Page:Webster's Revision Bible.djvu/21

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struction is very awkward ; and in a few in company, without violence to decency. In stances, it leads to a wrong signification. In early Stages of society, when men are savage or such cases, I have transposed the clauses in half civilized, such terms are not offensive : but such a manner as to place together the parts of in the present state of refinement, the utterance a sentence which are closely connected in of many words and passages of our version is sense. See 2 Chr. 33. 23 ; Ps. 4. 8 ; Jer. 5. 17 ; not to be endured; and it is well known that 32. 30; John 19. 16, 20; Luke 23. 8; 32.«63; some parents do not permifclheir children to Malt. 16. 12; 14.9; Rom. 15. 31 ; Deut.21. 8; read the scriptures, wilhout prescribing to them lsa. 15. 5; John 1.45. the chapters. To retain such offensive lan In the New Testament I have altered the guage, in the popular version, is, in my view, Greek orthography of a few names, and made injudicious, if not unjustifiable ; for it gives them conformable to the orthography of the occasion to unbelievers and to persons of levity, Old Testament ; as, that of Elias to Elijah ; to cast contempt upon the sacred oracles, or call Esaias to Isaiah; Osee to Hosca, &c. This in question their inspiration ; and this weapon will prevent illiterate persons, who compose a is used with no inconsiderable effect. large part of the readers of the scriptures, from Further, many words and phrases are so of mistaking the characters. Every obstacle to a fensive, especially to females, as to create a right understanding of the scriptures, however reluctance in young persons to attend Bible small, should be removed, when it can be done classes and schools, in which they are required to read passages which cannot be repeated in consistency with truth. There are manyverbal alterations which, it without a blush ; and containing words which, is believed, will appear so obviously proper, on other occasions, a child could not utter with that no explanation need be offered. A few out rebuke. The effect is, to divert the mind other alterations would have been made had from the matter to the language of the scrip the propriety of them occurred, before the tures, and thus, in a degree, frustrate the pur pose of giving instruction. v sheets were printed. Rom. 8. 19, 20, 21. I have been perhaps Purity of mind is a christian virtue that over-cautious in retaining the present version ought to be carefully cherished; and parity of of this passage. It is obvious to me that the language is tine of the guards which protect pointing of the Greek copies is wrong. There this virtue. should be no point between the last word in I have attempted to remove, in a good de verse 20 and the first in verse 21, and the word gree, this objection to the version. It was my that should be substituted for because. The wish to make some further alterations in this mistake doubtless proceeded from considering particular ; but difficulties occurred which I the Greek on as a conjunction ; a mistake that could not well remove. has been the cause of hundreds of errors ^n the See Gen. 20. 18; 29. 31; 30. 22; 34.30; 38. 9, 24 ; Exod. 7. 18 ; 16. 24 ; Levit. 19. 29; Vulgate. So in our version, Luke 1. 45. 21.7; Deut. 22.21; 23.1; 28.57; Judges2.17; Euphemisms. 1 Sam. 1. 5; 1 Kines 14. 10; 16. 11 ; 21. 21; In no respect does the present version of the 2 Kings 9. 8 ; 18. 27"; Job 3. 10, 11, 12; 40. 17; scriptures require amendments, more than in Ps. 22. 9, 10; 38. 5; 106. 39; Eccles. 11.5; the use of many words and phrases which can lsa. 36. 12 ; Ezek. eh. 16 and 23 ; John 11. 39 ; not now be uttered, especially in promiscuous Eph. 5. 5, etc. ■