« | Job 22 | » |
1 So Eliphas the Themanite gaue aunswere, and sayde:
2 May a man be profitable vnto God, as he that is wise may be profitable vnto him selfe?
3 Is it any aduauntage to the almightie that thou art righteous? or shall it profite him that thou makest thy wayes perfect?
4 Is he afrayde to reproue thee, and to step foorth with thee into iudgement?
5 Is not thy wickednesse great, and thy vngratious deedes innumerable?
6 For thou hast taken the pledge from thy brother for naught, and robbed the naked of their clothing.
7 To such as were weery, hast thou geuen no water to drinke, & hast withdrawen bread from the hungrie.
8 But the mightie man had the earth, and he that was in auctoritie dwelt in it.
9 Thou hast sent wydowes away emptie, and the armes of the fatherlesse were broken.
10 Therefore art thou compassed about with snares, & sodenly vexed with feare.
11 Shouldest thou then see no darknesse? shoulde not the water fludde run ouer thee?
12 Is not God on high in the heauen? beholde the heyght of the starres how hie they are.
13 Wilt thou therfore say, Tushe, howe should God know? can he iudge through the darke cloude?
14 Tushe, the cloudes couer him that he may not see, and he walketh on the top of heauen.
15 Hast thou marked the way of the world, wherin wicked men haue walked?
16 Whiche were cut downe out of time, and whose foundation was as an ouerflowing ryuer.
17 Whiche sayd vnto God, Go from vs: and asked what the almightie coulde do for them?
18 He filled their houses with good things: but the counsell of the vngodly be farre from me.
19 The righteous sawe it and were glad, and the innocent laughed them to scorne.
20 Is our substaunce bewen downe? As for the remnaunt of them the fire hath consumed.
21 Therefore reconcile thee vnto God, and be at peace: so shall all thinges prospere with thee right well.
22 Receaue I pray thee the lawe at his mouth, and lay vp his wordes in thyne heart.
23 For if thou wilt turne to the almightie, thou shalt be buyld vp, and put all vnrighteousnes from thy dwelling.
24 Thou shalt lay vp golde [as plentyful] as the dust, and the golde of Ophir as the flyntes of the riuers.
25 Yea almightie God his owne selfe shalbe thy defence, and thou shalt haue plentie of siluer.
26 Then shalt thou haue thy delite in the almightie, and lift vp thy face vnto God.
27 Then shalt thou make thy prayer vnto him, and he shall heare thee, and thou shalt kepe thy promises.
28 Thou shalt also decree a thing, and he shall establishe it vnto thee, and the light shall shine in thy wayes.
29 When [the wicked] be cast downe, thou shalt say, I am lifted vp: and God shall saue the humble person.
30 The innocent shal deliuer the Ilande: it shalbe preserued by the purenesse of thyne handes.
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.