“The Wessex Gospels (also known as the West-Saxon Gospels) are a full translation of the four gospels of the Christian Bible into a West Saxon dialect of Old English.” These were translated between 990 A.D. and 1175 A.D. LINK
Here is John 3:16 in Old English from the Wessex Gospels, “God lufede middan-eard swa þæt he sealde hys akennedan sune þæt nan ne for-wurðe þe on hine ge-lefð. Ac habbe þt eche lyf.”
Here is John 3:16 from the King James Bible, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
See how many words you can guess. I found it helped when I read it out loud. Also, “þ” in old English is the “th” sound. (I had to look that up.)
The Lord of the Rings fans will recognize the third word, the hyphenated one!
POETRY