This is the Pentateuch - that is, the Five Books of Moses, being the first part of the Old Testament - from the 1537 Matthew Bible, and now gently updated for today by Ruth Magnusson Davis, editor of the New Matthew Bible Project. The cobwebs of obsolete language and grammar have been carefully dusted off while retaining the historic language of the faith, so that the full, rich truth of the original translations may be appreciated.

When the Matthew Bible was first published, early in the Reformation almost 500 years ago, God's word had for centuries been locked up in Latin, a language the people could not understand. But God worked mightily through three men to open his word to England again in her own tongue.

These men were William Tyndale and Myles Coverdale, the translators of the Matthew Bible, and their friend John Rogers, who compiled the Bible, added notes and study aids, and oversaw its publication. The Pentateuch was William Tyndale's original translation from the Hebrew, and Coverdale assisted him with the work.

John Rogers' introductory chapter summaries and expository notes are included in this historical book. The Matthew Bible is the only English Bible that was bought with blood, and was the world's first English study Bible.

The companion volume to this book is The October Testament, the New Testament of the New Matthew Bible (NMB). .