« | Mark 4 | » |
1 And he began agayne to teache by the sea syde: And ther gathered vnto hym much people, so greatly, that he entred into a shippe, and sate in the sea: and all the people was by the sea syde on the shore:
2 And he taught them many thinges by parables, and sayde vnto them in his doctrine.
3 Hearken: Beholde, there went out a sower to sowe:
4 And it fortuned as he sowed, that some fell by the way syde, and the fowles of the ayre came, and deuoured it vp.
5 Some fell on stonie grounde, where it had not muche earth: and immediatly sprange vp, because it had not deapth of earth.
6 But assoone as the sonne was vp, it caught heate: and because it hadde not roote, it wythered away.
7 And some fell among thornes: and the thornes grewe vp, and choked it, and it gaue no fruite.
8 And some fell vpon good grounde, and dyd yelde fruite, that sprang vp, and grewe, and brought foorth, some thirtie folde, and some sixtie folde, and some an hundred folde.
9 And he saide vnto them: He that hath eares to heare, let hym heare.
10 And when he was alone, they that were about hym, with the twelue, asked of hym the parable.
11 And he sayde vnto them: To you it is geuen to knowe the misterie of the kingdome of God: But vnto them that are without, all thynges are done by parables,
12 That when they see, they may see and not discerne: and whe they heare, they may heare and not vnderstande, lest at any tyme, they shoulde turne, and their sinnes shoulde be forgeuen them.
13 And he sayde vnto them: Knowe ye not this parable? And howe then wyll ye knowe all other parables?
14 The sower, soweth the worde.
15 And they [that receaued seede] by the way side, are those where the worde is sowe: but when they haue hearde, Satan cometh immediatly, and taketh away the word that was sowen in their heartes.
16 And lykewyse they that receaue seede into the stonie grounde, are they, which when they haue hearde the worde, at once receaue it with gladnesse.
17 Yet haue no roote in them selues, and so endure but a tyme: and anone when trouble and persecution aryseth for the wordes sake, immediatlye they are offended.
18 And those be they that receaue seede among thornes: and those [I saye] are such as heare the worde,
19 And the cares of this worlde, and the deceytfulnesse of ryches, and the lustes of other thynges enter in, and choke the worde, and it is made vnfruitefull.
20 And they whiche receaue seede into good grounde, are suche as heare the worde, and receaue it, so that one corne doth bryng foorth thirtie, some sixtie, some an hundred.
21 And he saide vnto them: Is the candle lyghted to be put vnder a busshell, or vnder the table? And not to be put on a candelsticke?
22 For there is nothing so priuie that shal not be opened: neither hath it ben so secrete, but that it shall come abrode.
23 If any man haue eares to heare, let hym heare.
24 And he sayde vnto them, take heede what ye heare: With what measure ye meate, with the same shall it be measured to you agayne. And vnto you that heare, shall more be geuen.
25 For vnto hym that hath, shall it be geuen: and from hym that hath not, shalbe taken away, euen that which he hath.
26 And he sayde, so is the kyngdome of God: euen as yf a man shoulde sowe seede in the grounde,
27 And shoulde slepe, and ryse vp nyght and day, and the seede shoulde spryng & growe vp, he knoweth not howe.
28 For the earth bringeth foorth fruite of her selfe, first the blade, then the eare, after that, the full corne in the eare.
29 But when the fruite is brought foorth, anone he thrusteth in the sickle, because the haruest is come.
30 And he sayde: Wherevnto shall we lyken the kyngdome of God? Or with what comparyson shall we compare it?
31 It is like a grayne of mustarde seede, whiche when it is sowen in the earth, is lesse then all seedes that be in the earth.
32 When it is sowen, it groweth vp, and is greater then all hearbes, and beareth great braunches, so that the fowles of the ayre may make their nestes vnder the shadowe of it.
33 And with many such parables preached he the worde vnto them, as they were able to heare it.
34 But without parable spake he nothing vnto them. But when they were alone, he expounded all thynges to his disciples.
35 And the same day, when euen was come, he saide vnto them: Let vs passe ouer vnto the other syde.
36 And they left the people, and toke him, euen as he was in the shippe. And there were also with him, other litle shippes.
37 And there arose a great storme of wynde, and the waues dasshed into the shippe, so that it was nowe full.
38 And he was in the sterne a slepe on a pelowe. And they awaked hym, and sayde vnto hym: Maister, carest thou not that we peryshe?
39 And he arose, and rebuked the wynde, and saide vnto the sea, peace and be styll. And the wynde ceassed, & there folowed a great calme.
40 And he sayde vnto them: why are ye so fearefull? Howe is it, that ye haue no fayth?
41 And they feared exceadyngly, and sayde one to another: Who is this? For both wynde and sea obey hym.
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.