« | Psalm 104 | » |
1 My soule blesse thou God: O God my Lord thou art become exceeding great, thou hast put on glory and maiestie.
2 Who is decked with light as it were with a garment: spreadyng out the heauens like a curtayne.
3 Who seeleth his vpper chaumbers with waters: and maketh the cloudes his charriot, and walketh vpon the wynges of the wynde.
4 He maketh his angels spirites: and his ministers a flaming fire.
5 He hath layde the earth sure vpon her foundations: that it can neuer moue at any tyme.
6 Thou coueredst it with the deepe, lyke as with a garment: the waters stande vpon the hilles.
7 At thy rebuke they flee: at the noyse of thy thunder they bluster downe apace.
8 The hilles mount aloft: and the valleys settle downe beneath vnto the place where thou hast layde a foundation for them.
9 Thou hast set them their boundes which they shall not passe: neither shall they returne agayne to couer the earth.
10 Who also causeth the springes which runne betweene the hilles: to flowe into the riuers.
11 All beastes of the fielde drinke therof: and the wylde asses quench their thirst.
12 The foules of the ayre haue their habitation nigh vnto them: singing out of the midst of the bowes [of trees.]
13 He watereth the hilles from aboue: the earth is replenished with the fruite of thy workes.
14 He causeth grasse to growe for cattell: and hearbes for the vse of man.
15 That he may bryng foorth foode out of the earth: both wine that maketh glad the heart of man, and oyle to make hym haue a chearefull countenaunce, & also bread to strengthen mans heart.
16 The trees of God be satisfied: euen the Cedars of Libanus which he hath planted.
17 Wherin the birdes make their nestes: in the fyrre trees the storke buyldeth.
18 The high hilles are a refuge for goates: and so are the stonie rockes for conies.
19 He hath made the moone for certayne seasons: and the sunne knoweth his goyng downe.
20 Thou makest darknes and it is night: wherein all the beastes of the forrest do go abrode.
21 The Lions do roare after a pray: and in seeking their meate of God.
22 When the sunne ariseth, they recoyle backe: and lay them downe to rest in their dennes.
23 Man goeth foorth to his worke: and to do his seruice vntyll the euening.
24 O God howe manyfolde are thy workes? thou hast made them al in wisdome, the earth is ful of thy ryches.
25 So is the sea it selfe large and wyde in compasse: wherein are thinges creeping innumerable, both small and great beastes.
26 There go the shippes, and there is that Leuiathan: whom thou hast made to take his pastime therin.
27 These wayte all vpon thee: that thou mayest geue them meate in due season.
28 When thou geuest it them, they gather it: and when thou openest thyne hand, they are filled with that which is good.
29 When thou hydest thy face, they are troubled: when thou takest away their spirite, they dye, and are turned agayne to their dust.
30 When thou sendest out thy spirite, they be recreated: and thou reuiuest the face of the earth.
31 The glorious maiestie of God shal endure for euer: God wyll reioyce in his workes.
32 He beholdeth the earth, & it trembleth: he toucheth the hilles, and they smoke.
33 I wyll syng vnto God as long as I liue: I will sing psalmes vnto my Lord so long as I shall be.
34 My meditations of hym shalbe very pleasaunt: for all my ioy shalbe in God.
35 As for sinners they shalbe consumed out of the earth: and the vngodly shall come to an ende, blesse thou God O my soule, [and] prayse you the Lorde.
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.