Job 1 | » |
1 In the lande of Hus there was a man whose name was Iob, & the same was a perfect and iust man, one that feared God and eschued euill.
2 And he had seuen sonnes and three daughters.
3 His substaunce also was seuen thousand sheepe, and three thousand camels, fiue hundred yoke of oxen, and fiue hundred shee asses, and a very great householde: so that he was one of the most principall men among all them of the east [countrey.]
4 And his sonnes went and banquetted in their houses euery one his day, and sent for their three sisters to eate and drinke with them.
5 And when the dayes of their banquetting were gone about, Iob sent and sanctified them, and gat vp early and offered for euery one a burnt offring: For Iob saide, It may be that my sonnes haue done some offence, & haue ben vnthankfull to God in their heartes. Thus did Iob euery day.
6 And vpon a day when the children of God came and stoode before the lord, Satan came also among them.
7 And the Lorde saide vnto Satan Whence comest thou? Satan aunswered the Lorde and saide: From compassing the earth to and fro, & from walking through it.
8 And the Lorde saide vnto Satan: Hast thou not considered my seruaunt Iob, how there is none lyke him in the earth? a perfect and a iust man, one that feareth God, and eschueth euill?
9 Satan aunswered, and saide vnto the Lorde: Doth Iob feare God for naught?
10 Hast thou not preserued him and his house, and al that he hath on euery side? Thou hast blessed the worke of his handes, and his possession is encreased in the lande.
11 But laye thyne hand now vpon him, and touche all that he hath, and he shall curse thee to thy face.
12 And the Lorde saide vnto Satan: Lo, all that he hath be in thy power, only vpon him selfe see that thou lay not thine hand. And Satan went foorth from the presence of the Lorde.
13 And vpon a certayne day, when his sonnes and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brothers house,
14 There came a messenger vnto Iob, and sayde: The oxen were plowing and the asses feeding beside them:
15 And the Sabees came violently, and toke them away, yea they haue slayne thy seruauntes with the edge of the sword: and I only am escaped alone to tell thee.
16 While he was yet speaking, there came another, and sayde: The fire of God is fallen from heauen, and hath brent vp thy sheepe and seruauntes, and consumed them: and I only am escaped alone to tell thee.
17 And whyle he was yet speaking there came another, and sayde: The Caldees made out their bandes, and fel vpon the camels, and haue caried them away, yea and slayne thy seruauntes with the sworde: and I only am gotten away alone to tell thee.
18 And whyle he was yet speaking there came an other, and sayde: Thy sonnes and thy daughters were eating and drincking wine in their eldest brothers house,
19 And behold there came a mightie great wind from beyond the wildernesse, and smote the foure corners of the house, whiche fell vpon thy children, and they are dead: and I am gotten away alone to tell thee.
20 Then Iob stoode vp, and rent his clothes, & shaued his head, fell downe vpon the ground, worshipped,
21 And sayde: Naked came I out of my mothers wombe, & naked shall I turne thyther againe: The Lorde gaue & the Lord hath taken away, blessed be the name of the Lorde.
22 In all these thinges dyd Iob not offende, nor charged God foolishly.
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.