« | James 4 | » |
1 From whence cometh warre and fightyng among you? come they not here hence, euen of your lustes that fight in your members?
2 Ye lust, and haue not: Ye enuie, and haue indignation, and can not obtayne: Ye fyght and warre, ye haue not, because ye aske not.
3 Ye aske and receaue not, because ye aske amisse, euen to consume it vpon your lustes.
4 Ye adulterers & adultresses, knowe you not howe that the frendship of the world is enmitie with God? Whosoeuer therfore wylbe a friende of the worlde, is made the enemie of God.
5 Either do ye thynke that the scripture sayth in vayne, the spirite that dwelleth in vs, lusteth after enuie?
6 But [the scripture] offereth more grace, and therefore sayth, God resisteth the proude, but geueth grace vnto ye lowlie.
7 Submit your selues therfore to God: but resist the deuyll, and he wyll flee from you.
8 Drawe nye to God, and he wyll drawe nye to you. Clense your handes ye sinners, and purifie your heartes ye double mynded.
9 Suffer afflictions, and mourne, and weepe: Let your laughter be turned to mournyng, and your ioy to heauinesse.
10 Humble your selues in the sight of the Lorde, and he shall lyft you vp.
11 Backbite not one another brethren. He that backbiteth his brother, and he that iudgeth his brother, backbiteth ye lawe, and iudgeth the lawe: But and yf thou iudge the lawe, thou art not an obseruer of the lawe, but a iudge.
12 There is one lawe geuer, which is able to saue and to destroy. What art thou that iudgest another?
13 Go to nowe ye that say, to day and to morowe let vs go into such a citie, and continue there a yere, and bye and sell, and wynne:
14 And yet can not ye tel what shall happen on the morowe. For what thyng is your lyfe? It is euen a vapour, that appeareth for a litle tyme, and then he vanisheth away.
15 For that ye ought to say: If the Lorde wyll, and yf we lyue, let vs do this or that.
16 But now ye reioyce in your boastinges: All such reioycyng is euyll.
17 Therfore to hym that knoweth howe to do good, and doth it not, to hym it is sinne.
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.