« | Isaiah 16 | » |
1 Sende the lorde of the worlde a lambe from the rocke that lyeth towarde the desert, vnto the hyl of the daughter Sion.
2 For as for the daughters of Moab they shalbe as a trembling birde that is put out of her neste: for they shall cary them vnto Arnon.
3 Gather your counsell, come together in iudgement, couer vs with your shadowe in the midday as the nyght doth hyde the chased, and bewray not them that are fled.
4 Let my persecuted people dwell among you, Moab be thou their refuge against the destroyer: for the aduersarie is brought to naught, the robber is vndone, the tiraunt is wasted out of the lande.
5 And in mercie shall the seate be prepared, and he shall sit vpon it in the trueth in the tabernacle of Dauid, iudging and sekyng iudgement, and makyng haste vnto ryghteousnesse.
6 We haue hearde of the pride of Moab, he is very proude, presumptuous, arrogant, and full of indignation, and vayne are his lyes.
7 Therfore shall Moab make lamentation because of the Moabites [that shalbe slayne] yea they shall wayle altogether: because of the foundations of the citie that is made of bricke shall ye complayne, euen ye lame people that are left only behynde.
8 For the vines of Hesbon are cut downe: as for the vine of Sibma, the lordes of the heathen haue broken downe her principall braunches, they are come euen vnto Iazer, they went on wandering vnto the wildernesse, her goodly braunches were throwen downe as they went ouer the sea.
9 Therfore wyll I mourne for Iazer, and for the vine of Sibma, I wyl poure my teares vpon thee O Hesbon and Eleale: for the crye of thyne enemies is fallen vpon thy sommer fruites, and vpon thy haruest.
10 The mirth and cheare is taken away out of the plentifull fielde, and in the vineyardes there shalbe no ioy nor gladnesse: The treader shall treade out no wine in their presses, the song of their mery cheare haue I layde downe.
11 Wherfore my bowels shall rumble like an Harpe for Moabs sake, & mine inwarde partes for the cities sake that is made of bricke.
12 And it shall come to passe, that when it is seene that Moab shalbe made weery of his hyll chappelles, he shall come to his temple to pray, but he shall not be able.
13 So then this is the saying that the Lorde hath spoken concernyng Moab since that tyme.
14 But nowe the Lorde hath spoken, saying: In three yeres, which shalbe as the yeres of an hired seruaunt, shall the glorie of Moab be turned into contempt throughout all his multitude, which is very great: and that which remayneth shalbe very small and feeble.
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.