« | 1 Samuel 24 | » |
1 When Saul was come againe fro folowing after ye Philistines, there were which told him, saying: Behold, Dauid is in the wildernesse of Engadi.
2 Then Saul toke three thousand chosen men out of all Israel, and went to seke Dauid and his men in the heyght of the rockes where wilde goates remayne.
3 And he came to the sheepe coates by the way, where there was a caue, & Saul went in to do his easement: And Dauid and his men remayned in the inward partes of the caue.
4 And the men of Dauid sayd vnto him: See, the day is come, of which the Lord sayde vnto thee, Behold I will deliuer thyne enemie into thyne hand, and thou shalt do to him as it shall seeme good in thy sight. Then Dauid arose, and cut of the lappe of Sauls garment priuily.
5 And afterwarde Dauids heart smote him, because he had cut of the lap of Sauls garment.
6 And he sayd vnto his men: The Lorde kepe me from doyng that thing vnto my maister the lordes annoynted to lay myne hande vpon him, seing he is the annoynted of the Lorde.
7 And so Dauid kept of his seruauntes with these wordes, and suffred them not to rise against Saul: But Saul rose vp out of the caue, and went away.
8 Dauid also arose afterward, and went out of the caue, and cryed after Saul, saying: My Lorde king. And when Saul loked behind him, Dauid stowped [with] his face to the earth, and bowed him selfe.
9 And Dauid sayde to Saul: Wherfore geuest thou an eare to mens wordes that say, beholde Dauid seketh euyll against thee?
10 Behold, this day thyne eyes haue seene howe that the Lord hath deliuered thee this day into myne hande in the caue: And some bad me kill thee, but I had compassion on thee, and sayd: I will not lay myne handes on my maister, for he is the Lordes annoynted.
11 And moreouer my father, beholde and see yet the lap of thy garment in my hand: Inasmuch as I killed thee not when I cut of the lap of thy garment, vnderstand therfore, & see that there is neither euyll nor wickednesse in me, and that I haue not sinned against thee: And yet thou huntest after my soule to take it.
12 The Lorde be iudge betweene thee and me, & the Lorde auenge me of thee: but myne hande be not vpon thee.
13 According as the olde prouerbe sayeth, wickednesse proceedeth fro the wicked: But myne hande be not vpon thee.
14 After whom is the king of Israel come out? After whom doest thou pursue? After a dead dog, and after a flea.
15 The Lorde therfore be iudge, & iudge betweene thee & me, and see & pleade my cause, & auenge me out of thyne hande.
16 When Dauid had made an ende of speaking these wordes to Saul, Saul sayde: Is this thy voyce my sonne Dauid? And Saul lift vp his voyce, and wept,
17 And sayde to Dauid, Thou art more righteous then I: for thou hast rewarded me with good, where as I haue rewarded thee with euyll.
18 And thou hast shewed this day, howe that thou hast dealt wel with me: forasmuch as when the Lorde had closed me in thyne handes, thou killedst me not.
19 For who shall finde his enemie, and let him depart into a good way? Wherfore the Lord reward thee with good, for that thou hast done vnto me this day.
20 And nowe beholde, I wote wel that thou shalt be king, & that the kingdome of Israel shalbe stablished in thyne hande:
21 Swere nowe therfore vnto me by the Lorde, that thou shalt not destroy my seede after me, and that thou shalt not put my name out of my fathers house.
22 And Dauid sware vnto Saul, & Saul went home: But Dauid and his men gat them vp vnto the holde.
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.