« | Jeremiah 21 | » |
1 These are the wordes that the lord spake vnto Ieremie, what time as kyng Zedekias sent vnto him Phashur the sonne of Melchias, & Sophonias the sonne of Maasias priest, saying:
2 Aske counsayle at the Lorde [we pray thee] on our behalfe, for Nabuchodonozor the king of Babylon besiegeth vs: if the Lorde (peraduenture) wyll deale with vs according to his maruaylous power, and take hym from vs.
3 Then spake Ieremie: Geue Zedechias this aunswere.
4 Thus saith the Lord God of Israel: Beholde, I wyll turne backe the weapons that ye haue in your hands, wherwith ye fight against the king of Babylon and the Chaldees, whiche besiege you rounde about the walles, and I wyll bryng them together into the middest of this citie.
5 And I my selfe will fight against you with an ouerstretched hande, and with a mightie arme, in great displeasure and terrible wrath:
6 And wyll smite them that dwell in this citie, yea both men and cattell shall dye of a great pestilence.
7 But after this (saith the Lorde) I shall deliuer Zedekias kyng of Iuda, and his seruauntes, his people, and such as are escaped in the citie from the pestilence, sworde, and hunger, into the power of Nabuchodonozor kyng of Babylon, yea into the handes of their enemies, into the handes of those that folowe vpon their liues, whiche shall smite them with the sworde, they shall not pitie them, they shal not spare them, they shall haue no mercy vpon them.
8 And vnto this people thou shalt say, thus saith the Lorde: Beholde, I lay before you the way of life and death.
9 Whoso abideth in the citie, shall perishe, either with the sworde, with hunger, or pestilence: but whoso goeth out to holde on the Chaldees part that besiege it, he shall saue his lyfe, and shall winne his soule for a pray.
10 For I haue set my face against this citie (saith the Lorde) to plague it, and to do it no good: it must be geuen into the hande of the kyng of Babylon, and be brent with fire.
11 And vnto the house of the king of Iuda say thus: Heare the worde of the Lorde:
12 O thou house of Dauid, thus saith the Lorde: Minister righteousnesse and that soone, deliuer the oppressed from violent power, or euer my terrible wrath breake out lyke a fire and burne, so that no man may quenche it because of the wickednesse of your imaginations.
13 Behold, saith the Lord, I wyll come vpon thee that dwellest in the valleys, rockes, and fieldes, and say, tushe, who will make vs afraide? or who wil come into our houses?
14 For I wyll visite you saith the Lord, because of the wickednesse of your inuentions, and wyll kindle suche a fire in your wood, as shall consume all that is about you.
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.