The Bible (Old and New Testaments)

He filleth the hongry with good thinges: and sendeth awaye the ryche emptye.

He remembreth mercy: and helpeth his servaunt Israel.

Even as he promised to oure fathers Abraham and to his seede for ever.

And mary aboode with hyr aboute a .iii. monethes and retourned agayne to hyr awne housse.

Elizabethes tyme was come that she shuld be delyvered and she brought forth a sonne.

And her neghboures and her cosins hearde tell how the lorde had shewed great mercy vpon her and they reioysed with her.

And it fortuned the eyght daye: they cam to circumcise the chylde: and called his name zacharias after the name of his father.

How be it his mother answered and sayd: not so but he shalbe called Ihon.

And they sayd vnto hyr: Ther is none of thy kynne that is named with this name.

And they made signes to his father how he wolde have him called.

And he axed for wrytynge tables and wroote saying: his name is Iohn. And they marvelled all.

And his mouthe was opened immediatly and his tonge also and he spake lawdynge God.

And feare came on all the that dwelt nye vnto them. And all these sayinges were noysed abroade throughout all the hyll countre of Iurie

and all they that herde the layde them vp in their hertes saying: What maner chylde shall this be? And the honde of the lorde was with him.

And his father zacharias was filled with the holy goost and prophisyed sayinge:

Blessed be the Lorde God of Israel for he hath visited and redemed his people.

And hath reysed vp an horne of salvacion vnto vs in the housse of his servaunt David.

Even as he promised by the mouth of his holy prophetes which were sens the worlde began

That we shuld be saved from oure enemies and from the hondis of all that hate vs:

To fulfill the mercy promised to oure fathers and to remember his holy covenaunt.

And to performe the oothe which he sware to oure father Abraham, for to geve vs.

That we delyvered oute of the hondes of oure enemyes myght serve him with oute feare

all the dayes of oure lyfe in suche holynes and ryghtewesnes that are accept before him.

And thou chylde shalt be called the Prophet of the hyest: for thou shalt goo before the face of the lorde to prepare his wayes:

And to geve knowlege of salvacion vnto his people for the remission of synnes:

Through the tender mercy of oure God wherby the daye springe from an hye hath visited vs.

To geve light to the that sate in darcknes and in shadowe of deth and to gyde oure fete into the waye of peace.

And the chylde grew and wexed stronge in sprete and was in wyldernes tyll the daye cam when he shuld shewe him sylfe vnto the Israhelites.

And it chaunced in thoose dayes: that ther went oute a commaundment from Auguste the Emperour that all the woorlde shuld be taxed.

And this taxynge was the fyrst and executed when Syrenius was leftenaut in Syria.

And every man went vnto his awne citie to be taxed.

And Ioseph also ascended from Galile oute of a cite called Nazareth into Iurie: vnto the cite of David which is called Bethleem because he was of the housse and linage of David

to be taxed with Mary his spoused wyfe which was with chylde.

And it fortuned whyll they were there her tyme was come that she shuld be delyvered.

And she brought forth her fyrst begotten sonne and wrapped him in swadlynge cloothes and layed him in a manger because ther was no roume for them within in the ynne.

And ther were in the same region shepherdes abydinge in the felde and watching their flocke by nyght.

And loo: the angell of the lorde stode harde by the and the brightnes of the lorde shone rounde aboute them and they were soare afrayed.

But the angell sayd vnto them: Be not afrayed. For beholde I bringe you tydinges of greate ioye that shal come to all the people:

for vnto you is borne this daye in the cite of David a saveoure which is Christ the lorde.

And take this for a signe: ye hall fynde the chylde swadled and layed in a manger.

And streight waye ther was with the angell a multitude of hevenly sowdiers laudynge God and sayinge:

Glory to God an hye and peace on the erth: and vnto men reioysynge.

And it fortuned assone as the angels were gone awaye from them in to heven the shepherdes sayd one to another: let vs goo even vnto Bethleem and se this thynge that is hapened which the Lorde hath shewed vnto vs.

And they cam with haste and founde Mary and Ioseph and the babe layde in a manger.

And when they had sene it they publisshed a brode the sayinge which was tolde them of that chylde.

And all that hearde it wondred at those thinges which were tolde the of the shepherdes.

But Mary kept all thoose sayinges and pondered them in hyr hert.

And the shepherdes retourned praysinge and laudinge God for all that they had herde and sene evyn as it was told vnto them.

And when the eyght daye was come that the chylde shuld be circucised his name was called Iesus which was named of the angell before he was conceaved in the wombe.

And when the tyme of their purificacion (after the lawe of Moyses) was come they brought him to Hierusalem to present hym to the Lorde

(as that is written in the lawe of the Lorde: every man that fyrst openeth the matrix shalbe called holy to the Lorde)

and to offer (as it ys sayde in the lawe of the Lorde) a payre of turtle doves or two yonge pigions.

And beholde ther was a man in Hierusalem whose name was Simeon. And the same man was iuste and feared God and longed for the consolacion of Israel and the holy goost was in him.

And an answer was geven him of the holy goost that he shulde not se deethe before he had sene the lordes Christ.

And he came by inspiracion into the temple. And when the father and mother brought in the chylde Iesus to do for him after the custome of the lawe

then toke he him vp in his armes and sayde.

Lorde Now lettest thou thy seruaut departe in peace accordinge to thy promes.

For myne eyes have sene the saveour sent from the

Wich thou hast prepared before the face of all people.

A light to lighten the gentyls and the glory of thy people Israel.

And his father and mother mervelled at those thinges which were spoke of him.

And Simeon blessed them and sayde vnto Mary his mother: beholde this chyld shalbe the fall and resurreccion of many in Israel and a signe which shalbe spoke agaynste.

And morover the swearde shall pearce thy soule that the thoughtes of many hertes maye be opened.

And ther was a Prophetesse one Anna the doughter of Phanuel of the tribe of Aser: which was of a greate age and had lyved with an husbande. vii. yeres from her virginite.

And she had bene a wedowe aboute .iiii. scoore and .iiii. yere which went never oute of the temple but served God with fastinge and prayer nyght and daye.

And the same came forth that same houre and praysed the Lorde and spake of him to all that loked for redempcion in Hierusalem.

And assone as they had performed all thinges accordinge to the lawe of the Lorde they returned into Galile to their awne cite Nazareth.

And the chylde grewe and wexed stronde in sprete and was filled with wysdome and the grace of God was with hym.

And his father and mother went to Hierusalem every yeare at the feeste of ester.

And when he was .xii. yere olde they went vp to Hierusalem after the custome of the feeste.

And when they had fulfilled the dayes as they returned home the chylde Iesus boode styll in Hierusalem vnknowynge to his father and mother.

For they supposed he had bene in the company and therfore came a days iorney and sought him amonge their kynsfolke and acquayntaunce.

And when they founde hym not they went backe agayne to Hierusalem and sought him.

And it fortuned after .iii. dayes that they founde him in the temple sittinge in the middes of the doctours both hearynge them and posinge them.

And all that hearde him mervelled at his wit and answers.

And when they sawe him they were astonyed. And his mother sayde vnto him: sonne why hast thou thus dealte with vs? Beholde thy father and I have sought the sorowenge.

And he sayde vnto the: how is it that ye sought me? Wist ye not that I must goo aboute my fathers busines?

And they vnderstode not the sayinge that he spake to them.

And he went with them and came to Nazareth and was obedient to the. But his mother kept all these thinges in her hert.

And Iesus increased in wisdom and age and in favoure with god and man.

In the fiftenthe yeare of the raygne of Tiberius the Emperoure Pontius Pylate beinge leftenaut of Iurie and Herode beinge Tetrach of Galile and his brother Philip Tetrach in Iturea and in the region of Traconites and Lysanias the Tetrach of Abyline

when Anna and Cayphas were the hye prestes: the worde of God came vnto Iohn the sonne of zacharias in the wildernes.

And he came in to all the coostes aboute Iordan preachynge the baptyme of repentaunce for the remission of synnes

at it is written in the boke of the sayinges of Esaias the Prophet which sayeth: The voyce of a cryar in wyldernes prepare the waye of the Lorde make hys pathes strayght.

Every valley shalbe fylled and every moutayne and hyll shalbe brought lowe. And crocked thinges shalbe made streight: and the rough wayes shalbe made smoth:

and all flesshe shall se the saveour sent of God.

Then sayde he to the people that were come to be baptysed of him: O generacion of vipers who hath taught you to flye from the wrath to come?

Bringe forth due frutes of repentaunce and begynne not to saye in youre selves we have Abraham to oure father. For I saye vnto you: God is able of these stones to reyse vp chyldren vnto Abraham.

Now also ys the axe leyd vnto the rote of the trees: so that every tree which bringeth not forth good frute shalbe hewe doune and caste in to the fyre.

And the people axed him sayinge: What shall we do then?

He answered and sayde vnto them: He that hath two coottes let him parte with him that hath none: and he that hath meate let him do lykewyse.

Then came ther Publicans to be baptised and sayde vnto him: Master what shall we do?

And he sayde vnto the: requyre no more then that which ys appoynted vnto you.

The soudyoures lyke wyse demaunded of hym sayinge: and what shall we do? And he sayde to them: Do violence to noo man: nether trouble eny man wrongfully: but be content with youre wages.

As the people were in a doute and all men disputed in their hertes of Iohn whether he were very Christ:

Ihon answered and sayde to them all: I baptyse you with water but a stronger then I cometh after me whose shue latchet I am not worthy to vnlouse: he will baptise you with the holy goost and with fyre:

which hath his fanne in his hond and will pourge his floore and will gader the corne into his barne: but the chaffe wyll he bourne with fyre that never shalbe quenched.

And many other thinges in his exhortacion preached he vnto the people.

Then Herode the Tetrach (when he was rebuked of him for Herodias his brother Philippes wyfe and for all the evyls which Herod had done)

added this above all and leyd Iohn in preson.