Proverbs 1 | » |
1 The prouerbes of Solomon the sonne of Dauid, kyng of Israel:
2 To learne wisdome and instruction, & to perceaue the wordes of vnderstandyng,
3 To receaue the instruction of wisdome, iustice, iudgement, and equitie:
4 To geue wyt vnto the simple, and that the young men myght haue knowledge and vnderstandyng.
5 The wise man wyll geue eare, and wyll come by more wisdome, and he that is endued with vnderstanding shal attayne vnto [wise] counsayles.
6 To vnderstande a parable, and the interpretation therof, the wordes of the wise, and their darke speaches.
7 The feare of the Lorde is the begynnyng of knowledge: but fooles dispise wisdome and instruction.
8 My sonne, heare thy fathers doctrine, & forsake not the lawe of thy mother:
9 For they shalbe an encrease of grace vnto thy head, and [as] a chayne about thy necke.
10 My sonne, if sinners entice thee, consent not vnto them.
11 If they say, come with vs, let vs lay wayte for blood, and lurke priuily for the innocent without a cause:
12 Let vs swallowe them vp lyke the graue quicke and whole, as those that go downe into the pit:
13 So shall we finde all maner of costly riches, and fill our houses with spoyles:
14 Cast in thy lot among vs, and let vs all haue one purse.
15 My sonne, walke not thou with them, refrayne thy foote from their wayes.
16 For their feete runne to euyll, and are hasty to shed blood.
17 But [as] in vayne, the nette is layde foorth before the birdes eyes:
18 So these lay wayte for the blood of them, and lye priuily for their liues.
19 Such [are] the wayes of euery one that is greedie of gayne, who taketh away the life of the owner therof.
20 Wisdome cryeth without, and putteth foorth her voyce in the streetes:
21 She calleth before the congregation in the open gates, and sheweth her wordes through the citie, saying:
22 O ye children, howe long wyll ye loue childishnesse? howe long wyll the scorners delite in scornyng, and the vnwise hate knowledge?
23 O turne you at my correction: lo I wyll expresse my mynde vnto you, and make you vnderstande my wordes.
24 Because I haue called, and ye refused, I haue stretched out my hande, and no man regarded:
25 But all my counsels haue ye dispised, and set my correction at naught:
26 Therfore wyll I also laugh at your destruction, and mocke you, when the thyng that ye feare commeth vpon you,
27 Euen when the thyng that ye be afraide of falleth in sodenly like a storme, and your miserie lyke a tempest, yea when trouble and heauinesse commeth vpon you.
28 Then shall they call vpon me, but I wyll not aunswere: they shall seeke me early, but they shall not finde me:
29 And that because they hated knowledge, and did not choose the feare of the Lorde,
30 They woulde none of my counsayle, but dispised all my correction.
31 Therfore shall they eate of the fruite of their owne way, and be fylled with their owne inuentions.
32 For the turnyng away of the vnwise shall slay them, and the prosperitie of fooles shall destroy them.
33 But whoso hearkeneth vnto me, shal dwell safely, and be sure from any feare of euyll.
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.