« | 1 Thessalonians 2 | » |
1 For ye your selues, brethren, knowe our entraunce in vnto you, yt it was not in vayne:
2 But euen after that we had suffred before, and were shamefully entreated as ye knowe, at Philippos, we were bolde in our God, to speake vnto you the Gospell of God, in much stryuyng.
3 For our exhortation was not of deceit, neither of vncleannes, neither in guile:
4 But as it were alowed of God, to be put in credite with the Gospell: euen so we speake, not as pleasyng men, but God, which tryeth our heartes.
5 For neither at any tyme vsed we flatteryng wordes, as ye knowe, neither cloke of couetousnes, God [is] recorde,
6 Neither sought we prayse of men, neither of you, nor yet of others:
7 When we myght haue ben in auctoritie, as the Apostles of Christe, but we were tender among you, euen as a nource cherissheth her chyldren,
8 So, beyng tenderly affected towarde you, our good wyll was to haue dealt vnto you, not the Gospell of God only: but also our owne soules, because ye were deare vnto vs.
9 For ye remember brethren, our labour and trauayle. For we labouryng nyght & day, because we woulde not be chargeable vnto any of you, preached vnto you the Gospell of God.
10 Ye [are] witnesses, & God [also] howe holyly, and iustly, and vnblameably, we behaued our selues among you that beleue.
11 As ye knowe, howe that as a father his chyldren, so we haue exhorted, comforted, and besought euery one of you,
12 That ye woulde walke worthie of God, who hath called you vnto his kyngdome and glorie.
13 For this cause thanke we God also without ceassyng, because ye receauyng the worde which ye hearde of vs concernyng God, ye receaued it not as the worde of man, (but as it is in deede) the worde of God, which effectuously worketh also in you that beleue.
14 For ye brethren became folowers of the Churches of God, which in Iurie are in Christe Iesus: for ye haue suffred lyke thynges of your countreymen, as they haue of the Iewes:
15 Who both kylled the Lorde Iesus, and their owne prophetes, & haue persecuted vs: and God they please not, and are contrarie to all men:
16 And hynder vs to speake to the gentiles that they myght be saued, to fulfyll their sinnes alway. For the wrath [of God] is come on them to the vtmost.
17 Forasmuch brethren, as we are kept from you for a short season, in person, not in heart, we enforced ye more to see you personally with great desire.
18 And therfore we woulde haue come vnto you, (I Paul) once agayne: but Satan hyndered vs.
19 For what is our hope, or ioy, or crowne of reioycyng? Are not ye it in the presence of our Lorde Iesus Christe, at his commyng?
20 Yes, ye are our glorie and ioy.
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.