« | Isaiah 43 | » |
1 But nowe the Lorde that made thee O Iacob, and he that fashioned thee O Israel saith thus: feare not, for I haue redeemed thee, I haue called thee by thy name, thou art mine owne.
2 If thou goest thorow ye water, I wyl be with thee, the strong fluddes shal not ouerwhelme thee: and if thou walkest thorowe the fire, it shall not burne thee, & the flambe shal not kindle vpon thee:
3 For I am the Lord thy God, the holye one of Israel thy sauiour: I gaue Egypt for thy deliueraunce, the Ethiopians and the Sabees for thee:
4 Because thou wast deare in my sight, and because I set by thee and loued thee: I wyl geue ouer all men for thee, and deliuer vp all people for thy sake.
5 Feare not, for I am with thee, I will bryng thy seede from the east, and gather thee together from the west.
6 I wyll say to the north, let go, and to the south kepe not backe: but bring me my sonnes from farre, and my daughters from the endes of the worlde.
7 [namely] all those that be called after my name: For them haue I created, fashioned, and made for mine honour.
8 Bring foorth that people whiche is blinde and yet hath eyes, whiche are deafe although they haue eares.
9 If all nations come in one and be gathered together, whiche among them shall declare suche thinges, and tell vs the things that are past? let them bring their witnesse, so that they be iust: els let them heare, and say, it is trueth.
10 You are my witnesses saith the Lord, and my seruaunt whom I haue chosen: therefore be certified, and geue me faythfull credence, and consider that I am he before whom there was neuer any god, neither shalbe any after me.
11 I am, euen I am the only Lord, and beside me there is no sauiour.
12 I gaue warning, I made whole, I taught you when there was no straunge god among you: and this recorde must ye beare me your selues, saith the Lorde, that I am God.
13 And euen he am I who was from the beginning, and there is none that can take any thing out of my hande: I do the worke, and who shalbe able to let it?
14 Thus saith the Lorde the holy one of Israel your redeemer: for your sake I haue sent to Babylo, & brought it down: al they are fugitiue with the Chaldees, whose sorowfull crie is in their shippes.
15 I am the Lord your holy one, which haue made Israel, and am your kyng.
16 Thus saith the Lorde, euen he that maketh away in the sea, and a foote path in the mightie waters.
17 It is he whiche bringeth foorth the charrets and horses, the hoast and power of warre, that they may fall together and neuer rise, and be extinct, lyke as towe are they quenched.
18 Remember not thinges of olde, and regarde nothing that is past.
19 Beholde, I shall make a newe thing, and shortly shall it appeare, and shall you not knowe it? I wyll make a way in the desert, and riuers of water in the wyldernesse.
20 The wilde beastes shall worship me, the dragons and the young Estriches: for I shall geue water in the wyldernesse, and streames in the desert, that they may geue drinke to my people whom I chose.
21 This people haue I made for my self, and they shall shewe foorth my prayse.
22 For thou Iacob wouldest not call vppon me, but thou haddest an vnlust towarde me O Israel.
23 Thou gauest me not thy beastes for burnt offerings, neither diddest honour me with sacrifices: I haue not ben chargeable vnto thee in offeringes, neither greeuous in incense.
24 Thou boughtest me no deare spice with thy money, neither powredst the fat of thy sacrifices vpon me: but thou hast laden me with thy sinnes, and weeried me with thy vngodlynesse.
25 Where as I yet, euen I am he onlye that for my owne selues sake do away thine offences, and forget thy sinnes, so that I wyll neuer thinke vpon them.
26 Put me now in remembraunce: for we wyl reason together, & shew what thou hast for thee to make thee righteous.
27 Thy first father offended sore, and thy rulers haue sinned against me:
28 Therefore I profaned [or slue] the princes of the sanctuarie, I dyd curse Iacob, and gaue Israel into reproofe.
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.