« | Isaiah 46 | » |
1 Bel is fallen, Nabo is broken downe, whose images were a burthen for the beastes and cattell, to ouerlade them, and to make them weerie.
2 They are sunke downe and fallen together, for they may not ease them of their burthen, therfore must they go into captiuitie.
3 Hearken vnto me O house Iacob, and all ye that remaine yet of the house of Israel, whom I haue borne from your mothers wombe, and brought you vp from your byrth.
4 It is euen I whiche shall beare you vnto your last age: I haue made you, I wyll also norishe you, beare you, and saue you.
5 whom wyll ye make me lyke, or to whom wyll ye make me equall or compare me, that I shoulde be like him?
6 Take out siluer and gold out of your purses, and way it, and hyre a goldesmith to make a god of it, that men may kneele downe and worship it:
7 Yet must he be taken on mens shoulders and borne, and set in his place, that he may stande, and not moue out of his place: And if one crye vnto hym, he geueth no aunswere, and deliuereth not the man that calleth vpon hym from his trouble.
8 Consider this well, and be ashamed: go into your owne selues.
9 Remember the thinges that are past since the beginning of the worlde, that I am God, and that there is els no God, yea and that there is nothing like vnto me.
10 In the beginning of a thing I shewe the ende therof, & I tell before thinges that are not yet come to passe: My deuise standeth stedfastly stablished, and I fulfill all my pleasure.
11 I call a byrde out of the east, and the man by whom my counsayle shalbe fulfilled out of straunge countreys, as I haue spoken, so wyll I bryng to passe, assoone as I thinke to deuise a thing, I do it.
12 Heare me O ye that are of an hye stomacke, but farre from righteousnesse:
13 I shall bryng foorth my righteousnesse, it is not farre, and my health shall not tary long away: I wyll lay health in Sion, and in Israel my glory.
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.