« | Nehemiah 8 | » |
1 And all the people gathered them selues together as one man, in the streete that was before the water gate, and they saide vnto Esdras the scribe, that he should fetch the booke of the law of Moyses, which the Lorde commaunded to Israel.
2 And Esdras the priest brought the law before the congregation both of men & women, and all that could vnderstand did hearken vnto it vpon the first day of the seuenth moneth.
3 And he read therein in the streete that was before the water gate, from the morning vntill the noone day, before men and women that did hearken to it: and the eares of all the people were inclined vnto the booke of the law.
4 And Esdras the scribe stoode vpon a pulpet of wood which they had made for the preaching, and beside him stoode Mathathia, Sema, & Anaiah, Uriah, Helkia, & Maaseiah, on his right hande: and on his left hand stoode Pedaia, Misael, & Melchia, & Hasum, Hasabadana, Zachari, and Mesullam.
5 And Esdras opened the booke before all the people, (for he stoode aboue al the people:) and when he opened it, all the people stoode vp.
6 And Esdras praysed the Lorde the great God: And all the people aunswered, Amen, Ame, lifting vp their handes, and bowed them selues and worshipped the Lord falling downe vpon their faces to the grounde.
7 And Iesua, Bani, Serebiah, Iamin, Accub, Sebbethai, Hodaia, Maasia, Celita, Azariah, Iozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, & the Leuites caused the people to geue heede vnto the law: and the people stoode in their place.
8 And they read in the booke of the lawe of God distinctly, and gaue the sense, and caused them to vnderstand the reading.
9 And Nehemia which is Athirsatha, and Esdras the priest and scribe, and the Leuites that caused the people to take heede, said vnto al the people, This day is holy vnto the Lorde your God, be not ye sory, and weepe not: For all the people wept when they heard the wordes of the lawe.
10 And he saide vnto them: Go your way, and eate the fat, and drinke the sweete, and send part vnto them also that haue not prepared for them selues, for this day is holy vnto our Lorde: be not ye sory therefore, for the ioy of the Lorde is your strength.
11 And the Leuites stilled all the people, and saide: Holde your peace, for the day is holy, be not sad therefore.
12 And all the people went their way to eate, and to drinke, & to sende part vnto other, and to make great mirth, because they had vnderstand the wordes that were declared vnto them.
13 And on the next day were gathered together the chiefe fathers among all the people, and the priestes, and leuites, vnto Esdras the scribe, that they might vnderstand the wordes of the law.
14 And they founde written in the lawe which the Lorde had commaunded by Moyses, that the children of Israel should dwell in boothes in the feast of the seuenth moneth:
15 And that they should cause it to be declared and proclaymed in all their cities, and throughout Hierusalem, saying: Go foorth vnto the mount and fetch Olyue brauches, Pine braunches, Myrtel braunches, Palme braunches, & braunches of the thicke tree, to make boothes, as it is written.
16 And so the people went foorth, and fet them and made them boothes, euery one vpon the roofe of his house, and in their courtes, and in the courtes of the house of God, and in the streete by the water gate, and in the streete of the port of Ephraim.
17 And all the congregation of them that were come againe out of the captiuitie, made boothes, & sat vnder the boothes: for since the time of Iosua the sonne of Nun, vnto this day, had not the children of Israel done so: And there was very great gladnesse.
18 And euery day from the first day vnto the last, read Esdras in the booke of the lawe of God: And seuen dayes held they the feaste, and on the eyght day they gathered together, according vnto the maner.
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.