« | Ezekiel 9 | » |
1 He cryed also with a loude voyce in mine eares, saying: Drawe neare ye visitations of the citie, euery man with a destroying weapon in his hande.
2 And beholde, then came there sixe men out of the streete of the vpper gate towarde the north, and euery man a slaughter weapon in his hande: There was one amongest them that had on hym lynnen rayment, and a writers inckhorne by his syde: these went in and stoode besyde the brasen aulter.
3 And the glorie of the Lorde of Israel was gone from the Cherub whervpon it was, to the doore of the house: and he called to the man that had the lynnen rayment vpon hym, and the writers inckhorne by his syde,
4 And the Lorde sayde vnto hym, Go through the citie, euen through Hierusalem, & set a marke vpon the foreheades of them that mourne, and are sory for all the abhominations that be done therin.
5 And to the other he sayd, that I might here, Go ye after hym through the citie, and sinite, let your eye spare none, neither haue ye any pitie:
6 Kyll and destroy both olde men and young, maydens, children, and women: but as for all those that haue the marke vpon them, see that ye touche them not, and begyn at my sanctuarie. Then they began at the auncient men which were before the house.
7 And he sayde vnto them, Defyle ye the temple, fyll the courtes with the slayne, then go your way foorth. So they went out, and slue downe through the citie.
8 Nowe when they had done the slaughter, and I yet escaped, I fell downe vpon my face, and cryed, saying: Ah Lorde God, wylt thou then destroy all the residue of Israel, in powryng out thy wrath vpon Hierusalem?
9 Then sayde he vnto me, The wickednesse of the house of Israel and Iuda is exceedyng great: so that the lande is full of blood, & the citie full of reuoltyng [from God] for they say, The Lorde hath forsaken the earth, and the Lorde seeth it not.
10 As touchyng me also, mine eye shall not spare them, neither wyll I haue pitie: but wyll recompence their wayes vpon their heades.
11 And beholde, the man that had the lynnen rayment vpon hym and the writers inckhorne by his syde, reported the matter, and sayde: As thou hast commaunded me, so haue I done.
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.