« | Ephesians 5 | » |
1 Be ye therefore folowers of God, as deare chyldren:
2 And walke ye in loue, euen as Christe hath loued vs, and hath geuen hym selfe for vs an offering and a sacrifice of a sweete smellyng sauour to God.
3 But fornication, and all vncleannesse, or couetousnesse, let it not be once named among you, as it becommeth saintes:
4 Neither fylthynesse, neither foolyshe talkyng, neither iestyng, which are not comely: but rather, geuyng of thankes.
5 For this ye knowe, that no whoremonger, neither vncleane person, nor couetous person, which is a worshipper of images, hath any inheritaunce in the kyngdome of Christe, and of God.
6 Let no man deceaue you with vayne wordes: For, because of such thynges commeth the wrath of God vppon the chyldren of disobedience.
7 Be not ye therefore companions of them.
8 For ye were sometimes darknesse: but nowe are ye lyght in the Lorde. Walke as chyldren of lyght.
9 For the fruite of the spirite (is) in all goodnesse, and righteousnesse, & trueth,
10 Approuyng what is acceptable vnto the Lorde.
11 And haue no felowship with the vnfruitefull workes of darknesse, but rather euen rebuke them.
12 For it is shame euen to name those thynges whiche are done of them in secrete.
13 But all thynges, when they are rebuked of the lyght, are manifest: For all that which do make manifest, is lyght.
14 Wherefore he sayth: Awake thou that sleepest, and stande vp from the dead, and Christe shall geue thee lyght.
15 Take heede therfore howe ye walke circumspectlye: not as vnwyse, but as wyse,
16 Redeemyng the time, because ye dayes are euyll.
17 Wherfore be ye not vnwise, but vnderstandyng what the wyll of the Lord is.
18 And be not drunke with wine, wherin is excesse: but be fylled with the spirite,
19 Speaking vnto your selues in psalmes and hymnes, and spirituall songues, syngyng and makyng melodie to the Lorde in your heartes:
20 Geuing thankes alwayes for all thinges vnto God and the father, in ye name of our Lorde Iesus Christe,
21 Submittyng your selues one to another in the feare of God.
22 Wyues, submit your selues vnto your owne husbandes, as vnto the Lorde:
23 For the husbande is the head of the wyfe, euen as Christe is the head of the Church: & he is the sauiour of the bodie.
24 But as the Church is subiect to Christ, lykewyse the wyues to their owne husbandes in all thynges.
25 Ye husbandes loue your wyues, euen as Christe also loued the Churche, and gaue hym selfe for it,
26 To sanctifie it, clensyng [it] in the fountayne of water in the worde,
27 To make it vnto hym selfe a glorious Churche, not hauyng spot or wrinckle, or any such thyng: but that it should be holy, and without blame.
28 So ought men to loue their wyues, as their owne bodies. He that loueth his wyfe, loueth hym selfe.
29 For no man euer yet hated his owne flesshe: but norissheth & cherissheth it, euen as the Lorde the Churche.
30 For we are members of his body, of his flesshe, and of his bones.
31 For this cause shall a man leaue father and mother, and shalbe ioyned vnto his wyfe, and two shalbe made one flesshe.
32 This is a great secrete: but I speake of Christe and of the Churche.
33 Therfore euery one of you [do ye so] Let euery one of you loue his wyfe euen as hym selfe, and [let] the wyfe reuerence her husbande.
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.