Textus Receptus Bibles
John Wycliffe Bible 1382
| 2:1 | Mi sone, if thou resseyuest my wordis, `and hidist myn heestis anentis thee; |
| 2:2 | that thin eere here wisdom, bowe thin herte to knowe prudence. |
| 2:3 | For if thou inwardli clepist wisdom, and bowist thin herte to prudence; |
| 2:4 | if thou sekist it as money, and diggist it out as tresours; |
| 2:5 | thanne thou schalt vndirstonde the drede of the Lord, and schalt fynde the kunnyng of God. |
| 2:6 | For the Lord yyueth wisdom; and prudence and kunnyng is of his mouth. |
| 2:7 | He schal kepe the heelthe of riytful men, and he schal defende hem that goen sympli. |
| 2:8 | And he schal kepe the pathis of riytfulnesse, and he schal kepe the weies of hooli men. |
| 2:9 | Thanne thou schalt vndirstonde riytfulnesse, and dom, and equytee, and ech good path. |
| 2:10 | If wysdom entrith in to thin herte, and kunnyng plesith thi soule, |
| 2:11 | good councel schal kepe thee, and prudence schal kepe thee; that thou be delyuered fro an yuel weie, |
| 2:12 | and fro a man that spekith weiward thingis. |
| 2:13 | Whiche forsaken a riytful weie, and goen bi derk weies; |
| 2:14 | whiche ben glad, whanne thei han do yuel, and maken ful out ioye in worste thingis; |
| 2:15 | whose weies ben weywerd, and her goyingis ben of yuel fame. |
| 2:16 | That thou be delyuered fro an alien womman, and fro a straunge womman, that makith soft hir wordis; |
| 2:17 | and forsakith the duyk of hir tyme of mariage, |
| 2:18 | and hath foryete the couenaunt of hir God. For the hous of hir is bowid to deeth, and hir pathis to helle. |
| 2:19 | Alle that entren to hir, schulen not turne ayen, nether schulen catche the pathis of lijf. |
| 2:20 | That thou go in a good weie, and kepe the pathis of iust men. |
| 2:21 | Forsothe thei that ben riytful, schulen dwelle in the lond; and symple men schulen perfitli dwelle ther ynne. |
| 2:22 | But vnfeithful men schulen be lost fro the loond; and thei that doen wickidli, schulen be takun awey fro it. |
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.