« | Hosea 12 | » |
1 Ephraim is fed with the wynde, & foloweth after the east winde, he dayly encreaseth lyes & destruction, they be confederate with the Assyrians, their oyle is caryed into Egypt.
2 The Lorde hath a controuersie with Iuda, and wyll visite Iacob accordyng to his wayes, accordyng to their owne inuentions wyll he recompence them.
3 He toke his brother by the heele when he was yet in his mothers wombe, and in his strength he wrestled with God:
4 He stroue with the angel and gat the victorie, he wept and prayed to him: he founde him at Bethel, and there he spake with vs.
5 Yea the Lorde God of hoastes, euen the Lorde himselfe remembred him.
6 Therfore turne to thy God, kepe mercie and iudgement, and hope styll in thy God.
7 [He is] Chanaan, the ballaunces of deceipt are in his hande, he loueth to oppresse.
8 And Ephraim hath sayde, Tushe I am riche, I haue good enough: in all my workes shall not one iniquitie be founde wherin I haue offended.
9 Yet am I the Lorde thy God from the lande of Egypt, I wyll yet make thee dwell in the tabernacles as in the hye feast dayes.
10 I haue spoken through the prophetes, and haue multiplied visions, & shewed similitudes by the ministerie of the prophetes.
11 In Galaad is iniquitie, they are fallen to vanitie: at Gilgal they haue sacrificed oxen, & their aulters are as heapes in the furrowes of the fielde.
12 Iacob fled into the lande of Syria, and Israel serued for a wife, and for a wife he kept [sheepe.]
13 By a prophete the Lorde brought them out of Egypt, and by a prophete was he preserued.
14 But Ephraim hath prouoked him to displeasure through his abhominations, therfore shall his blood be powred vpon him selfe, and the Lorde his God shall rewarde him his blasphemies.
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.