Ezra 1 | » |
1 In the first yere of Cyrus king of Persia (that the worde of the Lord spoken by the mouth of Ieremia might be fulfilled) the Lorde stirred vp the spirite of Cyrus king of Persia, that he caused to be proclaymed throughout all his empyre, and to be written, saying,
2 Thus saith Cyrus the king of Persia: The Lorde God of heauen hath geuen me all the kingdomes of the earth, and hath commaunded me to build him an house at Hierusalem, which is in Iuda.
3 Whosoeuer nowe among you is of his people, the Lord his God be with him, and let him go vp to Hierusalem in Iuda, and builde the house of the Lorde God of Israel, he is the God that is at Hierusalem.
4 And whosoeuer remayneth yet in any maner of place where he is a straunger, let the men of that place helpe him with siluer and golde, with good and cattaile, beside that which they willingly offer for the house of God that is at Hierusalem.
5 Then gat vp the principall fathers of Iuda and Beniamin, and the priestes and Leuites, and all they whose spirite God had raysed to go vp and to builde the house of the Lorde which is at Hierusalem.
6 And all they that were about them, strengthed their hande with vessels of siluer & golde, with goodes, and cattaile, and iewels, besides all that was wyllingly offered.
7 And king Cyrus brought foorth the vessels of the house of the Lord: which Nabuchodonosor had taken out of Hierusalem, and had put in the house of his God.
8 Those did Cyrus the king of Persia bryng foorth by the hande of Michridates the treasurer, & numbred them vnto Sesbazer the prince of Iuda.
9 And this is the number of them: thirtie chargers of golde, a thousand chargers of siluer, twentie and nine kniues:
10 Thirtie basons of golde, and of other siluer basons foure hundred & ten: and of other vessels a thousand.
11 Al the vessels of golde and siluer were fiue thousand and foure hundred: All these did Sesbazer cary away with them that came vp out of the captiuitie of Babylon, vnto Hierusalem.
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.