« | Genesis 44 | » |
1 And he commaunded the ruler of his house, saying: fill the mens sackes with foode, as much as they can cary, & put euery mans mony in his sackesmouth:
2 And put my cup, my siluer cup in the sackes mouth of the youngest, and his corne money also. And he did according to the worde that Ioseph had saide.
3 And in the morning assoone as it was lyght, the men were let go, they, and their asses.
4 And when they were out of the citie, and not yet farre away, Ioseph sayde vnto the ruler of his house: vp, and folowe after the men, & when thou doest ouertake them, thou shalt say vnto them: wherfore haue ye rewarded euyl for good?
5 Is not that the cuppe in the whiche my Lord drinketh? and for the which he consulteth with the propheciers? Ye haue euill done that ye haue done.
6 And when he ouertoke them, he sayd the same wordes vnto them.
7 And they aunswered him: wherfore sayeth my Lorde suche wordes? God forbid that thy seruauntes should do so.
8 Beholde the money which we founde in our sackes mouthes, we brought agayne vnto thee, out of the land of Chanaan: howe then shoulde we steale out of thy Lordes house eyther siluer or golde?
9 With whomsoeuer of thy seruauntes it be founde, let him dye, and we also wyll be my Lordes bondmen.
10 And he said, Nowe also let it be according vnto your wordes: he with whom it is founde, shalbe my seruaunt, and ye shalbe blamelesse.
11 And at once euery man toke downe his sacke to the ground, and euery man opened his sacke.
12 And he searched, and began at the eldest, and left at the youngest: and the cuppe was founde in Beniamins sacke.
13 Then they rent theyr clothes, and laded euery ma his asse, and went againe vnto the citie.
14 And Iuda and his brethren came to Iosephes house (for he [was] yet there) and they fell before him on the ground.
15 And Ioseph sayde vnto them: what deede is this that ye haue done? Wote ye not that suche a man as I do consult with propheciers?
16 Then saide Iuda: what shall we say vnto my lorde? What shall we speake? or howe shall we cleare our selues? God hath founde out the wickednes of thy seruauntes: beholde, we are my lordes seruauntes, both we, yea, and he also with whom the cup is founde.
17 And he aunswered, God forbid that I shoulde do so: but the man with who the cup is found, he shalbe my seruaunt, and get ye hence vp in peace vnto your father.
18 Then Iuda went vnto him, and said: Oh my lorde, let thy seruaunt [I pray thee] speake a worde in my lordes eares, and be not inflamed with wrath agaynst thy seruaunt, for thou art euen as Pharao.
19 My lorde asked his seruauntes, saying: haue ye a father, or a brother?
20 And we aunswered my lorde: we haue a father that is olde, and a young lad, which he begat in his age: and the brother of the sayd lad is dead, and he is all that is left of his mother, and his father loueth him.
21 And thou saidest vnto thy seruauntes: bryng him vnto me, that I may set my eyes vpon him.
22 And we aunswered my Lorde, that the lad could not go from his father, for if he shoulde leaue his father, he were but dead.
23 Then saydest thou vnto thy seruauntes: except your youngest brother come with you, loke that ye see my face no more.
24 And when we came vnto thy seruaunt our father, we shewed hym the wordes of my Lorde.
25 And our father sayde vnto vs: go agayne, and bye vs a litle foode.
26 And we aunswered, we can not go downe: neuerthelesse, if our youngest brother be with vs, then wyll we go downe, for we may not see the mans face, except our youngest brother be with vs.
27 And thy seruaunt our father sayd vnto vs: ye knowe that my wyfe bare me two sonnes.
28 And the one went out from me, and I sayd, of a suretie he is torne in peeces, and I sawe him not since.
29 And if ye take this also away from me, and destruction come vnto him, ye shall bryng my gray head with sorowe vnto the graue.
30 Nowe therefore when I come to thy seruaunt my father, and the lad be not with vs (seing that his life hangeth by the laddes life.)
31 Then shall it come to passe, that assoone as he seeth that the lad is not come, he wyll dye: so shall we thy seruauntes bryng the gray head of thy seruaunt our father with sorowe vnto the graue.
32 For I thy seruaunt became suretie for the lad before my father, and saide: If I bryng hym not vnto thee agayne, I shal beare the blame vnto my father all my lyfe long.
33 Nowe therefore I pray thee, let me thy seruaunt byde here for the lad, and be my lordes bondman, and let the lad go vp with his brethren.
34 For howe can I go vp to my father, if the ladde be not with me? vnlesse I woulde see the wretchednesse that shall come on my father.
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.