« | Job 23 | » |
1 Iob aunswered, & said:
2 Though my talke be this day in bitternesse, and my plague greater then my groning.
3 O that I might know him, and finde him, and that I might come before his seate:
4 I woulde pleade my cause before hym, and fill my mouth with argumentes:
5 I woulde knowe what aunswere he woulde geue me, and vnderstande what he woulde say vnto me.
6 Will he pleade against me with his great power? No, but he will make me the stronger.
7 There the righteous might dispute with him, so shoulde I be deliuered for euer from my iudge.
8 Behold, though I go forwarde I find him not: If I go backwarde, I can get no knowledge of hym:
9 If I go on the left side where he doth his worke, I can not attayne vnto him: Againe, if I go on the right side, he hydeth him selfe that I can not see hym.
10 But as for my way, he knoweth it, and tryeth me, that as the gold I may come foorth.
11 My foote doth kepe his path, his hie way haue I holden, and will not go out of it.
12 I will not forsake the commaundement of his lippes, I haue esteemed the wordes of his mouth more then myne appoynted foode.
13 He is still at one poynt, and who can turne him? he doth as him listeth, and bringeth to passe what he will.
14 He perfourmeth the thing that is appoynted for me, and many such thinges doth he.
15 This is the cause that I shrinke at his presence, so that when I consider him, I am afrayde of hym.
16 For God maketh my heart softe, and the almightie putteth me in feare.
17 Because I am not cut of before the darkenesse, neither hath he couered the cloude fro my face.
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.