« | 2 Chronicles 16 | » |
1 In the thirtie and sixth yere of the raigne of Asa, came Baasa king of Israel against Iuda, & built Rama, to the intent that he would let none passe out or in to Asa king of Iuda.
2 And Asa set out golde and siluer out of the treasures of the house of the Lord, & [out] of the kings house, and sent to Benhadad king of Syria that dwelt at Darmesec, and saide:
3 There is a confederation betweene me and thee, betweene my father and thyne: beholde I haue sent thee siluer and golde, that thou wilt come & breake thyne appoyntment with Baasa king of Israel, that he may departe from me.
4 And Benhadad graunted vnto king Asa, and sent the captaynes of his armies to the cities of Israel: and they smote Iion, Dan, and Abelmaim, & all the strong cities of Nephthali.
5 And when Baasa heard this, he left building of Rama, and let his worke ceasse.
6 And then Asa the king toke all Iuda, and caryed away the stones and timber of Rama wherewith Baasa was a building, and he built therewith Geba and Mispah.
7 At that time Hanani the sear came to Asa king of Iuda, and saide vnto him: Because thou hast trusted in the king of Syria, and not rather put thy trust in the Lord thy God, therfore is the hoast of the king of Syria escaped out of thine hande.
8 Had not the blacke Moores and Lubim an exceeding great hoast, with many charettes and horsemen? And yet because thou trustedst in the Lorde, he deliuered them into thyne hande.
9 For the eyes of the Lorde beholde all the earth, to strength them that are of perfect heart toward him: Herein thou hast done foolishly, and therefore from hencefoorth thou shalt haue warre.
10 And so Asa was wroth with the sear, and put him into a prison house, for he was displeased with him because of this thing: And Asa destroyed [certaine] of the people the same season.
11 And beholde, these deedes of Asa first and last, are written in the booke of the kinges of Iuda and Israel.
12 And Asa in the thirtie and ninth yere of his raigne fell sicke in his feete, and that his disease continued very long: And in his sickenesse he sought not the lord, but phisitions.
13 And Asa slept with his fathers, and dyed in the fourtie and one yere of his raigne.
14 And they buried him in his owne sepulchre which he had made for himselfe in the citie of Dauid, and layde him in the bed which he had filled with diuers kindes of spices, & sweete odours made by the craft of the appothecaries: and burnt very much spice about him.
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.