« | Jeremiah 41 | » |
1 But in the seuenth moneth, it happened that Ismael the sonne of Nathaniah, the sonne of Elisama, one of the kynges blood came, and the greatest about the kyng, & ten men with him, vnto Gedaliah the sonne of Ahicam to Mispa, and they did eate together in Mispa.
2 And Ismael the sonne of Nathaniah, with those ten men that were with him, start vp, and smote Gedaliah the sonne of Ahicam the sonne of Saphan with the sworde, and slue hym whom the king of Babylon had made a gouernour of the lande.
3 Ismael also slue all the Iewes that were with Gedaliah at Mispa, and all the Chaldees that he founde there waytyng vpon hym, and those that were able to fyght he slue with hym.
4 The next day after that he had slayne Gedaliah, the matter was yet vnknowen:
5 And there came certayne men from Sichem, from Silo, and Samaria, to the number of fourescore, which had shauen their beardes, rent their clothes, and were all heauie, bryngyng meate offerynges and incense in their handes, to offer it in the house of the Lorde.
6 And Ismael the sonne of Nathaniah went foorth of Mispa weepyng, to meete them: Nowe when he met them, he sayde, Go your way to Gedaliah the sonne of Ahicam.
7 And when they came in the middest of the citie, Ismael the sonne of Nathaniah, with them that were with hym, slue them euen at the middest of the pit.
8 Among these fourescore men there were ten that sayde vnto Ismael: Oh slay vs not, for we haue yet a great treasure in the fielde, of wheate, barly, oyle, and hony: So he spared them, and slue them not with their brethren.
9 Nowe the pit wherin Ismael did cast the dead bodyes of the men whom he slue because of Gedaliah, had kyng Asa caused to be made for feare of Baasa the kyng of Israel, and the same pit did Ismael fyll with slayne men.
10 As for the remnaunt of the people, the kynges daughters, and all the people that were left at Mispa, vpon whom Nabuzaradan the chiefe captayne had made Gedaliah the sonne of Ahicam gouernour, Ismael the sonne of Nathaniah caryed them away prisoners towarde the Ammonites.
11 But when Iohanan the sonne of Careah, and all they which had ben captaynes ouer the kinges hoast with him, hearde of all the wickednesse that Ismael the sonne of Nathaniah had done:
12 They toke their companions, & went out for to fyght with Ismael the sonne of Nathaniah, and founde hym by the great waters that are at Gibeon.
13 Nowe when all the people whom Ismael led captiue, sawe Iohanan the sonne of Careah, and all the other captaynes of the hoast, they were glad.
14 So all the people that Ismael had caried away from Mispa, were brought agayne: and when they returned, they came to Iohanan the sonne of Careah.
15 But Ismael the sonne of Nathaniah fled from Iohanan with eyght companions, and went to the Ammonites.
16 Then Iohanan the sonne of Careah, and all the captaynes of the hoast that were with hym, toke all the remnaunt of the people, whom Ismael the sonne of Nathaniah had led away when he had slayne Gedaliah the sonne of Ahicam, whom they also had reserued from hym, fightyng men, women, and children, and gelded men, whom they brought agayne from Gibeon,
17 And went from thence, and sate them downe at Geruth Chamaam, which lyeth beside Bethlehem, that they might go into Egypt for feare of the Chaldees:
18 Of whom they were afrayde, because that Ismael the sonne of Nathaniah had slayne Gedaliah Ahicams sonne, whom the kyng of Babylon had made gouernour in the lande.
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.