« | Numbers 22 | » |
1 And the children of Israel departed and pitched in the fieldes of Moab, on the other side of Iordane from Iericho.
2 And Balac the sonne of Ziphor, sawe all that Israel had done to ye Amorites.
3 And the Moabites were sore afrayde of the people, because they were many, and they were stroken with feare of the chyldren of Israel.
4 And Moab sayde vnto the elders of Madian: Nowe shall this companie lycke vp all that are rounde about vs, as an oxe licketh vp the grasse of ye fielde. And Balac the sonne of Ziphor, was kyng of the Moabites at that tyme.
5 He sent messengers therefore vnto Balaam the sonne of Beor to Pethor, which is by the riuer of the lande of the chyldren of his folke, to call him, saying: Beholde, there is a people come out of Egypt, and beholde they couer the face of the earth, & dwell ouer against me.
6 Come nowe therfore I pray thee, and curse me this people, for they are to mightie for me, so peraduenture I myght be able to smyte them, & to driue them out of the lande: For I wote that he whom thou blessest, is blessed, and whom thou cursest is cursed.
7 And the elders of Moab, and the elders of Madian departed, hauyng the [rewarde] of the southsaying in their hande: And they came vnto Balaam, and tolde hym the wordes of Balac.
8 He aunswered them: Tary here this nyght, and I wyll bryng you worde, euen as the Lorde shall say vnto me. And the lordes of Moab abode with Balaam.
9 And God came vnto Balaam, and sayd: What men are these with thee?
10 And Balaam sayd vnto God: Balac the sonne of Ziphor kyng of Moab hath sent vnto me [saying:]
11 Beholde, there is a people come out of Egypt, and couereth the face of the earth: Come nowe therefore, and curse them for my sake, if so peraduenture I may be able to ouercome them in battayle, and to dryue them out.
12 And God said vnto Balaam: Go not thou with them, neither curse the people: for they are blessed.
13 And Balaam rose vp in the mornyng, and sayd vnto the lordes of Balac, Get you vnto your lande: for the Lord wyll not suffer me to go with you.
14 And the lordes of Moab rose vp, and went vnto Balac and sayde: Balaam would not come with vs.
15 And Balac sent againe a greater companie of lordes, and more honourable then they.
16 Whiche came to Balaam, and tolde hym, Thus sayeth Balac the sonne of Ziphor: Oh let nothyng let thee, but come vnto me:
17 For I wyll greatly promote thee vnto great honour, and wyll do whatsoeuer thou sayest vnto me: come I pray thee, curse this people for my sake.
18 And Balaam aunswered and said vnto the seruauntes of Balac: If Balac woulde geue me his house full of syluer and golde, I can not go beyonde the worde of the Lorde my God, to do lesse or more:
19 Nowe therefore I pray thee, tarie ye here this nyght, that I may wit what the Lorde wyll say vnto me more.
20 And God came vnto Balaam by night, and sayde vnto hym: If the men come to call thee, ryse vp and go with them: but loke what I say vnto thee, that shalt thou do.
21 And Balaam rose vp early, and sadled his asse, & went with the lordes of Moab.
22 And the wrath of God was kindled, because he went: And the angell of the Lorde stoode in the way to be agaynst hym, as he rode vpon his asse, and his two seruauntes were with hym.
23 And when the asse sawe the angell of the Lord stand in the way, and hauyng his sworde drawen in his hand, the asse turned aside out of the way, and went out into the fielde: And Balaam smote the asse, to turne her into the way.
24 But the angell of the Lorde stoode in a path betweene the vineyardes, and there was a wall on the one syde, and another on the other.
25 And when the asse sawe the angell of the Lorde, she thrust her selfe vnto the wall, & crusht Balaams foote agaynst the wall: and he smote her agayne.
26 And the angell of the Lord went further, & stoode in a narowe place, where was no way to turne either to the right hande, or to the left.
27 And when the asse sawe the angell of the Lorde, she fell downe vnder Balaam: and Balaam was wroth, & smote the asse with a staffe.
28 And the Lorde opened the mouth of the asse, and she sayde vnto Balaam: What haue I done vnto thee, that thou hast smytten me nowe three tymes?
29 And Balaam sayd vnto the asse, Because thou hast mocked me: I would also there were a sworde in myne hande, for euen nowe woulde I kyll thee.
30 And the asse sayd vnto Balaam: Am not I thine asse, whiche thou hast rydden vpon since the first tyme vnto this day? Was I euer wont to do so vnto thee? He sayde, nay.
31 And the Lord opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the way, hauing his sworde drawen in his hande: He bowed hym selfe therefore, and fell flat on his face.
32 And the angell of the Lorde said vnto him: Wherfore hast thou smytten thine asse these three times? Beholde, I came out to withstande thee, because [thyne heart] hath declined out of the way before me.
33 And the asse saw me, and turned from me now three times: or els if she had not turned fro me, I had surely slayne thee, and saued her aliue.
34 Balaam sayde vnto the angell of the Lorde: I haue sinned, for I wyst not that thou stoodest in the way agaynst me: Nowe therefore if it displease thee, I wyll turne home agayne.
35 The angell of the Lorde sayde vnto Balaam, Go with the men: but what I say vnto thee, that shalt thou speake. And so Balaam went with the lordes of Balac.
36 And when Balac heard that Balaam was come, he went out to meete hym, vnto a citie of Moab, whiche is in the border of Arnon, eue in the vtmost coast.
37 And Balac sayd vnto Balaam: Dyd I not sende for thee to call thee? And wherfore camest thou not vnto me: Am I not able in deede to promote thee vnto honour?
38 And Balaam made aunswere vnto Balac, Lo, I am come vnto thee, and can I nowe say any thyng at all? The worde that God putteth in my mouth, that shall I speake.
39 And Balaam went with Balac, and they came vnto a citie of streates.
40 And Balac offered oxen and sheepe, and sent [thereof] to Balaam, and to the lordes that were with hym.
41 And on the morowe Balac toke Balaam, and brought hym vp into the hye places of Baal, that thence he might see the vtmost part of the people.
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.