« | Proverbs 17 | » |
1 Better is a drye morsell with quietnesse, then a house full of fat offeryng with strife.
2 A discrete seruaunt shall haue rule ouer a lewde sonne, and shal haue heritage with the brethren.
3 As siluer is tryed in the fire, and golde in the furnace: so doth the Lorde proue the heartes.
4 A wicked body geueth heede to false lippes, and a lyer geueth eare to a deceiptfull tongue.
5 Who so scorneth the poore, blasphemeth his maker: and he that is glad at [another mans] hurt, shall not be vnpunished.
6 Childers children are a crowne of the aged, and the fathers are the honour of the children.
7 Speache of aucthoritie becommeth not a foole, much lesse a lying mouth then beseemeth a prince.
8 A gyft is as a precious stone vnto hym that hath it: but vnto whom soeuer it turneth, it maketh hym vnwise.
9 Who so couereth a fault, procureth loue: but he that discloseth it, deuideth very frendes.
10 One reproofe more feareth a wise man, then an hundred stripes doth a foole.
11 A seditious person seketh mischiefe, and a cruell messenger shalbe sent agaynst hym.
12 It were better to meete a shee beare robbed of her whelpes, then a foole [trusting] in his foolishnesse.
13 Who so rewardeth euill for good, euil shall not depart from his house.
14 The beginning of strife is, as when a man maketh an issue for water: therfore leaue of before the contention be medled with.
15 The Lorde hateth as well hym that iustifieth the vngodly, as him that condempneth the innocent.
16 Whereto hath a foole treasure in his hande to bye wisdome, seeing he hath no minde therto?
17 He is a frende that alway loueth, and in aduersitie a man shall knowe who is his brother.
18 Who so promiseth by the hande and is suretie for his neighbour, he is a foole.
19 He that delighteth in sinne, loueth strife: and who so setteth his doore to hye, seeketh destruction.
20 Who so hath a frowarde heart, obteyneth no good: and he that hath a double tongue, shall fall into mischiefe.
21 He that begetteth a foole, begetteth his sorowe: and the father of a foole can haue no ioy.
22 A mery heart make a lustie age: but a sorowfull minde dryeth vp the bones.
23 The vngodly taketh gyftes out of the bosome, to wrest the wayes of iudgement.
24 Wisdome [shineth] in the face of hym that hath vnderstanding: but the eyes of fooles wander throughout al landes.
25 An vndiscrete sonne is a griefe vnto his father: and an heauinesse vnto his mother.
26 Certaynely to condempne the iust is not good: nor to strike the gouernours whiche iudge rightly.
27 A wyse man vseth fewe wordes, and a man of vnderstanding is of a pacient spirite.
28 Yea, a very foole when he holdeth his tongue is counted wise: and he that stoppeth his lippes is esteemed prudent.
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.