« | Deuteronomy 15 | » |
1 At the terme of seuen yeres, thou shalt make a freedome.
2 And this is the maner of the freedome: Who so euer lendeth ought with his hande vnto his neighbour, may not aske agayne (that which he hath lent) of his neighbour or of his brother, because it is called the Lordes free yere:
3 Yet of a straunger thou mayst call it home agayne: but he that is thy brother, hym shall thine hande remit.
4 Neuerthelesse, there shalbe no begger among you: for the Lorde shall blesse thee in the lande which the Lorde thy God geueth thee for an inheritaunce:
5 So that thou hearken vnto the voyce of the Lord thy God, to obserue and do all these commaundementes which I commaunde thee this day:
6 For the Lorde thy God hath blessed thee, as he hath promised thee, and thou shalt lende vnto many nations, but thou thy selfe shalt not borowe: And thou shalt raigne ouer many nations, and they shall not raigne ouer thee.
7 If one of thy brethren among you be poore within any of thy gates in thy lande which the Lorde thy God geueth thee: thou shalt not harden thine heart, nor shut to thine hande from thy poore brother:
8 But thou shalt open thine hande vnto hym, and lende hym sufficient for his neede which he hath.
9 Beware that there be not a wicked thought in thine heart, that thou wouldest say, the seuenth yere, the yere of freedome is at hande: and therfore it greeueth thee to loke on thy poore brother, and geuest hym naught, and he then crye vnto the Lorde agaynst thee, and it be sinne vnto thee:
10 Thou shalt geue hym, and let it not greeue thine heart to geue vnto hym: Because that for this thyng the Lorde thy God shall blesse thee in all thy workes, and in all that thou puttest thine hande to.
11 The lande shall neuer be without poore: and therfore I comaunde thee, saying, Thou shalt open thine hande vnto thy brother that is needy & poore in thy lande.
12 If thy brother an Hebrue sell hym selfe to thee, or an Hebrue woman, and serue thee sixe yeres, in the seuenth yere thou shalt let hym go free from thee.
13 And when thou sendest hym out free from thee, thou shalt not let hym go away emptie:
14 But shalt geue hym of thy sheepe, of thy corne, and of thy wine, and geue hym of that wherwith the Lorde thy God hath blessed thee.
15 And remember that thou wast a seruaunt in the lande of Egypt, and the Lorde thy God deliuered thee thence: and therfore I commaunde thee this thyng to day.
16 And if he say vnto thee, I wyll not go away from thee: because he loueth thee and thine house, and is well at ease with thee:
17 Then shalt thou take an aule, & nayle his eare to the doore therwith, and let hym be thy seruaunt for euer: And vnto thy mayde seruaunt thou shalt do likewise.
18 And let it not greeue thine eye, when thou lettest him go out free fro thee, for he hath ben worth a double hired seruaunt to thee in his seruice sixe yeres: And the Lord thy God shall blesse thee in all that thou doest.
19 All the first males that come of thy cattell and of thy sheepe, thou shalt halowe vnto the Lorde thy God: Thou shalt do no worke with the first borne bullocke, nor sheare the first gendred of thy sheepe.
20 Thou shalt eate it before the Lorde thy God yere by yere, in the place which the Lorde shall choose, both thou and thy housholde.
21 If there be any blemishe therin: as if it be lame, or blynde, or haue any other euyll fauourednesse, thou shalt not offer it vnto the Lorde thy God:
22 But shalt eate it within thine owne gates, the vncleane and cleane person shal eate it alike, as the Roe & the Hart.
23 Only eate not the blood therof: but powre it vpon the grounde as water.
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.