« | 2 Chronicles 10 | » |
1 And Rehoboam went to Sichem: for to Sichem were all Israel come together to make him king.
2 And when Ieroboam the sonne of Nabat (which was fled into Egypt from the presence of Solomon the king) heard it, he returned out of Egypt.
3 And they sent and called him: And so Ieroboam and all they of Israel, came and communed with Rehoboam, saying:
4 Thy father layde a greeuous yoke vpon vs: nowe therefore remit thou somewhat of the greeuous seruice of thy fafather, & of his heauy yoke that he put vpon vs, and we wyll serue thee.
5 And he saide to them: Come againe vnto me after three dayes. And the people departed.
6 And king Rehoboam counsailed with the elders that had stande before Solomon his father while he yet lyued, and he saide: what counsaile geue ye me, to aunswere this people againe?
7 And they tolde him, saying: If thou be kinde to this people, and shewe thy selfe lowlie to them, and speake louyng wordes to them, they wyll be thy seruauntes for euer.
8 But he left the counsaile which the elders gaue him, and toke counsaile with the young men that were growen vp with him, and that stoode in his presence.
9 And he saide vnto them: What aduise geue ye, that we may aunswere this people, which haue communed with me, saying, Abate somewhat of the yoke which thy father did put vpon vs?
10 And the young men that were growen vp with him, spake vnto him, saying, Thus shalt thou aunswere the people that speake to thee, saying: Thy father made our yoke heauy, but make thou it somewhat lighter for vs: Thus shalt thou say vnto the, My litle finger, shalbe heauier then my fathers loynes.
11 For where my father put a heauy yoke vpon you, I will put more to your yoke: My father chastised you with whyppes, but I wyll chastise you with scourges.
12 And so Ieroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam the third day, as the king bade, saying, Come againe to me the third day.
13 And the king aunswered them cruelly: and king Rehoboam left the counsaile of the aged men,
14 And aunswered them after the aduise of the young men, saying: My father made your yoke greeuous, and I wyll adde thereto: my father chastised you with whyppes, but I wyll chastise you with scourges.
15 And so the king hearkened not vnto the people: but the occasion came of God, that the Lorde might make good his saying which he spake by the hand of Ahia the Silonite to Ieroboam the sonne of Nabat.
16 And when all they of Israel saw that the king woulde not agree vnto them, the people aunswered the king, saying: What portion haue we in Dauid? For we haue no inheritaunce in the sonne of Isai: Euery man to his tent oh Israel, and nowe Dauid, see to thyne owne house. And so all Israel gat them to their tentes:
17 So that Rehoboam raigned ouer no mo of the children of Israel then dwelt in the cities of Iuda.
18 Then king Rehoboam also sent Haduram that was ruler ouer the tribute, and the children of Israel stoned him with stones, that he dyed: But king Rehoboam made speede to get him vp to his charet, to flee to Hierusalem.
19 And they of Israel rebelled against the house of Dauid vnto this day.
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.