« | Job 9 | » |
1 Iob aunswered, and sayde,
2 I knowe it is so of a trueth: For how may a man [compared] vnto God be iustified?
3 If he wil argue with hym, he can not aunswere hym one thing of a thousande.
4 He is wyse in heart and mightie in strength: who hath ben fearce against hym, and hath prospered?
5 He translateth the mountaynes, or euer they be aware it is he that ouerthroweth them in his wrath.
6 He remoueth the earth out of her place, that the pillers therof shake withall.
7 He commaundeth the sunne, and it ryseth not: he closeth vp the starres as vnder a signet.
8 He hym selfe alone spreadeth out the heauens, and goeth vpon the waues of the sea.
9 He maketh the Waynes of heauen, the Orion, the seuen starres, and the secret places of the south.
10 He doth great thinges & vnsearcheable, yea and wonders without number.
11 Lo, when he goeth by me, I shal not see hym, and when he passeth, I shall not perceaue hym.
12 If he be hastie to take away, who wil make him restore it? or who will say vnto hym, what doest thou?
13 God will not withdraw his anger, and the most mightie helpes do stowpe vnder hym:
14 Howe much lesse shall I aunswere him? or howe shoulde I finde out my wordes with him?
15 For though I were righteous, yet might I not geue him one word againe, but mekely submit my selfe to hym as my iudge.
16 If I had called vpon hym, and he had aunswered me, yet woulde I not beleue that he hearde my voyce:
17 He troubleth me so with the tempest, and woundeth me out of measure without a cause,
18 He will not suffer me to take my breath, but filleth me with bitternesse.
19 If [men will speake] of strength, lo he is strong: if [men will speake] of iudgement, who shall bring me in to pleade?
20 If I will iustifie my selfe, myne owne mouth shall condempne me: if I will [put foorth my selfe for] a perfect man, he shall proue me a wicked doer.
21 For though I be an innocent and my conscience cleare, yet am I weery of my lyfe.
22 This is one poynt, and therefore I sayd, He destroyeth both the perfect and vngodly.
23 And though he slay sodaynly with the scourge, yet will he laugh at the punishment of the innocent.
24 As for the worlde it is geuen ouer into the hande of the wicked, and he shall couer the faces of the iudges therof: if not, where is he, or who is he [that can shewe the contrarie?]
25 My dayes are more swyft then a runner, they are gone & haue seene no good thing.
26 They are passed away as the shippes that be good vnder sayle, & as the eagle that fleeth to the pray.
27 If I say, I will forget my complayning, I will ceasse from my wrath, and comfort my selfe:
28 Then am I afrayde of all my sorowes, for I knowe that thou wilt not iudge me innocent.
29 If I be wicked, why then labour I in vayne?
30 If I washe my selfe with snowe water, and make myne handes neuer so cleane at the well:
31 Yet shalt thou dippe me in the myre, and mine owne clothes shal defile me.
32 For he that I must geue aunswere vnto, and with whom I go to the lawe, is not a man as I am:
33 Neither is there any dayesman to lay his hande betweene vs.
34 Let hym take his rodde away from me, yea let hym make me no more afrayde of him,
35 And then shall I aunswere hym without any feare: but because I am not so, I holde me still.
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.