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1 And it came to passe, that when Rehoboam had stablished the kingdome & became mightie, he forsooke the law of the Lorde, and all Israel with him.
2 And it fortuned, that in the fifth yere of king Rehoboam, Sesac the king of Egypt came vp against Hierusalem, because they had transgressed against the Lorde,
3 With twelue hundred charettes, and threescore thousand horsemen: And the people wer without number that came with him out of Egypt, Lubim, Suckim, and the blacke Moores.
4 And he toke the strong cities in Iuda, and came to Hierusalem.
5 Then came Semeia the prophete to Rehoboam and to the Lordes of Iuda that were gathered together within Hierusalem for Sesac, and saide vnto them: Thus saith the Lorde, Ye haue left me, and therefore haue I also left you in the handes of Sesac.
6 Whereupon the lordes of Israel and the king humbled themselues, and said: The Lorde is righteous.
7 And when the Lorde saw that they submitted them selues, the worde of the Lorde came to Semeia, saying: They submit them selues, therefore I wyl not destroye them, but I wyll deliuer them somewhat, and my wrath shall not be powred out vpon Hierusalem by the hand of Sesac.
8 Neuerthelesse, they shalbe his seruauntes: to knowe what difference is betweene my seruice and the seruice of the kingdomes of the worlde.
9 And so Sesac king of Egypt came to Hierusalem, & toke away the treasures of the house of the Lorde, and the treasures of the kinges house, he toke euen all: and he carryed away the shieldes of golde which Solomon made.
10 In steade of which, king Rehoboam made shieldes of brasse, and committed them to the handes of the chiefe of the garde, & that kept the entraunce of the kinges house.
11 And it came to passe, that when the king entred into the house of the Lorde, the garde came and fet them, & brought them againe vnto the gard chamber.
12 And when he humbled himselfe, the wrath of the Lorde turned from him, that he woulde not destroy altogether: and in Iuda all was well.
13 And so king Rehoboam waxed mightie, & raigned in Hierusalem: And Rehoboam was one and fourtie yeres olde when he began to raigne, and he raigned seuenteene yeres in Hierusalem, the citie which the Lorde had chosen out of all the tribes of Israel to put his name there: And his mothers name was Naama, an Ammonitesse.
14 And he did euill, because he prepared not his heart to seeke the Lorde.
15 The actes also of Rehoboam first and last, are they not written in the sayinges of Semeia the prophete, & of Iddo the sear, which noted the genealogie? And there was warre alway betweene Rehoboam and Ieroboam.
16 And Rehoboam slept with his fathers, and was buried in the citie of Dauid, and Abia his sonne raigned in his steade.
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.