« | Isaiah 2 | » |
1 The selfe same worde that Esai the sonne of Amos sawe vpon Iuda and Hierusalem.
2 And [this] shall come to passe in the latter dayes: the hyll of the Lordes house shalbe prepared in the heyght of the mountaynes, and shalbe hygher then the hylles, and all nations shall preasse vnto hym.
3 And a multitude of people shall go, speakyng [thus one to another] come, let vs ascende to the hyll of the Lorde, to the house of the God of Iacob, and he wyll instruct vs of his wayes, and we wyll walke in his pathes: for out of Sion shall come a lawe, and the worde of the Lorde from Hierusalem:
4 And shall geue sentence among the heathen, and shall refourme the multitude of people: they shall breake their swordes also into mattockes, and their speares to make sithes: And one people shall not lyft vp a weapon agaynst another, neither shall they learne to fyght from thencefoorth.
5 Come ye O house of Iacob, and let vs walke in the lyght of the Lorde:
6 For thou hast forsaken thy people the house of Iacob, because they be replenished [with euils] from the east, and with sorcerers lyke the Philistines, and in straunge children they thynke them selues to haue enough.
7 Their lande is full of siluer and golde, neither is there any ende of their treasure: their lande is also full of horses, and no ende is there of their charrettes.
8 Their lande also is full of vayne gods, and before the worke of their owne handes they haue bowed them selues, yea euen before the thyng that their owne fingers haue made.
9 There kneeleth the man, there falleth the man downe [before them:] therfore forgeue them not.
10 Get thee into the rocke, and hyde thee in the grounde for feare of the Lorde, and for the glorie of his maiestie.
11 The high lookes of man shalbe brought lowe, and the hautinesse of men shalbe bowed downe: and the Lorde alone shalbe exalted in that day.
12 For the day of the Lorde of hoastes [shalbe] vpon all the proude, loftie, and vpon all that is exalted, and he shalbe brought lowe:
13 And vpon all high and stout Cedar trees of Libanus, and vpon all the okes of Basan.
14 And vpon all the high mountaynes, and vpon all the high hilles,
15 And vpon euery high towre, and vpon euery fenced wall,
16 And vpon all the shippes of Tharsis, and vpon all pictures of pleasure.
17 And the pride of man shalbe brought downe, and the loftinesse of men shalbe made lowe, and the Lorde alone shalbe exalted in that day:
18 As for the idols he shall vtterly abolishe:
19 And they shall creepe into holes of stone, and into caues of the earth for feare of the Lorde, and for the glorie of his maiestie, when he ariseth to destroy [the wicked ones of] the earth.
20 In the selfe same day shall man cast away his gods of siluer, and his gods of golde, into the holes of Mowles and Backes, which he neuerthelesse had made to hym selfe to honour them.
21 And they shall creepe into the cliftes of the rockes, and into the toppes of the harde stones for feare of the Lorde, and for the glorie of his maiestie, when he ariseth to destroy [the wicked ones of] the earth.
22 Ceasse therfore from man in whose nosethrilles there is breath: for wherin is he to be accompted of?
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.