« | Acts 12 | » |
1 At the same tyme Herode the king stretched foorth his handes to vexe certayne of the Churche.
2 And he killed Iames the brother of Iohn with the sworde.
3 And because he sawe it pleased the Iewes, he proceaded further, and toke Peter also. (Then were the dayes of sweete bread.)
4 And when he had caught hym, he put hym in pryson also, and delyuered hym to foure quaternions of souldiers to be kept, intendyng after Easter to bryng hym foorth to the people.
5 And Peter was kept in pryson: But prayer was made without ceassyng of the Churche, vnto God for hym.
6 And when Herode woulde haue brought hym foorth vnto the people, the same nyght slept Peter betweene two souldiers, bounde with two chaynes, and the kepers before the doore kept the pryson.
7 And beholde, the Angel of ye Lorde was there present, and a lyght shyned in the habitation: And he smote Peter on the syde, and stirred hym vp, saying: Aryse vp quickly. And his chaynes fell of from his handes.
8 And the Angel sayde vnto hym: gyrde thy selfe, & bynde on thy sandales. And so he dyd. And he sayeth vnto hym: cast thy garment about thee, and folow me.
9 And he came out and folowed hym, and wyse not that it was trueth which was done by the Angel, but thought he had seene a vision.
10 When they were past the first and the seconde watch, they came vnto the yron gate, that leadeth vnto the citie, which opened to them by the owne accorde: And they went out, and passed through one streate, and foorthwith the Angel departed from hym.
11 And when Peter was come to hym selfe, he sayde: Nowe I knowe of a suertie, that the Lorde hath sent his Angel, and hath deliuered me out of the hande of Herode, and from all the waytyng for, of the people of the Iewes.
12 And as he considered the thyng, he came to the house of Marie the mother of Iohn, whose sirname was Marke, where many were gathered together in prayer.
13 As Peter knocked at the entrie doore, a damsell came foorth to hearken, named Rhoda.
14 And when she knewe Peters voyce, she opened not the doore for gladnesse, but ran in, and tolde howe Peter stoode before the doore.
15 And they sayde vnto her: thou art mad. But she affirmed that it was euen so. Then sayde they: it is his Angel.
16 But Peter continued knockyng: And when they had opened the doore, and sawe hym, they were astonyed.
17 And when he had beckened vnto the with the hande, that they myght holde their peace, he tolde them by what meanes the Lorde had brought hym out of the pryson. And he sayde: Go shewe these thynges vnto Iames and to the brethren. And he departed, and went into another place.
18 Nowe assoone as it was day, there was no litle adoe among the souldiers, what was become of Peter.
19 And when Herode had sought for hym, and founde hym not, he examined the kepers, and commaunded them to be caryed away. And he descended from Iurie to Cesarea, and there abode.
20 And Herode was displeased with them of Tyre and Sidon: But they came all with one accorde to hym, and made intercession vnto Blastus the kynges chaumberlayne, and desired peace, because their countrey was norisshed by the kyng.
21 And vpon a day appoynted, Herode arayed hym in royall apparell, and set hym in his seate, and made an oration vnto them.
22 And the people gaue a shout [saying] It is the voyce of God, & not of a man.
23 And immediatly the Angel of ye Lorde smote hym, because he gaue not God ye honour, & he was eaten of wormes, and gaue vp the ghost.
24 And the worde of God grewe and multiplied.
25 And Barnabas and Saul returned to Hierusalem, when they had fulfylled their office, and toke with them Iohn, whose sirname was Marke.
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.