« | Ecclesiastes 3 | » |
1 Euery thyng hath a tyme, yea all that is vnder the heaue hath his conuenient season.
2 There is a tyme to be borne, and a tyme to dye: there is a tyme to plant, and a tyme to plucke vp the thyng that is planted.
3 A tyme to slay, and a tyme to make whole: a tyme to breake downe, and a tyme to builde vp.
4 A tyme to weepe, and a tyme to laugh: a tyme to mourne, & a tyme to daunce.
5 A tyme to cast away stones, and a tyme to gather stones together: A tyme to imbrace, and a tyme to refrayne from imbracyng.
6 A tyme to wynne, and a tyme to lose: A tyme to spare, and a tyme to spende.
7 A tyme to cut in peeces, and a tyme to sowe together: A tyme to kepe scilence, and a tyme to speake.
8 A tyme to loue, and a tyme to hate: A tyme of warre, and a tyme of peace.
9 What hath a man els that doth any thyng, but weerinesse and labour?
10 For as touchyng the trauayle and carefulnesse which God hath geuen vnto men, I see that he hath geuen it them to be exercised in it.
11 All this hath he ordeyned marueilous goodly, to euery thyng his due tyme: He hath planted ignoraunce also in the heartes of men, that they shoulde not comprehende the ground of his workes which he doth from the begynnyng to the ende.
12 So I perceaued that in those thinges there is nothyng better for a man then to be mery, and to do well as long as he lyueth.
13 For all that a man eateth & drynketh, yea whatsoeuer a man enioyeth of all his labour: that same is a gyft of God.
14 I considered also that whatsoeuer God doth, it continueth for euer: And that nothyng can be put vnto it, nor taken from it, & that God doth it to the intent that men shoulde feare hym.
15 The thyng that hath ben, is nowe: and the thyng that is for to come, hath ben afore time: for God restoreth againe the thyng that was past.
16 Moreouer, I sawe vnder the sunne vngodlynes in the steade of iudgement, & iniquitie in steade of righteousnesse.
17 Then thought I in my mynde, God shall separate the ryghteous from the vngodly: and then shalbe the tyme and iudgement of all counsayles & workes.
18 I communed with myne owne heart also concernyng the children of men, howe God hath chosen them, and yet letteth them appeare as though they were beastes.
19 For it happeneth vnto men as it doth vnto beastes, euen one condition vnto them both: as the one dyeth so dyeth the other, yea they haue both one maner of breath: so that in this a man hath no preeminence aboue a beast, but are all subdued vnto vanitie.
20 They go all vnto one place: for as they be all of dust, so shall they all turne vnto dust agayne.
21 Who knoweth the spirite of man that goeth vpwarde, & the breath of the beast that goeth downe to the earth?
22 Wherfore I perceaue that there is nothyng better for a man then to be ioyfull in his labour, for that is his portion: But who wyll bryng hym to see the thyng that shall come after hym?
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.