« | Deuteronomy 19 | » |
1 When the Lord thy God hath rooted out the nations whose lande the Lorde thy God geueth thee, and thou succeedest in their inheritaunce, and dwellest in their cities, and in their houses:
2 Thou shalt seperate three cities for thee in the middes of the lande which the Lorde thy God geueth thee to possesse it:
3 Thou shalt prepare the way, and deuide the coastes of thy lande which the Lorde thy God geueth thee to inherite, into three partes, that whosoeuer committeth murther, may flee thyther.
4 For this cause must the slayer flee thyther, that he may lyue: Who so kylleth his neighbour ignorauntly, and hated hym not in tyme passed:
5 And whe a man goeth vnto the wood with his neighbour to hewe wood, and as his hande fetcheth a stroke with the axe to cut downe the tree, the head slippeth from the helue, and smyteth his neighbour that he dyeth: the same shall flee vnto one of the same cities, and lyue:
6 Lest the auenger of the blood folowe after the slayer whyle his heart is hot, & ouertake hym because the wayes is long, and slay hym, and yet there is no cause worthy of death in hym, in as much as he hated hym not in tyme passed.
7 Wherfore I commaunde thee, saying: Thou shalt appoynt out three cities for thee.
8 And if the Lorde thy God enlarge thy coastes (as he hath sworne vnto thy fathers) and geue thee all the lande which he sayde he woulde geue vnto thy fathers:
9 Thou shalt kepe all these commaundementes to do them, which I commaunde thee this day, that thou loue the Lorde thy God, and walke in his wayes euer: and adde three cities mo for thee beside these three,
10 That innocent blood be not shed in thy lande, which the Lord thy God geueth thee to inherite, and so blood come vpon thee.
11 But and if any man hate his neyghbour, and lay awayte for hym, and ryse agaynst hym, and smyte hym that he die, & then fleeth vnto any of these cities:
12 The elders of his citie shall sende and fetch hym thence, and deliuer hym into the handes of the auenger of blood, that he may dye.
13 Thine eye shall not spare hym, but thou shalt put away [the crye of] innocent blood from Israel, that it may go well with thee.
14 Thou shalt not remoue thy neyghbours marke, which they of olde time haue set in thine inheritaunce, that thou shalt inherite in the lande which the Lorde thy God geueth thee to enioy it.
15 One witnesse shall not rise agaynst a man for any maner trespasse, or for any maner sinne, or for any maner fault that he offendeth in: but at the mouth of two witnesses or of three witnesses shall the matter be stablished.
16 If a false witnesse rise vp agaynst a man, to accuse hym of trespasse:
17 Then both the men which stryue together, shall stande before the Lorde, before the priestes and the iudges which shalbe in those dayes:
18 And the iudges shall make diligent inquisition: and if the witnesse be founde false, and that he hath geuen false witnesse agaynst his brother:
19 Then shall ye do vnto hym, as he had thought to do vnto his brother, & thou shalt put euyll away from the middes of thee.
20 And other shall heare, and feare, and shall hencefoorth commit no more any such wickednesse among you.
21 And thine eye shall haue no copassion, but lyfe for lyfe, eye for eye, toothe for toothe, hande for hande, foote for foote.
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.