« | Matthew 25 | » |
1 Then shall the kyngdome of heauen be lykened vnto ten virgins, which toke their lampes, and went to meete the brydegrome.
2 But fyue of them were foolyshe, and fyue were wyse.
3 They that were foolyshe, toke their lampes, but toke none oyle with them:
4 But the wise, toke oyle in their vessels, with their lampes also.
5 Whyle the brydegrome taryed, they all slumbred and slept.
6 And euen at mydnyght, there was a crye made: beholde, the brydegrome commeth, go out to meete hym.
7 Then all those virgins arose, and prepared their lampes.
8 So the foolyshe sayde vnto the wyse: geue vs of your oyle, for our lampes are gone out.
9 But the wyse aunswered, saying: [not so] lest there be not inough for vs & you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and bye for your selues.
10 And whyle they went to bye, the brydegome came: and they that were redy, went in with hym, to ye maryage, and the gate was shut vp.
11 Afterwarde came also the other virgins, saying: Lorde, Lorde, open to vs.
12 But he aunswered and sayde: veryly I say vnto you, I knowe you not.
13 Watch therfore, for ye knowe neither the day, nor yet the houre, wherin the sonne of man shall come.
14 Lykewyse, as a [certayne] man, redy to take his iourney into a straunge countrey, called his owne seruauntes, and delyuered vnto them his goodes.
15 And vnto one, he gaue fyue talentes, to another two, and to another one: to euery man after his habilitie, & strayght way departed.
16 Then he that had receaued the fyue talentes, went, and occupyed with the same, & made [them] other fyue talentes.
17 And lykewyse, he [that receaued] two: he also gayned other two.
18 But he that receaued that one, went and digged in the earth, and hyd his Lordes money.
19 After a long season, the Lorde of those seruauntes commeth, and reckeneth with them.
20 And so, he that had receaued fyue talentes, came, and brought other fyue talentes, saying: Lorde, thou delyueredst vnto me fyue talentes, beholde, I haue gayned with them fyue talentes mo.
21 His Lorde saide vnto him: Well done, thou good and faythfull seruaut. Thou hast ben faythfull ouer fewe thynges, I wyll make thee ruler ouer manye thynges: enter thou into the ioy of thy Lorde.
22 He also that had receaued two talentes, came, and sayde: Lorde thou delyueredst vnto me two talentes, beholde, I haue wonne two other taletes with them.
23 His Lorde saide vnto him? Well done, good and faithfull seruaunt. Thou hast ben faythfull ouer fewe thinges, I wyl make thee ruler ouer many thynges: enter thou into the ioy of thy Lorde.
24 Then he which had receaued the one talent, came, and saide: Lorde I knew thee, that thou art an harde man, reapyng where thou hast not sowen, & gatheryng where thou hast not strowed.
25 And [therfore] was I afrayde, & went and hid thy talent in the earth: loe, there thou hast that thyne is.
26 His Lorde aunswered, and sayde vnto hym: Thou euyll and slouthfull seruaut, thou knewest that I reape where I sowed not, and gather where I haue not strowed,
27 Thou oughtest therfore to haue delyuered my money to the exchaungers, and then at my commyng shoulde I haue receaued myne owne with vauntage.
28 Take therfore the talent from hym, and geue it vnto hym whiche hath ten talentes.
29 For vnto euery one that hath, shalbe geuen, and he shall haue aboundaunce: But he that hath not, from hym shalbe taken away, euen that which he hath.
30 And cast the vnprofitable seruaunt into vtter darknesse, there shalbe wepyng, and gnasshyng of teeth.
31 When the sonne of man shall come in his glorie, and all the holy Angels with hym, then shall he sitte vpon the throne of his glorie.
32 And before hym shalbe gathered all nations: and he shall seperate them one from another, as a shephearde deuideth his sheepe from the goates.
33 And he shall set the sheepe on his right hande, but the goates on the lefte.
34 Then shall the king say vnto them on his right hande: Come ye blessed of my father, inherite the kyngdome, prepared for you from the foundation of the worlde.
35 For I was an hungred, and ye gaue me meate: I was thirstie, and ye gaue me drynke: I was harbourlesse, and ye toke me in:
36 Naked, and ye clothed me: Sicke, and ye visited me: I was in pryson, and ye came vnto me.
37 Then shall the ryghteous aunswere hym, saying: Lorde, when sawe we thee an hungred, & fedde thee? or thirstie and gaue thee drynke?
38 When sawe we thee harbourlesse, and toke thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?
39 Or when sawe we thee sicke, or in prison, and came vnto thee?
40 And the kyng shall aunswere, and say vnto them: Ueryly I say vnto you, in as much as ye haue done it vnto one of the least of these my brethren, ye haue done [it] vnto me.
41 Then shall he saye vnto them on the left hande: Depart from me ye cursed into euerlasting fire, which is prepared for the deuyll and his angels.
42 For I was an hungred, and ye gaue me no meate: I was thirstie, and ye gaue me no drynke.
43 I was harbourlesse, and ye toke me not in: I was naked, and ye clothed me not: I was sicke, and in prison, and ye visited me not.
44 Then shall they also aunswere hym, saying: Lorde, when sawe we thee an hungred, or a thirste, or harbourlesse, or naked, or sicke, or in pryson, and did not minister vnto thee?
45 Then shall he aunswere them, saying: Ueryly I say vnto you, in as much as ye dyd it not to one of the least of these, ye dyd it not to me.
46 And these shall go into euerlastyng payne: the ryghteous into lyfe eternall.
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.