« | Deuteronomy 24 | » |
1 When a man hath taken a wife and maried her, if she finde no fauour in his eyes, because he hath spyed some vncleannes in her: then let hym wryte her a byll of deuorcement, and put it in her hande, and sende her out of his house:
2 And when she is departed out of his house, let her go and be another mans wyfe.
3 And if the seconde husbande hate her, let him write her also a letter of deuorcement, and put it in her hande, and sende her out of his house: Or if the seconde man dye whiche toke her to wyfe,
4 Her first man whiche sent her away, may not take her agayne to be his wyfe after that she is defiled: For that is abhomination in the sight of the Lorde, and thou shalt not cause the lande to sinne, whiche the Lorde thy God shall geue thee to inherite.
5 When a man taketh a newe wyfe, he shall not go a warfare, neither shalbe charged with any businesse: but shalbe free at home one yere, and reioyce with his wyfe whiche he hath taken.
6 No man shall take the neather or the vpper mylstone to pledge: for then he shall hurt a mans life.
7 If any man be founde stealing any of his brethren the chyldren of Israel, and abuseth hym, or selleth hym: the thiefe shall dye, and thou shalt put euill away from the middest of thee.
8 Take heede to thy selfe as concerning the plague of leprosie, that thou obserue diligently, and ye shall do according to all that the priestes the Leuites shall teache you: euen as I commaunded them, so ye shall obserue to do.
9 Remember what the Lorde thy God dyd vnto Miriam by the way, after that ye were come out of Egypt.
10 When thou doest lend thy brother any thing, thou shalt not go into his house to fetche a pledge from thence:
11 But shalt stande without, and the man that borowed it of thee, shall bring the pledge out of the doores vnto thee.
12 Furthermore, if it be a poore body, thou shalt not sleepe with his pledge:
13 But deliuer hym the pledge agayne when the sunne goeth downe, that he may sleepe in his owne raiment, & blesse thee: And it shalbe righteousnes vnto thee before the Lorde thy Lorde.
14 Thou shalt not oppresse an hyred seruaunt that is needie and poore, whether he be of thy brethre, or of the straungers that are in thy lande within thy gates:
15 But shalt geue him his hyre the same day, & let not the sunne go downe theron, for he is needie, and therwith sustayneth his life: lest he crye against thee vnto the Lorde, and it be sinne vnto thee.
16 The fathers shall not be put to death for the chyldren, nor the chyldren for the fathers: but euery man shalbe put to death for his owne sinne.
17 Thou shalt not peruert the ryght of the strauger, nor of the fatherlesse, nor take a wydowes rayment to pledge:
18 But remember that thou wast a seruaunt in Egypt, and howe the Lorde thy God deliuered thee thence: And therfore I commaunde thee to do this thyng.
19 When thou cuttest downe thyne haruest in thy field, and hast forgot a sheafe in the fielde, thou shalt not go agayne to set it: But it shalbe for the straunger, the fatherlesse, and the wydowe: that the Lorde thy God may blesse thee in all the workes of thyne hande.
20 When thou beatest downe thine oliue tree, thou shalt not search ye boughes agayne, to gather vp that thou leftest behinde thee: but it shalbe for the strauger, the fatherlesse, and the wydowe.
21 When thou gatherest the grapes of thy vineyarde, thou shalt not gather the grapes cleane after thee: but leaue them for the straunger, the fatherlesse, and the wydowe.
22 And remember that thou also wast a seruaunt in the lande of Egypt: & therfore I comaunde thee to do this thing.
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.