Habakkuk 1 | » |
1 The burde which Habacuc the prophete dyd see.
2 O Lorde, howe long shall I crye, and thou wilt not heare? [euen] crye out vnto thee for violence, and thou wilt not helpe?
3 Why doest thou shew me iniquitie, and cause me to beholde sorowe? for spoyling and violence are before me, & there are that rayse vp stryfe and contention,
4 Therfore the law is dissolued, & iudgement doth neuer go foorth: for the wicked doth compasse about the righteous, therfore wrong iudgement proceedeth.
5 Behold among the heathen, and regarde, and wonder, and marueyll: for I will worke a worke in your dayes, ye will not beleue it though it be tolde you.
6 For lo, I rayse vp the Chaldeans, that bitter and furious nation, whiche shall go vpon the breadth of the land, to possesse the dwelling places that are not theirs.
7 They are terrible and fearfull: their iudgement and their dignitie shall procede of them selues.
8 Their horses also are swifter then the leopardes, and are more fierce then the wolues in the euening, and their horsemen shall come from farre: they shall flee as the Egle hasting to meate.
9 They come all to spoyle: before their faces shalbe an eastwinde, and they shall gather the captiuitie as the sande.
10 And they shall mocke the kinges, and the princes shalbe a scorne vnto them: they shall deride euery stronghold, for they shall gather dust, and take it.
11 Then shall they take a courage, and transgresse, and do wickedly, [imputing] this their power vnto their god.
12 Art not thou of olde, O Lord my God, my holy one? we shall not dye, O Lord thou hast ordeined them for iudgement, and O God thou hast established them for correction.
13 Thou art of pure eyes, and canst not see euyl, thou canst not behold wickednesse: wherfore [then] doest thou loke vpo the transgressours, and holdest thy tongue, when the wicked deuoureth the man that is more righteous then he?
14 And makest men as the fishe of the sea, and as the creeping thinges that haue no ruler ouer them.
15 They take vp all with the angle, they catche it in their net, and gather it in their yarne: wherof they reioyce and are glad.
16 Therfore they sacrifice vnto their net, and burne incense vnto their yarne: because by them their portion is fat, and their meate plenteous.
17 Shall they therfore stretche out their net, and not spare continually to slay the nations?
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.