« | 1 Peter 2 | » |
1 Wherefore lay asyde all maliciousnesse, and all guile, and faynednesse, and enuie, and all backbityng,
2 And as newe borne babes, desire ye ye milke of the worde, which is without deceipt: that ye may growe therby [vnto saluatio]
3 If so be that ye haue tasted howe gratious the Lorde is:
4 To whom ye come, as vnto a lyuyng stone, disalowed of men, but chosen of God and precious:
5 And ye as lyuely stones, be you made a spirituall house, an holy priesthood, for to offer vp spirituall sacrifices, acceptable to God by Iesus Christe.
6 Wherefore it is conteyned also in the scripture: beholde, I put in Sion a stone to be laide in the chiefe corner, elect and precious, and he that beleueth on hym, shall not be confounded.
7 Unto you therfore which beleue, he is precious: but vnto them whiche beleue not, the stone which the buylders refused, the same is made the head of the corner:
8 And a stone that men stumble at, and a rocke wherat they be offended, whiche stumble at the worde, and beyng disobedient, vnto the whiche thing they were euen ordeyned.
9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royall priesthood, an holy nation, a peculier people: that ye should shewe foorth the vertues of hym that called you out of darknesse into his marueylous lyght.
10 Which in time past were not a people, but are nowe the people of God: which sometime had not obteyned mercy, but nowe haue obteyned mercy.
11 Dearely beloued, I beseche you as straugers and pilgrimes, abstaine from fleshly lustes, whiche fight agaynst the soule:
12 And see that ye haue honest conuersation among the gentiles: that where as they backbite you as euyll doers, they may by your good workes whiche they shall see, prayse God in the day of visitation.
13 Submit your selues therfore vnto al maner ordinaunce of ma for the Lordes sake: whether it be vnto the king, as hauyng the preeminence:
14 Other vnto rulers, as vnto them that are sent of hym for the punyshment of euyll doers, but for the laude of them that do well.
15 For so is the wyll of God, that with well doyng, ye may stoppe the mouthes of foolishe and ignoraunt men:
16 As free, and not as hauyng the libertie for a cloke of maliciousnes, but euen as the seruauntes of God.
17 Honour all men. Loue brotherly felowship. Feare God. Honour the kyng.
18 Seruauntes, obey your maisters with all feare, not only yf they be good & curteous, but also though they be frowarde.
19 For it is thanke worthy, yf a man for coscience toward god, endure griefe, and suffer wrong vndeserued.
20 For what prayse is it, yf when ye be buffeted for your faultes, ye take it paciently? But yf when ye do well ye suffer wrong, & take it paciently, then is there thanke with God.
21 For herevnto veryly were ye called, for Christe also suffered for vs, leauyng vs an ensample, that ye should folowe his steppes.
22 Which did no sinne, neyther was there guyle founde in his mouth.
23 Whiche when he was reuiled, reuiled not agayne: when he suffred, he threatned not, but committed the vengeaunce to him that iudgeth righteously.
24 Which his owne selfe bare our sinnes in his body on the tree, that we beyng deliuered from sinne, shoulde liue vnto ryghteousnes: By whose strypes ye were healed.
25 For ye were as sheepe goyng astray: but are nowe turned vnto the sheephearde and Byshop of your soules.
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.