« | Numbers 8 | » |
1 And the Lorde spake vnto Moyses, saying:
2 Speake vnto Aaron, and say vnto hym: When thou settest vp the lampes, the seuen lampes shal geue light towarde ye forefront of the candlesticke.
3 And Aaron dyd euen so, and lyghted the lampes thereof towarde the forefront of the candlesticke, as the Lorde commaunded Moyses.
4 And this was the worke of the candlesticke, euen of golde beaten out with the hammer, both the shaft and the flowres therof was beaten out with ye hammer: accordyng vnto the paterne which the Lorde had shewed Moyses, euen so he made the candlesticke.
5 And the Lorde spake vnto Moyses, saying:
6 Take the Leuites from among the children of Israel, and cleanse them.
7 And thus shalt thou do vnto them, when thou cleansest them: Sprinckle water of purifiyng vpon them, and let them shaue all their fleshe, and let them washe their clothes, and so make them selues cleane.
8 Then let them take a young bullocke with his meate offeryng [euen] fine floure minged with oyle, and another young bullocke shalt thou take for a sinne offeryng.
9 And thou shalt bryng the Leuites before the tabernacle of the congregation, thou shalt gather the whole multitude of the children of Israel together,
10 And bryng the Leuites before the Lorde, and the children of Israel shall put their handes vpon the Leuites.
11 And Aaron shall waue the Leuites before the Lorde for a waue offeryng of the children of Israel, that they may execute the ministration of the seruice of the Lorde.
12 And the Leuites shal put their handes vpon the heades of the bullockes: and thou shalt offer the one for a sinne offeryng, and the other for a burnt offeryng vnto the Lorde, that thou mayest make an attonement for the Leuites.
13 And thou shalt set the Leuites before Aaron and his sonnes, and waue them for a waue offeryng vnto the Lorde.
14 And thus thou shalt seperate the Leuites from among the children of Israel, and the Leuites shalbe myne.
15 After that, shall the Leuites go in, to do the seruice of the tabernacle of the congregation: And thou shalt cleanse them, & waue them for a waue offering:
16 For they are geuen and deliuered vnto me from among the children of Israel for such as open euery wombe, euen for the first borne of all the children of Israel haue I taken them vnto me.
17 For all the first borne of the children of Israel are mine, both man and beast: since the day that I smote euery first borne in the lande of Egypt, I sanctified them for my selfe.
18 And I haue taken the Leuites for all the first borne of the children of Israel.
19 And haue geuen the Leuites as a gift to Aaron and his sonnes from among the children of Israel, to do the seruice of the children of Israel in the tabernacle of the congregation, and to make an attonement for the children of Israel: that there be no plague among the children of Israel, if the children of Israel come nye vnto the sanctuarie.
20 And Moyses, and Aaron, and all the congregation of the children of Israel, dyd with the Leuites: accordyng vnto all that the Lorde comaunded Moyses concernyng the Leuites, euen so did the children of Israel vnto them.
21 And the Leuites were purified, and wasshed their clothes: And Aaron waued them as a waue offeryng before the Lorde, and made an attonement for them, to cleanse them.
22 After that, went the Leuites in, to do their seruice in the tabernacle of the congregation before Aaron and his sonnes: as the Lorde had comaunded Moyses concernyng the Leuites, euen so they dyd vnto them.
23 And the Lorde spake vnto Moyses, saying:
24 This is it that belongeth vnto the Leuites: From twentie and fiue yeres olde and vpwarde, they shall go in to wayte vpon the seruice of the tabernacle of the congregation.
25 And from the age of fiftie yeres, they shall ceasse waytyng vpon the seruice therof, and shall serue no more:
26 But shall minister with their brethren in the tabernacle of the congregation, to kepe thynges committed to their charge: but shall do no more seruice. Thus therfore shalt thou do vnto the Leuites touchyng their charge,
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.