« | Genesis 39 | » |
1 Ioseph was brought vnto Egypt, and Putiphar, a Lorde of Pharaos, and his chiefe stewarde, an Egyptian, bought hym of the Ismaelites, whiche had brought hym thyther.
2 And God was with Ioseph, and he became a luckie man, continuyng in the house of his maister the Egyptian.
3 And his maister saw that God was with hym, and that God made all that he dyd to prosper in his hande.
4 And Ioseph founde grace in his maisters syght, and serued hym: And he made hym ouerseer of his house, & put all that he had in his hande.
5 And it came to passe from the tyme that he had made hym ouerseer of his house, and ouer all that he had, the Lorde blessed the Egyptians house for Iosephes sake: and the blessyng of the Lorde was vpon all that he had in the house and in the fielde.
6 And therfore he left all that he had in Iosephes hande: and he knewe nothyng with hym, saue onlye the breade which he dyd eate. And Ioseph was a goodly person, and a well fauoured.
7 And after this, his maisters wyfe cast her eyes vpon Ioseph, and saide: [come] lye with me.
8 But he refused, and sayde vnto his maisters wyfe: Beholde, my maister woteth not what he hath in the house with me, and hath committed all that he hath to my hande.
9 There is no man greater in the house then I, neither hath he kept any thyng from me but only thee, because thou art his wyfe: how then can I do euen this so great a wickednes, & sinne against God?
10 And after this maner spake she to Ioseph day by day: but he hearkened not vnto her to sleepe neare her, or to be in her company.
11 And on a certaine conuenient day, Ioseph entred into the house to do his businesse, and there was none of the housholde by, in the house.
12 Then she caught him by the garment, saying: lye with me. And he left his garment in her hande, and fledde, and got hym out.
13 And when she sawe that he had lefte his garment in her hande, and was fled out:
14 She called vnto the men of her house, and tolde them, saying: See, he hath brought in an Hebrue vnto vs, to do vs shame: for he came in to me to haue lyen with me, and I began to crie with a loude voyce:
15 And when he hearde that I lyft vp my voyce and cryed, he left his garment with me, & fled away, and got hym out.
16 And she layed vp his garment by her, vntyll her Lorde came home.
17 And she tolde him with these wordes, saying: This Hebrue seruaunt whiche thou hast brought vnto vs, came vnto me to do me shame.
18 But assoone as I lyft vp my voyce and cryed, he left his garment with me, and fledde out.
19 When his maister hearde the wordes of his wyfe whiche she tolde hym, saying, after this maner dyd thy seruaunt to me: he waxed wroth.
20 And Iosephes maister toke hym, and put hym in pryson, euen into the place where the kynges prysoners laye bounde: and there continued he in prison.
21 But the Lord was with Ioseph, and shewed hym mercie, and got hym fauour in the sight of the lord of the prison.
22 And the keper of the prison committed to Iosephes hande all the prisoners that were in the prison house, and what so euer was done there, that dyd he.
23 And the keper of the prison loked vnto nothyng that was vnder his hande, seyng that the Lord was with hym: For whatsoeuer he dyd, the Lorde made it to prosper.
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.