Rare ‘Wicked’ Bible That Encourages Adultery Discovered in New Zealand

THE GUARDIAN: First copy of the 1631 bible, which mistakenly reads ‘thou shalt commit adultery’, to be found in the southern hemisphere

A copy of the extremely rare 1631 Wicked Bible, which tells readers ‘thou shalt commit adultery’ has been found in New Zealand. Photograph: Sarah Askey © University of Canterbury
An extremely rare bible famous for an unfortunate error that encourages adultery has been discovered in New Zealand.

The 1631 “Wicked” Bible, as it has become known, omits the word “not” from its seventh commandment, informing readers “thou shalt commit adultery”. One thousand copies of the text, which also came to be known as the Adulterous or Sinners’ Bible, were printed, with the error only discovered a year later.

Upon discovery of the mistake, the printers Robert Barker and Martin Lucas were summoned by King Charles I and hauled before the court, where they were admonished for the scandalous typo and sloppy workmanship. They were stripped of their printing licence, had a £300 fine held over their heads for years (though it was eventually quashed) and most of the texts were destroyed. Only about 20 remain in circulation. » | Eva Corlett in Wellington | Monday, May 2, 2022