« | Job 19 | » |
1 Iob aunswered, and saide:
2 How long wyll ye vexe my soule, and trouble me with wordes?
3 Lo, ten times haue ye reproched me, and are not ashamed, but haue laughed me to scorne.
4 Be it that I haue erred in deede, myne errour then remaineth with my selfe.
5 But if ye wyll aduaunce your selues against me, and rebuke me for the shame that is come vpon me:
6 Know this then, that it is God which hath ouerthrowe me, and hath compassed me with his net.
7 If I complaine of the violence that is done vnto me, I cannot be heard: and if I crye, there is no sentence geuen with me.
8 He hath hedged vp my way that I can not passe, and he hath set darkenesse in my pathes.
9 He hath spoyled me of myne honour, and taken the crowne away from my head.
10 He hath destroyed me on euery side and I am gone: my hope hath he taken away as a tree pluckt vp by the roote.
11 His wrath is kindled against me, he taketh me as though I were his enemie.
12 His men of warre come together, which made their way ouer me, and besieged my dwelling rounde about.
13 He hath put my brethren farre away from me, and myne acquaintaunce are also become straungers vnto me.
14 Myne owne kinsefolkes haue forsaken me, and my best acquainted haue forgotten me.
15 The seruauntes and maydens of myne owne house toke me for a straunger, and I am become as an aliaunt in their sight.
16 I called my seruaunt, and he gaue me no aunswere: [no though] I prayed him with my mouth.
17 Myne owne wyfe might not abyde my breath, though I prayed her for the children sake of myne owne body.
18 Yea, the young men despised me, and when I rose they spake euill vpon me.
19 All my most familiers abhorred me: and they whom I loued best, are turned against me.
20 My bone cleaueth to my skinne and to my fleshe, onely there is left me the skinne about my teeth.
21 Haue pitie vpon me, haue pitie vpon me, O ye my friendes, for the hande of God hath touched me.
22 Why do ye persecute me as God [doth] and are not satisfied with my fleshe?
23 O that my wordes were now written, O that they were put in a booke,
24 And grauen with an iron penne in leade, or in stone, to continue.
25 For I am sure that my redeemer saueth, and he shall rayse vp at the latter day them that lye in the dust.
26 And though after my skinne the [wormes] destroy this body, yet shall I see God in my fleshe:
27 Whom I my selfe shall see, and myne eyes shall beholde, and none other for me, though my raines are consumed within me.
28 But ye saide, why is he persecuted? and there was a deepe matter in me.
29 But beware of the sworde: for the sword wylbe auenged of wickednesse, and be sure that there is a iudgement.
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.