« | Leviticus 21 | » |
1 And the Lorde sayde vnto Moyses, Speake vnto the priestes the sonnes of Aaron, & say vnto them: Let none be defiled by a corse among his people:
2 But by his kynsman that is nye vnto him, [that is] by his mother and his father, by his sonne, and his daughter, and his brother,
3 And by his sister a mayde that is nye vnto hym, whom no man hath knowe: for her shall he be defiled.
4 But he shall not be defiled vpon hym that hath aucthoritie among his people, to pollute him selfe.
5 Let them not make baldnesse vpon their head, nor shaue of ye lockes of their bearde, nor make any cuttinges in their fleshe.
6 They shalbe holy vnto their God, and not pollute the name of their God, for the sacrifices of the Lorde made by fire, [and] the bread of their God they do offer, therfore they shall be holy.
7 Let them not take a wyfe that is an whore, or polluted, nor put from her husband: for such a one is holy vnto his god.
8 Thou shalt sanctifie hym therfore, for he offereth vp the bread of thy God: he shall therefore be holy vnto thee, for I the Lorde which sanctifie you, am holy.
9 If a priestes daughter fall to play the whore, she polluteth her father, therefore must she be burnt with fire.
10 He that is the hie priest among his brethren, vpon whose head the annoynting oyle was powred, and that consecrated his hand to put on ye vestments, shal not vncouer his head, nor rent his clothes:
11 Neither go to any dead body, nor make hymselfe vncleane by his father or his mother.
12 Neither shall go out of the sanctuarie, nor pollute the holy place of his God, for the crowne of the annoynting oyle of his God, is vpon him: I am the Lord.
13 He shall take a mayde vnto his wife.
14 But a wydowe, a deuorsed woman, or a polluted, or a harlot, these shall he not marrie: but shall take a mayde of his owne people to wyfe.
15 Neither shal he defile his seede among his people: for I am the Lorde whiche sanctifie hym.
16 And the Lorde spake vnto Moyses, saying:
17 Speake vnto Aaron, and say: Whosoeuer of thy seede in their generations hath any deformitie, let hym not prease for to offer bread vnto his God:
18 For whosoeuer hath any blemishe, shall not come neare: as if he be blynde or lame, or that hath a brused nose, or that hath any misshapen member:
19 Or is broken footed, or broken handed,
20 Or is crooke backt, or bleare eyed, or haue a webbe or other blemishe in his eyes, or be skuruie, or skabbed, or hath his stones broken:
21 No man that hath a blemishe, & is of the seede of Aaron the priest, shall come nye to offer the sacrifices of the Lorde made by fire: When he hath a deformitie, let him not prease to offer the bread of his God.
22 Let him eate the bread of his God, euen of the most holy, and of the holy:
23 Only let him not go in vnto ye vayle, nor come nye the aulter, because he is deformed, that he pollute not my sanctuarie: for I am the Lorde that sanctifie them.
24 And Moyses tolde it vnto Aaron and to his sonnes, and vnto all the chyldren of Israel.
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.