« | Matthew 20 | » |
1 For the kyngdome of heauen is lyke vnto a man, that is an householder, whiche went out earlye in the mornyng to hire labourers into his vineyarde.
2 And he agreed with the labourers for a peny a day, & sent them into his vineyarde.
3 And he went out about the thirde houre, and sawe other standyng idle in the market place,
4 And saide vnto them: Go ye also into ye vineyard, & whatsoeuer is right, I wyl geue you. And they went their way.
5 Agayne, he went out about the sixth and nynth houre, and dyd lykewyse.
6 And about the eleuenth houre, he wet out, and founde other standyng idle, and saide vnto them: why stande ye here all the day idle?
7 They saye vnto him: because no man hath hyred vs. He sayth vnto them: go ye also into the vineyarde, and whatsoeuer is ryght, that shall ye receaue.
8 So, when euen was come, the lorde of the vineyard sayth vnto his steward: Call the labourers, and geue them their hire, beginning at ye last, vntyll the first.
9 And when they came, that [were hired] about the eleuenth houre, they receaued euery man a peny.
10 But when the firste came also, they supposed that they shoulde haue receaued more: and they lykewyse receaued euery man a peny.
11 And when they had receaued it, they murmured against the good man of the house,
12 Saying: These laste haue wrought but one houre, & thou hast made them equall vnto vs, whiche haue borne the burthen and heate of the day.
13 But he aunswered to one of the, & said: Frende, I do thee no wrong: dyddest thou not agree with me for a peny?
14 Take that thyne is, and go thy way: I wyll geue vnto this last, euen as vnto thee.
15 Is it not lawfull for me, to do that I wyll with myne owne? Is thyne eye euyll, because I am good?
16 So the last, shalbe the first, & the first [shalbe] last: For many be called, but fewe [be] chosen.
17 And Iesus, goyng vp to Hierusale, toke the twelue disciples asyde in the way, and sayde vnto them:
18 Beholde, we go vp to Hierusalem, and the sonne of man shalbe betrayed vnto the chiefe priestes, and vnto the scribes, and they shall condempne hym to death:
19 And shall deliuer him to the Gentiles to be mocked, and to be scourged, and to be crucified: and the thirde day, he shall ryse agayne.
20 Then came to hym the mother of Zebedees chyldren, with her sonnes, worshyppyng hym, and desiryng a certayne thyng of hym.
21 And he sayth vnto her: what wylt thou? She saith vnto him: graunt, that these my two sonnes may syt, the one on thy ryght hande, and the other on the left, in thy kyngdome.
22 But Iesus aunswered, and saide: Ye wote not what ye aske. Are ye able to drynke of the cuppe that I shall drynke of? and to be baptized with the baptisme that I am baptized with? They say vnto hym: we are able.
23 He sayth vnto them: Ye shall drynke in deede of my cuppe, and be baptized with the baptisme that I am baptized with: But to syt on my ryght hande, & on my lefte, is not myne to geue, but to them for whom it is prepared for of my father.
24 And when the ten hearde [this], they disdayned at the two brethren.
25 But Iesus called them vnto him, and sayde: Ye know that the princes of the gentiles haue dominion ouer them: and they that are great, exercise aucthoritie vpon them.
26 It shall not be so among you: But whosoeuer wyll be great among you, let hym be your minister:
27 And who so wyl be chiefe among you, let hym be your seruaunt.
28 Euen as the sonne of man came, not to be ministred vnto, but to minister, and to geue his lyfe a raunsome for many.
29 And as they departed from Hierico, much people folowed hym.
30 And behold, two blind men syttyng by the waye syde, when they hearde that Iesus passed by, they cryed, saying: O Lorde, thou sonne of Dauid, haue mercie on vs.
31 And the people rebuked them, because they should holde their peace. But they cryed the more, saying: haue mercy on vs, O Lorde, thou sonne of Dauid.
32 And Iesus stode styll, & called them, and sayde: what wyll ye that I shall do vnto you?
33 They saye vnto hym? Lord, that our eyes may be opened.
34 So Iesus had compassion on them, and touched their eyes: and immediatly theyr eyes receaued syght. And they folowed 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.