« | Matthew 6 | » |
1 Take heede to your almes, that ye geue it not in the sight of men, to the intente that ye woulde be sene of the, or els ye haue no rewarde of your father, which is in heauen.
2 Therefore, when thou geuest thyne almes, thou shalt not make a trumpet to be blowen before thee, as hypocrites do, in the synagogues, & in the streates, yt they might be esteemed of me. Uerily I say vnto you, they haue their reward.
3 But when thou doest [thyne] almes, let not thy left hande knowe, what thy ryght hande doeth,
4 That thyne almes may be in secrete: And thy father, which seeth in secrete, shall rewarde thee openly.
5 And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are. For they loue to stande, praying in the synagogues, and in the corners of the streates, that they may be sene of men. Ueryly I say vnto you, they haue theyr rewarde.
6 But when thou prayest, enter into thy chaumber, and when thou hast shut thy dore, pray to thy father, which is in secrete, and thy father which seeth in secrete, shall rewarde thee openly.
7 But when ye pray, babble not much, as the heathen do. For they thynke [it wyl come to passe,] that they shalbe heard, for theyr much bablinges sake.
8 Be not ye therfore lyke vnto them. For your father knoweth, what thynges ye haue nede of, before ye aske of hym.
9 After this maner therfore pray ye. O our father, which art in heauen, halowed be thy name.
10 Let thy kyngdome come. Thy wyll be done, as well in earth, as it is in heauen.
11 Geue vs this day our dayly breade.
12 And forgeue vs our dettes, as we forgeue our detters.
13 And leade vs not into temptation, but delyuer vs from euyll. For thyne is the kyngdome, and the power, and the glory, for euer. Amen.
14 For, yf ye forgeue men theyr trespasses, your heauenly father shall also forgeue you.
15 But, yf ye forgeue not men theyr trespasses: no more shall your father, forgeue [you] your trespasses.
16 Moreouer, when ye fast, be not of an heauy countenaunce, as hypocrites are. For they disfigure theyr faces, that they myght appeare vnto men, to fast. Ueryly I say vnto you, they haue theyr rewarde.
17 But thou, when thou fastest, annoynt thyne head, and washe thy face:
18 That thou appeare not vnto men, to fast: but vnto thy father, which is in secrete, and thy father, which seeth in secrete, shall rewarde thee openly.
19 Hoorde not vp for your selues, treasures vpon earth, where the moth and rust doth corrupt, and where theeues breake through, and steale.
20 But laye vp for you, treasures in heauen, where neyther moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where theeues do not breake through, nor steale.
21 For, where your treasure is, there wyll your heart be also.
22 The lyght of the body, is the eye. Wherfore, yf thyne eye be single, all thy body shalbe full of lyght.
23 But and yf thyne eye be wicked, all thy body shalbe ful of darknesse. Wherfore, yf the lyght that is in thee, be darknesse, howe great is that darknesse?
24 No man can serue two maisters. For either he shall hate the one, & loue the other: or els leane to the one, and dispise the other. Ye can not serue God, and mammon.
25 Therfore I say vnto you, be not carefull for your lyfe, what ye shall eate, or drynke: nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the lyfe more worth then meate? & the body then rayment?
26 Beholde the fowles of the ayre: For they sowe not, neither do they reape, nor cary into the barnes: yet your heauenly father feedeth them. Are ye not much better then they?
27 Which of you, by takyng of carefull thought, can adde one cubite vnto his stature?
28 And why care ye for rayment? Learne of the Lylies of the fielde, howe they growe. They weery not [them selues] with labour, neither [do they] spinne:
29 And yet I say vnto you, that euen Solomon in all his royaltie, was not arayed lyke one of these.
30 Wherfore, yf God so clothe the grasse of the fielde, which though it stande to day, is to morowe cast into the ouen: shall he not much more [do] the same for you, O ye of litle fayth?
31 Therefore take no thought, saying: What shall we eate? or, what shall we drynke? or, wherewith shall we be clothed?
32 (For after all these thynges, do the Gentiles seke:) for your heauenly father knoweth, that ye haue nede of all these thynges.
33 But rather, seke ye first the kyngdome of God, and his ryghteousnesse, and all these thynges shalbe ministred vnto you.
34 Care not then for the morowe: for the morowe shall care for it selfe. Sufficient vnto the day, is the euyll therof.
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.