« | Esther 6 | » |
1 The same night coulde not the king sleepe, and he commaunded to bring the chronicles and stories: and they were read before the king.
2 Then it was founde written howe Mardocheus had tolde that Bigthana & Theres the kinges two chamberlaynes which kept the thresholdes, sought to laye handes on king Ahasuerus.
3 And the king saide: What honour and dignitie hath ben geuen to Mardocheus therfore? Then saide the kinges seruautes that ministred vnto him: There is nothing at all done for him.
4 And the king saide: Who is in the court? (for Haman was come into the court without before the kinges house, that he might speake vnto the king to hang Mardocheus on the tree that he had prepared for him.)
5 And the kinges seruauntes saide vnto him: Beholde, Haman standeth in the court. And the king saide: let him come in.
6 And when Haman came in, the king saide vnto him: what shalbe done vnto the man whom the king would faine bring vnto worship? (Haman thought in his heart: Whom desireth the king to bring vnto worship more then me?)
7 And Haman aunswered the king: Let the man whom the king pleaseth to bring vnto worship, be brought hither,
8 That he may be arayed with the royall garmentes which the king vseth to weare, and the horse that the king rydeth vpon, and that the crowne royall may be set vpon his head:
9 And let this rayment and horse be deliuered vnder the hande of one of the kinges most noble princes, that they may aray the man withal whom the king is disposed to bring to honour, and cary him vpon the horse through the streete of the citie, and proclayme before him, Thus shall it be done to the man whom the king pleaseth to bring to honour.
10 And the king saide to Haman: Make haste, and take as thou hast saide the rayment and the horse, and do euen so vnto Mardocheus the Iewe that sitteth before the kinges gate, and let nothing faile of all that thou hast spoken.
11 Then toke Haman the rayment and the horse, and arayed Mardocheus, and brought him on horsebacke through the streete of the citie, and proclaymed before him, Euen this shall it be done vnto the man whom the king is disposed to honour.
12 And Mardocheus came againe to the kinges gate: but Haman gat him home in all the haste mourning, and his head couered,
13 And tolde Zares his wyfe and all his friendes euery thing that had befallen him. Then saide his wise men and Zares his wyfe vnto him: If it be Mardocheus of the seede of the Iewes, before who thou hast begun to fall, thou shalt not preuaile against him, but shalt surely fall before him.
14 And whyle they were yet talking with him, came the kinges chamberlaynes, & caused Haman to make hast to come vnto the banket that Esther had prepared.
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.