« | Job 14 | » |
1 Man that is borne of woman, hath but a short time to lyue, and is full of miserie.
2 He commeth vp, and is cut downe like a floure: He fleeth as it were a shadow, and neuer continueth in one state.
3 Doest thou open thyne eyes vpon such one, and bringest me into thy iudgement?
4 Who can make it cleane that commeth of an vncleane thing? no bodye.
5 The dayes of man surely are determined, the number of his monethes are knowen onely vnto thee, thou hast appoynted him his bondes which he can not go beyonde.
6 Go from him, that he may rest vntill his day come which he loketh for, lyke as an hireling doth.
7 For if a tree be cut downe, there is some hope yet that it wyll sproute and shoote foorth the braunches againe.
8 Though the roote of it be waxen olde, and the stocke thereof be dead in the grounde:
9 Yet when it getteth the sent of water, it wyll budde and bring foorth bowes, lyke as a tree that is planted.
10 But as for man, when he is dead, perished, and consumed away, what becommeth of him?
11 As the waters passe from the sea, and as the flood decayeth and dryeth vp:
12 So man after he is asleepe ryseth not, he shall not wake tyll the heauens be no more, nor rise out of his sleepe.
13 O that thou wouldest hide me in the graue, & keepe me secret vntyl thy wrath were past, and to appoynt me a time wherein thou mightest remember me.
14 May a dead man lyue againe? All the dayes of my lyfe wyll I wayte still, till my chaunging shall come.
15 Thou shalt call [me] and I shall aunswere thee, despise not thou the worke of thyne owne handes.
16 For now thou numbrest all my goinges, and geuest no delay vnto my sinne.
17 Myne iniquitie is sealed vp as it were in a bagge, and thou addest [punishement] vnto my wickednesse.
18 The mountaines fal away at the last, the rockes are remoued out of their place.
19 The waters pearse through the very stones by litle & litle, the floodes washe away the grauell and earth: so shalt thou destroy the hope of man.
20 Thou preuaylest still against him, so that he passeth away: thou chaungest his estate and puttest him from thee.
21 And whether his children come to worship or no, he can not tell: And if they be men of lowe degree, he knoweth not.
22 But while his fleshe is vpon him, it must haue sorowe: and his soule shall mourne within him.
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.