« | James 3 | » |
1 My brethren, be not manie maisters, knowyng howe that we shall receaue the greater damnation:
2 For in many thynges we sinne all. If a man sinne not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle all the body.
3 Beholde, we put bittes in the horses mouthes, that they may obey vs, and we turne about all the body of them:
4 Beholde also ye shippes, which though they be so great, and are dryuen of fierce windes, yet are they turned about with a very small helme, whither soeuer the violence of the gouernour wyll.
5 Euen so the tongue is a litle member also, & boasteth great thynges. Beholde how great a matter a litle fire kindleth.
6 And the tongue is fyre, euen a worlde of wickednesse. So is the tongue set among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fyre the course of nature, & it is set on fyre of hell.
7 All the natures of beastes, & of byrdes, and of serpentes, and thynges of the sea, are meeked and tamed of the nature of man:
8 But the tongue can no man tame, it is an vnruly euyll, full of deadly poyson.
9 Therwith blesse we God the father: and therwith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God.
10 Out of one mouth proceadeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these thynges ought not so to be.
11 Doth a fountayne sende foorth at one place, sweete water, and bitter also?
12 Can the fygge tree, my brethren, beare oliue beries? either a vine beare figges? So can no fountayne geue both salt water and freshe also.
13 Who is a wise man, and endued with knoweledge among you? let him shewe his workes out of good conuersation with mekenesse of wisdome.
14 But yf ye haue bitter enuiyng & strife in your hearte, glorie not, neither be lyers agaynst the trueth.
15 For such wisdome descendeth not fro aboue: but is earthlie, sensuall, and deuelishe.
16 For where enuiyng and strife is, there is sedition & all maner of euyll workes.
17 But the wisdome that is from aboue, is first pure, then peaseable, gentle, and easie to be entreated, full of mercie and good fruites, without iudgyng, without simulation:
18 Yea, and the fruite of ryghteousnes is sowen in peace, of the that make peace.
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.