« | Hebrews 2 | » |
1 Wherfore we ought to geue the more earnest heede to the thynges which we haue heard, lest at any tyme we should let them slippe.
2 For yf the worde spoken by Angels, was stedfast: And euery transgression and disobedience receaued a iust recompense of rewarde:
3 Howe shall we escape, yf we neglect so great saluation? which at the first began to be preached of the Lorde, and was confirmed vnto vswarde, by them that hearde it:
4 God bearyng witnesse therto both with signes & wonders also, and with diuers powers and gyftes of the holy ghost, accordyng to his owne wyll.
5 For vnto the Anges hath he not put in subiection the worlde to come, wherof we speake.
6 But one in a certayne place witnessed, saying: What is man, that thou arte myndeful of hym? Or the sonne of man, that thou wouldest loke vpon hym?
7 Thou madest hym for a litle whyle lower then the Angels, thou hast crowned him with glorie and honour, and hast set hym aboue the workes of thy handes.
8 Thou hast put all thynges in subiectio vnder his feete. In yt he put all thinges vnder hym, he left nothyng that is not put vnder hym. But nowe, we see not yet all thynges put vnder hym.
9 But hym that [for a whyle] was made lesse then the Angels, we see [that it was] Iesus, who through the sufferyng of death, was crowned with glorie and honour, that he by the grace of God, shoulde taste of death for all.
10 For it became hym, for whom are all thynges, and by whom are all thynges, after he had brought many sonnes vnto glorie, that he shoulde make the capitayne of their saluation perfect through afflictions.
11 For both he that sanctifieth, and they which are sanctified, [are] all of one. For which cause, he is not ashamed to call them brethren,
12 Saying: I wyll declare thy name vnto my brethren, in the myddes of the Churche wyll I prayse thee.
13 And agayne: I wyll put my trust in hym. And agayne: Beholde here am I, and the chyldren whiche God hath geuen me.
14 Forasmuch then as the chyldren are partakers of flesshe and blood, he also hym selfe lykewyse toke part with the, that through death he myght expell hym that had lordship ouer death, that is the deuyll:
15 And that he myght delyuer them, which through feare of death, were all their lyfe tyme in daunger of bondage.
16 For he in no place taketh on hym the Angels: but the seede of Abraham taketh he on hym.
17 Wherfore, in all thinges it became him to be made lyke vnto his brethren, that he myght be mercyfull, and a faythfull hye priest in thynges concernyng God, for to purge the peoples sinnes.
18 For in that he hym selfe suffered and was tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted.
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.