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1 Furthermore we besech you brethren, & exhorte you by the Lorde Iesus, that ye encrease more and more, as ye haue receaued of vs, how ye ought to walke and to please God.
2 For ye knowe what commaundementes we gaue you by the Lorde Iesus.
3 For this is the wyll of God, your holynesse, that ye should abstayne from fornication:
4 That euery one of you should knowe how to possesse his vessell in holynesse and honour:
5 Not in the lust of concupiscence, euen as the gentiles, which knowe not God.
6 That no man oppresse and defraude his brother in [any] matter, because that the Lorde is the auenger of all suche: as we also haue forewarned you, and testified.
7 For God hath not called vs vnto vncleanenesse, but into holynesse.
8 He therefore that despiseth, despiseth not man, but God, who hath geuen to you his holy spirite.
9 But as touchyng brotherly loue, ye nede not that I write vnto you: For ye are taught of God to loue one another.
10 Yea and that thyng veryly ye do vnto all ye brethren which [are] in al Macedonia: But we beseche you brethren, that ye encrease more and more:
11 And that ye studie to be quiet, and to do your owne [busynesse] and to worke with your owne handes as we commaunded you:
12 That ye may walke honestly toward them that are without, & that nothyng be lackyng in you.
13 But I woulde not haue you to be ignoraunt brethren, concernyng them which sleepe, that ye sorowe not euen as other, which haue no hope.
14 For yf we beleue that Iesus dyed and rose agayne: euen so them also whiche sleepe by Iesus, wyll God bryng with hym.
15 For this say we vnto you in the worde of the Lorde, that we whiche lyue, remayning vnto the comyng of the Lord, shall not preuent them which sleepe.
16 For the Lorde hym selfe shal descende from heauen in a shoute, [and] in the voyce of the Archangell, and in the trumpe of God: And the dead in Christ shall aryse first.
17 Than we which lyue, which remaine, shalbe caught vp together with them in the cloudes, to meete the Lorde in the ayre: And so shall we euer be with the Lorde.
18 Wherfore comfort your selues one another in these wordes.
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.