« | Hebrews 7 | » |
1 For this Melchisedech kyng of Salem, priest of the most hye God, who met Abraham returnyng from the slaughter of the kynges, and blessed hym:
2 To whom also Abraham gaue tythe of all thynges, first being called by interpretatio king of righteousnes, & after yt also, kyng of Salem, which is, kyng of peace.
3 Without father, without mother, without kynne, hauyng neither beginnyng of dayes, neither ende of lyfe, but lykened vnto the sonne of God, and continueth a priest for euer.
4 Nowe consider howe great this [man] was, vnto whom also the patriarche Abraham gaue tythe of the spoyles.
5 And veryly they which are of the children of Leuie, which receaue the office of the priesthood, haue a commaundement to take tythe of the people accordyng to the lawe, that is, of their brethren, though they came out of ye loynes of Abraham.
6 But he whose kynrede is not counted among them, receaued tythe of Abraham, and blessed hym that had the promises.
7 And without all controuersie, the lesse is blessed of the better.
8 And here men that dye, receaue tithes: but there he [receaueth them] of whom it is witnessed that he lyueth.
9 And to say the trueth, Leuie also whiche receaueth tythes, payed tythes in Abraham.
10 For he was yet in the loynes of his father, when Melchisedech met Abraham.
11 If therefore perfection was by the priesthood of ye Leuites (For vnder that priesthood the people receaued the law) what neded it furthermore that another priest shoulde rise after the order of Melchisedech, and not to be called after the order of Aaron?
12 For yf the priesthood be translated, of necessitie also there is made a translation of the lawe.
13 For he of whom these thynges are spoken, parteyneth vnto another tribe, of which no man stoode at the aulter.
14 For it is euident that our Lord sprong out of Iuda, of which tribe spake Moyses nothyng concernyng priesthood:
15 And it is yet a farre more euidet thing, yf after the similitude of Melchisedech there aryse another priest,
16 Which is not made after the lawe of the carnall commaundement, but after the power of the endlesse lyfe:
17 For he testifieth that thou art a priest for euer, after the order of Melchisedech.
18 For there is truely a disanulling of the commaundement goyng before, for the weakenesse and vnprofitablenesse therof.
19 For the lawe made nothyng perfect, but [was] the bryngyng in of a better hope, by the whiche we drawe nygh vnto God.
20 And in as much as that was not without an oth (For those priestes were made without an oth:
21 But this priest with an oth, by hym that saide vnto him: The Lord sware and wyll not repent, thou art a priest for euer, after the order of Melchisedech.)
22 By so much was Iesus made a suertie of a better testament.
23 And among them many were made priestes, because they were forbidden by death to endure.
24 But this man, because he endureth euer, hath an vnchaungeable priesthood.
25 Wherefore he is able also euer to saue them to the vttermost that come vnto God by hym, seyng he euer lyueth to make intercession for them.
26 For such an hye priest became vs, whiche [is] holy, harmelesse, vndefyled, seperate from sinners, and made hygher then heauens:
27 Whiche nedeth not dayly, as those hie priestes, to offer vp sacrifice, first for his owne sinnes, and then for the peoples: for that dyd he once, when he offered vp hym selfe.
28 For the lawe maketh men hye priestes which haue infirmitie: but the word of the oth which (was) after the lawe (maketh) the sonne, whiche is perfecte for euermore.
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.