Textus Receptus Bibles
John Wycliffe Bible 1382
| 14:1 | A man is borun of a womman, and lyueth schort tyme, and is fillid with many wretchidnessis. |
| 14:2 | Which goith out, and is defoulid as a flour; and fleeth as schadewe, and dwellith neuere perfitli in the same staat. |
| 14:3 | And gessist thou it worthi to opene thin iyen on siche a man; and to brynge hym in to doom with thee? |
| 14:4 | Who may make a man clene conseyued of vnclene seed? Whether not thou, which art aloone? |
| 14:5 | The daies of man ben schorte, the noumbre of his monethis is at thee; thou hast set, ethir ordeyned, hise termes, whiche moun not be passid. |
| 14:6 | Therfor go thou awey fro hym a litil, `that is, bi withdrawyng of bodili lijf, that he haue reste; til the meede coueitid come, and his dai is as the dai of an hirid man. |
| 14:7 | A tree hath hope, if it is kit doun; and eft it wexith greene, and hise braunches spreden forth. |
| 14:8 | If the roote therof is eeld in the erthe, and the stok therof is nyy deed in dust; |
| 14:9 | it schal buriowne at the odour of watir, and it schal make heer, as whanne it was plauntid first. |
| 14:10 | But whanne a man is deed, and maad nakid, and wastid; Y preye, where is he? |
| 14:11 | As if watris goen awei fro the see, and a ryuer maad voide wexe drie, |
| 14:12 | so a man, whanne he hath slept, `that is, deed, he schal not rise ayen, til heuene be brokun, `that is, be maad newe; he schal not wake, nether he schal ryse togidere fro his sleep. |
| 14:13 | Who yiueth this to me, that thou defende me in helle, and that thou hide me, til thi greet veniaunce passe; and thou sette to me a tyme, in which thou haue mynde on me? |
| 14:14 | Gessist thou, whethir a deed man schal lyue ayen? In alle the daies, in whiche Y holde knyythod, now Y abide, til my chaungyng come. |
| 14:15 | Thou schalt clepe me, and Y schal answere thee; thou schalt dresse the riyt half, `that is, blis, to the werk of thin hondis. |
| 14:16 | Sotheli thou hast noumbrid my steppis; but spare thou my synnes. |
| 14:17 | Thou hast seelid as in a bagge my trespassis, but thou hast curid my wickidnesse. |
| 14:18 | An hil fallynge droppith doun; and a rooche of stoon is borun ouer fro his place. |
| 14:19 | Watris maken stoonys holowe, and the erthe is wastid litil and litil bi waischyng a wey of watir; and therfor thou schalt leese men in lijk maner. |
| 14:20 | Thou madist a man strong a litil, that he schulde passe with outen ende; thou schalt chaunge his face, and schalt sende hym out. |
| 14:21 | Whether hise sones ben noble, ether vnnoble, he schal not vndurstonde. |
| 14:22 | Netheles his fleisch, while he lyueth, schal haue sorewe, and his soule schal morne on hym silf. |
John Wycliffe Bible 1382
The Wycliffe Bible is the only Bible here that was not translated from the Textus Receptus. Its inclusion here is for the Bible's historic value and for comparison in the English language.
John Wycliffe, an Oxford professor produced the first hand-written English language Bible manuscripts in the 1380's. While it is doubtful Wycliffe himself translated the versions that bear his name, he certainly can be considered the driving force behind the project. He strongly believed in having the scriptures available to the people.
Wycliffe, was well-known throughout Europe for his opposition to the teaching of the organized Church, which he believed to be contrary to the Bible. With the help of his followers (called Lollards), Wycliffe produced dozens of English language manuscript copies of the scriptures. They were translated out of the Latin Vulgate, which was the only source text available to Wycliffe. The Pope was so infuriated by his teachings and his translation of the Bible into English, that 44 years after Wycliffe died, he ordered the bones to be dug-up, crushed, and scattered in the river.