« | Proverbs 8 | » |
1 Doth not wysdome crye? doth not vnderstanding put foorth her voyce?
2 She standeth in the top of high places, by the way in the place of the pathes:
3 She cryeth at the gates of the citie, at the entrye of the doores:
4 It is you O ye men [saith she] whom I call, vnto the chyldren of men do I lyft vp my voyce.
5 Take heede vnto knowledge O ye ignoraunt, be ye wise in heart O ye fooles.
6 Geue eare, for I wyll speake of great matters, and open my lippes to tell thinges that be right:
7 For my mouth shall be talking of the trueth, and my lippes abhorre vngodlynesse.
8 All the wordes of my mouth are righteous, there is no frowardnes nor falsehood in them.
9 They are all playne to suche as wyll vnderstande, and right to them that finde knowledge.
10 Receaue my doctrine and not siluer, and knowledge rather then fine golde:
11 For wysdome is more worth then pretious stones, yea all thinges that thou canst desire, may not be compared vnto it.
12 I wysdome dwell with counsell, and finde out knowledge and vnderstanding.
13 The feare of the Lorde abhorreth wickednes, pryde, disdayne, and the euil way, and a mouth that speaketh wicked thinges I vtterly abhorre.
14 Counsell is mine, and direction, I am vnderstanding, and I haue strength.
15 Through me kinges raigne, and princes make iust lawes.
16 By me princes beare rule, and noble men do iudge the earth.
17 I am louing vnto those that loue me: and they that seeke me early, shall finde me.
18 Riches and honour are with me, yea durable riches and righteousnes.
19 My fruite is better then golde and pretious stones, and mine encrease more worth then fine siluer.
20 I wyll guyde thee in the way of righteousnes, and in the midst of the pathes of iudgement:
21 That I maye stablishe the inhetaunce of them that loue me, and encrease their treasure.
22 The Lorde him selfe had me in possession in the beginning of his wayes, or euer he began his workes aforetime.
23 I haue ben ordayned from euerlasting, and from the beginning or euer the earth was made.
24 When I was borne there were neither depthes nor springes of water.
25 Before the foundations of the mountaines were layde: yea before all hilles, was I borne:
26 The earth, and all that is vpon the earth was not yet made, no not the dust it selfe.
27 For when he made the heauens, I was present, when he compassed the deapthes about:
28 When he hanged the cloudes aboue, when he fastened the springes of the deepe:
29 When he shut the sea within certaine boundes, that the waters should not go ouer their markes that he commaunded: when he layde the foundations of the earth,
30 I was with him ordring all thinges, deliting dayly and reioysyng alway before hym.
31 As for the rounde compasse of this worlde I make it ioyfull: for my delite is to be among the chyldren of men.
32 Therefore hearken vnto me: O ye chyldren, blessed are they that kepe my wayes.
33 O geue eare vnto nurture, be wyse, and refuse it not:
34 (8:33) Blessed is the man that heareth me, watching dayly at my gates, and geuing attendaunce at the postes of my doores.
35 (8:34) For whoso findeth me, findeth life, and shall obtaine fauour of the Lorde.
36 (8:35) But whoso offendeth against me, hurteth his owne soule: and they that hate me, are the louers of death.
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.