Genesis 28 Comparison: Wycliffe Bible (1395) vs King James Version
Genesis 28
1And so Isaac clepide Jacob, and blesside hym, and comaundide to hym, and seide, Nyle thou take a wijf of the kyn of Canaan; but go thou,
2and walke forth in to Mesopotanye of Sirie, to the hows of Batuel, fadir of thi modir, and take to thee of thennus a wijf of the douytris of Laban, thin vncle.
3Sotheli Almyyti God blesse thee, and make thee to encreesse, and multiplie thee, that thou be in to cumpanyes of puplis;
4and God yyue to thee the blessyngis of Abraham, and to thi seed aftir thee, that thou welde the lond of thi pilgrymage, which he bihiyte to thi grauntsir.
5And whanne Ysaac hadde left hym, he yede forth, and cam in to Mesopotanye of Sirie, to Laban, the sone of Batuel of Sirie, the brother of Rebecca, his modir.
6Forsothe Esau seiy that his fadir hadde blessid Jacob, and hadde sent him in to Mesopotanye of Sirie, that he schulde wedde a wijf of thennus, and that aftir the blessyng he comaundide to Jacob, and seide, Thou schalt not take a wijf of the douytris of Canaan;
7and that Jacob obeiede to his fadir `and modir, and yede in to Sirie;
8also Esau preuyde that his fadir bihelde not gladli the douytris of Canaan.
9And he yede to Ismael, and weddide a wijf, with out these whiche he hadde bifore, Melech, the douyter of Ismael, sone of Abraham, the sistir of Nabaioth.
10Therfor Jacob yede out of Bersabee, and yede to Aran.
11And whanne he hadde come to sum place, and wolde reste ther inne aftir the goynge doun of the sunne, he took of the stoonus that laien ther, and he puttide vndur his heed, and slepte in the same place.
12And he seiye in sleep a laddir stondynge on the erthe, and the cop ther of touchinge heuene; and he seiy Goddis aungels stiynge vp and goynge doun ther bi,
13and the Lord fastned to the laddir, seiynge to hym, Y am the Lord God of Abraham, thi fadir, and God of Isaac; Y schal yyue to thee and to thi seed the lond in which thou slepist.
14And thi seed schal be as the dust of erthe, thou schalt be alargid to the eest, and west, and north, and south; and alle lynagis of erthe schulen be blessid in thee and in thi seed.
15And Y schal be thi kepere, whidur euer thou schalt go; and Y schal lede thee ayen in to this lond, and Y schal not leeue no but Y schal fil alle thingis whiche Y seide.
16And whanne Jacob hadde wakyd of sleep, he seide, Verili the Lord is in this place, and Y wiste not.
17And he seide dredynge, Hou worschipful is this place! Here is noon other thing no but the hows of God, and the yate of heuene.
18Therfor Jacob roos eerli, and took the stoon which he hadde put vndur his heed, and reiside in to a title, and helde oile aboue.
19And he clepide the name of that citee Bethel, which was clepid Lusa bifore.
20Also he auowide a vow, and seide, If God is with me, and kepith me in the weie in which Y go, and yyueth to me looues to ete, and clothis to be clothid,
21and Y turne ayen in prosperite to the hows of my fadir, the Lord schal be in to God to me.
22And this stoon, which Y reiside in to a title, schal be clepid the hows of God, and Y schal offre tithis to thee of alle thingis whiche thou schalt yyue to me.
Genesis 28
1And Isaac called Jacob, and blessed him, and charged him, and said unto him, Thou shalt not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan.
2Arise, go to Padan–aram, to the house of Bethuel thy mother’s father; and take thee a wife from thence of the daughters of Laban thy mother’s brother.
3And God Almighty bless thee, and make thee fruitful, and multiply thee, that thou mayest be a multitude of people;
4And give thee the blessing of Abraham, to thee, and to thy seed with thee; that thou mayest inherit the land wherein thou art a stranger, which God gave unto Abraham.
5And Isaac sent away Jacob: and he went to Padan–aram unto Laban, son of Bethuel the Syrian, the brother of Rebekah, Jacob’s and Esau’s mother.
6When Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob, and sent him away to Padan–aram, to take him a wife from thence; and that as he blessed him he gave him a charge, saying, Thou shalt not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan;
7And that Jacob obeyed his father and his mother, and was gone to Padan–aram;
8And Esau seeing that the daughters of Canaan pleased not Isaac his father;
9Then went Esau unto Ishmael, and took unto the wives which he had Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael Abraham’s son, the sister of Nebajoth, to be his wife.
10And Jacob went out from Beer–sheba, and went toward Haran.
11And he lighted upon a certain place, and tarried there all night, because the sun was set; and he took of the stones of that place, and put them for his pillows, and lay down in that place to sleep.
12And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it.
13And, behold, the Lord stood above it, and said, I am the Lord God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed;
14And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed.
15And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of.
16And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, Surely the Lord is in this place; and I knew it not.
17And he was afraid, and said, How dreadful is this place! this is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.
18And Jacob rose up early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put for his pillows, and set it up for a pillar, and poured oil upon the top of it.
19And he called the name of that place Beth–el: but the name of that city was called Luz at the first.
20And Jacob vowed a vow, saying, If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on,
21So that I come again to my father’s house in peace; then shall the Lord be my God:
22And this stone, which I have set for a pillar, shall be God’s house: and of all that thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth unto thee.
Understanding Wycliffe Bible (1395) vs King James Version in Genesis 28
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 Genesis 28 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: Genesis 28:16
"And whanne Jacob hadde wakyd of sleep, he seide, Verili the Lord is in this place, and Y wiste not."
"And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, Surely the Lord is in this place; and I knew it not."





