« | Jeremiah 12 | » |
1 O Lorde thou art more righteous, then that I shoulde dispute with thee: neuerthelesse, let me talke with thee in thynges reasonable. Howe happeneth it that the way of the vngodly is so prosperous? and that it goeth so well with them which without any shame offend and liue in wickednesse,
2 Thou plantest them, they take roote, they growe, and bryng foorth fruite: they boast much of thee, yet art thou farre from their raynes.
3 But thou Lorde to whom I am well knowen, thou that hast sene and proued my heart, take them away, like as a flocke is caryed to the slaughter house, & appoynt them for the day of slaughter.
4 Howe long shall the lande mourne, and all the hearbes of the fielde perishe for the wickednesse of them that dwell therin? The cattell and the birdes are gone, yet say they, tushe, God wyll not destroy vs vtterly.
5 Seyng thou art weery in runnyng with the footmen, howe wilt thou then runne with horses? In a peaceable sure lande thou mayest be safe: but howe wylt thou do in the furious pride of Iordane?
6 For thy brethren and thy kinrede haue altogether dispised thee, and cryed out vpon thee altogether: Beleue them not, though they speake faire wordes to thee.
7 As for me [I say] I haue forsaken mine owne dwellyng place, and left mine heritage: my lyfe also that I loue so well, haue I geuen into the handes of myne enemies.
8 Myne heritage is become vnto me as a lion in the wood: it cryed out vpon me, therfore haue I forsaken it.
9 Is not mine heritage vnto me as a speckled birde? are not the birdes round about agaynst her? Come and gather ye together all the beastes of the fielde, come, that ye may eate it vp.
10 Diuers heardmen haue broke downe my vineyarde, and troden vpon my portion: of my pleasaunt portion they haue made a wildernesse and desert.
11 They haue layde it waste, and nowe that it is waste it sigheth vnto me: yea the whole lande lyeth waste, and no man regardeth it.
12 The destroyers come ouer the borders in the desert euery way: for the sworde of the Lorde doth consume from the one ende of the lande to the other, and no fleshe hath rest.
13 They haue sowen wheate, and reaped thornes, they haue taken heritage in possession, but it doth them no good: and they were ashamed of your fruites, because of the great wrath of the Lord.
14 Thus saith the Lord vpon all my euyl neighbours that lay hande on mine heritage which I haue possessed, euen my people of Israel: Beholde, I wyll plucke them [namely Israel] out of their lande, and put out the house of Iuda from among them.
15 And when I haue rooted them out, I will be at one with them agayne, and I wyll haue mercie vpon them, and bryng them agayne euery man to his owne heritage, and into his lande.
16 And yf they [namely that trouble my people] wyll learne the wayes of them to sweare by my name, the Lorde lyueth, lyke as they learned my people to sweare by Baal, then shall they be built among my people:
17 But yf they wyll not obey, then wyll I roote out the same folke, and destroy them, 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.