« | Exodus 33 | » |
1 And the Lorde sayde vnto Moyses: Depart and go vp hence, thou and the people whiche thou hast brought out of the lande of Egypt, vnto the lande which I sware vnto Abraham, Isahac, & Iacob, saying, vnto thy seede wyll I geue it.
2 And I will send an angell before thee, and I wyll cast out the Chanaanites, the Amorites, & the Hethites, the Pherezites, the Heuites, and the Iebusites:
3 Unto a lande that floweth with mylke and hony. For I wyll not go amongest you my selfe: for ye are a styfnecked people, lest I consume thee in the way.
4 And when the people hearde this euil tidinges, they sorowed: and no man dyd put on his best rayment.
5 And the Lorde spake vnto Moyses: Say vnto the chyldren of Israel, ye are a styfnecked people: I must come once sodaynly vpon you, and make an ende of you: therefore nowe put thy goodly rayment from thee, that I may wyt what to do vnto thee.
6 And the children of Israel layde their goodly rayment from them, euen by the mount Horeb.
7 And Moyses toke the tabernacle, and pitched it without the hoast a farre of from the hoast, and called it the tabernacle of the congregation: And so it came to passe that euery one whiche woulde pray vnto the Lorde, went out vnto the tabernacle of the congregation whiche was without the hoast.
8 And when Moyses went out vnto the tabernacle, all the people rose vp, and stode euery man at his tent doore, and loked after Moyses, vntill he was gone into the tabernacle.
9 And assoone as Moyses was entred into the tabernacle, the cloudie piller descended, and stode at the doore of the tabernacle, and he talked with Moyses.
10 And all the people sawe the cloudie piller stand at the tabernacle doore, and they rose vp and worshipped euery man in his tent doore.
11 And the Lord spake vnto Moyses face to face, as a man speaketh vnto his freende. And he turued agayne into the hoast: but the young man Iosuah his seruaunt the sonne of Nun, departed not out of the tabernacle.
12 And Moyses said vnto the Lord: See, thou sayest vnto me, Leade this people foorth: & thou hast not shewed me who thou wylt send with me. And thou hast sayd moreouer, I knowe thee by name, & thou hast also found grace in my sight.
13 Nowe therfore, if I haue founde fauour in thy sight, then I pray thee shew me thy way, that I may know thee, and that I may finde grace in thy sight, and consider also that this nation is thy people.
14 And he said: My presence shall go with thee, and I wyll geue thee rest.
15 He sayd vnto hym: If thy presence go not with me, cary vs not hence.
16 For howe shall it be knowen here, that I and thy people haue founde fauour in thy sight, but in that thou goest with vs? If thou goest with vs, shall not I and thy people haue preeminence before all the people that are vpon the face of the earth?
17 And the Lorde sayde vnto Moyses: I wyll do this also that thou hast sayd, for thou hast founde grace in my sight, and I knowe thee by name.
18 And he sayde: I beseche thee shewe me thy glorie.
19 Who aunswered: I wyll make all my good go before thee, & I wyll call in the name of Iehouah before thee: and wyl shewe mercy to whom I wyll shewe mercy, and wyll haue compassion, on whom I wyll haue compassion.
20 And he said furthermore, Thou mayest not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and lyue.
21 And the Lorde sayd: Beholde, there is a place by me, and thou shalt stande vpon a rocke.
22 And whyle my glory goeth foorth, I wyll put thee in a clyft of the rocke, and will put my hand vpon thee, while I passe by.
23 And I wyll take away myne hande, and thou shalt see my backe partes: but my face shall not be seene.
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.