"Ruth Magnusson Davis is the founder and chief editor of the New Matthew Bible Project. Her work is to update the 1537 Matthew Bible, which will be called ""The New Matthew Bible,"" or NMB for short. Her goal is not to make a modern bible out of an old one, but simply to make it understandable for today while keeping the truth and beauty of the original, inspired work. Ruth is a retired lawyer with an undergraduate degree in languages and grammar. In 2009 she retired from law to devote herself to the study of Early Modern English and to undertake the work. The original translator of the Five Books of Moses in the 1537 Matthew Bible was William Tyndale. He was the first person to translate this part of the Old Testament into English from the original Hebrew. He was martyred in 1536, dying in exile from his homeland England, for his work and labour to give his people the word of God in their own tongue. John Rogers, also a martyr for God's word, was a friend and co-labourer for God's word with William Tyndale and, also, with Myles Coverdale. Rogers compiled the Scripture translations of Tyndale and Coverdale to make the Matthew Bible, added over 2,000 notes and other study aids, and published the complete work in 1537. King Henry VIII then licensed it, and the Matthew Bible was authorized for use in the churches. In 1555 Rogers was burned at the stake by Queen Mary."