« | Jonah 3 | » |
1 And the worde of the Lorde came vnto Ionas the second time, saying:
2 Aryse, and go to Niniue that great citie, and preache against it the preaching which I speake vnto thee.
3 So Ionas arose, and went to Niniue according to the word of the Lord (Niniue was a great citie and excellent, of three dayes iourney.)
4 And Ionas began to enter into the citie a dayes iourney, and he cryed & saide: Yet fourtie dayes, & Niniue shalbe destroyed.
5 And the men of Niniue beleued God, and proclaymed a fast, and put on sackecloth from the greatest of them to the leaste of them.
6 And worde came vnto the king of Niniue: which arose from his throne, and put of his robe, and couered him selfe with sackcloth, & sate downe in asshes.
7 And he caused a cryer to crye, and say through the citie by the counsell of the king & his nobles, Let neither man nor beast, bullocke nor sheepe, taste ought at all, neither feede, nor drinke water.
8 And let both man & beast put on sackcloth, and crye mightyly vnto God: yea let euery man turne from his euill way, and from the wickednesse that is in his handes.
9 Who can tel whether God wyl turne and be moued with repentaunce, and turne from his fierce wrath, that we perishe not?
10 And God sawe their workes, that they turned from their euil wayes, and he repented of the euill that he saide he woulde do vnto them, and did it not.
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.