Almost all of the Bible pages displayed on this site are written in English. However, the first time you try to read one of these older Bibles, you may think it's in a foreign language. English is a living language. It is spoken, written and used everyday by hundreds of millions of people. As a result, the English Language is in a constant state of change. Because our language is changing all the time, we cannot expect 500-year-old English to look very much like the language does today. In fact, at first glance some early English Bibles really do look like they're written in a foreign language. But by learning how English has changed, and with a little practice, you should be able to read these early Bibles as easily as Henry the Eighth.




Examples:
There are many other differences between Old English and today's English, but these are the major ones. Look at the two examples below; do they make sense to you? They made sense to readers in the 16th Century.




Are you ready to try it on your own? Below are several examples taken directly from old Bible leaves. Do you think you can read them? Carefully try each one; to see if your translation is correct, put your mouse over the text.









Reading Old English isn't all that hard, once you get the knack of it. Often the hardest part is just getting used to the gothic black typeface that was used back then.

Old English Class is now dismissed. Thank you for your attention. You may now want to practice your knowledge on some of the examples of early Bible versions in this Web Site. You never know when there might be a pop quiz.