« | Malachi 2 | » |
1 And now O ye priestes this comaundement is for you.
2 If ye wyl not heare it nor regard it, to geue the glory to my name, saith the Lorde of hoastes, I wyll sende a curse vpon you, and wyll curse your blessinges, yea I haue cursed them alredie, because ye do not consider it in your heart.
3 Beholde, I wyll corrupt your seede, and cast doung on your faces, [euen] the doung of your solempne feastes, & you shalbe like vnto it.
4 And you shall know that I haue sent this comaundement vnto you, that my couenaunt which I haue made with Leui might stand, saith the Lorde of hoastes.
5 My couenaunt was with him, of lyfe and peace, and I gaue them him [for] the feare wherwith he feared me and was afrayde before my name.
6 The lawe of trueth was in his mouth, and there was no iniquitie found in his lippes, he walked with me in peace and in equitie, and he turned many from their iniquitie.
7 For the priestes lippes shall kepe knowledge, and they shall seeke the lawe at his mouth: because he is the messenger of the Lorde of hoastes.
8 But ye haue gone out of the way, ye haue caused many to fall by the lawe: ye haue corrupted the couenaunt of Leui, saith the Lorde of hoastes.
9 Therefore haue I also made you despised and vyle before all the people, because you kept not my wayes, but haue ben parciall in the lawe.
10 Haue we not all one father? hath not God made vs al? why then is euery one deceaued of his brother, to violate the couenaunt of our fathers?
11 Iuda hath offended, & abhomination is committed in Israel and in Hierusalem? for Iuda hath defiled the holynesse of the Lorde which he loued, and hath maried the daughter of a straunge God.
12 The Lorde wyll destroy the man that doth this, both the rayser vp and the aunswerer out of the tabernacle of Iacob, and him that offereth an offering vnto the Lorde of hoastes.
13 And this againe haue ye done, in couering the aulter of the Lorde with teares, with weeping and mourning, and therfore there is no more respect to the offring, neither acceptable receauing of it at your handes.
14 Yet ye say, wherin? Because the Lord hath ben witnesse betweene thee and thy wyfe of thy youth, against whom thou hast transgressed, yet is she thyne owne companion, and the wyfe of thy couenaunt.
15 And did not he make one? yet had he aboundaunce of spiritie: And wherfore one? Because he sought a godly seede: therefore kepe your selues in your spirite, and let none transgresse against the wyfe of his youth.
16 If thou hatest her, put her away, saith the lorde God of Israel: yet he couereth the iniurie vnder his garment, saith the Lorde of hoastes, and be ye kept in your spirite, and transgresse not.
17 Ye haue weeryed the Lord with your wordes, and you haue sayde, Wherein haue we weeried him? Whylest you say, Euery one that doth euil, is good in the sight of the Lorde, and he is pleased in them: or where is the God of iudgement?
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.