« | Isaiah 9 | » |
1 (8:23) Neuerthelesse, the darknesse shall not be suche as was in her vexation, when at the first he lightly afflicted the lande Zabulon, and the lande of Nephthali, and afterwarde dyd more greeuously afflict her by the way of the sea beyond Iordane in Galilee of the heathen.
2 (9:1) The people that walked in darknesse, haue seene a great light: As for them that dwell in the lande of the shadowe of death, vpon them hath the light shined.
3 (9:2) Thou hast multiplied the people, and not increased their ioy: they reioyce before thee, euen as men make merie in haruest, and they be ioyfull as men that do deuide the spoyle [after the victorie.]
4 (9:3) For thou hast broken the yoke of his burthen, the staffe of his shoulder, and the rod of his oppressour, as in the day of Madian.
5 (9:4) And truely euery battayle that the warrier maketh, is done with confused noyse: and defiling their garmentes with blood [but this battayle] shalbe with burning and consuming of fire.
6 (9:5) For vnto vs a chylde is borne, and vnto vs a sonne is geuen, vpon his shoulder doth the rule lye, and he is called with his owne name wonderfull, the geuer of counsell, the mightie God, the euerlasting father, the prince of peace.
7 (9:6) He shall make no ende to encrease the rule & peace, and shall sit vpon the seate of Dauid, and in his kingdome, to order the same, and to stablishe it with equitie and righteousnesse from hence foorth for euermore: This shall the zeale of the Lorde of hoastes bring to passe.
8 (9:7) The Lorde sent a worde into Iacob, the same is come into Israel.
9 (9:8) And all the people of Ephraim shall knowe, and they that dwell in Samaria that say with pryde and high stomackes [on this maner,]
10 (9:9) The tyle worke is fallen downe, but we wyll buylde it with squared stones: the Mulberie timber is broken, but we shall set it vp agayne with Cedar.
11 (9:10) But the Lorde shall strengthen the enemies of Razin, and ioyne his aduersaries together against him.
12 (9:11) The Syrians before, and the Philistines behinde, and shall deuour Israel with open mouth: After all this is not the wrath of the Lorde ceassed, but yet his hande stretched out styll.
13 (9:12) For the people turneth not vnto hym that chastiseth them, neither do they seeke the Lorde of hoastes.
14 (9:13) Therefore hath the Lorde rooted out of Israel both head and tayle, bough and reede in one day.
15 (9:14) By the head, is vnderstande the senatour and honourable man, and by the tayle, the prophete that preached lyes.
16 (9:15) For the guides of this people are deceauers, and those that be gouerned are vtterly lost.
17 (9:16) Therefore shall the Lorde haue no pleasure in their young men, neither haue pitie of their fatherlesse and wydowes: for they are altogether hypocrites and wicked, and al their mouthes speake folly: After all this is not the Lordes wrath ceassed, but yet his hand is stretched out styll.
18 (9:17) For vngodlynesse burneth as a fire, and shall deuour bryers and thornes, and it shall burne as in the thicket of a wood, and [the wicked] aduaunce them selues, as the smoke is caryed vp.
19 (9:18) Thorowe the wrath of the Lorde of hoastes is the lande full of darknesse, and the people be consumed as it were with fire: no man doth spare his brother.
20 (9:19) But he robbeth on the right hande, and doth famishe, he eateth on the left hande, and he shall not haue inough: euery man shall eate the fleshe of his owne arme.
21 (9:20) Manasses [shall eate] Ephraim, and Ephraim Manasses, and they both together shall eate Iuda: After all this is not the Lordes wrath ceassed, but yet his hande stretched out styll.
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.