« | Jeremiah 18 | » |
1 This is another communication that God had with Ieremie, saying:
2 Arise, and go downe into the potters house, & there shal I tell thee more of my mynde,
3 Nowe when I came to the potters house, I founde hym makyng his worke vpon a wheele.
4 The vessell that the potter made of clay, brake among his handes: So he began a newe, and made another vessell accordyng to his mynde.
5 Then sayde the Lorde thus vnto me:
6 May not I do with you as this potter doth O ye house of Israel saith the Lorde? Beholde ye house of Israel, ye are in my hande, euen as the clay is in the potters hande.
7 When I take in hande to roote out, to destroy, or to waste away any people or kyngdome:
8 If that people agaynst whom I haue thus deuised, conuert from their wickednesse, I repent of the plague that I deuised to bryng vpon them.
9 Agayne, when I take in hande to builde or to plant a people or a kyngdome:
10 If the same people do euyll before me and heare not my voyce, I repent of the good that I haue deuised for them.
11 Speake nowe therfore vnto whole Iuda, and to them that dwell at Hierusalem, thus saith the Lorde, Beholde I am deuisyng a plague for you, and am takyng a thyng in hande agaynst you: therfore let euery man turne from his euyll way, and take vpon you the thyng that is good and ryght.
12 But they sayde, No more of this, we wyll folowe our owne imaginations, and do euery man accordyng to the wilfulnesse of his owne mynde.
13 Therfore thus saith the Lorde, Aske among the heathen yf any man haue hearde such horrible thynges, as the mayden Israel hath done?
14 Wyll a man forsake the showe of Libanus, which commeth from the rocke of the fielde? Or shall the colde flowyng waters that commeth from another place be forsaken?
15 But my people hath forgotten me, they haue made sacrifice in vayne, and their prophetes make them fall in their wayes from the auncient pathes, and to go into a way not vsed to be troden [of iust men.]
16 Wherethrough they haue brought their lande into an euerlastyng wildernesse and scorne: so that whosoeuer trauayleth therby, shalbe abashed, and wagge their heades.
17 With an east wynde wyll I scatter them before their enemies: and when their destruction commeth, I wil turne my backe vpon them, but not my face.
18 Then sayd they, Come, let vs imagine somethyng agaynst this Ieremie: for the priestes shall not be destitute of the lawe, neither shall the wise men be destitute of counsayle, nor the prophetes destitute of the worde of God: Come, and let vs smite hym with the tongue, and let vs not marke all his wordes.
19 Consider me O Lorde, and heare the voyce of mine enemies.
20 Shall they recompence euyll for good? for they haue digged a pit for my soule: Remember howe that I stoode before thee to speake good for them, and to turne away thy wrath from them.
21 Therfore, let their children dye of hunger, and let them be oppressed with the sworde: Let their wiues be robbed of their children, and become widowes, let their husbandes be slayne, let their young men be kylled with the sworde in the fielde.
22 Let the noyse be hearde out of their houses when thou bryngest the murtherer sodaynly vpon them: for they haue digged a pit to take me, and layde snares for my feete.
23 Yet Lorde thou knowest all their counsayle, that they haue deuised to slay me, forgeue not their wickednesse, and let not their sinnes be put out of thy sight, but let them be iudged before thee as giltie: this do thou vnto them in the tyme of thine indignation.
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.