« | Job 24 | » |
1 Considering then that there is no time hyd from the almightie, how happeneth it that they which know him do not regarde his dayes?
2 For some men remoue the landemarkes, robbe men of their cattell, and feede of the same:
3 They driue away the asse of the fatherlesse, and take the wydowes oxe for a pledge:
4 They cause the poore to turne out of the way, so that the poore of the earth hyde them selues together.
5 Beholde, as wilde asses in the desert go they foorth to their worke, & ryse betimes to spoyle: Yea the very wildernesse ministreth foode for them & their children.
6 They reape the corne fielde that is not their owne, and let the vineyarde of the vngodly alone.
7 They cause the naked to lodge without garment, and without couering in the colde.
8 They are wet with the showres of the mountaynes, and embrace the rocke for want of a couering.
9 They plucke the fatherlesse from the brest, and take the pledge from the poore.
10 They let hym go naked without clothing, and haue taken away the sheafe of the hungrie.
11 The poore are fayne to labour in their oyle mylles, yea and to treade in their wyne presses, and yet to suffer thirst.
12 Men out of the citie crye vnto the Lord with sighing, the soules of the slayne also crye out, yet God regardeth not their complaynt.
13 Where as they are conuersaunt among them that abhorre the light, they know not his way, nor continue in his pathes.
14 The murtherer ryseth early and killeth the poore and needy, and in the night is as a thiefe?
15 The eye of the adulterer wayteth for the darkenesse, & sayth, There shall no eye see me: and disguiseth his face.
16 In the darke they digge through houses, whiche they marked for them selues in the day time: they knowe not the light.
17 The morning is to them euen as the shadow of death: if one know them, they are in the terrours of the shadowe of death,
18 [The vngodly] is swyft vpon the water: their portion shalbe cursed in the earth, and he shall not beholde the way of the vineyardes.
19 As the drye grounde and heate consume the snowye waters: so shall the graue the sinners.
20 The pitifull man shall forget hym, he shalbe sweete to the wormes, he shalbe no more remembred, & his wickednesse shalbe broken as a tree.
21 He hath oppressed the barren that can not beare, and vnto the wydow hath he done no good.
22 He drue the mightie after hym with his power, and when he was gotten vp no man was sure of lyfe.
23 And though they gaue him to be in safetie, yet his eyes are vpon their wayes.
24 They are exalted for a litle, but [shortly] are gone, brought to pouertie, and taken out of the way, yea and vtterly pluckt of, as the eares of corne.
25 Is it not so? Who will then reproue me as a lyer, and say that my wordes are nothing worth? Bildad proueth that no man is cleane nor without sinne before God.
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.