« | 1 Kings 19 | » |
1 And Ahab tolde Iezabel all that Elias had done, and how he had slayne al the prophetes with the sworde.
2 Then Iezabel sent a messenger vnto Elias, saying: So and so let the gods do to me, if I make not thy soule lyke one of theirs by to morowe this time.
3 When he sawe that, he arose, and went for his life, and came to Beerseba in Iuda, and left his seruaunt there.
4 But he him selfe went a dayes iourney into the wildernesse, and came and sat downe vnder a Iuniper tree, and desired for his soule that he might dye, and sayde: It is nowe enough O Lorde, take my soule, for I am not better then my fathers.
5 And as he lay and slept vnder the Iuniper tree: behold an angel touched him, and sayde vnto him: Up, and eate.
6 And when he loked about him, beholde there was a cake baken on the coales, and a vessell of water at his head: And he dyd eate and drinke, and layde him downe againe to sleepe.
7 And the angel of the Lord came againe the seconde time, and touched him, and sayde: Up, and eate, for thou hast yet a great iourney.
8 And he arose, and dyd eate and drinke, & walked in the strength of that meate fourtie dayes and fourtie nightes, euen vnto Horeb the mount of God.
9 When he came thyther vnto a caue, he lodged therein al night: And behold, the word of the Lord came to him, and sayd vnto him: What doest thou here Elias?
10 And he aunswered, I haue ben ielous for the Lorde God of hoastes sake: For the children of Israel haue forsaken thy couenaunt, broken downe thyne aulters, and slayne thy prophetes with the sword: and I onely am left, and they seke my lyfe to take it away.
11 And he sayd: Come out and stand vpon ye mount before the Lorde. And behold, the Lorde went by, & a mightie strong winde that rent the mountaynes and brake the rockes before the Lorde, but the Lord was not in the winde: And after the winde, came an earthquake, but the Lorde was not in the earthquake:
12 And after the earthquake came fire, but the Lorde was not in the fire: And after the fire, came a small still voyce.
13 And when Elias hearde, he couered his face with his mantle, and went out, and stoode in the entring in of the caue: And beholde, there came a voyce vnto him, & said: What doest thou here Elias?
14 And he aunswered: I haue ben ielous for the Lorde God of hoastes sake, because the children of Israel haue forsaken thy couenaunt, cast downe thyne aulters, and slayne thy prophetes with the sworde: and I onely am left, & they seke my lyfe to take it away.
15 And the Lord sayde vnto him: Go, and turne thy way to the wildernesse vnto Damasco: & when thou commest there, annoynt Hazael king ouer Syria:
16 And Iehu sonne of Nimsi shalt thou annoynt king ouer Israel: And Elisa the sonne of Saphat of Abel Meholah shalt thou annoynt to be prophete in thy roome.
17 And it shall come to passe, that whoso escapeth the sworde of Hazael, him shall Iehu slay: & if any man scape the sword of Iehu, him shall Elisa put to death.
18 And [thereto] I haue left me seuen thousande in Israel, of whiche neuer man bowed his knees vnto Baal, nor kissed him with his mouth.
19 So he departed thence, & found Elisa the sonne of Saphat plowing, & hauing twelue yocke of oxen before him, and he with the twelue: And Elias went by him, and cast his mantle vpon him.
20 And he left the oxen, and ranne after Elias, and sayde: Let me I pray thee kysse my father and my mother, & then I will folowe thee. He sayde vnto him: Go backe againe, for what is it that I haue done to thee?
21 And when he went backe againe from him, he toke a couple of oxen, and slue them, and dressed the fleshe with the instrumentes of the oxen, and gaue vnto the people, and they dyd eate: And then he arose and went after Elias, and ministred vnto him.
The Bishop’s Bible (BB)
The Bishop’s Bible (BB) is a significant English translation of the Bible that was first published in 1568 during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. It was commissioned by the Church of England as a revision of the Great Bible and as a response to the Geneva Bible, which was popular among the Puritans but contained marginal notes that were considered politically and theologically contentious by the Anglican establishment. The primary goal of the Bishop’ s Bible was to create a translation that would be more acceptable to the ecclesiastical authorities and suitable for use in Anglican churches.
One of the distinguishing features of the Bishop’s Bible is its effort to maintain a high level of accuracy and scholarly integrity while also ensuring that the language used was dignified and appropriate for public reading. The translation was undertaken by a team of bishops and other scholars, hence its name. The translators aimed to preserve the poetic and literary qualities of the original texts, drawing on previous translations such as the Tyndale Bible, the Coverdale Bible, and the Great Bible, while also incorporating their scholarly insights and linguistic refinements.
The Bishop’s Bible was notable for its large, folio format, which was designed to be read from the pulpit. It included extensive marginal notes, though these were more restrained and less controversial than those found in the Geneva Bible. The translation also featured elaborate illustrations and maps, as well as a comprehensive introduction and various prefaces that provided context and guidance for readers. Despite its grandeur and scholarly merit, the Bishop’s Bible did not achieve the widespread popularity of the Geneva Bible among the general populace.
Although the Bishop’s Bible played an essential role in the religious and cultural life of Elizabethan England, it was eventually overshadowed by the King James Version (KJV), which was commissioned in 1604 and published in 1611. The KJV drew heavily on the Bishop’ s Bible, as well as other earlier translations, but ultimately surpassed it in both scholarly rigor and literary quality. Nonetheless, the Bishop’s Bible remains an important milestone in the history of English Bible translations, reflecting the theological and political currents of its time and contributing to the development of subsequent translations.