare his wayes. |
| 1:77 | And to geue knowledge of saluacion vnto his people for the remissyon of synnes. |
| 1:78 | Through the tender mercye of our God, wherby the daye sprynge from on hye hath vysyted vs. |
| 1:79 | To geue lyght to them that sate in darcknes & in shadowe of death, and to guyde oure fete into the waye of peace. |
| 1:80 | And the chylde grewe and wexed stronge in spirite and was in wyldernes tyll the daye came when he shoulde shewe him selfe vnto the Israelytes. |
Matthew's Bible 1537
The Matthew Bible, also known as Matthew's Version, was first published in 1537 by John Rogers, under the pseudonym "Thomas Matthew". It combined the New Testament of William Tyndale, and as much of the Old Testament as he had been able to translate before being captured and put to death, with the translations of Myles Coverdale as to the balance of the Old Testament and the Apocrypha, except the Apocryphal Prayer of Manasses. It is thus a vital link in the main sequence of English Bible translations.