« | Judges 19 | » |
1 Also in those dayes, when there was no kyng in Israel, a certayne Leuite soiournyng on the syde of mount Ephraim, toke to wyfe a concubine out of Bethlehem Iuda.
2 And his concubine played the whore by him, and went awaye from him vnto her fathers house to Bethlehem Iuda, and there continued foure monethes.
3 And her husbande arose, and went after her, to speake frendly vnto her, and to bryng her agayne, hauyng his lad with him, and a couple of asses: And she brought hym vnto her fathers house, & when the father of the damosell sawe hym, he reioyced of his commyng.
4 And his father in lawe, the damosels father, retayned hym, and he abode with hym three dayes: and so they dyd eate and drinke, and lodged there.
5 The fourth day whan they arose early in the mornyng, the man stoode vp, to depart. And the damosels father sayde vnto his sonne in lawe: Comfort thyne heart with a morsell of bread, and then go your way.
6 And they sate downe, and dyd eate and drincke both of them together. And the damosels father sayde vnto the man: Be content I pray thee, and tary all nyght, and let thyne heart be mery.
7 And when the man stoode redy to depart, his father in lawe compelled hym: therfore he returned, and taryed all nyght there.
8 And he rose vp early the fyfth day to departe, and the damosels father said: Comforte thyne hearte I pray thee. And they taryed vntyll after mydday: and they dyd eate both of them together.
9 And when the man arose to depart with his concubine and his lad, his father in lawe the damosels father, sayd vnto hym: Behold nowe, the day goeth fast away, and draweth towarde euen, I pray you tary all night: Behold the sunne goeth to rest, lodge here, that thyne hearte may be mery: and to morowe get you early vpon your waye, that thou mayest get thee to thy tent.
10 Neuerthelatere the man woulde not tary, but arose and departed, and came as farre as Iebus (which is Hierusalem) and his two asses laden, and his concubine with hym.
11 And when they were fast by Iebus, the day was sore spent, and the young man sayde vnto his maister: Come I pray thee, and let vs turne in into this citie of the Iebusites, and lodge al night there.
12 His maister aunswered him: We wyll not turne into a straunge citie that are not of the children of Israel, we will go foorth to Gibea.
13 And he sayd vnto his lad: Go forwarde and let vs drawe neare to one of these places to lodge all nyght, either in Gibea, or in Rama
14 And they went forwarde vpon their way, and the sunne went downe vpon them when they were fast by Gibea, which belongeth to them of Beniamin.
15 And they turned thytherwarde to go in, and lodge all nyght in Gibea: And when he came, he sat him downe in a streate of the citie, for there was no man that toke them into his house to lodgyng.
16 And behold, there came an olde man from his worke, out of the fielde at eue, which was also of mount Ephraim, and dwelt as a straunger in Gibea: But the men of the place, were the children of Iemini.
17 And when he had lyft vp his eyes, he sawe a wayfaryng man in the streate of the citie: And the olde man sayde, Whyther goest thou? and whence commest thou?
18 He aunswered hym: We come from Bethlehem Iuda towarde the syde of mount Ephraim, from thence am I: and I went to Bethlehem Iuda, and go nowe to the house of the Lorde, and there is no man that receaueth me to house.
19 We haue strawe and prouender for our asses, and bread and wyne for me and thy handmayde, and for the lad that is with thy seruaunt: & we lacke nothing.
20 The olde man sayd: Peace be with thee, all that thou lackest shalt thou fynde with me: Only abyde not in the streate [all nyght].
21 And so he brought him into his house, and gaue fodder vnto the Asses: and they wasshed their feete, and dyd eate and drynke.
22 And as they were makyng their heartes mery, beholde, the men of the citie which were wicked, beset the house rounde about, and thrust at the doore, & spake to the man of the house, the olde man, saying: Bring foorth the man that came into thyne house, that we may knowe him.
23 And this man the maister of the house went out, and sayd vnto them: Oh, nay my brethren, do not so wickedly, seyng that this man is come into myne house, do not so vnmeete a thyng.
24 Behold, here is my daughter a mayden, and this mans concubine, them I wyll bryng out nowe vnto you, and humble them, & do with them what seemeth you good: but vnto this man do not so abhominable a thing.
25 But the men woulde not hearken to hym: And the man toke his concubine, and brought her out vnto them, whiche knewe her, and abused her al the night, euen vnto the mornyng: and when the day began to spryng, they let her go.
26 And then came the woman in the dawnyng of the day, and fell downe at the doore of the mans house where her lord was, tyll it was day.
27 And her lorde arose vp in the morning, and opened the doores of the house, and went out to go his way: and beholde the woman, euen his concubine, laye along before the doore of the house, and her handes vpon the thresholde.
28 And he sayde vnto her, Up, and let vs be goyng: But she aunswered not. Then the man toke her vp vpo an asse, & stoode vp, & gate hym vnto his place.
29 And whe he was come into his house, he toke a knyfe, and caught his concubine, and deuided her in peeces, with the bones, into twelue partes, and sent her into all quarters of Israel.
30 And all that sawe it, sayde: There was no suche deede done or seene sence the childre of Israel came out of Egypt vnto this day. Consider the matter, take aduisement, and say your myndes.
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.