Jeremiah 1 | » |
1 These are the sermons of Ieremie the sonne of Helkiah the priest, one of them that dwelt at Anathoth in the lande of Beniamin,
2 When the Lorde had first spoken with hym in the tyme of Iosiah the sonne of Amon kyng of Iuda, in the 13 yere of his raigne:
3 And so duryng vnto the tyme of Iehoakim the sonne of Iosiah king of Iuda, and vntyll the 11 yere of Zedekiah the sonne of Iosiah kyng of Iuda were ended, when Hierusalem was taken, euen in the fifth moneth.
4 The worde of the Lorde spake thus vnto me.
5 Before I fashioned thee in thy mothers wombe, I dyd knowe thee: and or euer thou wast borne, I sanctified thee, and ordeyned thee to be a prophete vnto the people.
6 Then sayde I: O Lorde God, I can not speake, for I am yet but young.
7 And the Lorde aunswered me thus: Say not so, I am to young: for thou shalt go to all that I shall sende thee vnto, and whatsoeuer I commaunde thee, that shalt thou speake.
8 Be not afrayde of their faces: for I am with thee to deliuer thee, saith the Lorde.
9 And with that the Lorde stretched out his hande and touched my mouth: and the same Lorde sayde vnto me, Beholde, I put my wordes in thy mouth.
10 And beholde, this day do I set thee ouer the people and kyngdomes, that thou mayest roote out, breake of, destroy, and make waste, and that thou mayest builde vp and plant.
11 After this the Lorde spake vnto me, saying: Ieremie, what seest thou? And I sayd, I see a rod of an Almond tree.
12 Then sayde the Lorde vnto me: thou hast seene ryght, for I wyll make haste speedyly vpon my worde to performe it.
13 It happened afterwarde that the Lorde spake to me agayne, and sayde: what seest thou? and I sayde: I do see a seethyng pot, lokyng from out of the north.
14 Then sayde the Lorde vnto me: Out of the north shall come a plague vpon all the dwellers of the lande.
15 For lo, I wyll call all the kinredes of the kingdomes of the north, saith the Lorde: and they shall come, and euery one shall set his seate in the gates of Hierusalem, and in all their walles rounde about, and in all cities of Iuda.
16 And through them shall I declare my iudgement, vpo all the wickednesse of those men that haue forsaken me, that haue burnt incense vnto straunge gods, and worshipped the workes of their owne handes.
17 And therfore girde vp thy loynes, arise, and tell them all that I geue thee in commaundement: Feare them not, lest I destroy thee before them.
18 For beholde, this day do I make thee a strong fensed towne, an iron pyller, and a brasen wall, agaynst the whole lande, agaynst the kinges and mightie men of Iuda, agaynst the priestes and people of the lande.
19 They shall fight agaynst thee, but they shall not be able to ouercome thee: for I am with thee to deliuer thee, saith the Lorde.
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.