Hosea 1 | » |
1 The worde of the Lorde came vnto Osea the sonne of Beeri, in the dayes of Ozea, Ioathan, Ahas, and Hezekias, kynges of Iuda, and in the tyme of Ieroboam the sonne of Ioas kyng of Israel.
2 When the Lord spake first vnto Osea, he sayd vnto hym: Go, take vnto thee a wife of fornications, and chyldren of fornications: for the lande hath committed great fornication [departing] from the Lorde.
3 So he went and toke Gomer the daughter of Deblaim: whiche conceaued and bare him a sonne.
4 And the Lorde sayde vnto hym, Call his name Iezrahel: for I wyll shortlye auenge the blood of Iezrahel vpon the house of Iehu, and wyll bryng the kyngdome of the house of Israel to an ende.
5 And in that day wyll I also breake the bowe of Israel, in the valley of Iezrahel.
6 And she conceaued agayne, and bare a daughter: and [the Lorde] sayde vnto hym, Call her name Loruhamah [that is, not obtayning mercy] for I wyll no more haue pitie vpon the house of Israel, but I wyll vtterly take them away.
7 Yet I wyll haue mercy vpon the house of Iuda, and wil saue them, euen thorowe the Lorde their God: and wil not saue them by bowe, sworde, battell, horses, or horsemen.
8 Nowe when she had wayned Loruhamah, she conceaued againe, and bare a sonne.
9 Then sayd he, Call his name Loammi [that is, not my people]: for ye are not my people, therefore I wyll not be your [God.]
10 Yet the number of the chyldren of Israel shalbe as the sand of the sea, which can neither be measured nor tolde: and in the place where it was sayde vnto them, Ye are not my people: it shall be saide vnto them, Ye are the chyldren of the liuing God.
11 Then shall the children of Iuda and the chyldren of Israel be gathered together, and appoynt them selues one head, and they shall come vp out of the lande: for great shalbe the day of Iezrahel.
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.