« | Isaiah 57 | » |
1 The ryghteous perisheth, and no man regardeth it in his heart: good godly people are taken away, & no man considereth it, namely, that the righteous is conueyed away from the wicked.
2 He commeth into peace, and godly men rest in their chaumbers, and before the godly man goeth peace.
3 Come hyther therfore ye charmers children, ye sonnes of the adulterer and the whore.
4 Wherin take ye your pleasure? vpon whom gape ye with your mouth, and bleare out your tongue? Are ye not children of transgression, and a seede of dissimulation?
5 Ye make your fire vnder the okes, and vnder all greene trees, and ye offer children in the valleys and dennes of stone.
6 Thy part shalbe with the stony rockes by the riuer, yea euen these shalbe thy part: For there thou hast powred meate & drynke offeryng vnto them: Shoulde I delyght in that?
7 Thou hast made thy bed vpon hye mountaynes, thou wentest vp thyther, and there thou hast slayne sacrifices.
8 Behynde the doores and postes hast thou set vp thy remembraunce, when thou hadst discouered thy selfe to another then me, when thou wentest vp and made thy bed wider, and with those idols hast thou made a couenaunt, and louedst their couches where thou sawest them.
9 Thou wentest straight to kinges with oyle and diuers oyntmentes [that is] thou hast sent thy messengers farre of, and yet art thou fallen into the pit.
10 Thou art weerie for the multitude of thyne owne wayes, yet saydest thou neuer, there is no hope: Thou hast had the life that thy handes wrought, and therefore thou art carelesse.
11 For whom wylt thou be abashed or feare, seing thou hast broken thy promise, and remembrest not me, neither hast me in thyne heart? Thinkest thou that I also wyll holde my peace as aforetime, that thou fearest me not?
12 Yea veryly I wyll declare thy goodnesse and thy workes, but they shall not profite thee.
13 When thou cryest, let thy chosen heape deliuer thee: but the winde shall blowe them foorth, and vanitie shal take them all away: Neuerthelesse they that put their trust in me, shall inherite the land, and haue my holy hill in possession.
14 And therefore thus he saith: make playne, make playne, and clense the streete, take vp the stumbling blockes out of the way of my people.
15 For thus saith the hye and excellent, euen he that dwelleth in euerlastingnesse, whose name is the holy one: I dwell hye aboue and in the sanctuarie, and with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirite do I dwell, that I may heale a troubled minde, and a contrite heart.
16 For I chyde not euer, and am not wroth without ende: but the blasting goeth from me, and is included in the body, and I made the breath.
17 I am wroth with hym for his couetousnesse, I smite hym, I hide me and am angrie, and he turneth himselfe, and foloweth thee by the way of his owne heart.
18 I haue seene his wayes, and I heale hym, I leade him, and restore to hym comfort, and to those that were sorie for hym.
19 I make the fruites of thankesgeuing, that he may say, peace, peace, vnto the that are farre of, and to them that are nye saith the Lorde, I make hym whole.
20 But the wicked are lyke the raging sea that can not rest, whose water fometh with the mire and grauell.
21 Euen so the wicked haue no peace, saith God.
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.