Historical English Bible library

Read the Bible
Compare the translations

The King James Version remains the primary and default text. Read Wycliffe, Tyndale, and other public-domain English translations in the same chapter-by-chapter reader, with every edition clearly labeled.

KJV remains primaryAlternative versions are supplied for comparison and are always identified by name and date.
KJV study tools
King James Version1769 · Complete Bible

King James Version · Complete Bible

John 4

1Behold, thou art fair, my love; behold, thou art fair; thou hast doves’ eyes within thy locks: thy hair is as a flock of goats, that appear from mount Gilead.

2Thy teeth are like a flock of sheep that are even shorn, which came up from the washing; whereof every one bear twins, and none is barren among them.

3Thy lips are like a thread of scarlet, and thy speech is comely: thy temples are like a piece of a pomegranate within thy locks.

4Thy neck is like the tower of David builded for an armoury, whereon there hang a thousand bucklers, all shields of mighty men.

5Thy two breasts are like two young roes that are twins, which feed among the lilies.

6Until the day break, and the shadows flee away, I will get me to the mountain of myrrh, and to the hill of frankincense.

7Thou art all fair, my love; there is no spot in thee.

8Come with me from Lebanon, my spouse, with me from Lebanon: look from the top of Amana, from the top of Shenir and Hermon, from the lions’ dens, from the mountains of the leopards.

9Thou hast ravished my heart, my sister, my spouse; thou hast ravished my heart with one of thine eyes, with one chain of thy neck.

10How fair is thy love, my sister, my spouse! how much better is thy love than wine! and the smell of thine ointments than all spices!

11Thy lips, O my spouse, drop as the honeycomb: honey and milk are under thy tongue; and the smell of thy garments is like the smell of Lebanon.

12A garden inclosed is my sister, my spouse; a spring shut up, a fountain sealed.

13Thy plants are an orchard of pomegranates, with pleasant fruits; camphire, with spikenard,

14Spikenard and saffron; calamus and cinnamon, with all trees of frankincense; myrrh and aloes, with all the chief spices:

15A fountain of gardens, a well of living waters, and streams from Lebanon.

16Awake, O north wind; and come, thou south; blow upon my garden, that the spices thereof may flow out. Let my beloved come into his garden, and eat his pleasant fruits.

Commentary library

Matthew Henry · Concise on 4

Reading note: Commentary is an author’s interpretation and is not Scripture. The KJV remains this project’s primary Bible text even when another historical translation is selected above.

Text source

Public-domain Bible texts, clearly identified

The reader defaults to the 1769 King James Version. The public-domain Wycliffe edition contains the Pentateuch and four Gospels in Middle English. William Tyndale’s never-completed translation includes his New Testament, Pentateuch, and Jonah; missing books are not silently supplied from another version. The Geneva, Webster, Darby, Young’s Literal, and American Standard versions are complete public-domain editions distributed by CrossWire. Strong’s tools remain attached only to the KJV source text.

Help the work continue

Support Living Bible Timeline

Living Bible Timeline is offered freely so anyone can examine Scripture, chronology, and the historical sources. If this site has helped your study and you would like to assist with its continued maintenance, research, and expenses, your support is appreciated—but never required.

Living Bible Timeline is an independently maintained research project. Contributions are voluntary and are not represented as tax-deductible charitable donations.
Support this workSecurely through PayPal ↗
Share

Share this pageThe exact page you are reading