« | 2 Chronicles 26 | » |
1 Then all the people of Iuda toke Uzzia, which was sixteene yeres olde, & made him king in the roome of his father Amaziahu.
2 And he built Eloth, and brought it againe to Iuda, after that the king was layde to sleepe with his fathers.
3 Sixteene yeres olde was Uzzia when he began to raigne, and he raigned fiftie and two yeres in Hierusalem: His mothers name also was Iecholia, of Hierusalem.
4 And he did that which was right in the sight of the Lorde, according to all as did his father Amaziahu.
5 And [it came to passe that] he sought God in the dayes of Zachariahu, who had vnderstanding in the visions of God: And as long as he sought the Lorde, God made him to prosper.
6 And he went to battaile against the Philistines, and brake downe the wall of Geth, and the wall of Iabne, and the wall of Asdod, & built cities about Asdod and among the Philistines.
7 And God holpe him against the Philistines and against the Arabians that dwelt in Gur baal and Hamehunim.
8 And the Ammonites gaue tribute to Uzzia, & his name spread abrode euen to the entring in of Egypt: for he played the man exceedingly.
9 Moreouer, Uzzia built towres in Hierusalem by the corner gate, and by the valley gate, and at the turning of the wall, and made them strong.
10 And he built towres in the wildernesse, and digged many welles: For he had much cattaile in the valleyes & playnes, plowmen and vinedressers in the mountaines and in Charmel: for he loued husbandry.
11 And Uzzia had an hoast of fighting men, that went out to warre in the armie, according to the number of their office, vnder the hande of Ieiel the scribe, and Maasiahu the ruler, and vnder the hand of Hananiahu, which was one of the kinges lordes.
12 And the whole number of the auncient fathers and of the men of might, were two thousand and sixe hundred.
13 And vnder the hand of them was the armie of the men of warre, euen three hundred and seuen thousand, and fiue hundred that made warre with the power of an armie, helping the king against the enemies.
14 And Uzzia prouided them throughout all the hoast, shieldes, speares, helmets, haberginnes, bowes, and slinges for to cast stones.
15 And he made subtyll engins in Hierusalem, which he inuented and layed on the towres and corners, to shoote arrowes and great stones withall: And his name spread farre abrode, because he had prepared to him selfe marueylous strength.
16 But in his strength his heart arose to his destruction: For he transgressed against the Lorde his God, and went into the temple of the Lorde to burne incense vpon the aulter of incense.
17 And Azariahu the priest went in after him, and with him fourescore priestes of the Lorde, that were valiaunt men:
18 And they stoode by Uzzia the king, and saide vnto him: It parteyneth not to thee Uzzia to burne incense vnto the Lorde, but to the priestes the children of Aaron, that are consecrated for to offer incense: Come therfore out of the sanctuary, for thou hast trespassed, and it is no worship to thee before the Lorde God.
19 And Uzzia was wroth, & had incense in his hande to burne it, and so while he had indignation against the priestes, the leprosie sprang in his forehead before the priestes in the house of the Lorde, euen beside the incense aulter.
20 And Azariahu the chiefe priest, with al the other priestes, loked vpon him, and beholde he was become a leaper in his forehead, and they vexed him thence: and he was fayne to go out, because the Lorde had smytten him.
21 And Uzzia the king continued a leper vnto the day of his death, & dwelt seuerall in an house being a leper and shut out of the house of the Lorde: and Iotham his sonne had the gouernauce of the kinges house, and iudged the people of the lande.
22 The rest of the actes of Uzzia first and last, did Isai the prophete the sonne of Amos write.
23 And so Uzzia slept with his fathers, and they buried him with his fathers in the fielde of the buriall which was beside the sepulchres of the kinges: for they saide, he is a leper: And Iotham 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.