« | 2 Timothy 4 |
1 I testifie therefore before God, & the Lorde Iesus Christe, which shall iudge the quicke and the dead at his appearyng, and his kingdome.
2 Preache the worde, be instant in season, out of season: Improue, rebuke, exhort in all long sufferyng and doctrine.
3 For the tyme wyll come, when they shall not suffer wholsome doctrine: but after their owne lustes, shal they whose eares itche, get the an heape of teachers:
4 And shall turne away their hearyng from the trueth, and shalbe turned vnto fables.
5 But watche thou in all thynges, suffer afflictions, do the worke of an Euangelist, fulfyll thy ministerie:
6 For I am nowe redie to be offered, & the tyme of my dissolution is at hande.
7 I haue fought a good fyght, I haue fulfylled [my] course, I haue kept ye faith.
8 Hencefoorth there is layde vp for me a crowne of ryghteousnesse, which the Lorde, the ryghteous iudge, shall geue me at that day: not to me only, but vnto the also yt haue loued his appearyng.
9 Do thy diligence to come shortly vnto me.
10 For Demas hath forsaken me, hauing loued this present worlde, and is departed vnto Thessalonica, Crescens to Galatia, Titus vnto Dalmatia.
11 Only Luke is with me. Takyng Marke and bryng him with thee, for he is profitable vnto me for ye ministration.
12 And Tychicus haue I sent to Ephesus.
13 The cloke that I left at Troas with Carpus, whe thou commest bring with thee, and the bookes, but specially the parchementes.
14 Alexander the coppersmith shewed me much euyll: The Lorde rewarde hym accordyng to his deedes.
15 Of whom be thou ware also: For he hath greatly withstande our preaching.
16 At my first aunsweryng, no man assisted me, but all forsoke me, [I pray God] yt it may not be layde to their charges:
17 Notwithstandyng, the Lorde assisted me, and strengthed me, that by me the preachyng should be fulfylled to the vtmost, and that all the gentiles should heare, and I was deliuered out of the mouth of the Lion.
18 And the Lorde shall delyuer me from euery euyll worke, & will preserue me vnto his heauenly kingdome: To who [be] prayse for euer and euer. Amen.
19 Salute Prisca and Aquila, and the housholde of Onesiphorus.
20 Erastus abode at Corinthum: But Trophimus haue I left at Miletum sicke.
21 Do thy diligece to come before winter. Eubolus greeteth thee, and Pudens, & Linus, and Claudia, & all the brethre.
22 The Lorde Iesus Christe [be] with thy spirite: Grace be with you. Amen. [The seconde epistle vnto Timothe, was written from Rome, when Paul was presented the seconde tyme vnto the Emperour Nero.]
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.