The King James Version

The year 1611 saw the publication of the most popular English Bible ever, the Authorized Version, better known as the King James Version (named for the king of England, James I).

James did not like the Geneva Bible, the most popular Bible among the people, and he saw that England’s “official” Bible, the Bishops’ Bible, was never going to be popular.

He appointed fifty-four scholars to revise the Bishops’ Bible, paying attention to the Greek and Hebrew originals.

The team was free to use words and phrases from other translations, including William Tyndale’s.

The work went on from 1607 (the year the English settled Jamestown, Virginia) until 1611. It carried a dedication “to the most high and mighty Prince James by the Grace of God.”

It did not become immediately popular, and the Pilgrims who sailed to American in 1620 were readers of the Geneva Bible, not the new King James Version.

But in time the “KJV” became the Bible in English, the one that generations of Americans and English knew and loved.

Its phrases have entered the language permanently, just as phrases from Shakespeare, who lived during the same time.

DAILY DEVOTIONAL

The Message of Christmas

Charles Stanley

One of the messages that we learn from the Christmas story is that of peace. While God might appear overwhelming at times, He always wants to give us the assurance that with Him, peace reigns, even in the announcement of His Son’s birth.

DAILY DEVOTIONAL

The Voice of the Shepherd

Charles Stanley

Have you ever seen a child who cannot find his mother in a crowd? Although she may be out of sight, the little tyke may still hear her voice. It is almost as though his inner radar scans the sounds around him, looking for that one familiar tone.

DAILY DEVOTIONAL

Where the Real Power Resides

Charles R. Swindoll

The great apostle Paul was just like you and me. He had a love for God blended with feet of clay. Great passion . . . and great weakness. The longer I thought about this blend, the more evidence emerged from Scripture to support it.

DAILY DEVOTIONAL

Shut Up and Get Moving

Steven Furtick

When we’re looking for God to do something big. When we’re waiting to see God bring something new and greater into our lives. Be still. Let the Lord fight the battle for you. Let go and let God.

DAILY DEVOTIONAL

Some Positive Thing We Can Look at or Talk

Joyce Meyer

I once read a book that was based entirely on the word. He taught the reader to take each problem in his life, look at it honestly and then say “however,” and find something compensating positive in the individual's life that would put the problem into perspective.