« | Matthew 23 | » |
1 Then spake Iesus to the multitudes, and to his disciples,
2 Saying: The Scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moyses seate.
3 All therfore, whatsoeuer they bid you obserue, that obserue and do: but do not ye after their workes, for they say, and do not.
4 Yea, they bynde together heauy burthens, and greeuous to be borne, and lay them on mens shoulders: but they them selues wyll not moue them with [one] of their fingers.
5 All their workes they do, for to be sene of men: They make broade their philacteries, and enlarge the hemmes of their garmentes.
6 And loue the vppermost seates at feastes, and to syt in the chiefe place in councels,
7 And greetynges in the markettes, and to be called of men, Rabbi.
8 But be not ye called Rabbi: For one is your maister, [euen] Christe, and all ye are brethren.
9 And call [no man] your father, vpon the earth: for one is your father, which is in heauen.
10 Neither be ye called maisters: for one is your maister [euen] Christe.
11 He that is greatest among you, shalbe your seruaunt.
12 But whosoeuer exalteth hym selfe, shalbe brought lowe: And he that humbleth hym selfe, shalbe exalted.
13 Wo vnto you Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites: for ye shut vp the kingdome of heauen before men: ye neither go in your selues, neither suffer ye them that come, to enter in.
14 Wo vnto you Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites: for ye deuoure widdowes houses, and that vnder a pretence of long prayer: therfore ye shall receaue the greater dampnation.
15 Wo vnto you Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites: for ye compasse sea and lande, to make one proselite: & when he is become one, ye make hym two folde more the chylde of hell, then ye your selues [are].
16 Wo be vnto you ye blynde guides: for ye say, whosoeuer doth sweare by the temple, it is nothyng: but whosoeuer sweareth by the golde of the temple, he is a detter.
17 Ye fooles and blynde. For whether is greater, the golde, or the temple that sanctifieth the golde?
18 And whosoeuer sweareth by the aulter, it is nothyng: but whosoeuer sweareth by the gyft that is vpon it, he is a detter.
19 Ye fooles and blynde, for whether is greater, the gyft: or the aulter that sanctifieth the gyft?
20 Who so therfore sweareth by the aulter, sweareth by it, and by all thynges theron.
21 And who so sweareth by the temple, sweareth by it, and by hym that dwelleth therin.
22 And he that sweareth by heauen, sweareth by the seate of God, and by hym that sitteth theron.
23 Wo vnto you Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, for ye tythe mynt, and annise, and cummyn: and haue left the wayghtier matters of the lawe, iudgement, mercy, and fayth. These ought ye to haue done, and not to leaue the other vndone.
24 Ye blynde guides, which strayne out a gnat, and swalowe a Camel.
25 Wo vnto you Scribes and Pharisees hypocrites: for ye make cleane the vtter syde of the cup, & of the platter: but within they are full of brybery & excesse.
26 Thou blynde Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outsyde of them may be cleane also.
27 Wo vnto you Scribes and Pharisees hypocrites: for ye are lyke vnto paynted sepulchres, which in dede appeare beautifull outwarde, but are within full of dead [mens] bones, and of all fylthynes.
28 Euen so, ye also, outwardly appeare ryghteous vnto men: But within, ye are full of hypocrisie and iniquitie.
29 Wo vnto you Scribes and Pharisees hypocrites: ye builde the tombes of the Prophetes, and garnishe the sepulchres of the ryghteous:
30 And say, yf we had ben in the dayes of our fathers, we woulde not haue ben parteners with them in the blood of the prophetes.
31 And so ye be witnesses vnto your selues, that ye are the chyldren of them which kylled the prophetes.
32 Fulfyll ye lykewyse, the measure of your fathers.
33 Ye serpentes, ye generation of vipers, howe wyll ye escape the dampnation of hell?
34 Wherfore, beholde I sende vnto you prophetes, and wyse men, and Scribes, and [some] of them ye shall kyll and crucifie: and [some] of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from citie to citie.
35 That vpon you may come all the ryghteous blood, which hath ben shed vpon the earth, from the blood of ryghteous Abel, vnto the blood of Zacharias, sonne of Barachias, whom ye slewe betwene the temple & the aulter.
36 Ueryly I say vnto you: all these thynges shal come vpon this generatio.
37 O Hierusalem, Hierusalem, thou that kyllest the prophetes, and stonest them which are sent vnto thee: Howe often woulde I haue gathered thy chyldren together, euen as the henne gathereth her chickens vnder her wynges, and ye woulde not?
38 Beholde, your house is left vnto you desolate.
39 For I say vnto you: ye shall not see me hencefoorth, tyll that ye say, blessed [is he] that commeth in the name of the Lorde.
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.