« | Hosea 10 | » |
1 Israel [is] an emptie vine, [yet] hath it brought foorth fruite to it selfe, accordyng to the multitude of the fruite therof he hath encreased alwayes: accordyng to the goodnesse of their lande they haue made them faire images.
2 Their heart is deuided, [therfore] shall they nowe be destroyed, [the Lorde] shall breake downe their images, he shall destroy their aulters.
3 For nowe shall they say, We haue no king, because we haue not feared the Lorde: and what shoulde then a king do to vs?
4 They haue spoken wordes, swearyng falslye in makyng a couenaunt: thus iudgement groweth as wormewood in the furrowes of the fielde.
5 They that dwell in Samaria shall feare because of the Calfe of Bethauen, for the people therof shall mourne ouer it, yea and the priestes also reioyced on it for the glorie therof, because it is departed from it.
6 It shalbe brought to the Assyrian for a present to the king Iareb: Ephraim shall receaue shame, and Israel shalbe confounded for his owne imaginations.
7 Samaria with his king shall vanishe away, as the fome vpon the water.
8 The hye places of Auen where Israel doth sinne shalbe destroyed, thistles and thornes shal growe vpon their aulters: then shall they say to the mountaynes, Couer vs, & to the hylles, Fall vpon vs.
9 O Israel, thou hast sinned from the dayes of Gabaa: there they stoode, the battayle in Gabaa agaynst the children of iniquitie did not touche them.
10 It is my desire that I shoulde chastise them: and the people shalbe gathered agaynst them, when they shall ioyne them selues together in their two furrowes.
11 And Ephraim [is as] an heyffer vsed to delyte in treadyng out the corne: but I wyll passe by her faire necke, I wyll make Ephraim to ride: Iuda shall plowe, [and] Iacob shall breake his cloddes.
12 Sowe to your selues in righteousnesse, and reape the fruites of well doyng, plowe vp your freshe lande: for it is tyme to seeke the Lorde tyll he come and rayne righteousnesse vpon you.
13 For you haue plowed vngodlinesse, ye haue reaped iniquitie, you haue eaten the fruite of lyes, because thou puttest thy confidence in thine owne wayes, and leanest to the multitude of thy strong men.
14 There shall growe a sedition among thy people, all thy strong cities shalbe layde waste, euen as Salma destroyed Beth Arbel in the day of battayle, where the mother with the children were dasshed in peeces.
15 Euen so shall Bethel do vnto you because of your malitious wickednesse: in a mornyng shall the king of Israel be destroyed.
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.