« | Ezekiel 25 | » |
1 The worde of the Lorde came vnto me, saying:
2 Thou sonne of man, set thy face toward the Ammonites, and prophecie vpon them.
3 And say vnto the Ammonites: heare the worde of the Lorde God, thus sayth the Lorde God: Forsomuch as thou saydest Haha ouer my sanctuarie because it was polluted, and ouer the land of Israel because it was desolate, and ouer the house of Iuda because they went into captiuitie:
4 Beholde therfore, I wil deliuer thee to the people of the cast, that they may haue thee in possession: these shall settle their palaces in thee, and make their dwellinges in thee, they shall eate thy fruite, and drinke vp thy milke.
5 As for Rabbath, I will make of it a stable for camels, and of the Ammonites a sheepfolde: and ye shall knowe that I am the Lorde.
6 For thus sayth the Lorde God: Insomuch as thou hast clapped with thyne handes, and stamped with thy feete, yea and reioyced ouer the lande of Israel with all thy despite in heart:
7 Behold therfore I wil stretche out my hande ouer thee, and deliuer thee to be spoyled of the heathen, & roote thee out from among the people, and cause thee to perishe out of the landes: yea I will make thee to be destroyed, that thou mayest know that I am the Lorde.
8 Thus sayth the Lord God: Forsomuch as Moab and Seir do say, Beholde the house of Iuda is like as all gentiles be:
9 Therfore behold, I will open the side of Moab from the cities, from his cities [I say] of his frontiers, the pleasures of the countrey [as namely] Bethiesimoth, Baalmeon, and Kiriathaim:
10 Unto the children of the east against the Ammonites, and will geue it into possession, so that the Ammonites shall no more be had in remembraunce among the heathen.
11 And I will execute iudgementes vpon Moab, and they shall knowe that I am the Lorde.
12 Thus sayth the Lorde God: For that Edom hath done in auenging reuengement vpon the house of Iuda, & hath done great offence and auenged hym selfe vpon them:
13 Therfore thus sayth the Lord God, I wil reache out myne hand vpon Edom, and destroy man and beast out of it, I will make it desolate from Theman, & Dedanah shall fall by the sworde.
14 And I will execute my reuengement vpon Edom by the hande of my people Israel, they shall do in Edom according to my wrath and indignation, so that they shall knowe my vengeaunce, sayth the Lord God.
15 Thus sayth the Lorde God: For that the Philistines dyd in vengeaunce, [namely] in auenging reuengement, with a dispyteful heart to destroy it for the old enmitie:
16 Therfore thus saith the Lord God, Behold I will stretche out my hande ouer the Philistines, and destroy the Cerethites, and cause all the remnaunt of the sea coast to perishe:
17 A great vengeaunce will I take vpon them, with punishements of my wrath, that they may knowe that I am the Lord, when I shal lay my vengeaunce vpon them.
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.