« | Isaiah 55 | » |
1 Come to the waters all ye that be thirstie, and ye that haue no money, come, bye, that ye may haue to eate: Come, bye wine and mylke without any money or money worth.
2 Wherfore do ye lay out any money for the thyng that feedeth not, and spende your labour about the thyng that satisfieth you not? But hearken rather vnto me, and ye shal eate of the best, and your soule shall haue her pleasure in plenteousnesse.
3 Encline your eares and come vnto me, take heede [I say] and your soule shall lyue: For I wyll make an euerlastyng couenaunt with you, euen the sure mercies of Dauid.
4 Beholde, I gaue hym for a witnesse among the folke, for a prince & a teacher vnto the people.
5 Lo, thou shalt call an vnknowen people: and a people that had no knowledge of thee shall runne vnto thee, because of the Lorde thy God and the holy one of Israel which glorifieth thee.
6 Seke the Lorde whyle he may be founde, and call vpon hym whyle he is nye.
7 Let the vngodly man forsake his owne wayes, and the vnrighteous his owne imaginations, and turne agayne vnto the Lorde, so shall he be mercifull vnto hym: and to our God, for he is very redy to forgeue.
8 For thus saith ye Lord: My thoughtes are not your thoughtes, & your wayes are not my wayes.
9 But as farre as the heauens are hyer then the earth: so farre do my wayes exceede yours, & my thoughtes yours.
10 And lyke as the rayne and snowe commeth downe from heauen, and returneth not thyther agayne, but watereth the earth, maketh it fruitfull and greene, that it may geue corne vnto the sower, and bread to hym that eateth:
11 So the worde also that commeth out of my mouth shall not turne agayne voyde vnto me, but shall accomplishe my wyll, and prosper in the thing wherto I sende it.
12 And so shall ye go foorth with ioy, and be led with peace: The mountaynes and hylles shall syng with you for ioy, and all the trees of the fielde shal clappe their handes.
13 For thornes, there shall growe Firre trees, and the Myrre tree in the steede of bryers: And this shalbe done to the prayse of the Lorde, and for an euerlastyng token that shall not be taken away.
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.