« | Proverbs 5 | » |
1 My sonne geue heede vnto my wisdome, and bowe thyne eare vnto my prudence:
2 That thou mayest regarde good counsell, and that thy lippes may kepe knowledge.
3 For the lippes of a straunge woman are a dropping hony combe, and her throte is more glistering then oyle:
4 But at the laste she is as bitter as wormewood, and as sharpe as a two edged sworde.
5 Her feete go downe vnto death, and her steppes pearce thorowe vnto hell.
6 Perchaunce thou wylt ponder the path of her lyfe: so vnstedfast are her wayes that thou canst not know them.
7 Heare me nowe therefore O ye chyldren, and depart not from the wordes of my mouth.
8 Kepe thy way farre from her, & come not nigh the doores of her house.
9 That thou geue not thy honour vnto other, and thy yeres to the cruell:
10 That other men be not filled with thy vertues, and that thy labours come not in a straunge house.
11 Yea, that thou mourne not at the last, when thou hast spent thy bodye and lustie youth, and then say:
12 Alas, why hated I nurture? why did my heart dispise correction?
13 Wherefore was not I obedient vnto the voyce of my teachers, and hearkened not vnto them that enfourmed me?
14 I was come almost into all misfortune, in the middest of the multitude and congregation.
15 Drinke of the water of thyne owne well, and of the riuers that runne out of thyne owne spring.
16 Let thy welles flowe out abrode, that there may be riuers of waters in the streates:
17 But let them be onlye thyne owne, and not straungers with thee.
18 Let thy well be blessed, and be glad with the wyfe of thy youth.
19 Let her be as the louyng Hinde and pleasaunt Roe: let her breastes alway satisfie thee, and holde thee euer content with her loue.
20 Why wylt thou my sonne haue pleasure in a straunge woman, and embrace the bosome of a straunger?
21 For euery mans wayes are open in the sight of the Lord, and he pondereth all their goynges.
22 The wickednes of the vngodly shall catche him selfe, and with the snares of his owne sinne shall he be trapped.
23 He shall dye without amendement, and for his great foolishnes he shall go astray.
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.