1 Samuel 1 | » |
1 There was a man of one of the two Ramathaim Zophim, of mout Ephraim, named Elkana, the sonne of Ieroham, the sonne of Elihu, the sonne of Thohu, the sonne of Zuph, an Ephrathite:
2 Which had two wyues, the one called Hanna, & the other Phenenna: And Phenenna had children, but Hanna had no children.
3 And this man went vp out of his citie euery yere, to worship and to sacrifice vnto the Lord of hoastes in Silo, where were the two sonnes of Eli, Hophni and Phinehes, the Lordes priestes.
4 And it fel on a day, that Elkana offered, and gaue to Phenenna his wyfe, and to all her sonnes and daughters, portions.
5 But vnto Hanna he gaue a worthy portion: for he loued Hanna, & the Lorde had made her barren.
6 And her enemie [Phenenna] vexed her sore, forasmuche as she vpbrayded her, because the Lord had made her barren.
7 (And so dyd he yere by yere) and as oft as she wet vp to the house of the Lord, thus she vexed her, that she wept, and dyd not eate.
8 Then sayde Elkana her husband to her: Hanna, why wepest thou? and why eatest thou not? and why is thine hearte troubled? Am not I better to thee then ten sonnes?
9 So Hanna rose vp after that they had eaten and drunke in Silo. (And Eli the priest sate vpon a stoole by one of the postes of the temple of the Lorde.)
10 And she was troubled in her minde, and prayed vnto the Lord, & wept sore,
11 And vowed a vowe, and sayd: O Lord of hoastes, if thou wilt loke on the trouble of thyne handmayde and remembre me, and not forget thyne hand mayde, but geue vnto thyne handmayde a man childe, I will geue him vnto the Lorde all the dayes of his lyfe, and there shall no rasor come vpon his head.
12 And as she continued praying before the Lord, Eli marked her mouth.
13 For Hanna spake in her hearte, & her lippes did but moue onely, but her voyce was not hearde, & therfore Eli thought she had ben drunken.
14 And Eli sayde vnto her: Howe long wilt thou be drunken? Put away from thee the wine that thou hast.
15 Hanna aunswered, and sayde, Not so my Lord: I am a woman of a sorowful hearte, I haue drunke neither wine nor strong drincke, but haue powred out my soule before the Lorde:
16 Count not thine handmayde for a wicked woman: for out of the aboundaunce of my heauynesse & griefe, haue I spoken hytherto.
17 Eli aunswered her againe, and sayde: Go in peace, the God of Israel graunt thee thy petition that thou hast asked of him.
18 She said: Let thyne handmayde finde grace in thy sight. And so the woman went her way, and dyd eate, and loked no more sad.
19 And they rose vp early, & worshipped before the Lorde, and then returned, & came to their house to Ramath: And when Elkana knewe Hanna his wyfe, the Lorde remembred her.
20 For in processe of time it came to passe, that she conceaued, and bare a sonne, & called his name Samuel, [saying:] Because I haue asked him of the Lorde.
21 And the man Elkana and all his house, went vp to offer vnto the Lorde the yerely sacrifice, and also his vowe.
22 Neuerthelesse, Hanna wet not vp, but sayde vnto her husband: I will tary vntill the lad be weaned, and then I will bryng hym, that he may appeare before the Lord, and there abyde for euer.
23 Elkana her husband aunswered her: Do what seemeth thee best, tary at home vntyll thou hast weaned him, and I beseche the Lord to make good his saying. And so the woman abode, and gaue her sonne sucke, vntyll she weaned hym.
24 And when she had weaned hym, she toke hym with her, with three bullockes, and an Epha of floure, and a bottle of wine, and brought hym vnto the house of the Lorde in Silo, and the child was young.
25 And they slue a bulloke, and brought in the lad to Eli.
26 And she sayd: Oh my Lorde, as thy soule lyueth my Lorde, I am the woman that stoode before thee here praying vnto the Lorde.
27 For this lad I prayed, and the Lorde hath geuen me my desyre whiche I asked of him:
28 And therfore I haue geuen him vnto the Lord, as long as he liueth he shalbe geuen to the Lorde. And he worshipped the Lorde there.
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.