« | Numbers 17 | » |
1 And the Lorde spake vnto Moyses, saying:
2 Speake vnto the children of Israel, and take of euery one of them a rodde, after the houses of their fathers, of all their princes accordyng to the familie of their fathers, euen twelue roddes: and write euery mans name vpon his rodde.
3 And write Aarons name vpon the rodde of Leui: for euery rodde shalbe for ye head of the house of their fathers.
4 And put them in the tabernacle of the congregation, before [the arke] of the testimonie, where I wyll declare my selfe vnto you.
5 And the mans rodde whom I chose, shall blossome: And I wyll make ceasse from me the grudgynges of the children of Israel, wherby they grudge agaynst you.
6 And Moyses spake vnto the children of Israel, and all the princes gaue hym a rodde, one rodde for euery prince, accordyng to their fathers houses, euen twelue roddes: and the rodde of Aaron was among their roddes.
7 And Moyses put the roddes before the Lorde in the tabernacle of witnesse.
8 And on the morowe, Moyses went into the tabernacle of witnesse: and beholde, the rodde of Aaron for the house of Leui was budded, and brought foorth buddes, bare blossomes, and rype almondes.
9 And Moyses brought out all ye roddes from before the Lorde, vnto all the children of Israel: and they loked vpon them, and toke euery man his rodde.
10 And the Lorde sayde vnto Moyses: Bryng Aarons rodde agayne before the witnesse, to be kept for a token to the rebellious children, and that their murmuryng may cease from me, and that they dye not.
11 And Moyses dyd as the Lorde commaunded hym, euen so dyd he.
12 And the children of Israel spake vnto Moyses, saying: Beholde, we are wasted away and perished, we all come to naught.
13 Whosoeuer cometh nye, or approcheth to the tabernacle of the Lord, shall dye: Shall we vtterly consume away, and dye?
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.