« | Isaiah 33 | » |
1 Wo to thee that destroyest when thou wast not destroyed, thou breakest ye league where as none hath broken it with thee: for when thou shalt leaue destroying, thou thy selfe shalt be destroyed: and when thou ceassest from breakyng the league, then shall they breake it to thee.
2 O Lorde haue mercie vpon vs, we haue put our whole trust in thee: be an arme to such early, and our health in the tyme of trouble.
3 At that confuse noyse the people fled, and at thine exaltyng the heathen were scattered.
4 And the spoyles shalbe gathered, which shalbe yours, as are the gathetheryng of Bruchus, and the multitude goyng to it shalbe as Locustes, running to and fro.
5 The Lorde is exalted, for it is he that dwelleth on hye, he hath fylled Sion with iudgement and rygteousnesse.
6 And a sure stablishyng of thy tymes, shalbe strength, health, wisdome, and knowledge: and the very feare of the Lorde shalbe the treasure of it.
7 Beholde the messengers shall crye without: and the embassadours of peace shall weepe bitterly.
8 Their streetes are waste, there walketh no man therin: God hath broken the appoyntment, the cities are cast away, and men are nothyng regarded.
9 The desolate earth is in heauinesse, Libanus is shamed and hewen downe, Saron is like a wildernesse, Basan and Charmel are spoyled of their fruites.
10 And therfore saith the Lorde, I wyll vp nowe, nowe wyll I be aduaunced, nowe wyll I be exalted.
11 Ye shall conceaue stubble, and beare strawe: and your spirite shalbe the fire, that it may consume you.
12 And the people shalbe burnt like lime, and as thornes burnt that are hewen of and cast in the fire.
13 Nowe hearken to ye that are farre of howe I haue done, and consider my power ye that are at hande.
14 The sinners at Sion are afrayde, a sodayne fearefulnesse is come vpon the hypocrites: What is he among vs say they that shall dwell by the consumyng fire? Which of vs may abyde the euerlasting heate?
15 He that leadeth a godly life, and speaketh the trueth, he that abhorreth gaynes by violence and deceipt, he that kepeth his hande that he touche no rewarde, which stoppeth his eares that he heare no counsayle agaynst the innocent blood, which holdeth downe his eyes that he see no euyll:
16 He it is that shall dwell on hye, whose safegarde shalbe in a bulwarke of rockes: to hym shalbe geuen meate, and his waters shall not fayle.
17 Thine eyes shall see the kyng in his glorie, euen the kyng of the farre countreys shall they see.
18 Thine heart studied for feare thinking thus: What shall then become of the scribe? of the receauer of our money? what of hym that taxed our fairest houses?
19 There shalt thou not see a cruel people of a straunge tongue, to haue so diffused a language that it may not be vnderstanded, neither so straunge a speache but it shalbe perceaued.
20 Loke vpon Sion the head citie of our solempne feastes: thyne eyes shall see Hierusalem that glorious habitation, the tabernacle that neuer shall remoue, whose nayles shall neuer be taken out worlde without ende, whose cordes euery one shall neuer corrupt.
21 For the glorious maiestie of the Lorde shall there be present among vs as a place where faire brode riuers and streames are, through the which shall neither galley rowe nor great ship sayle.
22 For the Lorde is our iudge, the Lord is our lawe geuer, the Lord is our king, and he hym selfe shalbe our sauiour.
23 Thy tacklyng is loosed, therfore it can not make fast the mast, nor spread the sayle: then there is dealed great spoyle, yea lame men runne after the pray.
24 There lyeth no man that saith, I am sicke: but all euyll is taken away from the people that dwell there.
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.