« | 2 Corinthians 5 | » |
1 For we knowe, that yf our earthly house of [this] tabernacle were destroyed, we haue a building of God, an habitation not made with handes, but eternall in heauen.
2 For therfore sygh we, desiryng to be clothed with our house whiche is from heauen:
3 So yet, yf that we be founde clothed, and not naked.
4 For we that are in this tabernacle sigh, & being burdened because we would not be vnclothed, but would be clothed vpo, that mortalitie might be swalowed vp of lyfe.
5 He that hath ordeyned vs for this thyng [is] God, which hath also geuen vnto vs the earnest of the spirite.
6 Therfore we are alway of good cheare, and knowe, that as long as we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lorde.
7 (For we walke by fayth, not after outwarde appearaunce.)
8 Neuerthelesse, we are of good comfort, and had rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lorde.
9 Wherfore, whether we be at home, or from home, we endeuour our selues to be accepted vnto hym.
10 For we must all appeare before the iudgement seate of Christe, that euery man may receaue the workes of his bodie according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.
11 Seing then that we knowe the feare of the Lorde, we fare fayre with men: For we are knowen well enough vnto God. I trust also that we are knowen in your consciences.
12 For we prayse not our selues agayne vnto you, but geue you an occasion to reioyce of vs, that ye may haue somwhat agaynst them which reioyce in the face, and not in the heart.
13 For yf we be to feruent, to God are we to feruent: Or yf we kepe measure, for your cause kepe we measure.
14 For the loue of Christe constrayneth vs, because we thus iudge, that yf one dyed for all, then were all dead.
15 And he dyed for all, that they which lyue, shoulde not hencefoorth lyue vnto them selues, but vnto hym which dyed for them, and rose agayne.
16 Wherefore hencefoorth knowe we no man after the flesshe: Insomuche, though we haue knowen Christe after the flesshe, nowe yet hencefoorth knowe we hym so no more.
17 Therfore yf any man be in Christe, he is a newe creature. Olde thynges are passed awaye, beholde all thynges are become newe.
18 And all thynges are of God, whiche hath reconciled vs vnto hym selfe by Iesus Christe, and hath geuen to vs the ministerie of reconciliation.
19 For God was in Christe, reconciling the worlde to hym selfe, not imputyng their sinnes vnto them, and hath committed to vs the preachyng of the atonement.
20 Nowe then are we messengers in the rowme of Christe, euen as though God dyd beseche you through vs. So praye we you in Christes steade, that ye be reconciled vnto God.
21 For he hath made him to be sinne for vs, whiche knewe no sinne, that we shoulde be made the ryghteousnesse of God in hym.
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.