« | Isaiah 17 | » |
1 This is the burthen vpon Damascus: Beholde Damascus is taken away to be no more a citie, but shalbe an heape of broken stones.
2 The waste cities of Aroer shalbe foldes for cattell which shall lye there, and there shalbe none to fray them away.
3 Ephraim also shall no more be strong, and Damascus shall no longer be a kyngdome, and the remnaunt of Syria shalbe as the glorie of the children of Israel, saith the Lorde of hoastes.
4 And in that day it shall come to passe, that the glorie of Iacob shalbe made very thinne, and the fatnesse of his fleshe shall waxe leane.
5 And he shalbe as one that gathereth vp corne in haruest, euen lyke hym whose arme reapeth the eares of corne: He shalbe also lyke hym that gathereth eares of corne in the valley of Rephaim.
6 Some gatheryng in deede shall there be left in it, euen as in the shakyng of an Oliue tree there remayne two or three berries in the toppe of the vppermost bowe, and foure or fyue in the brode fruitfull braunches thereof, saith the Lorde God of Israel.
7 Then shall man turne agayne to his maker, and his eyes shall haue respect to the holy one of Israel.
8 As for the aulters which are his owne handy worke he shal not regarde them, and the thynges that his fingers hath made, as groues and images, those shal he not cast his eye vnto.
9 In that day shall their strong cities be as the forsaken shrubbes & braunches, which they left because of the childre of Israel, and the lande shalbe desolate.
10 Because thou hast forgotten the God of thy saluation, and hast not ben myndfull of thy strong rocke: therfore shalt thou set pleasaunt plantes, and shalt graffe the braunche of another mans vine.
11 In that day shalt thou make thy plant to growe, and early in the mornyng shalt thou make thy seede to florishe: The haruest shalbe gone in the day of inheritaunce, and there shalbe sorowe without hope of comfort.
12 Wo shalbe to the multitude of much people, which shall make a sounde lyke to the noyse of the sea, and the violence of the nations which shall rage lyke the russhyng in of many waters.
13 Euen lyke many waters shal the people rage, God shall rebuke hym, and he shal flee farre of, he shalbe chased away lyke as drye strawe vpon the mountaynes before the wynde, and lyke a thyng that turneth before the storme.
14 At euen beholde there is trouble, and or euer it be mornyng lo it is gone: This is the portion of them that oppresse vs, and the lot of them that robbe vs.
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.