« | Proverbs 4 | » |
1 Heare O ye chyldren a fatherly instruction, & take good heede, that ye may learne vnderstanding.
2 For I haue geuen you a good doctrine, forsake not ye my lawe.
3 For when I my selfe was my fathers deare sonne, and tenderly beloued of my mother:
4 He taught me also and sayde vnto me, let thyne heart receaue my wordes, kepe my commaundementes and thou shalt liue.
5 Get thee wysdome, and get thee vnderstanding: forget not the wordes of my mouth, and shrinke not from them.
6 Forsake her not, and she shall preserue thee, loue her, and she shall kepe thee.
7 The chiefe poynt of wysdome, is to possesse wysdome: and before all thy goodes to get thee vnderstanding.
8 Make much of her, and she shall promote thee, yea if thou embrace her, she shall bryng thee vnto honour:
9 She shal beautifie thy head with manyfolde graces, and garnishe thee with a crowne of glory.
10 Heare my sonne, and receaue my wordes, and the yeres of thy life shalbe many.
11 I haue shewed thee the way of wysdome, & led thee into the right pathes.
12 So that if thou goest in them, there shall no straitnesse hinder thee: & when thou runnest, thou shalt not fall.
13 Take fast holde of doctrine, and let her not go: kepe her, for she is thy life.
14 Come not in the pathe of the vngodlye, and walke not in the way of the wicked:
15 Abhorre it and go not therein, depart aside, and passe ouer by it.
16 For they sleepe not except they haue done mischiefe: and sleepe is taken from them, vntyll they haue done harme.
17 For they eate the bread of wickednes, and drinke the wine of robberie.
18 The path of the righteous shineth, as the light that is euer bryghter and bryghter vnto the perfect day.
19 But the way of the vngodly is as the darkenesse, they knowe not where they fall.
20 My sonne marke my wordes, and encline thyne eare vnto my sayinges:
21 Let them not depart from thine eyes, but kepe them euen in the middest of thyne heart:
22 For they are life vnto those that finde them, and health vnto all their bodyes.
23 Kepe thyne heart with all diligence, for out of it issueth lyfe.
24 Put away from thee a frowarde mouth, and let the lippes of slaunder be farre from thee.
25 Let thyne eyes beholde that thyng that is right, and let thyne eye liddes loke straight before thee.
26 Ponder the path of thy feete, and let all thy wayes be ordred aright.
27 Turne not aside, neither to the right hande nor to the left: but wihholde thy foote from 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.