« | Isaiah 21 | » |
1 The burthen of the waste sea. Euen as the stormie weather passeth through at the noone day from the wildernesse, so shall it come from the terrible lande.
2 A greeuous vision was shewed vnto me: let one deceiptfull offendour come agaynst another, and one destroyer agaynst another: Up Elam, lay siege thou of Media, all their gronyng haue I layde downe.
3 Therfore are my loynes fylled with sorowe, heauinesse hath taken holde vpon me as the panges of a woman that is trauaylyng: it made me stoupe when I heard it, and it vexed me when I sawe it.
4 My heart panted, fearefulnesse came vpon me: the nyght of my voluptuousnesse hath he turned agaynst me into feare.
5 Whyle they garnished the table, the watchman loked: and whyle I was eatyng and drynkyng, it was sayde, vp ye captaynes, take you to your shielde.
6 For thus hath the Lorde sayde vnto me: Go and set a watchman to tel what he seeth.
7 And he sawe a charret which two horsemen sat vpon, with the cariage of an Asse, and the cariage of a Camel: So he loked, and toke diligent heede.
8 And he cryed, a lion, my Lorde I stande continually vpon the watche towre in the day tyme, and am appoynted to kepe my watch euery nyght.
9 And beholde here commeth a charret of men, with two horsemen, and he aunswered and sayd, Babylon is fallen, it is fallen, and all the images of her gods hath he smitten downe vnto the grounde.
10 Thou art he whom I must threshe, and thou belongest to my corne floure: This that I hearde of the Lorde of hoastes the God of Israel, haue I shewed vnto you.
11 The burthen of Duma. He calleth to me out of Seir: watchman what hast thou espied by nyght? watchman what hast thou espied by nyght?
12 The watchman sayde, The mornyng commeth, and so doth the nyght: If ye wyll aske me any question, then aske it: returne and come agayne.
13 The burthen concernyng Arabia. In the wooddes of Arabia shall ye tary all nyght, euen in the streetes of Dedanim.
14 The inhabitours of the lande of Thema brought foorth water to hym that was thirstie, they preuented hym that was fled away with their bread.
15 For because of swordes they are become fugitiue, Euen for the drawen sworde, and for the bent bowe, and because of the greeuousnesse of warre.
16 For thus hath the Lorde sayde vnto me: There is yet a yere, accordyng to the yeres of an hired seruaunt, and all the glorie of Cedar shall fayle.
17 And the number of them that shall escape from the bowes, shalbe minished by the mightie children of Cedar: for the Lorde God of Israel hath spoken it.
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.