« | Esther 5 | » |
1 And on the third day it came to passe, that Esther put on her royall apparell, and stoode in the court of the kinges palace within, ouer against ye kinges house: and the king sat vpon his royall seate in the kinges palace ouer against the gate of the house. (15:1) Mardocheus also bade Hester go in vnto the kyng, and pray for her people, and for her countrey. (15:2) Remember (saith he) the dayes of thy lowe estate, how thou wast nourished vnder my hande: For Aman whiche is next vnto the kyng, hath geuen sentence of death against vs: (15:3) Call thou therefore vpon the Lorde, and speake for vs vnto the king, and deliuer vs from death. (15:4) And vpon the thirde day it happened that Hester layde away the mourning garmentes, and put on her glorious apparell, (15:5) And deckt her selfe goodly (after that she had called vpon God, whiche is the beholder and sauiour of all thinges) [and] toke two maydens with her: (15:6) Upon the one she leaned her selfe, as one that was tender: (15:7) The other folowed her, and bare the trayne of her vesture. (15:8) The shine of her beautie made her face rose coloured, the similitude of her face was chearefull and amiable: but her heart was sorowfull for great feare. (15:9) She went in thorowe all the doores, and stoode before the kyng: The kyng sate vpon the trone of his kyngdome, and was clothed in his goodly aray, all shining with golde, and set with precious stones, and he was very terrible.
2 And when the king sawe Esther the queene standing in the court, she founde grace in his sight: And the king held out the golden scepter that was in his hand: So Esther stept foorth and touched the top of the scepter. (15:10) He lyft vp his face that shone in the clearnesse, and looked grimly vpon her: Then fel the Queene downe, was pale and faynte, leaned her selfe vpon the head of the mayde that went with her. (15:11) Neuerthelesse, God turned the kinges minde that he was gentle, that he leaped out of his seate for feare, and gate her in his armes, and helde her vp tyll she came to her self againe, he gaue her louing wordes also, and said vnto her: (15:12) Hester, what is the matter? I am thy brother, be of good cheare: (15:13) Thou shalt not die, for our commaundement toucheth the commons, and not thee: Come nye. (15:14) And with that he helde vp his golden rodde, and layde it vpon her necke. (15:15) And imbraced her frendly, and sayd: Talke with me. (15:16) Then sayde she: I sawe thee (O Lorde) as an angell of God, and my heart was troubled for feare of thy maiestie and clearnesse. (15:17) For excellent and wonderfull art thou O Lorde, and thy face is full of amitie. (15:18) But as she was thus speaking vnto hym, she fell downe agayne for fayntnesse: (15:19) For the whiche cause the kyng was afraide, and all his seruauntes comforted her.
3 Then saide the king vnto her: What wylt thou queene Esther? and what requirest thou? [aske] euen the halfe of the empire, and it shalbe geuen thee.
4 And Esther aunswered: If it please the king, let the king and Haman come this day vnto the banket that I haue prepared for him.
5 And the king saide: Cause Haman to make haste, that he may do as Esther hath saide. So the king and Haman came to the banket that Esther had prepared.
6 And the king saide vnto Esther at the banket of wine: What is thy petition, that it may be geuen thee? And what requirest thou? If it be euen the halfe of the empire, it shall be done.
7 Then aunswered Esther, and said: My petition and desire is,
8 If I haue founde grace in the sight of the king, and if it please the king to geue me my petition, and to fulfil my request, then let the king and Haman come to the banket that I shall prepare for the: and so wyl I do to morowe, as the king hath saide.
9 Then went Haman foorth the same day ioyfull and mery in his minde: But when the same Haman sawe Mardocheus in the kinges gate, that he stoode not vp nor moued for him, he was ful of indignation at Mardocheus.
10 Neuerthelesse, Haman refrained him selfe, and when he came home he sent and called for his friendes and Zares his wyfe.
11 And Haman tolde them of the glory of his riches, and the multitude of his children, and all the thinges wherein the king had promoted him so greatly, and how that he had set him aboue the princes and seruauntes of the king.
12 Haman saide moreouer: Yea, Esther the queene did let no man come in with the king vnto the bancket that she had prepared, except me: and to morowe am I bidden vnto her also with the king.
13 But in all this am I not satisfied, as long as I see Mardocheus the Iewe sitting at the kinges gate.
14 Then saide Zares his wyfe and all his friendes vnto him: Let them make a galous of fiftie cubites hie, and to morowe speake thou vnto the king that Mardocheus may be hanged thereon: then go thou in meryly with the king vnto the banket. And Haman was well content withall, and caused the galous to be made.
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.