« | Genesis 16 | » |
1 Sarai Abrams wyfe bare hym no chyldren: but she had an handemayde an Egyptian, Hagar by name.
2 And Sarai sayde vnto Abram: beholde, nowe the Lorde hath restrayned me, that I can not beare, I pray thee go in to my mayde, it may be that I may be builded by her: and Abram obeyed the voyce of Sarai.
3 And Sarai Abrams wyfe toke Hagar her mayde the Egyptian, after Abram hadde dwelled ten yeres in the lande of Chanaan, and gaue her to her husbande Abram to be his wyfe.
4 And he went in vnto Hagar, and she conceaued. And when she sawe that she had conceaued, her mistresse was despised in her eyes.
5 And Sarai sayde vnto Abram: there is wrong done vnto me by thee: I haue geuen my mayde into thy bosome, whiche seyng that she hath conceaued, I am despised in her eyes, the Lorde be iudge betweene thee & me.
6 But Abram sayde to Sarai: beholde thy mayde is in thy hande, do with her as it pleaseth thee. And when Sarai dealt hardly with her, she fledde from the face of her.
7 And the angel of the Lord founde her beside a fountaine in ye wildernes, [euen] by the well that is in the way to Sur,
8 And he said: Hagar Sarais mayde, whence camest thou? and whither wylt thou go? She sayde: I flee fro the face of my mistresse Sarai.
9 And the angell of the Lorde sayde vnto her: Returne to thy mistresse agayne, and submit thy selfe vnder her handes.
10 And agayne the angell of the Lord sayde vnto her: I wyll multiplie thy seede in such sort, that it shal not be numbred for multitude.
11 And the Lordes angell said vnto her: See, thou art with chylde, and shalt beare a sonne, and shalt cal his name Ismael: because the Lorde hath hearde thy tribulation.
12 He also wyll be a wylde man, and his hande wyll be agaynst euery man, and euery mans hande against hym: and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.
13 And she called the name of the Lorde that spake vnto her, Thou God lokest on me: for she sayde, haue I not also heare loked after hym that seeth mee?
14 Wherfore ye well was called the well of hym that lyueth and seeth me: and it is betweene Cades and Bared.
15 And Hagar bare Abram a sonne, and Abram called his sonnes name which Hagar bare vnto hym, Ismael.
16 And Abram was foure score and sixe yeres olde, when Hagar bare Ismael to hym.
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.