« | Ezekiel 22 | » |
1 Moreouer the worde of the Lorde came vnto me, and sayde,
2 Thou sonne of man, wylt thou not iudge, wylt thou not iudge this blooddy citie? wylt thou not shewe her all her abhominations?
3 And tell them, thus saith the Lorde God, The citie sheddeth blood in the middest of it, that her tyme may come, and maketh idols agaynst her selfe, to defile her selfe.
4 Thou hast made thy selfe giltie in the blood that thou hast shed, and defyled thee in the idols which thou hast made: thou hast caused thy dayes to drawe nye, and made the tyme of thy yeres to come: therfore wyll I make thee a reproche among the heathen, and to be a mockyng in all landes.
5 Whether they be nye or farre from thee, they shall laugh thee to scorne, thou that hast gotten thee so foule a name, and art full of trouble.
6 Beholde the rulers of Israel, euery one in thee [was redy] to his power to shed blood.
7 In thee haue they dispised father and mother, in thee haue they oppressed the straunger, in thee haue they vexed the widowe and the fatherlesse.
8 Thou hast dispised my holy thynges, and defiled my Sabbathes.
9 Tale tellers are there in thee to shed blood, in thee are such as eate vpon the hylles, and in thee they commit abhomination.
10 In thee they discouered their fathers shame, in thee they haue humbled her that was set apart for pollution.
11 Euery man hath dealt shamefully with his neighbours wife, and abhominably defiled his daughter in lawe, in thee hath euery man forced his owne sister, euen his fathers daughter.
12 Yea giftes haue ben receaued in thee to shed blood, thou hast taken vsurie and encrease, thou hast oppressed thy neighbours by extortion, and forgotten me, saith the Lorde God.
13 Beholde, I haue smitten my handes vpon thy couetousnesse that thou hast vsed, and vpon the blood which hath ben shed in thee.
14 Is thy heart able to endure? or may thy handes be strenghthened in the dayes that I shal haue to do with thee? Euen I the Lorde that speake it, wyll bryng it also to passe.
15 I wyll scatter thee among the heathen, & strawe thee about in the landes, and wyll cause thy filthinesse to ceasse out of thee.
16 Yea and thou shalt be thine owne inheritaunce in the sight of the heathen, that thou mayest knowe that I am the Lorde.
17 And the worde of the Lorde came vnto me, saying:
18 Thou sonne of man, the house of Israel is vnto me as drosse: all they are brasse, tinne, iron, and lead in the middest of the furnace, euen drosse of siluer are they.
19 Therfore thus saith the Lorde God, Forasmuch as ye all are turned into drosse, therfore beholde I wyll bryng you together vnto Hierusalem.
20 Lyke as they gather siluer, brasse, iron, tinne, and lead, into the middest of the furnace, and the fire is blowne there vnder to melt them: euen so wyll I gather you in mine anger & in my wrath, and let you remayne [there] and cause you to melt.
21 I wyll bryng you together, and blowe the fire of my wrath vpon you, and ye shalbe molten in the middest therof.
22 Lyke as the siluer is molten in the furnace, so shall ye also be molten therin, that ye may knowe howe that I the Lord haue powred my wrath vpon you.
23 And the worde of the Lorde came vnto me, saying:
24 Thou sonne of man, tell her, Thou art an vncleane lande, which is not rayned vpon in the day of wrath.
25 There is a conspiracie of her prophetes in the middest therof: as a roring lion rauenyng his pray, they deuour soules, they haue taken the riche and pretious thynges, they haue made her many widowes in the middest therof.
26 Her priestes haue broken my lawe, and defiled my holy thynges, they put no difference betweene the holy & vnholy, neither discerne they betweene the cleane & vncleane: they turne their eyes from my Sabbathes, and I am defiled among them.
27 Thy rulers in thee are lyke woolues rauenyng the pray, to shed blood, and destroy soules, for their owne couetous lucre.
28 As for her prophetes, they daube with vntempered morter, they see vanities, and diuine lyes vnto them, saying, The Lorde saith so: wheras the Lorde hath not spoken.
29 The people in the lande vsed wicked extortion and robbery, they vexe the poore and needy, and oppresse the straunger agaynst right.
30 And I sought among them for a man that woulde make vp the hedge, and set hym selfe in the gap before me in the landes behalfe, that I shoulde not destroy it: but I coulde fynde none.
31 Therfore haue I powred out my cruel displeasure vpon them, and consumed them in the fire of my wrath: their owne wayes wyll I recompence vpon their heades, saith the Lorde God.
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.