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King James Version

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The King James Version is a famous English translation of the Christian Bible.

KJV-King-James-Version-Bible-first-edition-title-page-1611
KJV-King-James-Version-Bible-first-edition-title-page-1611

It is also called the King James Bible or the Authorized Version. This book is very important to English literature and Christian thought. It has been used for over four hundred years. Many people say it has a majestic style of writing. This special way of writing even helped shape how people speak English every day. It has influenced many hymns and church services too.

1612 First Quarto of King James Bible
1612 First Quarto of King James Bible

This version contains 80 different books in total. It includes 39 books in the Old Testament and 27 books in the New Testament. There are also 14 books called the Apocrypha included in the text. To make this version, translators used different sources for different parts. They used the Textus Receptus for the New Testament. For the Old Testament, they used the Masoretic Text. The Apocrypha was translated from the Septuagint and the Latin Vulgate.

Kjv-hebrews
Kjv-hebrews

Creating this Bible was a big job that started a long time ago. King James VI and I helped make it happen. In 1604, he held a meeting called the Hampton Court Conference. He wanted a new translation to solve problems with older versions. One big change was that this Bible had no marginal notes. The King did not like the notes in the Geneva Bible. He thought those notes might encourage people to disobey their leaders.

William Tyndale
William Tyndale

There were other English Bibles before the King James Version was finished in 1611. The Great Bible was the first approved version in 1535. The Bishops' Bible was the second version in 1568. There was also the Geneva Bible from 1560. William Tyndale also did important work on an English New Testament in 1525. His work helped many later translations. The King James Version eventually became the main version used in many churches.

Richard Bancroft
Richard Bancroft

Reading the original 1611 text can be a hard job today. It uses many old words that people do not use anymore. Some of these words are called false friends because they look familiar but mean something else. Because of this, people made newer editions to help readers. The 1769 Oxford edition and the 1900 Cambridge edition made the text easier to understand. Even so, many people still love the beauty of the original words. It remains one of the most widely printed books in history.

1760 Cambridge Edition King James Bible
1760 Cambridge Edition King James Bible
389 words

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File:1612 First Quarto of King James Bible.jpg
1612 First Quarto of King James Bible.jpg
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William Tyndale.jpg
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Richard Bancroft.png
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File:1760 Cambridge Edition King James Bible.png
1760 Cambridge Edition King James Bible.png
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