« | 1 Kings 5 | » |
1 And Hira king of Tyre sent his seruauntes vnto Solomon (for he had hearde that they had annoynted him king in the roome of his father) For Hira was euer a louer of Dauid.
2 And Solomon sent to Hiram, saying:
3 Thou knowest howe that Dauid my father could not buyld an house vnto the name of the Lorde his God for the warres which were about him on euery syde, vntill the Lorde put them vnder the soles of his feete.
4 But now the Lorde my God hath geuen me rest on euery syde, so that there is neither aduersarie nor euill to resist.
5 And beholde, I am determined to build an house vnto ye name of the Lord my God, as the Lord spake vnto Dauid my father, saying: Thy sonne whom I wil set vpon thy seate for thee, he shal build an house vnto my name.
6 Now therefore commaund thou that they hewe me Cedar trees out of Libanon, & my seruautes shalbe with thyne, and vnto thee wyll I geue the hyre for thy seruauntes, accordyng to all such thinges as thou shalt appoynt: for thou knowest that there are not among vs that can skyl to hewe tymber, lyke vnto the Sidones.
7 And it came to passe, when Hiram heard ye wordes of Solomo, he reioysed greatly, & said: Blessed be the Lord this day, which hath geuen vnto Dauid a wyse sonne ouer this mightie people.
8 And Hiram sent to Solomon, saying: I haue considered the thinges which thou sentest to me for, & wyl accomplishe all thy desyre concerning tymber of Cedar trees and firre.
9 My seruauntes shall bring them from Libanon to the sea, and I wyl conuey them by sea in flootes vnto the place that thou shalt shew me, and wil cause them to be discharged there, and thou shalt receaue them: and thou shalt do me a pleasure againe, if thou minister foode for myne house.
10 Aud so Hiram gaue Solomon Cedar trees and firre trees according to all his desyre.
11 And Solomon gaue Hiram twentie thousand quarters of wheate for foode to his housholde, and twentie buts of pure oyle: Thus much gaue Solomon to Hiram yere by yere.
12 And the Lorde gaue Solomon wisedome as he promysed him: And there was peace betweene Hiram and Solomon, & they two were consedered together.
13 And king Solomon raysed a summe out of Israel, and the summe was thirtie thousand men:
14 Whom he sent to Libanon, ten thousand a moneth by course: so that when they had ben one moneth in Libanon, they abode two monethes at home: And Adoniram was ouer the summe.
15 And Solomon had threescore and ten thousand that bare burdens, and foure score thousand masons in the mountaines:
16 Besides the lordes whom Solomon appoynted to ouersee the worke, euen three thousand & three hundred, which ruled the people [& them] that wrought in the worke.
17 And the king commaunded them to bring great stones, costly stones, & hewed stones, for the foundatio of the house.
18 And Solomons masons, and the masons of Hiram did hewe them, and the stone squarers: And so they prepared both tymber and stones, for the building of the house.
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.