« | Psalm 103 | » |
1 Blesse God O my soule: and all that is within me [prayse] his holy name.
2 Blesse God O my soule: and forget not all his benefites.
3 Who forgeueth all thy wickednesse: and healeth all thine infirmities.
4 Who redeemeth thy lyfe from destruction: [and] crowneth thee with mercie and louyng kyndnesse.
5 Who satisfieth thy mouth with good thynges: causyng thy youth lyke an Egles to be renued.
6 God executeth iustice and iudgement: for all them that are oppressed with wrong.
7 He made his wayes knowen vnto Moyses: his workes vnto the children of Israel.
8 God is full of compassion and pitie: loth to be angry, and exceedyng great in mercie.
9 He vseth not to continue in chydyng: neither reserueth he [his anger] for euer.
10 He dealeth not with vs accordyng to our sinnes: nor rewardeth vs according to our wickednesse.
11 For accordyng to the hyghnesse of heauen aboue the earth: his mercie preuayleth to them that feare hym.
12 [Loke] howe farre distaunt the east is from the west: so farre a sunder setteth he our sinnes from vs.
13 Yea lyke as a father pitieth [his owne] children: euen so is God mercifull vnto them that feare hym.
14 For he knoweth wherof we be made: he remembreth that we are but dust.
15 The dayes of man are as [the dayes] of an hearbe: he florisheth as a flowre in the fielde.
16 For the winde passeth ouer it, and it is no more [seene]: and the place therof knoweth it no more.
17 But the mercifull goodnesse of God endureth for euer and euer, vpon them that feare hym: and his righteousnesse vpon childers children.
18 Euen vpon such as kepe his couenaunt: and thinke vpon his commaundementes to do them.
19 God hath prepared his seate in heauen: and his kyngdome ruleth ouer all.
20 Blesse God O ye his angels mightie in operation: who fulfyll his worde in hearkening vnto the voyce of his word.
21 Blesse God all ye his hoastes: you his ministers that do his pleasure.
22 Blesse God all you his workes in all places of his dominion: O my soule blesse thou God.
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.