Jude 1 |
1 Iude the seruaunt of Iesus Christe, the brother of Iames: To them which are called and sanctified in God the father, and preserued in Iesus Christe:
2 Mercy vnto you, and peace and loue be multiplied.
3 Beloued, when I gaue all diligence to write vnto you of the common saluation, it was nedeful for me to write vnto you, to exhorte you, that ye shoulde earnestly contende for the fayth which was once geuen vnto the saintes.
4 For there are certayne vngodly men craftily crept in, which were before of olde ordeyned to this condemnation: They turne the grace of our God vnto wantonnesse, and denye God which is the only Lorde, and our Lorde Iesus Christe.
5 My mynde is therfore to put you in remembraunce: forasmuch as ye once knowe this, howe that the Lorde, after that he had delyuered the people out of Egypt, destroyed the which afterward beleued not.
6 The Angels also which kept not their first estate, but left their owne habitation, he hath reserued in euerlastyng chaynes vnder darkenesse, vnto the iudgement of the great day.
7 Euen as Sodome and Gomorrhe, and the cities about them, which in lyke maner defiled them selues with fornication, and folowed straunge fleshe, are set foorth for an ensample, and suffer the payne of eternall fyre.
8 Lykewyse, these beyng deceaued by dreames, defyle the flesh, despise rulers, and speake euyll of them that are in aucthoritie.
9 Yet Michael the Archangel, when he stroue agaynst the deuyll, and disputed about the body of Moyses, durst not geue raylyng sentence, but sayde, the Lorde rebuke thee.
10 But these speake euyl of those thinges which they knowe not: & what thinges they know naturally, as beastes which are without reason, in those thynges they corrupt them selues.
11 Wo be vnto the, for they haue folowed the way of Cain, and are vtterly geuen to the errour of Balaam for lucres sake, and perishe in the gaynsaying of Core.
12 These are spottes in your feastes of charitie, whe they feast with you, without al feare feedyng the selues: cloudes they are without water, caryed about of windes, corrupt trees, and without fruite, twise dead, and plucked vp by the rootes:
13 They are the ragyng waues of the sea, fomyng out their owne shame: They are wandryng starres, to whom is reserued the mist of darknes for euer.
14 Enoch the seuenth from Adam, prophesied before of such, saying: Beholde, the Lorde shall come with thousandes of saintes,
15 To geue iudgement agaynst all men, and to rebuke all that are vngodly among them, of all their vngodly deedes, which they haue vngodly committed, and of all their cruel speakynges, which vngodly sinners haue spoken agaynst hym.
16 These are murmurers, complayners, walkyng after their owne lustes, whose mouthes speake proude thynges. They haue men in great reuerence because of aduantage.
17 But ye beloued, remember the wordes which were spoken before, of the Apostles of our Lorde Iesus Christe.
18 Howe that they tolde you, that there shoulde be begilers in ye last tyme, which should walke after their owne vngodly lustes.
19 These are makers of sectes, fleshlie, hauyng not the spirite.
20 But ye dearely beloued, edifie your selues in your most holy fayth, praying in the holy ghost,
21 And kepe your selues in the loue of God, lokyng for the mercie of our Lord Iesus Christe, vnto eternall lyfe.
22 And haue compassion of some, seperatyng them:
23 And other saue with feare, pullyng them out of the fyre, and haue compassion on the other, and hate euen the garment spotted by the fleshe.
24 Unto him that is able to kepe you free from sinne, and to present you faultlesse before the presence of his glory with ioy,
25 To God our sauiour, which only is wyse, be glorie, maiestie, dominion, and power, nowe and euer. Amen.
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.