Geneva Bible Preface
TO OUR BELOVED IN THE LORD,
The brethren of England, Scotland, Ireland, &c.
Grace, mercy and peace, through Christ Jesus.
Besides the manifold and continual benefits which
almighty God bestoweth upon us, both corporal and spiritual, we are
especially bound (dear brethren) to give him thanks without ceasing for
his great grace and unspeakable mercies, in that it hath pleased him to
call us unto this marvelous light of his Gospel, and mercifully to
regard us after so horrible backsliding and falling away from Christ to
Antichrist, from light to darkness, from the living God to dumb and dead
idols, and that after so cruel murder of God's saints, as alas, hath
been among us, we are not altogether cast off, as were the Israelites,
and many others for the like, or not so manifest wickedness, but
received again to grace with most evident signs and tokens of God's
especial love and favour. To the intent therefore that we may not be
unmindful of these great mercies, but seek by all means (according to
our duty) to be thankful for the same, it behoveth us so to walk in his
fear and love, that all the days of our life we may procure the glory of
his holy name. Now forasmuch as this thing chiefly is attained by the
knowledge and practicing of the word of God (which is the light to our
paths, the key of the kingdom of heaven, our comfort in affliction, our
shield and sword against Satan, the school of all wisdom, the glass
wherein we behold God's face, the testimony of his favour, and the only
food and nourishment of our souls) we thought that we should bestow our
labours and study in nothing which could be more acceptable to God and
comfortable to his Church than in the translating of the Holy Scriptures
into our native tongue; the which thing, albeit that divers heretofore
have endeavored to achieve, yet considering the infancy of those times
and imperfect knowledge of the tongues, in respect of this ripe age and
clear light which God hath now revealed, the translations required
greatly to be perused and reformed. Not that we vindicate anything to
ourselves above the least of our brethren (for God knoweth with what
fear and trembling we have been now, for the space of two years and more
day and night occupied herein) but being earnestly desired, and by
divers, whose learning and godliness we reverence, exhorted, and also
encouraged by the ready wills of such, whose hearts God likewise
touched, not to spare any charges for the furtherance of such a benefit
and favour of God toward his Church (though the time then was most
dangerous and the persecution sharp and furious) we submitted ourselves
at length to their godly judgments, and seeing the great opportunity and
occasions, which God presented unto us in his Church, by reason of so
many godly and learned men, and such diversities of translations in
divers tongues, we undertook this great and wonderful work (with all
reverence, as in the presence of God, as intreating the word of God,
whereunto we think ourselves insufficient) which now God according to
his divine providence and mercy hath directed to a most prosperous end.
And this we may with good conscience protest, that we have in every
point and word, according to the measure of that knowledge which it
pleased almighty God to give us, faithfully rendered the text, and in
all hard places most sincerely expounded the same. For God is our
witness that we have by all means endeavored to set forth the purity of
the word and right sense of the Holy Ghost for the edifying of the
brethren in faith and charity.
Now as we have chiefly observed the sense, and labored
always to restore it to all integrity, so have we most reverently kept
the propriety of the words, considering that the Apostles who spake and
wrote to the Gentiles in the Greek tongue, rather constrained them to
the lively phrase of the Hebrew than enterprised far by mollifying their
language to speak as the Gentiles did. And for this and other causes we
have in many places reserved the Hebrew phrases, notwithstanding that
they may seem somewhat hard in their ears that are not well practiced
and also delight in the sweet-sounding phrases of the Holy Scriptures.
Yet lest either the simple should be discouraged, or the malicious have
any occasion of just cavillation, seeing some translations read after
one sort, and some after another, whereas all may serve to good purpose
and edification, we have in the margent noted that diversity of speech
or reading which may also seem agreeable to the mind of the Holy Ghost
and proper for our language with this mark « .
Again where as the Hebrew speech seemed hardly to agree
with ours, we have noted it in the margent after this sort » ,
using that which was more intelligible. And albeit that many of the
Hebrew names be altered from the old text, and restored to the true
writing and first original, whereof they have their signification, yet
in the usual names little is changed for fear of troubling the simple
readers. Moreover whereas the necessity of the sentence required
anything to be added (for such is the grace and propriety of the Hebrew
and Greek tongues, that it cannot but either by circumlocution, or by
adding the verb or some word be understand of them that are not well
practiced therein) we have put it in the text with another kind of
letter, that it may easily be discerned from the common letter. As
touching the division of the verses, we have followed the Hebrew
examples, which have so even from the beginning distinct them. Which
thing as it is most profitable for memory; so doth it agree with the
best translations, &c., is most easy to find out both by the best
concordances, and also by the quotations which we have diligently herein
perused and set forth by this star *. Besides this the principal
matters are noted and distincted by this mark ¶. Yea and the arguments
both for the book and for the chapters with the number of the verse are
added, that by all means the reader might be holpen. For the which cause
also we have set over the head of every page some notable word or
sentence which may greatly further as well for memory, as for the chief
point of the page. And considering how hard a thing it is to understand
the holy Scriptures, and what errors, sects, and heresies grow daily for
lack of the true knowledge thereof, and how many are discouraged (as
they pretend) because they cannot attain to the true and simple meaning
of the same, we have also endeavored both by the diligent reading of the
best commentaries, and also by the conference with the godly and learned
brethren, to gather brief annotations upon all the hard places, as well
for the understanding of such words as are obscure, and for the
declaration of the text, as for the application of the same as may most
appertain to God's glory and the edification of his Church. Furthermore
whereas certain places in the books of Moses, of the Kings and Ezekiel
seemed so dark that by no description they could be made easy to the
simple reader, we have so set them forth with figures and notes for the
full declaration thereof, that they which cannot by judgment, being
holpen by the annotations noted by the letters a b c, &c. attain
thereunto, yet by the perspective, and as it were by the eye may
sufficiently know the true meaning of all such places. Whereunto also we
have added certain maps of cosmography which necessarily serve for the
perfect understanding and memory of divers places and countries, partly
described, and partly by occasion touched, both in the Old and New
Testament. Finally that nothing might lack which might be bought by
labors, for the increase of knowledge and furtherance of God's glory, we
have adjoined two most profitable tables, the one serving for the
interpretation of the Hebrew names, and the other containing all the
chief and principal matters of the whole Bible; so that nothing (as we
trust) that any could justly desire, is omitted. Therefore, as brethren
that are partakers of the same hope and salvation with us, we beseech
you, that this rich pearl and inestimable treasure may not be offered in
vain, but as sent from God to the people of God, for the increase of his
kingdom, the comfort of his Church, and discharge of our conscience,
whom it hath pleased him to raise up for this purpose, so you would
willingly receive the word of God, earnestly study it and in your life
practice it, that you may now appear in deed to be the people of God,
not walking any more according to this world, but in the fruits of the
Spirit; that God in us may be fully glorified through Christ Jesus our
Lord, who liveth and reigneth for ever. Amen.
From Geneva, 10 April 1560.
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