« | Matthew 11 | » |
1 And it came to passe, that when Iesus had made an ende of commaundyng his twelue disciples, he departed thence to teache and to preache in their cities.
2 When Iohn being in prison heard the workes of Christe, he sent two of his disciples, and sayde vnto him:
3 Art thou he that shoulde come? or do we loke for another?
4 Iesus aunswered and sayd vnto them: Go and shewe Iohn agayne what ye haue hearde and seene.
5 The blinde receaue their sight, the halt do walke, the lepers are cleansed, and the deafe heare, the dead are raised vp, and the poore receaue the Gospell.
6 And happy is he that is not offended in me.
7 And as they departed, Iesus began to say vnto the multitude cocerning Iohn: What went ye out into the wildernesse to see? A reede shaken with the winde?
8 Or what went ye out for to see? A man clothed in soft rayment? Beholde, they that weare soft [clothyng] are in kinges houses.
9 But what went ye out for to see? A prophete? yea I say vnto you, and more then a prophete.
10 For this is he of whom it is written: Beholde I sende my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.
11 Ueryly I say vnto you, among them that are borne of women, arose not a greater then Iohn the Baptist: Notwithstandyng, he that is lesse in the kingdome of heauen, is greater then he.
12 From the dayes of Iohn the Baptist vntyll nowe, the kingdome of heauen suffereth violence, & the violent plucke it [vnto them.]
13 For all the prophetes and the lawe it selfe prophecied vnto Iohn.
14 And if ye wyll receaue it, this is Elias which was for to come.
15 He that hath eares to heare, let him heare.
16 But whervnto shall I liken this generation? It is like vnto litle children, which sit in the markettes, and call vnto their felowes,
17 And say: We haue pyped vnto you, and ye haue not daunsed: we haue mourned vnto you, and ye haue not sorowed.
18 For Iohn came neither eatyng nor drinking, and they say, he hath the deuil.
19 The sonne of man came eatyng and drinking, and they say, behold a glutton and an [vnmeasurable] drinker of wine, and a friende vnto publicans & sinners: And wisdome is iustified of her children.
20 Then began he to vpbrayd the cities which most of his mightie workes were done in, because they repented not.
21 Wo vnto thee Chorazin, wo vnto thee Bethsaida: for if the mightie workes which were shewed in you had ben done in Tyre or Sidon, they had repented long ago in sackcloth and asshes.
22 Neuerthelesse I say vnto you, it shalbe easier for Tyre and Sidon at the day of iudgement, then for you.
23 And thou Capernaum, which art lift vp vnto heauen, shalt be brought downe to hell: For if the mightie workes which haue ben done in thee had ben done among them of Sodome, they had remayned vntyll this day.
24 Neuerthelesse, I say vnto you, that it shalbe easier for the lande of Sodome in the day of iudgement, then for thee.
25 At that tyme Iesus aunswered and sayde: I thanke thee O father, Lorde of heauen and earth, because thou hast hid these thinges from the wise and prudent, and hast shewed them vnto babes.
26 Euen so [it is] O father, for so was it thy good pleasure.
27 All thinges are geuen vnto me of my father: And no man knoweth the sonne but the father, neither knoweth any man the father saue the sonne, and he to whomsoeuer the sonne wyll open him.
28 Come vnto me all ye that labour sore, and are laden, and I wyll ease you.
29 Take my yoke vpon you and learne of me, for I am meeke & lowly in heart: and ye shall finde rest vnto your soules.
30 For my yoke is easie, and my burthen is lyght.
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.