« | Matthew 2 | » |
1 When Iesus was borne in Bethlehem, a citie of Iurie, in the dayes of Herode the kyng: beholde, there came wise men from the east to Hierusalem,
2 Saying: Where is he that is borne kyng of Iewes? For we haue seene his starre in the east, and are come to worship hym.
3 When Herode the kyng had hearde these thynges, he was troubled, and all [the citie of] Hierusalem with hym.
4 And when he hadde gathered all the chiefe Priestes and Scribes of the people together, he demaunded of them where Christe shoulde be borne.
5 And they saide vnto him: At Bethlehem in Iurie. For thus it is written by the prophete.
6 And thou Bethlehem [in] the lande of Iuda, art not the least among the princes of Iuda. For out of thee shall there come a capitain, that shal gouerne my people Israel.
7 Then Herode, when he had priuilye called the wyse men, inquired of the diligently, what tyme the starre appeared.
8 And he sent them to Bethlehem, and sayde: Go, and search diligently for the young childe, and when ye haue founde hym, bryng me worde agayne, that I may come, and worship hym also.
9 When they had hearde the kyng, they departed, and loe, the starre which they sawe in the east, went before them, tyl it came & stoode ouer [the place] wherin the young chylde was.
10 When they sawe the starre, they reioyced excedyngly with great ioy.
11 And went into the house, and founde the young chylde with Marie his mother, and fell downe, and worshypped hym, and opened their treasures, and presented vnto hym gyftes, golde, and frankensence, and mirre.
12 And after they were warned of God in a dreame, that they shoulde not go agayne to Herode, they returned into their owne countrey another way.
13 When they were departed, beholde, the Angel of the Lord appeared to Ioseph in a dreame, saying: Aryse, & take the young chylde and his mother, and flee into Egipte, and be thou there, tyll I bryng thee worde. For it wyll come to passe, that Herode shall seke ye young chylde, to destroy hym.
14 When he arose, he toke the young chylde and his mother, by nyght, and departed into Egipt.
15 And was there, vnto the death of Herode, that it myght be fulfylled whiche was spoken of the Lorde, by the prophete, saying: Out of Egipte haue I called my sonne.
16 Then Herode, when he sawe that he was mocked of the wyse men, was excedyng wroth, and sent foorth, and slew all the chyldren that were in Bethlehe, and in all the coastes, as many as were two yere olde, or vnder, according to the tyme, which he had diligently searched out, of the wyse men.
17 Then was fulfylled that, which was spoken by Ieremie the prophete, saying.
18 In Rama was there a voyce hearde, lamentation, wepyng, & great mournyng, Rachel weping [for] her children, and woulde not be comforted, because they were not.
19 But when Herode was dead, beholde, an Angel of the Lorde appeared to Ioseph in a dreame, in Egipt, saying.
20 Aryse, and take the young chylde and his mother, and go into the lande of Israel. For they are dead, whiche sought the young chyldes lyfe.
21 And he arose, & toke the young chylde and his mother, & came into the lande of Israel.
22 But when he hearde, that Archelaus dyd reigne in Iurie in the rowme of his father Herode, he was afrayde to go thyther. Notwithstandyng, after he was warned of God in a dreame, he turned aside, into the parties of Galilee,
23 And [went and] dwelt in a citie, which is called Nazareth, that it myght be fulfylled, which was spoken by the prophetes: He shalbe called a Nazarite.
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.