« | Numbers 3 | » |
1 These also are the generations of Aaron and Moyses, in ye day that the Lorde spake with Moyses in mount Sinai.
2 And these are the names of the sonnes of Aaron: Nadab the eldest sonne, and Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.
3 These are the names of the sonnes of Aaron whiche were priestes annoynted, and whose hande was consecrated to minister.
4 And Nadab and Abihu dyed before the Lorde, when they offred straunge fire befor the Lorde in the wyldernesse of Sinai, and had no chyldren: And Eleazar and Ithamar ministred in the sight of Aaron their father.
5 And the Lorde spake vnto Moyses, saying:
6 Bryng the tribe of Leui, and set them before Aaron the priest, that they may serue hym:
7 And take the charge with hym, euen the charge of the whole congregation before the tabernacle of the congregation, to do the seruice of the tabernacle.
8 They shall kepe all the instrumentes of the tabernacle of the congregation, & haue the charge of the chyldren of Israel, to do the seruice of the tabernacle.
9 And thou shalt geue the Leuites vnto Aaron and to his sonnes: for they are geuen and deliuered vnto hym of the chyldren of Israel.
10 And thou shalt appoynt Aaron and his sonnes to wayte on their priestes office: and the straunger that commeth nye, shalbe slayne.
11 And the Lorde spake vnto Moyses, saying:
12 Beholde, I haue taken the Leuites from among the chyldren of Israel for all the first borne that openeth the matrice among the chyldren of Israel, and the Leuites shalbe mine.
13 Because all the first borne are myne: for the same day that I smote all the first borne in the lande of Egypt, I halowed vnto me all the first borne in Israel, both man and beast, and mine they shalbe: I am the Lorde.
14 And the Lorde spake vnto Moyses in the wyldernesse of Sinai, saying:
15 Number the chyldren of Leui after the houses of their fathers in their kinredes: All that are males from a moneth old and aboue, shalt thou number.
16 And Moyses numbred them, according to the worde of the Lorde, as he was commaunded.
17 And these were the chyldren of Leui in their names: Gerson, and Caath, and Merari.
18 And these are the names of the chyldren of Gerson in their kinredes: Libni, and Semei.
19 The sonnes of Caath in their kinredes: Amram, Iesar, Hebron, and Oziel.
20 And the sonnes of Merari in their kinredes: Maheli, and Musi. These are the kinredes of the Leuites, accordyng to the houses of their fathers.
21 Of Gerson came the kinred of the Libnites and the kinred of the Semeites. These are the kinredes of the Gersonites,
22 And the summe of them after the number of all the males, from a moneth old and aboue, was counted seuen thousande and fiue hundred.
23 And the kinredes of the Gersonites shall pitch behinde the tabernacle westwarde.
24 The captayne and most auncient of the house of the Gersonites, shalbe Eliasaph the sonne of Lael.
25 And the charge of the chyldren of Gerson in the tabernacle of the congregation, shalbe the tabernacle and the pauilion, the couering thereof, and the vayle of the doore of the tabernacle of the congregation:
26 And the hangynges of the court, and the curtayne of the doore of the court whiche is rounde about the tabernacle, and the aulter, and the cordes of it for all the seruice thereof.
27 And of Caath, came the kinred of the Amramites, and the kinred of the Izecharites, the kinred of the Hebronites, and the kinred of the Ozielites: These are the kinredes of the Caathites.
28 And the number of all the males from a moneth olde and aboue, was eyght thousande and sixe hundred, hauing the charge of the sanctuarie.
29 And the kinred of the chyldren of Caath, shall pitche on the south syde of the tabernacle.
30 The captayne and most auncient of the house of the kinred of the Caathites, shalbe Elisaphan the sonne of Oziel.
31 And their charge shalbe the arke, the table, the candelsticke, and the aulters, & the vessels of the sanctuarie that they minister in, and the vayle, & whatsoeuer belongeth to the ministration therof.
32 And Eleazar the sonne of Aaron the priest, shalbe captayne ouer all the captaines of the Leuites, and hath the ouersight of them that wayte vpon the sanctuarie.
33 And of Merari came the kinred of the Mahelites, and the kinred of the Musites: These are ye kinredes of Merari.
34 And the summe of them accordyng to the number of al the males, from a moneth olde and aboue, was sixe thousand and two hundred.
35 The captayne and the most auncient of their house that were of the kinred of Merari, was Zuriel the sonne of Abihael: and these shall pitche on the north syde of the tabernacle.
36 And vnder the custodie and charge of the sonnes of Merari, shalbe ye boordes of the tabernacle, & the barres pyllers, and sockettes therof, and all the vessels therof, and all that serueth therto:
37 And the pillers of the court rounde about, with their sockets, their pinnes, and their cordes.
38 But on the forefront of the tabernacle towarde the east, before the tabernacle of the congregation eastwarde, shall Moyses & Aaron and his sonnes, pitche and wayte to kepe the sanctuarie, and to kepe the chyldren of Israel: And the strannger that commeth nye, shalbe slayne.
39 And the whole summe of the Leuites whiche Moyses and Aaron numbred at the commaundement of the Lorde throughout their kinredes, euen all the males from a moneth olde and aboue, was twentie and two thousande.
40 And the Lorde sayde vnto Moyses: Number all ye first borne that are males among the chyldren of Israel, from a moneth olde and aboue, and take the number of their names.
41 And thou shalt appoynt the Leuites to me (for I am the Lorde) for all the first borne of the children of Israel, and the cattell of the Leuites for all the first gendred of the cattell of the chyldren of Israel.
42 And Moyses numbred, as the Lorde commaunded hym, all the first borne of the chyldren of Israel.
43 And all the first borne males, rehearsed by their names, from a moneth olde and aboue, accordyng to their number, were twentie and two thousande, two hundred and threscore and thirteene.
44 And the Lorde spake vnto Moyses, saying:
45 Take the Leuites for al the first borne of the chyldren of Israel, and the cattell of the Leuites for their cattell, & the Leuites shalbe myne: I am the Lorde.
46 And for the redeeming of the two hundred and threscore and thirteene, which are mo then the Leuites in the first borne of the chyldren of Israel.
47 Take fiue sicles of euery head, after the wayght of the sanctuarie, the sicle contaynyng twentie gerahs.
48 And geue the money wherewith the odde number of them is redeemed, vnto Aaron and his sonnes.
49 And Moyses toke the redemption money of them that were redeemed, beyng mo then the Leuites:
50 Of the first borne of the children of Israel toke he this money: [euen] a thousande three hundred and three score and fiue sicles, after ye sicle of the sanctuarie.
51 And Moyses gaue the money of them that were redeemed, vnto Aaron and his sonnes, according to the word of the Lorde, euen as the Lorde commaunded Moyses.
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.