« | Job 27 | » |
1 And Iob proceeded and went foorth in his parable, saying,
2 As God lyueth whiche hath taken away my iudgement, and the almightie that hath vexed my minde:
3 Whyle my breath is in me, and the winde that God hath geuen me is in my nostrels,
4 My lippes shall talke of no vanitie, and my tongue shall speake no disceite.
5 God forbyd that I should graunt your cause to be right: As for me, vntill myne end come will I neuer go fro myne innocentie.
6 My righteous dealing kepe I fast, which I will not forsake: my heart shal not reproue me of my dayes.
7 Therfore myne enemie shalbe founde as the vngodly, and he that taketh part against me, as the vnrighteous.
8 For what hope hath the hypocrite though he haue great good, if God take away his soule?
9 Will God heare his crye, when trouble commeth vpon him?
10 Hath he such pleasure and delite in the almightie, that he dare alway call vpon God?
11 I wil teache you in the name of God, and the thing of the almightie will I not kepe from you.
12 Behold, all ye your selues haue seene it, why then do ye thus vanishe in vanitie?
13 Saying: This is the portion that the wicked haue of God, and the heritage that tyrauntes shall receaue of the almightie.
14 If he get many children, they shall perishe with the sworde, and his posteritie shall haue scarcenesse of bread.
15 His remnaunt shalbe buried in death, and his widowes shall not weepe.
16 Though he heape vp siluer as the dust, and prepare rayment as the clay:
17 He may well prepare it, but the godly shall put it on, and the innocent shall deale out the money.
18 He buyldeth his house as the moth, & as a booth that the watchman maketh.
19 When the riche man sleepeth, he shall not be gathered [to his fathers,] they opened their eyes, and he was gone.
20 Terrour taketh holde vpon hym as a water fludde, and the tempest stealeth him away in the night season.
21 A vehement east winde caryeth him hence, and he departeth: a storme hurleth him out of his place.
22 God shal cast vpon him, and not spare, though he woulde fayne flee out of his hande.
23 Then clap men their handes at hym, and hisse at him out of his place.
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.