Bible translations into French date back to the

Medieval era In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

. After a number of French

Bible translations in the Middle Ages Bible translations in the Middle Ages discussions are rare in contrast to Late Antiquity, when the Bibles available to most Christians were in the local vernacular. In a process seen in many other religions, as languages changed, and in Western Eur ...

, the first printed translation of the Bible into French was the work of the French theologian

Jacques Lefèvre d'Étaples Jacques Lefèvre d'Étaples ( Latinized as Jacobus Faber Stapulensis; c. 1455 – c. 1536) was a French theologian and a leading figure in French humanism. He was a precursor of the Protestant movement in France. The "d'Étaples" was not part of ...

in 1530 in Antwerp. This was substantially revised and improved in 1535 by Pierre Robert Olivétan. This Bible, in turn, became the basis of the first French Catholic Bible, published at Leuven in 1550, the work of Nicholas de Leuze and François de Larben. See also the

Douay–Rheims Bible The Douay–Rheims Bible (, ), also known as the Douay–Rheims Version, Rheims–Douai Bible or Douai Bible, and abbreviated as D–R, DRB, and DRV, is a translation of the Bible from the Latin Vulgate into English made by member ...

whose New Testament was published in 1582, and Old Testament, in two volumes, in 1609 and 1610 by the University of Douai. Finally, the Bible de Port-Royal, prepared by Antoine Lemaistre and his brother Louis Isaac Lemaistre, finished in 1695, achieved broad acceptance among both Catholics and Protestants. Jean-Frédéric Ostervald's version (1744) also enjoyed widespread popularity. Among Catholics, the most notable contemporary French translation is ''La Bible de Jérusalem'', available in English as ''

The Jerusalem Bible ''The Jerusalem Bible'' (JB or TJB) is an English translation of the Bible published in 1966 by Darton, Longman & Todd. As a Catholic Bible, it includes 73 books: the 39 books shared with the Hebrew Bible, along with the seven deuterocanonical ...

'', which appeared first in French in 1954 and was revised in 1973. This translation, and its concise footnotes and apparatus, has served as the basis for versions in many other languages besides French. Many Francophone Protestants now use the Louis Segond version, which was finished in 1880, and revised substantially between 1975 and 1978. The Revised Louis Segond Bible is published by the

American Bible Society American Bible Society is a U.S.-based Christian nonprofit headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. As the American member organization of United Bible Societies, it supports global Bible translation, production, distribution, literacy, engage ...

. In 2007 the Geneva Bible Society published an updated edition of the Segond text called Segond 21. It is described by its sponsors as "L'original, avec les mots d'aujourd'hui" ("the original, with today's words"). Another modern French Bible is the Bible du Semeur (''Bible of the sower)'', finished in 1999. This is a more thought-for-thought translation than Segond's, and it uses a more contemporary language. It is published by

Biblica Biblica, formerly International Bible Society, was founded in 1809 and is the worldwide copyright holder of the New International Version of the Bible (NIV), licensing commercial rights to Zondervan in the United States and to Hodder & Stoughton ...

(formerly the

International Bible Society International is an adjective (also used as a noun) meaning "between nations". International may also refer to: Music Albums * ''International'' (Kevin Michael album), 2011 * ''International'' (New Order album), 2002 * ''International'' (The T ...

). Another similarly translated Bible which is used by French readers is the ''Bible en français courant'', published in 1987 by the Alliance Biblique Universelle. The chief Jewish version of the Hebrew Scriptures in French is ''La Bible du rabbinat français'', which was finished in 1906 and was revised in 1966.

André Chouraqui Nathan André Chouraqui (; 11 August 1917 – 9 July 2007) was a French- Algerian-Israeli lawyer, writer, scholar and politician. Early life Chouraqui was born in Aïn Témouchent, Algeria. His parents, Isaac Chouraqui and Meleha Meyer, both de ...

has published a version designed for use by both Jews and Christians; though Jewish himself, he included the New Testament. Jehovah's Witnesses have translated their Bible into French under the name ''La Bible.Traduction du monde nouveau'' (New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures); formerly it was called ''Les Saintes Écritures. Traduction du monde nouveau''.

Comparison

Chronological list

Manuscript translations

* 1226–1250, translation of Jean le Bon of the

University of Paris , image_name = Coat of arms of the University of Paris.svg , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of Arms , latin_name = Universitas magistrorum et scholarium Parisiensis , motto = ''Hic et ubique terrarum'' (Latin) , mottoeng = Here and a ...

. Unfinished and continued in the 14th century by Jean de Sy and the Dominicans, Jehan Nicolas, Guillaume Vivien, and Jehan de Chambly. * 1250–1254, the Acre Bible, anonymous translation of part of the Old Testament, exists in two illustrated copies and contains the earliest Western vernacular translation of Job * 1297 the '' Bible historiale'' of Guyart Desmoulins or Guyart des Moulins. Consisting of the

Historia Scholastica The ''Historia Scholastica'' is a twelfth-century Biblical paraphrase written in Medieval Latin by Petrus Comestor. Sometimes called the "Medieval Popular Bible", it draws on the Bible and other sources, including the works of classical scholars an ...

Petrus Comestor Petrus Comestor, also called Pierre le Mangeur (died 22 October 1178), was a twelfth-century French theological writer and university teacher. Life Petrus Comestor was born in Troyes. Although the name ''Comestor'' (Latin for 'eater', ''le Ma ...

, a liberal translation of most of the Bible, and an assemblage of glosses and other materials from several sources. The content of the manuscripts is variable, and successive versions seem to add books of the Bible which were missing in Guyart's original. * 1377, ''Bible de Charles V.'' Translation by Raoul de Presles dedicated to

Charles V Charles V may refer to: * Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor (1500–1558) * Charles V of Naples (1661–1700), better known as Charles II of Spain * Charles V of France (1338–1380), called the Wise * Charles V, Duke of Lorraine (1643–1690) * Infa ...

Printed translations

15th century

* 1476, ''Nouveau Testament.'' Printed by Barthélemy Buyer in Lyon, translated from the

Vulgate The Vulgate (; also called (Bible in common tongue), ) is a late-4th-century Latin translation of the Bible. The Vulgate is largely the work of Jerome who, in 382, had been commissioned by Pope Damasus I to revise the Gospels u ...

. * 1487, Bible of

Jean de Rély Jean may refer to: People * Jean (female given name) * Jean (male given name) * Jean (surname) Fictional characters * Jean Grey, a Marvel Comics character * Jean Valjean, fictional character in novel ''Les Misérables'' and its adaptations * Jea ...

''.'' Printed for the first time in Paris and reprinted at least ten times in the fifty years that followed. It is an illustrated Bible, published from a late manuscript of the ''Bible historiale'' of Guyart des Moulins.

16th century

* 1523, ''Nouveau Testament'' by

* 1528, ''Ancien Testament'' by Jacques Lefèvre d'Étaples. From the

, printed in Antwerp 1530, 1534, 1541. Revised by Nicolas de Leuze (Antwerp, 1548). This is the first complete translation of the Hebrew scriptures into French. *1535, Bible d'Olivétan: first translation made from the original Hebrew and Greek It introduced the expression ''l'Éternel'' (the Eternal) to render the

Tetragrammaton The Tetragrammaton (; ), or Tetragram, is the four-letter Hebrew theonym (transliterated as YHWH), the name of God in the Hebrew Bible. The four letters, written and read from right to left (in Hebrew), are ''yodh'', '' he'', '' waw'', and ...

. Pierre Robert, called Olivétan, who was probably a cousin of John Calvin, wrote the Latin preface. The translation is accompanied by numerous scholarly notes. The New Testament follows the

Textus Receptus ''Textus Receptus'' (Latin: "received text") refers to all printed editions of the Greek New Testament from Erasmus's ''Novum Instrumentum omne'' (1516) to the 1633 Elzevir edition. It was the most commonly used text type for Protestant deno ...

. *1543, ''Cinquante psaumes avec mélodies'': anonymous translation of Psalms by

Clément Marot Clément Marot (23 November 1496 – 12 September 1544) was a French Renaissance poet. Biography Youth Marot was born at Cahors, the capital of the province of Quercy, some time during the winter of 1496–1497. His father, Jean Marot (c.& ...

. * 1551, Bible of Sebastian Castellion: translated from the Hebrew and Greek. Condemned by John Calvin. * 1560, Bible de Genève of

Jean Calvin John Calvin (; frm, Jehan Cauvin; french: link=no, Jean Calvin ; 10 July 150927 May 1564) was a French theologian, pastor and reformer in Geneva during the Protestant Reformation. He was a principal figure in the development of the system ...

: follows the ''Bible d'Olivétan'' * 1588, Revision of the Bible de Genève by

Theodore Beza Theodore Beza ( la, Theodorus Beza; french: Théodore de Bèze or ''de Besze''; June 24, 1519 – October 13, 1605) was a French Calvinist Protestant theologian, reformer and scholar who played an important role in the Protestant Reformation ...

and Corneille Bertram. * 1550‑1608, Bible de Louvain: essentially a revision of the Bible of Lefebvre d'Étaples. * 1566, traduction de René Benoist: from the

(Paris). Suspected of

Calvinism Calvinism (also called the Reformed Tradition, Reformed Protestantism, Reformed Christianity, or simply Reformed) is a major branch of Protestantism that follows the theological tradition and forms of Christian practice set down by John Ca ...

, it caused numerous controversies.

17th century

* 1667, ''Nouveau Testament'' of Antoine and Isaac Lemaître de Sacy: from the Greek. Printed in Amsterdam. * 1696, Translation of the whole Bible by the Jansenist abbey of Port-Royal de Paris, translated between 1657 and 1696. Blaise Pascal and other influential writers such as Robert Arnauld d'Andilly,

Pierre Nicole Pierre Nicole (19 October 1625 – 16 November 1695) was one of the most distinguished of the French Jansenists. Life Born in Chartres, he was the son of a provincial barrister, who took in charge his education. Sent to Paris in 1642 to study t ...

, Pierre Thomas du Fossé, participated in the translation, under the leadership of Louis-Isaac Lemaistre de Sacy, * 1696, ''Le Nouveau Testament'' by David Martin: revision of the ''Bible de Genève'' accompanied by notes.

18th century

* 1702, New Testament of Richard Simon, an Oratorian who devoted his life to many works of exegesis and critical research on the Bible text. He was knowledgeable in

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

Hebrew Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...

, and

Aramaic The Aramaic languages, short Aramaic ( syc, ܐܪܡܝܐ, Arāmāyā; oar, 𐤀𐤓𐤌𐤉𐤀; arc, 𐡀𐡓𐡌𐡉𐡀; tmr, אֲרָמִית), are a language family containing many varieties (languages and dialects) that originated in ...

(the language spoken by Christ), and traditional Jewish methods of exegesis. * 1707, ''La Sainte Bible'' by David Martin: revision of the ''Bible de Genève'' accompanied by notes. Available online a
Martin 1707
* 1741, Bible of Charles de Cène, a pastor and refugee in the

Dutch Republic The United Provinces of the Netherlands, also known as the (Seven) United Provinces, officially as the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands (Dutch: ''Republiek der Zeven Verenigde Nederlanden''), and commonly referred to in historiography ...

* 1736, revision of David Martin's bible by the pastor Pierre Roques *1744, revision by Jean-Frédéric Osterwald of the Bible de Genève.

19th century

* 1820–1824, ''Sainte Bible (traduction nouvelle)'', by Antoine Eugène Genoud (also known as the abbot of Genoude), Paris, Imprimerie royale. * 1831–1851, ''La Bible, Traduction Nouvelle'' by Samuel Cahen: Jewish Bible, Hebrew and French bilingual edition. * 1843, ''Sainte Bible'' by Jean-Jacques Bourassé and Pierre Désiré Janvier, also called ''Bible de Tours'', translated from the

. Published in 1866 in a deluxe version illustrated by

Gustave Doré Paul Gustave Louis Christophe Doré ( , , ; 6 January 1832 – 23 January 1883) was a French artist, as a printmaker, illustrator, painter, comics artist, caricaturist, and sculptor. He is best known for his prolific output of wood-engravin ...

, re-edited in 1985 by Jean de Bonnot. * 1846, translation of the Gospels by Felicite Robert de Lamennais. It is this text that was read by, notably,

Victor Hugo Victor-Marie Hugo (; 26 February 1802 – 22 May 1885) was a French Romantic writer and politician. During a literary career that spanned more than sixty years, he wrote in a variety of genres and forms. He is considered to be one of the great ...

and

Arthur Rimbaud Jean Nicolas Arthur Rimbaud (, ; 20 October 1854 – 10 November 1891) was a French poet known for his transgressive and surreal themes and for his influence on modern literature and arts, prefiguring surrealism. Born in Charleville, he start ...

. * 1847, ''Ancien Testament'', H.-A. Perret-Gentil: in 2 volumes, following the Hebrew text * 1855, Revision of ''La Sainte Bible'' of David Martin * 1859, ''La Sainte Bible'' of

John Nelson Darby John Nelson Darby (18 November 1800 – 29 April 1882) was an Anglo-Irish Bible teacher, one of the influential figures among the original Plymouth Brethren and the founder of the Exclusive Brethren. He is considered to be the father of moder ...

(originator of

dispensationalism Dispensationalism is a system that was formalized in its entirety by John Nelson Darby. Dispensationalism maintains that history is divided into multiple ages or "dispensations" in which God acts with humanity in different ways. Dispensationali ...

): from the Greek and Hebrew. Darby also translated the Bible into English and German. Very literal. * 1860, ''Ancien Testament'' by Lazare Wogue: with the collaboration of Ben Baruk de Crehange, or B. Mosse of Avignon * 1872, the ''Nouveau Testament'' by Jean-Hugues Oltramare: who has the distinction of giving in his notes all Greek variants in

Nestle-Aland (''The New Testament in Greek'') is a critical edition of the New Testament in its original Koine Greek, forming the basis of most modern Bible translations and biblical criticism. It is also known as the Nestle–Aland edition after its mos ...

and weighing them * 1872, ''Ancien Testament'' by Pierre Giguet: translated from the

Septuagint The Greek Old Testament, or Septuagint (, ; from the la, septuaginta, lit=seventy; often abbreviated ''70''; in Roman numerals, LXX), is the earliest extant Greek translation of books from the Hebrew Bible. It includes several books beyond ...

* 1873, ''La Sainte Bible'' by Jean Baptiste Glaire, commentary by F. Vigouroux: translated from the

* 1874, ''L'Ancien Testament'' by Louis Segond * 1877, ''Nouveau Testament selon la

'' : translated into French with notes by Jean Baptiste Glaire. *1877. ''La Sainte Bible'' by Ostervald *1880, ''Le Nouveau Testament'' and ''La Bible'' by Louis Segond : the original version is no longer readily available since it underwent a revision in 1910 (after the death of Louis Segond). The new version (Segond-1910) was (and still is) the most widely used by French Protestants * 1881, ''Bible de Reus'' by Edouard Antoine Reus, inspired by German translations. * 1881, ''Sainte Bible'' by Antoine Arnaud, from the

, intended for seminarians * 1885, ''Ancien Testament'' by

(originator of

): from Hebrew and without scientific pretensions but with the desire to render the original language as literally as possible. * 1886–1896, ''Bible rationaliste'' by Eugène Ledrain: from the Hebrew and Greek texts, Paris. * 1887, ''Les Saints Évangiles, traduction nouvelle'': by Henri Lasserre. Received an

imprimatur An ''imprimatur'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''impr.'', from Latin, "let it be printed") is a declaration authorizing publication of a book. The term is also applied loosely to any mark of approval or endorsement. The imprimatur rule in the R ...

* 1899, ''L'Ancien et le Nouveau Testament'' with a French translation in the form of a paraphrase by R.P. de Carrières and commentary by Ménochius of the

Jesuits , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders = ...

* 1900, ''La Bible annotée'' translation and commentary of the Old Testament; collective work by a group of theologians in Neuchatel, under the direction of Frederic Godet (translation by Felix Bovet)

20th century

*1902, La Bible du Rabbinat by

Zadoc Kahn Zadoc Kahn (18 February 1839 in Mommenheim, Alsace – 8 December 1905 in Paris) was an Alsatian-French rabbi and chief rabbi of France. Life In 1856 he entered the rabbinical school of Metz, finishing his theological studies at the same ...

, with numerous collaborators. Published as a bilingual Hebrew–French edition. *1910. Bible Louis Segond. *1923, Bible Crampon. Chart of liturgical readings from the Epistles and Gospels, maps and plans. *1976, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible (TOB). Ecumenical Translation of the Bible by Catholics and Protestants. *1978. Segond Révisée (Colombe) (SER) *1995, ''Les Saintes Écritures. Traduction du monde nouveau.'' The Bible is based on English 1984 edition of the New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures. Produced and Published by Jehovah's Witnesses. *1996. Bible Ostervald. A revision of the Ostervald text, popular among francophone Protestants in the 19th century. *1997, La Bible en Français Courant (FC). In 1982, the Universal Biblical Alliance published the first edition of the Bible in fluent French. Here is a new edition today with a carefully revised text. *1998, La Bible de Jérusalem. French translation done under the leadership of the École biblique de Jérusalem seeking exegetical rigor as well as an elegant style. 1998 revised text with

. *1999, La Bible du Semeur.

21st century

* 2001, ''La Bible'', by André Chouraqui. A translation which attempts to transcribe the play on words or the etymology of the words of Biblical languages. *2002, La Nouvelle Bible Segond. *2010, Traduction oecuménique de la Bible (TOB 2010). Ecumenical Translation of the Bible by Catholics and Protestants. *2013, ''La Bible : traduction officielle liturgique'' coordinated by Father Henri Delhougne, O.S.B., with numerous collaborators. *2017, Bible Parole de Vie (PDV). Word of Life version. * 2018, ''La Bible. Traduction du monde nouveau.'' The Bible is based from the English 2013 revision of the
New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures
'' This newly revised edition includes the use of more modern and understandable language, appendixes, and many more. Produced and Published by Jehovah's Witnesses. *2019, Nouvelle Français Courant (NFC), revision of the Bible en français courant

References

External links

Bible Segond 1910, Bible Segond « à la Colombe » (1978), Nouvelle Bible Segond (2007), Bible en français courant, Bible Nouvelle Français courant, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible, Bible Parole de vie; with the English King James Bible and the Spanish Bible Reina-Valera
(possibility of putting several translations in parallel by checking more than one box)
French translation information

Translator notes

La Bible. Traduction du monde nouveau
- NWT Bible
Bible LSG - King James Version en Francis
- Bible LSG App French literature