« | 1 Samuel 27 | » |
1 And Dauid sayd in his heart, I shall perishe one day by the hand of Saul: therefore is there nothing better for me, then to flee and saue my self in the land of the Philistines, and Saul shall ceasse and seeke me no more in all the coastes of Israel, and so shall I escape out of his hand.
2 And Dauid arose, and he and the sixe hundred men that were with him, went vnto Achis the sonne of Maoch, king of Gath.
3 And Dauid dwelt with Achis at Gath, both he and his men, euery man with his housholde, and Dauid with his two wiues, Ahinoam the Iezrahelite, and Abigail Nabals wyfe the Carmelite.
4 And it was tolde Saul that Dauid was fled to Gath, and he sought no more for him.
5 And Dauid sayde vnto Achis: If I haue now founde grace in thyne eyes, let them geue me a place in some towne in ye countrey, that I may dwell there: For why should thy seruaunt dwell in the head citie of the kingdome with thee?
6 Then Achis gaue him Ziklag that same day, for which cause Ziklag pertayneth vnto the kinges of Iuda vnto this day.
7 And the tyme that Dauid dwelt in the countrey of the Philistines, was foure monethes, and certaine dayes.
8 And Dauid and his men went vp and inuaded the Gesurites, the Gerzites, & the Amalekites: For those natios were from the beginnyng the inhabitauntes of the lande, as men go to Sur, vnto the land of Egypt.
9 And Dauid smote the lande, & left neither man nor woman alyue, and droue away the sheepe, the oxen, the asses, camelles, and clothes, and returned, and came to Achis.
10 And Achis saide: Where haue ye ben a rouing this day? And Dauid aunswered: Against the south of Iuda, and against the south of the Ierameelites, and against the south of the Kenites.
11 And Dauid saued neither man nor woman alyue to bring to Gath, saying: lest they should tell on vs, saying, so dyd Dauid, and so will be his maner all the whyle he dwelleth in the countrey of the Philistines.
12 And Achis beleued Dauid, saying: He hath made his people Israel vtterly to abhorre him, & therefore he shalbe my seruaunt for euer.
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.