Joel 1 | » |
1 The worde of the Lorde that came to Ioel the sonne of Pethuel.
2 Heare ye this you elders, & hearken with your eares all you that dwel in this lande: was there euer such a thyng in your dayes, or in the dayes of your fathers?
3 Of this thyng tell your children, and let your children [shewe it] to their children, and their children to [their] posteritie afterwarde.
4 That which the caterpiller hath left the grashopper hath eaten, and what the grashopper left hath the canker worme eaten, and what the canker worme left the locust hath deuoured.
5 Awake ye drunkardes, & weepe, howle all ye wine bibbers for lacke of newe wine: for it is cleane taken away from your mouth.
6 For a nation is come vp vpon my lande, mightie and without number: his teeth are as the teeth of a lion, and he hath the iawes of a great lion.
7 He hath destroyed my vine, & barked my figge tree, he hath pilled it and cast it from him, and hath left bowes therof whyte.
8 Lament as a virgin girded with sackcloth, for the husbande of her youth.
9 The meate offeryng and drinke offeryng is cut of from the house of the Lorde, the priestes [I meane] the Lordes ministers mourne.
10 The fielde is wasted, the lande mourneth: for corne is destroyed, the newe wine is dryed vp, the oyle is vtterly taken away.
11 Be ye ashamed O ye husbandemen, howle O ye wine dressers for ye wheate and for the barly: for the haruest of the fielde is perished.
12 The wine is dryed vp, and the figge tree is decayed, the pomgranate tree, and the paulme, & the apple tree, [euen] all the trees of the fielde are withered vp: for ioy is withered away from the sonnes of men.
13 Girde your selues and lament O ye priestes, howle ye out ye ministers of the aulter, come and lye all night in sackcloth ye seruauntes of my God: for the meate and drynke offerynges are taken away from the house of your God.
14 Proclayme a fast, call a congregation, gather the elders together, [with] all the inhabitauntes of the lande vnto the house of the Lorde your God, and crye vnto the Lorde,
15 Alas for this day, for the day of the Lorde is at hande, euen as a destruction from the almightie shall it come.
16 Is not the meate cut of before our eyes, [yea] mirth and ioy from the house of our God?
17 The seede is rotte vnder their cloddes, the garners are destroyed, the barnes are ouerthrowen: for the corne is withered.
18 O howe cattell mourne? the heardes of beastes are in wofull case for lacke of pasture, and the flockes of sheepe are destroyed?
19 Unto thee O Lorde wyll I crye, for feare hath destroyed the fruitfull places of the desert, and the flambe hath burnt vp all the trees of the fielde.
20 The beastes also of the fielde crye out vnto thee: for the riuers of waters are dryed vp, and fire hath deuoured vp the fruitfull places of the desert.
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.