« | Hosea 13 | » |
1 When Ephraim spake, there was tremblyng, he was exalted among the Israelites: but he hath sinned in Baal, and is dead.
2 And nowe they sinne more and more, and of their siluer they haue made them molten images after the imaginatios of their owne braynes, [that is] very idols, and yet all is nothing but the worke of the craftesman: they say one to another, Whiles they sacrifice a man let them kisse the calues.
3 Therfore they shalbe as the mornyng cloude, and as the deawe that early passeth away, and like as dust that the whirlewinde taketh away from the floore, and as smoke that goeth out of the chimney.
4 Yet I am the Lorde thy God [which brought thee] out of the lande of Egypt, & thou shalt knowe no God but me only, neither is there any sauiour besides me.
5 I did knowe thee in the wildernesse, in the lande of drought.
6 But when they were well fed, and had enough, they waxed proude, & forgat me.
7 Therfore wyll I be vnto them as a lion, and as a leoparde in the wayes to the Assyrians.
8 I wyll meete them as a she beare that is robbed of her whelpes, and I wyll breake that stubburne heart of theirs, there wyll I deuour them like a lion, yea the wylde beastes shall teare them.
9 O Israel [thine iniquitie] hath destroyed thee: but in me [only is] thy helpe.
10 I am: where is thy king nowe that shoulde helpe thee in all thy cities? Yea and thy iudges of whom thou saydest, Geue me a king and princes.
11 I gaue thee a king in my wrath, and in my displeasure I toke him from thee agayne.
12 The wickednesse of Ephraim is bound together, and his sinne lyeth hyd.
13 Therfore shall sorowes come vpon him as vpon a woman that trauayleth: an vndiscrete sonne is he, els woulde he not stande styll at the tyme of birth of children.
14 I wyll redeeme them from the power of the graue, and deliuer them from death: O death, I wyll be thy death: O hell, I wyll be thy styng: yet can I see no comfort.
15 Though he grewe among his brethren, the east wynde [euen] the wynde of the Lorde shall come vp from the wildernesse, and drye vp his veyne, and his fountaynes shalbe dryed vp: he shall spoyle the treasure of all pleasaunt vessels.
16 Samaria shalbe made waste, for she is disobedient vnto her God: they shall perishe with the sworde, their children shalbe dasshed in peeces, and their women great with childe shalbe ript vp.
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.