Puritans and other Protestant exiles from all over Europe settled in Geneva, Switzerland. In 1560 the Geneva Bible, the first English Bible in easy-to-read type, was produced, with chapters divided into verses. It was imported to England from continental Europe and quickly became popular. Eventually, in 1576, the Geneva Bible was also printed in England. Maps and marginal notes helped clarify its text. But some of its readers were irritated by its notes because these spoke against the papacy.

However, the King James Version fared well, even though it took some 30 years for it to supplant the Geneva Bible in the affections of the people.

The early settlers from England who landed in North America brought with them the Geneva Bible.