« | Ezekiel 4 | » |
1 Thou sonne of man, take thee a tyle stone and lay it before thee, and purtray vpon it the citie Hierusalem,
2 And lay siege against it, and builde a fort against it, and cast a mount against it: set the campe also against it, and lay engins of warre against it rounde about.
3 Moreouer, take an iron panne, and set it betwixt thee and the citie in steede of an iron wall, then set thy face towarde it to besiege it, and make an assault against it: this shalbe a token vnto the house of Israel.
4 But thou shalt sleepe vpon thy left side, and lay the sinne of the house of Israel vpon it [according] to the number of the dayes that thou shalt sleepe vpon it, thou shalt beare their iniquitie.
5 For I haue layde vpon thee the yeres of their iniquitie according to the number of the dayes [euen] three hundred and ninetie dayes, so shalt thou beare the iniquitie of the house of Israel.
6 When thou hast fulfilled these dayes, lye downe agayne and sleepe vpon thy right side, and beare the sinnes of the house of Iuda: fourtie dayes haue I appointed thee, a day for a yere [euen] a day for a yere.
7 Therfore set nowe thy face towarde the siege of Hierusalem, and discouer thine arme, that thou mayest prophecie against it.
8 Behold, I will lay chaines vpon thee, that thou shalt not turne thee from one side to another, till thou hast ended the dayes of thy besieging.
9 Wherfore take vnto thee wheate, barlye, beanes, lintils, millot, and fetches, and put these together in a vessell, and make thee loaues of bread thereof, according to the number of the dayes that thou must lye vpon thy side, that thou mayest haue bread to eate for three hundred and ninetie dayes.
10 And thy meate that thou eatest shall haue a certaine wayght appointed, [namely] twentie sicles euery day: & from time to time shalt thou eate therof.
11 Thou shalt drinke also a certaine measure of water [namely] the sixt [part] of an Hin from tyme to tyme shalt thou drinke.
12 Barly cakes shalt thou eate, and them shalt thou bake in mans doung before their eyes.
13 And with that sayde the Lord, Euen thus shall the chyldren of Israel eate their defiled bread among the gentiles whyther I wyll cast them.
14 Then sayde I, Oh Lorde God: beholde, my soule was yet neuer stayned, for fro my youth vp vnto this houre, I did neuer eate of a dead carkase, or of that whiche was slayne of wylde beastes, neither came there euer any vncleane fleshe in my mouth.
15 Whervnto he aunswered me: Lo, I wyll graunt thee cowcasins in steede of mans doung, and thou shalt make thy bread with them.
16 And he saide vnto me, Beholde thou sonne of man, I wyll breake the staffe of bread in Hierusalem, and they shall eate their bread with waight and with care, and their water in measure and astonishment shall they drinke,
17 That they may cause a lacke of bread and water, and be astonied one at another, and be consumed in their iniquitie.
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.