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The Wicked Bible, produced in 1631 by Robert Barker and Martin Lucas, contained a typographical error in the Ten Commandments, omitting the word “not” from “Thou shalt not commit adultery.” The publishers were fined and lost their license to publish. Only 11 copies survived and are now rare and valuable. The Bible also contained a second, lesser-known error in the book of Deuteronomy.
The translation of the Bible into the common English language has long been heralded as one of the greatest achievements in both the religious and publishing worlds. In 1631, two of London’s most respected printers, Robert Barker and Martin Lucas, produced what they believed to be a faithful reproduction of the King James Bible. Instead, a simple typographical error in the Book of Exodus cost them a month’s salary and their printing licenses. Their version of the Holy Bible has come to be known as the Wicked Bible, also called the Adulterous Bible or the Sinners’ Bible.
The passage from Exodus misquoted by the editors was the Ten Commandments, a set of laws imposed on the Jews by God himself. The Wicked Bible’s translation of the seventh commandment should have read “Thou shalt not commit adultery,” but actually omitted the word no, rendering the passage as “commit adultery.” This single typographical error caused considerable unease in the religious community, as it could conceivably be interpreted as a saint’s permission to commit a sinful act.
When news of the publishers’ mistake reached England’s King Charles I and the Archbishop of Canterbury, the two men were summoned to a special courtroom until the matter could be fully investigated. After the error had been independently verified, Barker and Lucas were ordered to pay a fine equivalent to one month’s salary and relinquish their license to publish. Existing copies of the so-called wicked Bible were summarily burned by order of the king.
At least 11 copies of the Wicked Bible managed to escape the flames and are considered extremely valuable in rare book circles. The rare book room of the New York City library keeps a copy under tight lock, while a Bible museum in Branson, Missouri also has a copy on display. The other copies of the Wicked Bible are thought to be in private collections, although one copy has been listed for sale through a website with rare books and other antiquities.
The Wicked Bible also contains a second, lesser-known error in the book of Deuteronomy. Instead of translating a passage as the Lord showing his “glory and greatness,” the verse actually suggests that the Lord showed him glory and “big ass.” Had this second, and in some ways even more glaring, typographical error been discovered in time, Barker and Lucas would have been forced to pay a much higher price for their unfortunate mistakes.
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