« | Proverbs 9 | » |
1 Wysdome hath buylded her house, and hewen out seuen pillers:
2 She hath kylled her victuals, powred out her wine, and prepared her table:
3 She hath sent foorth her maydens to crye vpon the highest place of the citie,
4 Who so is without knowledge, let him come hither: And to the vnwise she said,
5 O come on your way, eate my bread, and drinke my wine [whiche] I haue powred out for you.
6 Forsake foolishnes, and ye shall lyue: and see that ye go in the way of vnderstandyng.
7 Whoso reproueth a scornefull person, getteth him selfe dishonour: and he that rebuketh the vngodly, stayneth hym selfe.
8 Reproue not a scorner, lest he owe thee euyll will: but rebuke a wyse man, and he wyll loue thee.
9 Geue a discrete man but an occasion, and he wyll be the wyser: teache a righteous man, and he wyll encrease in knowledge.
10 The feare of the Lorde is the beginning of wisdome: and the knowledge of holy thinges, is vnderstanding.
11 For thorowe me thy dayes shalbe prolonged, and the yeres of thy life shall be many.
12 If thou be wise, thy wysdome shal do thy selfe good: but if thou thinkest scorne therof, it shalbe thine owne harme.
13 A foolishe retchlesse woman full of wordes, and suche a one as hath no knowledge,
14 Sitteth at the doore of her house, and in the hye places of the citie,
15 To call such as go by, and that walke straight in their wayes.
16 Who so is ignoraunt [sayeth she] let hym come hyther: and to the vnwyse she saith,
17 Stolen waters are sweete, & the bread that is priuily eaten, hath a good taste.
18 And he doth not consider that they are but dead whiche be there, and that her ghestes are in the deepe of hell.
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.