« | Isaiah 53 | » |
1 But who hath geuen credence vnto our preaching? or to whom is the arme of the Lorde knowen?
2 For he dyd growe before the Lorde like as a braunche, and as a roote in a drye grounde, he hath neither beautie nor fauour: when we loke vpon hym, there shalbe no fairenesse, we shall haue no lust vnto hym.
3 He is dispised and abhorred of men, he is such a man as hath good experience of sorowes and infirmities: We haue reckened hym so vile, that we hyd our faces from hym.
4 Howbeit, he only hath taken on him our infirmitie, and borne our paynes: Yet we dyd iudge hym as though he were plagued, and cast downe of God.
5 Wheras he [notwithstandyng] was wounded for our offences, and smitten for our wickednesse: for the payne of our punishment was layde vpon hym, and with his stripes are we healed.
6 As for vs we are all gone astray lyke sheepe, euery one hath turned his owne way: but the Lord hath throwen vpon hym all our sinnes.
7 He suffered violence, and was euyll intreated, and dyd not open his mouth: He shalbe led as a sheepe to be slayne, yet shall he be as styll as a lambe before the shearer, and not open his mouth.
8 From the prison and iudgement was he taken, and his generation who can declare? for he was cut of from the grounde of the lyuyng, which punishment dyd go vpon hym for the transgression of my people.
9 His graue was geuen hym with the condempned, and with the riche man at his death, wheras he did neuer violence nor vnright, neither hath there ben any disceiptfulnesse in his mouth.
10 Yet hath it pleased the Lord to smite hym with infirmitie, that when he had made his soule an offeryng for sinne, he might see long lastyng seede: and this deuice of the Lorde shall prosper in his hande.
11 Of the trauayle and labour of his soule, shall he see the fruite & be satisfied: My righteous seruaunt shall with his knowledge iustifie the multitude, for he shall beare their sinnes.
12 Therfore wyll I geue hym among the great ones his part, and he shall deuide the spoyle with the mightie, because he geueth ouer his soule to death, and is reckened among the transgressours: which neuerthelesse hath taken away the sinnes of the multitude, and made intercession for the misdoers.
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.