« | 1 Samuel 3 | » |
1 And the chylde Samuel ministred vnto the Lorde before Eli, and the worde of the Lord was precious in those dayes, neither was there any open vision.
2 And as at that tyme Eli lay in his place, his eyes began to waxe dymme that he coulde not see.
3 And yet the lampe of God went out, Samuel layde hym downe to sleepe in the temple of the Lord, where the arke of God was.
4 And the Lorde called Samuel. And he aunswered, I am here.
5 And he ran vnto Eli, and sayde: Here am I, for thou calledst me. And he said, I called thee not, go againe and sleepe. And he went, and layde hym downe to sleepe.
6 And the Lorde called once againe, Samuel. And Samuel arose and went to Eli, and sayde: I am here, for thou diddest call me. And he aunswered: I called thee not my sonne, go againe and sleepe.
7 Samuel knewe not yet the Lorde, neither was the worde of the Lorde yet opened vnto hym.
8 And the Lorde went to, and called Samuel the thirde tyme. And he arose and went to Eli, and saide: I am here, for thou hast called me. And Eli perceaued that the Lord had called the childe.
9 Therefore Eli sayde vnto Samuel: Go and sleepe, and yf he call thee, then say: Speake Lorde, for thy seruaunt heareth thee. So Samuel went, and slept in his place.
10 And the Lorde came, and stoode and called as before, Samuel, Samuel. Then Samuel aunswered: Speake, for thy seruaunt heareth.
11 And the Lorde saide to Samuel: Beholde, I wyll do a thing in Israel, that both the eares of as many as heareth it shall tyngle.
12 In that day, I wyll rayse vp against Eli all thynges whiche I haue spoken concernyng his house: when I begyn, I wyll also make an ende.
13 I haue tolde hym that I wyll iudge his house for euer, for the wickednesse which he knoweth: For whe [the people] cursed his sonnes for ye same [wickednesse] he hath not corrected them.
14 And therfore I haue sworne vnto the house of Eli, that the wickednesse of Elies house shall not be purged with sacrifice nor offeryng for euer.
15 Samuel slept vntyl the mornyng, and opened the doores of the house of the Lorde: and Samuel feared to shewe Eli the vision.
16 Then Eli called Samuel, and sayde: Samuel, my sonne. And he aunswered: Here am I.
17 He saide: What is that the Lord hath saide vnto thee? I pray thee hyde it not from me: God do so to thee, & more also, if thou hyde any thyng from me of all that he sayde vnto thee.
18 And Samuel tolde hym euerywhyt, and hyd nothyng from hym. And he saide: It is the Lord, let hym do what seemeth hym good.
19 And Samuel grewe, and the Lorde was with hym, and left none of his wordes vnperfourmed.
20 And all Israel, from Dan to Beerseba, wyst that faythfull Samuel was the Lordes prophete.
21 And the Lorde appeared againe in Silo: for the Lorde opened him selfe to Samuel in Silo, through the worde of the Lorde.
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.