Can I read the Geneva Bible online for free?

Yes. The complete 1599 Geneva Bible, all 66 books, is free to read here in its original spelling, along with the Apocrypha of the 1560 first edition. No account and no paywall.

What is the difference between the Geneva Bible and the King James Version?

The Geneva Bible came first, in 1560, and the King James translators drew heavily on it. The Geneva was a compact household Bible with verse numbers throughout and study notes in the margins; the King James of 1611 was commissioned without doctrinal notes. Much of the wording is shared. Where it differs, the compare view on this site shows the two side by side.

Why is it called the Breeches Bible?

Because of Genesis 3:7. Where the King James says Adam and Eve made themselves aprons of fig leaves, the Geneva says they made themselves breeches.

Does the Geneva Bible include the Apocrypha?

The 1560 first edition did, printed between the Testaments. Many later imprints, including the 1599 text carried here, did not. Sovereign Logos transcribed the 1560 Apocrypha from page scans so it can be read free online.

Is this the same text as the modern 1599 Geneva Bible from Tolle Lege Press?

No. That edition modernizes the spelling and is under copyright. The text here keeps the original spelling of the printed imprint and is in the public domain.

Who translated the Geneva Bible?

English scholars in exile at Geneva led by William Whittingham, during the reign of Mary I. The New Testament in the 1599 imprint is the 1576 revision by Laurence Tomson.

The Bible Before the King James

The Geneva Bible

The Geneva Bible was the household Bible of the English-speaking world for two generations before the King James. It was the first English Bible with verse numbers throughout, small enough to own, and the Bible Shakespeare quoted and the Pilgrims carried to America.

Read it here free: the complete 1599 Geneva Bible in its original spelling, and the Apocrypha of the 1560 first edition, transcribed by Sovereign Logos from the printed page.

Start at Genesis 1 Gospel of John Compare with KJV

The Breeches Bible

The Geneva Bible is nicknamed for one word in Genesis 3:7. The spelling below is the printer's own.

“Then the eyes of them both were opened, and they knewe that they were naked, and they sewed figge tree leaues together, and made them selues breeches.”
Genesis 3:7, Geneva 1599

“And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.”
Genesis 3:7, KJV

“For God so loued the worlde, that hee hath giuen his onely begotten Sonne, that whosoeuer beleeueth in him, should not perish, but haue euerlasting life.”
John 3:16, Geneva 1599

Two editions

1599 Geneva Bible. All 66 books. The New Testament is Laurence Tomson's 1576 revision, which every complete digital Geneva carries. Spelling is original, not modernized. Verse divisions differ from the King James in about forty chapters, most visibly in Job and at the Daniel 3 to 4 boundary.

1560 Geneva Apocrypha. The first edition printed the Apocrypha between the Testaments. No free digital copy existed, so Sovereign Logos transcribed it from page images of one identified copy. It is the only edition of the Geneva Apocrypha you can read free online.

Apocrypha (1560)

Compare the Geneva with other translations

Every chapter can be read side by side with word-level differences highlighted. In the New Testament the Geneva sits beside the King James; in the Old Testament, beside the Septuagint the apostles read.

John 1: Geneva vs KJV Genesis 1: Septuagint vs Geneva The Apocrypha

Questions

Can I read the Geneva Bible online for free?: Yes. The complete 1599 Geneva Bible, all 66 books, is free to read here in its original spelling, along with the Apocrypha of the 1560 first edition. No account and no paywall.
What is the difference between the Geneva Bible and the King James Version?: The Geneva Bible came first, in 1560, and the King James translators drew heavily on it. The Geneva was a compact household Bible with verse numbers throughout and study notes in the margins; the King James of 1611 was commissioned without doctrinal notes. Much of the wording is shared. Where it differs, the compare view on this site shows the two side by side.
Why is it called the Breeches Bible?: Because of Genesis 3:7. Where the King James says Adam and Eve made themselves aprons of fig leaves, the Geneva says they made themselves breeches.
Does the Geneva Bible include the Apocrypha?: The 1560 first edition did, printed between the Testaments. Many later imprints, including the 1599 text carried here, did not. Sovereign Logos transcribed the 1560 Apocrypha from page scans so it can be read free online.
Is this the same text as the modern 1599 Geneva Bible from Tolle Lege Press?: No. That edition modernizes the spelling and is under copyright. The text here keeps the original spelling of the printed imprint and is in the public domain.
Who translated the Geneva Bible?: English scholars in exile at Geneva led by William Whittingham, during the reign of Mary I. The New Testament in the 1599 imprint is the 1576 revision by Laurence Tomson.