Ezra 3 Comparison: Wycliffe Bible (1395) vs King James Version
Ezra 3
1And thanne the seuenthe monethe was comun, and the sones of Israel weren in her citees.
2Therfor the puple was gaderid as o man in to Jerusalem. And Josue, the sone of Josedech, roos, and hise britheren, prestis, and Zorobabel, the sone of Salatiel, and hise britheren, and thei bildiden the auter of God of Israel for to offre therynne brent sacrifices, as it is writun in the lawe of Moises, the man of God.
3Forsothe thei settiden the auter on his foundementis, while the puplis of londis bi cumpas maden hem aferd, and thei offriden on that auter brent sacrifice to the Lord in the morewtid and euentid.
4And thei maden solempnytee of tabernaclis, as it is writun, and brent sacrifice ech dai bi ordre, `bi the werk of the dai comaundid in his dai.
5And after this thei offriden contynuel brent sacrifice, bothe in calendis and in alle solempnytees of the Lord, that weren halewid, and in alle solempnytees, in which yifte was offrid to the Lord bi fre wille.
6In the firste dai of the seuenthe monethe thei bigunnen to offre brent sacrifice to the Lord; certis the temple of God was not foundid yit.
7But thei yauen monei to heweris of stoon, and to liggeris of stoon, and thei yauen mete, and drynke, and oile, to men of Sidon, and `to men of Tire, that thei schulden brynge cedre trees fro the Liban to the see of Joppe, bi that that Cirus, kyng of Persis, hadde comaundid to hem.
8Forsothe in the secounde yeer of her comyng to the temple of God in Jerusalem, in the secounde monethe, Zorobabel, the sone of Salatiel, and Josue,
9the sone of Josedech, and othere of her britheren, preestis and dekenes, and alle that camen fro the caitifte in to Jerusalem, bigunnen; and thei ordeyneden dekenes, fro twenti yeer and aboue, for to haste the werk of the Lord; and Josue stood, and hise sones, and hise britheren, Cedynyel and hise sones, and the sones of Juda, as o man, to be bisi ouer hem that maden the werk in the temple of God; the sones of Benadab, her sones and her britheren, dekenes, `weren bisy.
10Therfor whanne the temple `of the Lord was foundid of stoon leggeris, prestis stoden in her ournement with trumpis, and dekenes, the sones of Asaph, in cymbalis, for to herie God bi the hond of Dauid, kyng of Israel.
11And thei sungen togidere in ympnes and knoulechyng to the Lord, For he is good, for his merci is with outen ende on Israel. And al the puple criede with greet cry, in preisynge the Lord, for the temple of the Lord was foundid.
12Also ful manye of the preestis, and of the dekenes, and the princes of fadris, and the eldre men, that hadden seyn the formere temple, whanne it was foundid, and this temple bifor her iyen, wepten with greet vois, and many men criynge in gladnesse reisiden the vois;
13and no man myyte knowe the vois of cry of men beynge glad, and the vois of wepyng of the puple; for the puple criede togidere with greet cry, and the vois was herd afer.
Ezra 3
1And when the seventh month was come, and the children of Israel were in the cities, the people gathered themselves together as one man to Jerusalem.
2Then stood up Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and his brethren the priests, and Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and his brethren, and builded the altar of the God of Israel, to offer burnt offerings thereon, as it is written in the law of Moses the man of God.
3And they set the altar upon his bases; for fear was upon them because of the people of those countries: and they offered burnt offerings thereon unto the Lord, even burnt offerings morning and evening.
4They kept also the feast of tabernacles, as it is written, and offered the daily burnt offerings by number, according to the custom, as the duty of every day required;
5And afterward offered the continual burnt offering, both of the new moons, and of all the set feasts of the Lord that were consecrated, and of every one that willingly offered a freewill offering unto the Lord.
6From the first day of the seventh month began they to offer burnt offerings unto the Lord. But the foundation of the temple of the Lord was not yet laid.
7They gave money also unto the masons, and to the carpenters; and meat, and drink, and oil, unto them of Zidon, and to them of Tyre, to bring cedar trees from Lebanon to the sea of Joppa, according to the grant that they had of Cyrus king of Persia.
8Now in the second year of their coming unto the house of God at Jerusalem, in the second month, began Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and the remnant of their brethren the priests and the Levites, and all they that were come out of the captivity unto Jerusalem; and appointed the Levites, from twenty years old and upward, to set forward the work of the house of the Lord.
9Then stood Jeshua with his sons and his brethren, Kadmiel and his sons, the sons of Judah, together, to set forward the workmen in the house of God: the sons of Henadad, with their sons and their brethren the Levites.
10And when the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the Lord, they set the priests in their apparel with trumpets, and the Levites the sons of Asaph with cymbals, to praise the Lord, after the ordinance of David king of Israel.
11And they sang together by course in praising and giving thanks unto the Lord; because he is good, for his mercy endureth for ever toward Israel. And all the people shouted with a great shout, when they praised the Lord, because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid.
12But many of the priests and Levites and chief of the fathers, who were ancient men, that had seen the first house, when the foundation of this house was laid before their eyes, wept with a loud voice; and many shouted aloud for joy:
13So that the people could not discern the noise of the shout of joy from the noise of the weeping of the people: for the people shouted with a loud shout, and the noise was heard afar off.
Understanding Wycliffe Bible (1395) vs King James Version in Ezra 3
Wycliffe Bible (1395) (Wycliffe)
The first complete English translation of the Bible (1395) by John Wycliffe and his followers. Translated from the Latin Vulgate. A landmark in English history and the Reformation.
King James Version (KJV)
The classic 1611 English translation known for its majestic prose and literary influence. Ideal for traditional study and memorization thanks to its formal style. A foundational English Bible used for centuries.
You are viewing a side-by-side comparison of Ezra 3 in the Wycliffe Bible (1395) and King James Version. Comparing these two versions can help shed light on the nuances of the original text.
Key Comparison: Ezra 3:1
"And thanne the seuenthe monethe was comun, and the sones of Israel weren in her citees."
"And when the seventh month was come, and the children of Israel were in the cities, the people gathered themselves together as one man to Jerusalem."





