« | Job 38 | » |
1 Then aunswered the Lorde vnto Iob out of the whirle winde, and saide:
2 What is he that darkeneth his counsaile by wordes without knowledge?
3 Girde vp thy loynes lyke a man: for I wyl question with thee, see thou geue me a direct aunswere.
4 Where wast thou when I layed the foundations of the earth? Tell playnely, if thou hast vnderstanding.
5 Who hath measured it, knowest thou? or who hath spread the lyne vpon it?
6 Whereupon are the foundations set? or who layed the corner stone thereof?
7 Where wast thou when the morning starres praysed me together, and all the children of God reioyced triumphantly?
8 Who shut the sea with doores, when it brake foorth as out of the wombe?
9 When I made the cloudes [to be] a covering for it, and swadled it with the darke:
10 When I gaue it my commaundement, making doores and barres for it,
11 Saying, Hitherto shalt thou come, but no further: and here shalt thou laye downe thy proude and hie waues.
12 Hast thou geue the morning his charge since thy dayes, and shewed the day spring his place,
13 That it might take holde of the corners of the earth, and that the vngodly might be shaken out of it.
14 They are fashioned as is the clay with the seale, and all stand vp as a garment.
15 The vngodly shall be disapointed of their light, and the arme of the proude shalbe broken.
16 Camest thou euer into the grounde of the sea, or walkedst in the lowe corners of the deepe?
17 Haue the gates of death ben opened vnto thee? or hast thou seene the doores of the shadowe of death?
18 Hast thou also perceaued how brode the earth is? If thou hast knowledge of all this:
19 Then shewe me the way where light dwelleth, & where is the place of darkenesse?
20 That thou shouldest receaue it in the boundes thereof, and know the pathes to their houses.
21 Knewest thou afore thou wast borne how olde thou shouldest be?
22 Wentest thou euer into the treasures of the snow, or hast thou seene the secrete places of the hayle,
23 Which I haue prepared against the time of trouble, against the time of battaile and warre?
24 By what way is the light parted? and into what land breaketh the east winde?
25 Who deuideth the waters into diuers chanels? or who maketh a way for the lightening and thunder,
26 To cause it to rayne on the earth where no man is, and in the wildernesse where none inhabiteth?
27 To satisfie the desolate and waste grounde, and to cause the budde of the hearbe to spring foorth.
28 Who is the father of the rayne? or who hath begotten the droppes of the deawe?
29 Out of whose wombe came the yce? Who hath gendred the coldnesse of the ayre?
30 That the waters are hidde as [with] a stone, and lye congealed aboue the deepe.
31 Wylt thou hinder the sweete influences of the seuen starres? or loose the bandes of Orion?
32 Canst thou bring foorth Mazzaroth in their time? canst thou also guide Arctutus with his sonnes?
33 Knowest thou the course of heauen, that thou mayest set vp the ordinaunce thereof vpon the earth?
34 Moreouer, canst thou lift vp thy voyce to the cloudes, that they may powre downe a great rayne vpon thee?
35 Canst thou send the lightninges also, that they may go their way, and be obedient vnto thee, saying, Lo here are we?
36 Who hath put wysdome in the reynes? or who hath geuen the heart vnderstanding?
37 Who numbreth the cloudes in wysdome? who stilleth the vehement waters of the heauen?
38 To cause the earth to grow into hardnesse, & the clots to cleaue fast together?
39 Wylt thou hunt the pray for the lion? or fill the appetite of the lions whelpes,
40 When they couche in their places, and tarie in the couert to lye in wayte?
41 Who prouideth meate for the rauen, when his young ones crye vnto God, and flee about for lacke of meate?
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.