« | Isaiah 42 | » |
1 Behold this is my seruaunt vpon whom I leane, my elect in who my soule is pacified: I haue geuen my spirite vpon him, that he may shewe foorth iudgement among the gentiles.
2 He shall not be an outcryer, nor lift vp his voyce, his voyce shall not be hearde in the streetes.
3 And a broosed reede shall he not breake, and the smoking flaxe shall he not quench: but faythfully and truely shall he geue iudgement.
4 He shall not be pensiue nor carefull, that he may restore righteousnesse vnto the earth: and the gentiles also shall loke for his lawes.
5 For thus saith God the Lorde vnto hym, euen he that made the heauens and spread them abroade, and set foorth the earth with her increase, whiche geueth breath vnto the people that is in it, and spirite to them that dwell therein,
6 I the Lorde haue called thee in righteousnesse, and wyll holde thee by the hande, and wyll also defende thee, and geue thee for a couenaunt of the people, to be the light of the gentiles.
7 That thou mayest open the eyes of the blinde, let out the prisoners from their bondes, and them that sit in darknesse out of the dungeon house.
8 Euen I am the Lord, and this is my name: and my glory wyll I geue to none other, neither mine honour to grauen images.
9 Beholde olde thinges are come to passe, and newe thinges do I declare, and or euer they come I tell you of them.
10 Sing vnto the Lorde a newe song of thankesgeuing, blowe out his prayse from the ende of the worlde: they that be vpon the sea, and all that is therein prayse hym, the Isles and they that dwell in them.
11 Let the wildernesse with the cities lift vp her voyce, the townes also that they of Cedar dwell in: let them be glad that sit vpon rockes of stone, and let them crye downe from the high mountaines,
12 Ascribing glory vnto the Lorde, and magnifiyng hym among the gentiles.
13 The Lorde shall come foorth lyke a giaunt, and take a stomacke to him like a freshe man of warre: he shall roare and crye, and ouercome his enemies.
14 I haue long holden my peace [saith the Lorde] I haue ben styll and refrained my selfe, but now I wyll crie like a trauayling woman, and at once wyll I destroy and deuour.
15 I wyll make waste both mountaine and hill, and drye vp euery greene thing that groweth theron: I wyll drye vp the fluddes to become Ilandes, and drinke vp the riuers.
16 I wyll bryng the blinde into a streete that they know not, and leade them into a foote path that they are ignoraunt in: I shall make darknesse light before them, and the thing that is crooked to be straight: These things haue I done vnto them, and not forsaken them.
17 They are fallen backe, yea and let them be ashamed earnestly that hope in idols, and say to the moulten images, ye are our gods.
18 Heare O ye deafe men, and sharpen your eyes to see O ye blinde.
19 Who is blinde but my seruaunt? or so deafe as my messenger whom I sent vnto them? for who is so blinde as the perfect man, and so blinde as the Lords seruaunt?
20 Thou hast seene much, and kepest nothing: the eares are open, and no man heareth.
21 The Lorde is mercyfull vnto them for his righteousnesse sake, that his word might be magnified and praysed:
22 But the people them selues is robbed and troden vnder the foote, chayned in dungeons, and they all I say, are shut into prison houses: they be caryed away captiue, and no man doth loose them: they be troden vnder foote, and no man doth labour to bryng them agayne.
23 But who is he among you that pondereth this, that considereth it, and taketh it for a warning in tyme to come?
24 Who gaue Iacob to be troden vnder foote, and Israel to be spoyled? Did not the Lorde? Because we haue sinned against hym, and haue had no delight to walke in his wayes, neither ben obedient vnto his lawe:
25 Therfore he hath powred vpon hym his wrathfull displeasure and strong battayle, and hath fired hym on euery side, yet wyll he not vnderstand: he burneth hym vp, yet sinketh it not into his heart.
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.