« | Amos 9 |
1 I saw the Lorde standing vpon the aulter, and he sayd: Smite the lintel of the doore, that the postes may shake, & cut them in peeces, euen the heades of them all, and I wil slay the last of them with the sworde: he that fleeth of them, shall not flee away, and he that escapeth of them, shall not be deliuered.
2 Though they dig into hell, thence shall my hande take them, though they clime vp to heauen, thence will I bring them downe.
3 And though they hyde them selues in the top of Charmel, I will searche, and take them out thence: and though they be hyd from my sight in the bottome of the sea, thence will I commaunde the serpent, and he shall bite them.
4 And though they go into captiuitie before their enemies, thence wil I commaunde the sworde & it shall slay them: and I will set myne eyes vpon them for euill, and not for good.
5 And the Lorde God of hoastes shall touche the land, and it shall melt away: and all that dwell therin shall mourne, and it shal rise vp whole like a flood, and shalbe drowned as by the flood of Egypt.
6 He buyldeth his spheres in the heauen, & hath layde the foundation of his globe of elementes on the earth: he calleth the waters of the sea, and poureth them out vpon the open earth, the Lorde is his name.
7 Are ye not as the Ethiopians vnto me O children of Israel, sayth the Lorde? haue not I brought vp Israel out of the lande of Egypt? & the Philistines from Cappadocia, and the Syrians from Cyrene?
8 Behold, the eyes of the Lorde God are vpon the sinful kingdome, and I wil destroy it cleane out of the earth: neuerthelesse, I wil not vtterly destroy the house of Iacob, sayth the Lorde.
9 For lo, I will commaunde, and I will sifte the house of Israel among all nations, like as corne is sifted in a siue: yet shall not the least stone fall vpon the earth.
10 But all the sinners of my people shall die by the sword, which say, The euyll shall not come, nor hasten for vs.
11 In that day will I rayse vp the tabernacle of Dauid that is fallen downe, and close vp the breaches thereof, and I will rayse vp his ruines, & I will buyld it, as in the dayes of olde:
12 That they may possesse the remnaunt of Edom, & of all the heathen, because my name is called vpon them, sayth the Lorde that doeth this.
13 Behold the dayes come, saith the Lord, that the plowman shall touche the mower, and the treader of grapes hym that soweth seede, and the mountaynes shal drop sweete wine, & all the hilles shall melt.
14 And I wil bring againe the captiuitie of my people of Israel, and they shall buyld the wast cities, and inhabite them: and they shall plante vineyardes, and drinke the wine therof, they shall also make gardens, and eate the fruites of them.
15 And I will plant them vpon their land, and they shal no more be pulled vp againe out of their lande which I haue geuen them, sayth the Lorde thy God.
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.