« | Isaiah 6 | » |
1 In the yere that kyng Oziah dyed, I sawe also the Lorde sitting vpon an high and glorious seate, and his trayne filled the temple.
2 And about hym stoode Seraphims, whereof one had sixe winges, with twayne eche couered his face, with twayne his feete, and with twayne did he flee.
3 They cryed also eche one to another on this maner, Holy, holy, holy is the Lorde of hoastes: the whole earth is full of his glory.
4 And the lintels of the doore checkes moued at his crying, and the house was full of smoke.
5 Then sayd I, Wo is me, for I am lost, in as much as I am a man of vncleane lippes, and dwell among people that hath vncleane lippes also: for mine eyes haue seene the kyng the Lorde of hoastes.
6 Then flewe one of the Seraphims vnto me, hauing a hote cole in his hand, whiche he had taken from the aulter with the tongues,
7 And layde it vpon my mouth, and sayde: Lo, [this] hath touched thy lippes, and thine vnrighteousnesse shalbe taken away, and thy sinne forgeuen.
8 Also I hearde the voyce of the Lorde on this maner: whom shall I sende, and who wyll be our messenger? Then I sayde, Here am I, sende me.
9 And he sayd, Go and tell this people: Heare in deede, yet vnderstande not, ye shall playnely see, and yet perceaue not.
10 Harden the heart of this people, stop their eares, and shut their eyes: lest they see with their eyes, heare with their eares, and vnderstande with their heartes, and conuert and be healed.
11 Then spake I, Lord, howe long? He aunswered, vntill the cities be vtterly wasted without inhabiters, and the houses without men, and tyll the lande be also vtterly desolate.
12 For the Lorde shall put the men farre away, and [there shalbe] great waste in the middest of the lande.
13 Yet in it shall succeede ten kinges, and it shall returne and be afterwarde wasted: [But] as the Teyle tree and the Oke in the fall of their leaues haue yet the sappe remayning in them, [euen so] the holy seede shalbe the stay therof.
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.