« | 2 Chronicles 11 | » |
1 And when Rehoboam was come to Hierusalem, he gathered of the house of Iuda and Beniamin, nine score thousand chosen men of warre, to fight against Israel, & to bring the kingdome againe to Rehoboam.
2 And the worde of the Lorde came to Semiahu the man of God, saying:
3 Speake vnto Rehoboam the sonne of Solomon king of Iuda, & to all them of Israel that are in Iuda and Beniamin, and say:
4 Thus saith the Lord, Ye shall not go vp nor fight against your brethren: returne euery man to his house, for this thing is done of me. And they obeyed the wordes of the Lorde, and returned from going against Ieroboam.
5 And Rehoboam dwelt in Hierusalem, and built strong cities in Iuda.
6 He built vp Bethlehem, & Etam, and Thekoa,
7 Bethzur, Socho, and Adullam,
8 Gath, and Maresa, and Ziph,
9 Adurahim, Lachis, and Azecah,
10 Zoraa, Aialon, and Hebron, which is in Iuda and Beniamin, strong cities.
11 And he repaired the strong holdes, and put captaynes in them, and store of vittaile, and wine, and oyle:
12 And in all cities he put shieldes and speares, & made them exceeding strong, hauing Iuda and Beniamin on his syde.
13 And the priestes and the Leuites that were in all Israel, resorted to him out of all their coastes.
14 For the Leuites left their suburbes, and their possession, and came to Iuda and Hierusalem: For Ieroboam and his sonnes had cast them out from ministring vnto the Lorde.
15 And he ordayned him priestes for the high places, for the deuils, and for the calues which he had made.
16 And after the Leuites, there went out all the tribes of Israel, such as submitted their heartes to seeke the Lord God of Israel, and came to Hierusalem to offer vnto the Lorde God of their fathers.
17 And so they strengthed the kingdome of Iuda, & made Rehoboam the sonne of Solomon mightie three yeres long: for three yeres they walked in the way of Dauid and Solomon.
18 And Rehoboam toke him Mahalath the daughter of Ierimoth the sonne of Dauid to wyfe, and Abihail the daughter of Eliab the sonne of Isai.
19 Which bare him children, Ieus, Samaria, and Zaham.
20 And after her he toke Maacha the daughter of Absolon, which bare him Abia, Atthai, Ziza, and Selomith.
21 And Rehoboam loued Maacha the daughter of Absolo aboue al his wyues and concubines: for he toke eyghteene wyues and threescore concubines, and begat twentie and eyght sonnes & threescore daughters.
22 And Rehoboam made Abia the sonne of Maacha, the chiefe ruler among his brethren: for he thought to make him king.
23 And he played wyselie, and scattered all his children throughout al the countryes of Iuda and Beniamin vnto euery strong citie, and he gaue them aboundaunce of vittaile, and obtayned many wyues.
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.