Old/New Testament
4 Forsooth Adam knew Eve his wife, which conceived, and childed Cain, and said, I have gotten a man by God. (And Adam knew his wife Eve, who conceived, and bare Cain, and she said, Now, with the Lord’s help, I have begotten a man.)
2 And again she childed his brother Abel. Forsooth Abel was a keeper of sheep, and Cain was an earth-tiller. (And then she bare his brother Abel. And Abel was a shepherd, and Cain was a farmer, who worked the soil.)
3 Soothly it was done after many days, that Cain offered gifts to the Lord of the fruits of the earth[a];
4 and Abel offered of the first engendered of his flock, and of the fatness of those. And the Lord beheld to Abel and to the gifts of him;
5 soothly he beheld not to Cain and to his gifts. And Cain was wroth greatly, and his cheer felled down (And Cain was greatly angered, and his face fell).
6 And the Lord said to him, Why art thou wroth, and why felled down thy face?
7 Whether not if thou shalt do well, thou shalt receive well; but if thou doest evil, thy sin shall be present anon in the gates? but the desire thereof, that is, of sin, shall be under thee, and thou shalt be lord thereof. (If thou shalt do well, then thou shalt be accepted; but if thou doest evil, then at once thy sin shall be present at the gates, and the desire of sin shall take thee under, and so thou must be lord of it, or rule over it.)
8 And Cain said to Abel, his brother, Go we out (But then Cain said to his brother Abel, Walk with me). And when they were in the field, Cain rose (up) against his brother Abel, and killed him.
9 And the Lord said to Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? Which answered, I know not; whether I am the keeper of my brother? (And the Lord said to Cain, Where is thy brother Abel? And he answered, How do I know; am I my brother’s keeper?)
10 And God said to Cain, What hast thou done? the voice of the blood of thy brother crieth to me from [the] earth (the voice of thy brother’s blood crieth out to me from the earth).
11 Now therefore thou shalt be cursed on [the] earth, that opened his mouth, and received of thine hand the blood of thy brother. (And so now thou shalt be cursed on the earth, that hath opened its mouth, and received thy brother’s blood from thy hand.)
12 When thou shalt work the earth, it shall not give his fruits to thee; thou shalt be unstable of dwelling, and fleeing about on [the] earth, in all the days of thy life. (When thou shalt work the earth, it shall not give its fruits to thee; thou shalt be of unstable dwelling, and fleeing about on the earth, all the days of thy life.)
13 And Cain said to the Lord, My wickedness is more than that I deserve forgiveness (for); (And Cain said to the Lord, My punishment is more than that I can bear;)
14 lo! today thou castest me out from the face of the earth; and I shall be hid from thy face, and I shall be unstable of dwelling, and fleeing about in (the) earth; therefore each man that shall find me shall slay me. (lo! today thou castest me out from the face of the earth; and I shall be hid from thy face, and I shall be of unstable dwelling, and fleeing about on the earth; and any man who findeth me shall slay me.)
15 And the Lord said to him, It shall not be done so, but each man that shall slay Cain shall be punished sevenfold. And the Lord set a sign in Cain, that each man that should find him should not slay him. (And the Lord said to him, It shall not be done so, but any man who shall kill Cain shall be punished seven times. And the Lord put a mark on Cain, so that any man who would find him would not kill him.)
16 And Cain went out from the face of the Lord, and dwelled fleeing about in [the] earth, at the east coast of Eden, that is, of (the) earthly paradise. (And so Cain went out from the face of the Lord, and lived in the land of Nod, to the east of the Garden of Eden, that is, to the east of Paradise on earth.)
17 Forsooth Cain knew his wife, which conceived, and childed Enoch; and Cain builded a city, and called the name thereof of the name of his son, Enoch (and Cain built a city, and named it after his son Enoch).
18 Forsooth Enoch begat Irad; and Irad begat Mehujael; and Mehujael begat Methusael; and Methusael begat Lamech;
19 that took two wives, the name to the one wife was Adah, and the name to the other was Zillah. (and Lamech took two wives, and his first wife was named Adah, and the other was named Zillah.)
20 And Adah begat Jabal, that was the father of (the) dwellers in tents, and of shepherds;
21 and the name of his brother was Jubal; he was the father of the singers in harp and organ. (and his brother’s name was Jubal; and he was the father of the players of harps and of organs.)
22 And Zillah begat Tubalcain, that was an hammer-beater, and [a] smith on all works of brass and of iron (who used a hammer, and was a smith of all things made out of bronze and of iron); forsooth the sister of Tubalcain was Naamah.
23 And Lamech said to his wives, Adah and Zillah, Ye wives of Lamech, hear my voice, and harken (to) my word(s); for I have slain a man by my wound(ing), and a young waxing man by my violent beating (for I have killed a man with my wounding, and a young man with my violent beatings);
24 (if) vengeance shall be given sevenfold of Cain, forsooth of Lamech seventy times seven times. (if vengeance shall be given seven times for Cain, then for Lamech it shall be seventy-seven times.)
25 Also yet Adam knew his wife, and she childed a son, and called his name Seth[b], and said, God hath put to me another seed for Abel, whom Cain killed. (And Adam knew his wife, and she bare a son, and named him Seth, for Eve said, God hath given me another child for Abel, whom Cain killed.)
26 But also a son was born to Seth, which son he called Enos; this began to call inwardly the name of the Lord. (And a son was born to Seth, whom he called Enos; and his generation began to inwardly call on the Lord’s name.)
5 This is the book of the generation(s) of Adam, in the day wherein God made man of nought. God made man to the image and likeness of God; (This is the book of the descendants of Adam. On the day when God made man out of nothing, God made man in the image and likeness of God;)
2 God formed them male and female, and blessed them, and called the name of them Adam, in the day in which they were formed. (God formed them male and female, and blessed them, and called their name Man, on the day when they were formed.)
3 Forsooth Adam lived an hundred years and thirty, and begat a son to his image and likeness, and called his name Seth. (And Adam lived a hundred and thirty years, and then begat a son in his image and likeness, and called his name Seth.)
4 And the days of Adam after that he begat Seth were made eight hundred years, and he begat sons and daughters.
5 And all the time in which Adam lived was made nine hundred years and thirty, and he was dead. (And all the time in which Adam lived was nine hundred and thirty years, and then he died.)
6 And Seth lived an hundred and five years, and (then) begat Enos.
7 And Seth lived after that he begat Enos eight hundred and seven years, and begat sons and daughters.
8 And all the days of Seth were made nine hundred and twelve years, and (then) he was dead.
9 Forsooth Enos lived ninety years, and (then) begat Cainan;
10 after whose birth Enos lived eight hundred and fifteen years, and begat sons and daughters.
11 And all the days of Enos were made nine hundred and five years, and (then) he was dead.
12 Also Cainan lived seventy years, and begat Mahalaleel. (And Cainan lived seventy years, and then begat Mahalaleel.)
13 And Cainan lived after that he begat Mahalaleel eight hundred and forty years, and begat sons and daughters.
14 And all the days of Cainan were made nine hundred and ten years, and (then) he was dead.
15 Forsooth Mahalaleel lived sixty years and five, and begat Jared. (And Mahalaleel lived sixty-five years, and then begat Jared.)
16 And Mahalaleel lived after that he begat Jared eight hundred and thirty years, and begat sons and daughters.
17 And all the days of Mahalaleel were made eight hundred [and] ninety and five years, and (then) he was dead.
18 And Jared lived an hundred and two and sixty years, and (then) begat Enoch.
19 And Jared lived after that he begat Enoch eight hundred years, and begat sons and daughters.
20 And all the days of Jared were made nine hundred and two and sixty years, and (then) he was dead.
21 Forsooth Enoch lived five and sixty years, and (then) begat Methuselah.
22 And Enoch went with God (And Enoch walked with God); and Enoch lived after that he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters.
23 And all the days of Enoch were three hundred and five and sixty years.
24 And Enoch went with God (And Enoch walked with God), and appeared not afterward, for God took him away.
25 Also Methuselah lived an hundred and seven and eighty years, and begat Lamech. (And Methuselah lived a hundred and eighty-seven years, and then begat Lamech.)
26 And Methuselah lived after that he begat Lamech seven hundred and two and eighty years, and begat sons and daughters.
27 And all the days of Methuselah were made nine hundred and nine and sixty years, and (then) he was dead.
28 Forsooth Lamech lived an hundred and two and eighty years, and (then) begat a son;
29 and [he] called his name Noe[c], and said, This man shall comfort us of the works and travails of our hands, in the land which the Lord cursed. (and he called his name Noah, and said, This son shall bring us comfort from all the work and labour of our hands, on the land which the Lord hath cursed.)
30 And Lamech lived after that he begat Noe five hundred [and] ninety and five years, and begat sons and daughters. (And after that he begat Noah, Lamech lived five hundred and ninety-five years, and begat sons and daughters.)
31 And all the days of Lamech were made seven hundred [and] seventy and seven years, and he was dead. (And all the days of Lamech were made seven hundred and seventy-seven years, and then he died.)
32 Forsooth Noe, when he was of five hundred years, begat Shem, Ham, and Japheth. (And Noah, when he was five hundred years old, begat Shem, Ham, and Japheth.)
6 And when men began to be multiplied on [the] earth, and had begat daughters,
2 the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair, and took wives to them of all which they had chosen. (the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful, and took wives for themselves of all whom they had chosen.)
3 And God said, My spirit shall not dwell in man without end, for he is flesh; and the days of him shall be an hundred and twenty years.
4 Soothly giants were on the earth in those days, forsooth after that the sons of God entered [in] to the daughters of men, and those daughters begat; these were mighty of the world and famous men (these were the mighty and famous men of the world).
5 Soothly God saw that much malice of men was in [the] earth, and that all the thought of their heart was attentive, either given (over), to evil in all time, (And God saw that there was much malice in people on the earth, and that all the thoughts of their hearts were given over to evil all the time,)
6 and it repented him that he had made man in (the) earth; and God was wary before against time to coming, and was touched with sorrow of heart within; (and he repented that he had made man on the earth; and God was wary about the time to come, and was touched with sorrow of heart within;)
7 and said, I shall do away man, whom I made of nought, from the face of the earth; from man till to living things, from creeping beast till to the birds of (the) heaven(s); for it repenteth me that I made them. (and he said, I shall do away man, whom I made out of nothing, from the face of the earth; from man to beast, from the reptiles to the birds of the air; for I repent that I ever made them.)
8 Forsooth Noe found grace before the Lord. (But Noah found grace before the Lord.)
9 These be the generations of Noe. Noe was a just man and perfect in his generations; Noe went with God, (This is the story of Noah. Noah was a just, or a righteous, man, and the only good man of his generation; and Noah walked with God,)
10 and begat three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
11 Forsooth the earth was corrupt before God, and was filled with wickedness. (And the earth was corrupt in the sight of God, and filled with wickedness.)
12 And when God saw, that the earth was corrupt, for each flesh, or man, had corrupted his way on [the] earth (for all people had corrupted their ways upon the earth),
13 he said to Noe, The end of all flesh is come before me; the earth is filled with wickedness of the face of them, and I shall destroy them with the earth. (he said to Noah, The end of all flesh hath come before me, for they have filled the earth full of wickedness; and so I shall destroy them all, and the earth with them.)
14 Make thou to thee a ship[d] of wood hewn and planed (Make thou a ship for thyself out of hewn and planed wood); thou shalt make dwelling places in the ship, and thou shalt anoint it with pitch within and withoutforth.
15 And so thou shalt make it. The length of the ship shall be of three hundred cubits, the breadth shall be of fifty cubits, and the highness thereof shall be of thirty cubits. (And thou shalt make it thus. The length of the ship shall be three hundred cubits, and the breadth shall be fifty cubits, and the height of it shall be thirty cubits.)
16 Thou shalt make a window in the ship, and thou shalt end the highness thereof in a cubit (and the distance from the top of it to the roof shall be one cubit); soothly thou shalt set the door of the ship in the side beneath; thou shalt make solars, and places of three chambers in the ship.
17 Lo! I shall bring waters of deluge, or great flood, on the earth, and I shall slay each flesh in which is the spirit of life under heaven, and all things that be in [the] earth, shall be wasted. (Lo! and then I shall bring in waters of a deluge, or of a great flood, on the earth, and I shall kill all flesh under heaven in which is the spirit of life, and all the things that be on the earth shall be destroyed.)
18 And I shall set my covenant of peace with thee (But I shall make my covenant of peace with thee); and thou shalt enter into the ship, [thou,] and thy sons, and thy wife, and the wives of thy sons shall enter with thee.
19 And of all living beasts of all flesh, thou shalt bring into the ship twain and twain, of male kind and female, that they live (along) with thee; (And of all living beasts of all flesh, thou shalt bring into the ship two of each kind, male and female, so that they can continue to live, along with thee;)
20 of birds by their kind, and of work beasts in their kind, and of each creeping beast of [the] earth, by their kind; twain and twain of all shall enter with thee, that they may live. (of birds by their kind, and of work beasts by their kind, and of reptiles by their kind; two of each kind shall enter with thee, so that they will continue to live.)
21 Therefore thou shalt take with thee of all meats that may be eaten, and thou shalt bear together at thee, and those shall be as well to thee as to the beasts into meat. (And so thou shalt take with thee all kinds of food that can be eaten, and thou shalt carry it all with thee, and this shall be food for thee, and for the beasts.)
22 Therefore Noe did all things which God commanded to him. (And so Noah did everything which God commanded him to do.)
2 Therefore when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Juda, in the days of king Herod, lo! astrologers [lo! kings, or wise men,] came from the east to Jerusalem,
2 and said [saying], Where is he, that is born [the] king of Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and we have come to worship him.
3 But king Herod heard, and was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.
4 And he gathered together all the princes of priests, and scribes of the people, and inquired of them, where Christ should be born.
5 And they said to him, In Bethlehem of Juda; for so it is written by a prophet,
6 And thou, Bethlehem, the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda; for of thee a duke shall go out, that shall govern my people Israel.
7 Then Herod called privily the astrologers [the kings], and learned busily of them [busily learned of them] the time of the star that appeared to them.
8 And he sent them into Bethlehem, and said, Go ye, and ask ye busily of the child, and when ye have found, tell ye it to me [tell again to me], that I also come, and worship him.
9 And when they had heard the king, they went forth [went away]. And lo! the star, that they saw in the east [And lo! the star which they saw in the east], went before them, till it came, and stood above, where the child was.
10 And they saw the star, and joyed with a full great joy.
11 And they entered into the house, and found the child with Mary, his mother; and they felled down, and worshipped him. And when they had opened their treasures, they offered to him gifts, gold, incense, and myrrh.
12 And when they had taken an answer in sleep, that they should not turn again to Herod, they turned again by another way into their [own] country.[a]
13 And when they were gone [And when they had gone away], lo! the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in sleep, and said [saying], Rise up, and take the child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there, till that I say to thee; for it is to come, that Herod seek the child, to destroy him [to lose him].
14 And Joseph rose [up], and took the child and his mother by night, and went into Egypt,
15 and he was there till the death of Herod; that it should be fulfilled, that was said of the Lord by the prophet, saying, From Egypt I have called my son.
16 Then Herod seeing that he was scorned, either deceived, of the astrologers [Then Herod seeing that he was scorned, or deceived, of the kings], was full wroth; and he sent, and slew all the children, that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years age and within, after the time that he had inquired of the astrologers [after the time that he had sought out of the kings].
17 Then it was fulfilled, that was said by Jeremy, the prophet, saying,
18 A voice was heard on high, weeping and much wailing, Rachel beweeping her sons, and she would not be comforted, for they be nought [for they be not].
19 But when Herod was dead, lo! the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in sleep in Egypt, [Soothly Herod dead, lo! the angel of the Lord appeared in sleep to Joseph in Egypt,]
20 and said [saying], Rise up, and take the child and his mother, and go into the land of Israel; for they that sought the life of the child be dead.
21 Joseph rose [up], and took the child and his mother, and came into the land of Israel.
22 And he heard that Archelaus reigned in Judaea for Herod, his father, and dreaded to go thither. And he was warned in sleep, and went into the parts of Galilee;
23 and [he] came, and dwelt in a city, that is called Nazareth, that it should be fulfilled, that was said by prophets, For he shall be called a Nazarene.
2001 by Terence P. Noble