2 Chronicles 1 | » |
1 And Solomon the sonne of Dauid waxed strong in his kingdome, and the Lord his God was with him, and magnified him in dignitie.
2 And Solomon spake vnto all Israel, to the captaynes ouer thousandes, to the captaynes ouer hundredes, to the iudges, and to euery officer in all Israel, and to the auncient fathers.
3 And so Solomon and all the congregation with him went to the hie place that was at Gibeon: for there was the tabernacle of the congregation of God, which Moyses the seruaunt of the Lorde made in the wyldernesse.
4 But the arke of God had Dauid brought from Kiriathiarim, into the place which Dauid had prepared therfore: For he had pitched a tent for it at Hierusalem.
5 Moreouer, the brasen aulter that Bezaleel the sonne of Uri the sonne of Hur had made, was there before the tabernacle of the Lorde: And Solomon and the congregation went to visite it.
6 And Solomon gat vp there before the Lord, to the brasen aulter that was before the tabernacle of the congregation, and offered a thousand burnt sacrifices vpon it.
7 And the same night did God appeare vnto Solomon, and said vnto him: Aske what I shall geue thee.
8 And Solomon saide vnto God: Thou hast shewed great mercie vnto Dauid my father, and hast made me to raigne in his steade.
9 Now therefore, O Lorde God, let thy promise which thou madest vnto Dauid my father, be true: For thou hast made me king ouer a people which is lyke the dust of the earth in multitude:
10 Wherefore geue me now wysedome and knowledge, that I may be able to go in and out before this people: for who els can iudge this people that is so great?
11 And God saide to Solomon: Because this was in thyne heart, and because thou hast not asked treasure and riches, and honour, & the liues of thyne enemies, neither yet long lyfe, but hast asked wysedome and knowledge for thy selfe, to iudge my people ouer which I haue made thee king:
12 Wysedome and knowledge is graunted vnto thee, and I will geue thee treasure, & riches, and glory: so that among the kinges that haue ben before thee, or after thee, none was or shalbe lyke thee.
13 And so Solomon came from the high place that was at Gibeon to Hierusalem from the tabernacle of the congregation, and raigned ouer Israel.
14 And Solomon gathered charets and horsemen: and he had a thousand and foure hundred charets, & twelue thousand horsemen, whom he bestowed in the charet cities, and with the king at Hierusalem.
15 And the king made siluer and golde at Hierusalem as plenteous as stones, and Cedar trees made he as plentie as the Mulbery trees that growe in the valleyes.
16 Also Solomon had horses brought out of Egypt, & fine linnen: The kinges marchautes receaued the fine linnen for a price.
17 They came also and brought out of Egypt a charet for sixe hundred peeces of siluer, euen an horse for an hundred and fiftie: And so brought they [horses] for all the kinges of the Hethites, and for the kinges of Syria, by their owne hande.
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.