« | John 15 | » |
1 I am the true vine, and my father is the husbandman.
2 Euery braunche that beareth not fruite in me, he will take away: And euery braunche that beareth fruite wyll he pourge, that it may bryng foorth more fruite.
3 Nowe are ye cleane through the worde which I haue spoken vnto you.
4 Byde in me, and I in you. As the braunche can not beare fruite of it selfe, except it byde in the vine: no more can ye, except ye abyde in me.
5 I am the vine, ye are the braunches. He that abydeth in me, and I in hym, the same bryngeth foorth much fruite: For without me can ye do nothyng.
6 Yf a man byde not in me, he is cast foorth as a braunch, and withereth, and men gather them, and cast them into the fyre, and they burne.
7 Yf ye byde in me, and my wordes abyde in you, aske what ye wyll, and it shalbe done for you.
8 Herein is my father glorified: that ye beare much fruite, and become my disciples.
9 As the father hath loued me, euen so haue I loued you: Continue ye in my loue.
10 Yf ye kepe my commaundementes, ye shall abyde in my loue, euen as I haue kept my fathers commaundementes, and abyde in his loue.
11 These thynges haue I spoken vnto you, that my ioy might remayne in you, and that your ioy myght be full.
12 This is my commaundement, that ye loue together, as I haue loued you.
13 Greater loue hath no man, then this: yt a man bestowe his life for his frendes.
14 Ye are my frendes, yf ye do whatsoeuer I commaunde you.
15 Hencefoorth call I you not seruautes: for the seruaunt knoweth not what his Lorde doeth. But you haue I called frendes, for all thynges that I haue hearde of my father, haue I made knowen to you.
16 Ye haue not chosen me, but I haue chosen you, and ordayned you, to go, and bryng foorth fruite, and that your fruite shoulde remayne, that whatsoeuer ye aske of the father in my name, he may geue it you.
17 This commaunde I you, that ye loue together.
18 Yf the worlde hate you, ye knowe that it hated me before it hated you.
19 If ye were of the worlde, the worlde would loue his owne: Howbeit, because ye are not of the worlde, but I haue chosen you out of the worlde: therfore the worlde hateth you.
20 Remember the worde that I sayde vnto you: the seruaunt is not greater then the Lorde. If they haue persecuted me, they wyll also persecute you. If they haue kept my saying, they wyll kepe yours also.
21 But all these thynges wyll they do vnto you for my names sake, because they haue not knowe hym that sent me.
22 Yf I had not come and spoken vnto them, they shoulde haue had no sinne: but nowe haue they nothyng to cloke their sinne withall.
23 He that hateth me, hateth my father also.
24 Yf I had not done among them, the workes which none other man dyd, they shoulde haue had no sinne. But nowe haue they both seene, and hated not only me, but also my father,
25 But [this commeth to passe,] that the worde myght be fulfylled, that is written in their lawe: They hated me without a cause.
26 But when the comforter is come, whom I wyl sende vnto you from the father, euen the spirite of trueth, which proceadeth of the father, he shall testifie of me.
27 And ye shall beare witnesse also, because ye haue ben with me from the begynnyng.
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.