« | Job 37 | » |
1 At this also my heart is astonied, and moued out of his place.
2 Heare then the sounde of his voyce, & the noyse that goeth out of his mouth.
3 He directeth it vnder the whole heauen, and his light vnto the endes of the worlde.
4 A roring voyce foloweth it: for his glorious maiestie geueth a thuder clappe, & he will not stay whe his voyce is heard.
5 God thundreth marueylously with his voyce, great thinges doth he which we can not comprehend.
6 He commaundeth the snow, and it falleth vpon earth: he geueth the rayne a charge, and the showres haue their strength and fall downe.
7 With the force of the rayne he shutteth men vp, that all men may knowe his workes.
8 The beastes creepe into their dennes, and remaine in their places.
9 Out of the south commeth the tempest, and colde out from the north winde.
10 At the breath of God the hoare frost is geuen, and the brode waters are frosen.
11 He maketh the cloudes to labour in geuing moystnesse, and againe with his light he dryueth away the cloude.
12 He turneth the heauens about by his gouernement, that they may do whatsoeuer he commaundeth them vpon the whole worlde.
13 Whether it be for punishment, or for his lande, or to do good to them that seeke him.
14 Hearken vnto this O Iob, stand still, and consider the wonderous workes of God.
15 Didst thou know when God disposed them? & caused the light of his cloudes to shine?
16 Hast thou knowen the varietie of the cloudes, and the wonderous workes of him which is perfect in knowledge?
17 And how thy clothes are warme, when the lande is stil through the south winde?
18 Hast thou helped him to spreade out the heauens which are strong and bright as a loking glasse?
19 Teache vs what we shall saye vnto him: for we are vnmeete to frame our talke because of darkenesse.
20 Shall it be tolde him what I saye? Shall man speake when he shalbe destroyed?
21 For men see not the light that shineth in the cloudes: but the winde passeth and cleanseth them.
22 The faire weather commeth out of the north, the prayse thereof is to God who is terrible.
23 It is the almightie, we can not finde him out: he is excellent in power and iudgement, and aboundaunt in iustice: he afflicteth not.
24 Let men therefore feare him: for there shall no man see him that is wyse in his owne conceit.
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.