« | Job 33 | » |
1 Wherefore heare my wordes O Iob, and hearken vnto all that I will say:
2 Behold, I haue now opened my mouth, my tongue hath spoken in my throte.
3 My heart doth order my wordes aright, and my lippes talke of pure wysedome.
4 The spirite of God hath made me, and the breath of the almightie hath geuen me my lyfe.
5 If thou canst then geue me aunswere, prepare thy selfe and stande before me face to face.
6 Beholde, before God I am euen as thou: for I am fashioned & made euen of the same molde.
7 Beholde, my terrour shall not feare thee, neither shall my hande be heauy vpon thee.
8 Now hast thou spoken in myne eares, & I haue heard the voyce of thy wordes:
9 I am cleane without any fault, I am innocent, & there is no wickednesse in me.
10 But lo, he hath piked a quarell against me, and taketh me for his enemie.
11 He hath put my foote in the stockes, and looketh narowlye vnto all my pathes.
12 Behold, in this hast thou not done right, I wil make aunswere vnto thee, that God is greater then man.
13 And why doest thou then striue against him? for he shall not geue the accomptes of all his wordes.
14 For God speaketh once or twise, and yet man vnderstandeth it not.
15 In dreames and visions of the night, when slumbring commeth vpon men that they fall asleepe in their beddes,
16 He roundeth them in the eares, and sealeth their correction:
17 That he may withdrawe man from euyll enterprises, and deliuer hym from pride,
18 And kepe his soule from the graue, and his life from the sworde.
19 He chasteneth hym with sickenesse vpon his bedde, he layeth sore punishement vpon his bones:
20 So that his lyfe may away with no bread, and his soule abhorreth to eate any dayntie meate:
21 In so much that his body is cleane consumed away, and his bones appeare which before were not seene.
22 His soule draweth vnto the graue, and his lyfe to death.
23 Now yf there be a messenger, one among a thousande, sent for to speake vnto man, and to shew him the right way:
24 Then the Lord is mercifull vnto him, and sayth, He shalbe deliuered, that he fall not downe to the graue: for I am sufficiently reconciled.
25 Then shal his fleshe be as freshe as a childes, and shal returne as in the dayes of his youth.
26 He shall pray vnto God, and he will be fauorable vnto him, and he shall see his face with ioy, for he will render vnto man his righteousnesse.
27 A respect hath he vnto men, let man then say, I haue offended, I did vnrighteously, & it hath done me no good:
28 Yea he hath deliuered my soule from destruction, and my lyfe shall see the light.
29 Lo all these worketh God alway with man:
30 That he bring backe his soule from the graue to the light, yea the light of the lyuing.
31 Marke wel O Iob, and heare me: hold thee still, and I will speake.
32 But if thou hast any thing to say, then aunswere me, and speake: for I desire to iustifie thee.
33 If thou hast nothing, then heare me, and hold thy tongue, and I shall teache thee wysdome.
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.