Exodus 1 | » |
1 These are the names of the children of Israel, whiche came into Egypt with Iacob, euery ma came with his housholde:
2 Ruben, Simeon, Leui, and Iuda:
3 Isachar, Zabulon, and Beniamin,
4 Dan and Nephthali, Gad & Aser.
5 All the soules that came out of the line of Iacob, were seuentie:
6 But Ioseph was in Egypt alredy, & Ioseph dyed, and all his brethren, and all that generation.
7 And the children of Israel were fruitfull, encreased, multiplied, & waxed exceedyng myghtie, and the lande was full of them.
8 But there arose vp a newe kyng in Egypt, which knewe not Ioseph:
9 And he sayde vnto his folke, Beholde, the people of the chyldren of Israel are greater and myghtier then we.
10 Come on, let vs deale wyttyly with the, lest they multiplie, & lest it come to passe, that if there be any warre, they ioyne them selues vnto our enemies, & fight agaynst vs, & so get them vp out of ye land.
11 Therfore dyd they set taske maisters ouer them, to kepe the vnder with burthens: And they buylt vnto Pharao treasure cities, Pithom & Raamses.
12 But the more they vexed them, the more they multiplied and grewe: so that they abhorred at the syght of the chyldren of Israel.
13 And the Egyptians helde the children of Israel in bondage without mercie,
14 And they made their lyues bytter vnto them in that cruell bondage, in claye, and bricke, and all maner of worke in the fielde: for all their bondage wherein they serued them was ful of tirannie.
15 And the kyng of Egypt spake vnto the mydwyfes of the Hebrues women: (of which the one was named Siphrah and the other Puah) and sayde:
16 When ye do the office of a mydwyfe to the women of the Hebrues, and see in the birth tyme that it is a boy, ye shall kyl it: but if it be a daughter, it shal liue.
17 Notwithstanding, the mydwifes feared God, and dyd not as the kyng of Egypt commaunded them, but saued the men chyldren.
18 And the kyng of Egypt called for the mydwyfes, and sayde vnto them: why haue ye dealt on this maner, and haue saued the men chyldren?
19 And the mydwyfes aunswered Pharao: that ye Hebrues women are not as the women of Egypt: for they are more liuely women, and are deliuered yer the mydwyfes come at them.
20 And God dealt well therefore with the mydwyfes: and the people multiplied and waxed very myghtie.
21 And it came to passe, that because the midwifes feared God, he made them houses.
22 And Pharao charged all his people, saying: All the men chyldren that are borne, cast into the ryuer, and saue the mayde chyldren alyue.
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.