« | Psalm 135 | » |
1 Prayse ye the Lorde, prayse ye the name of God: prayse it ye seruauntes of God.
2 Ye that stande in the house of God: in the courtes of the house of our Lord,
3 Prayse ye the Lorde, for God is gratious: sing psalmes vnto his name, for it is pleasaunt.
4 For the Lorde hath chosen Iacob vnto hym selfe: and Israel for his owne possession.
5 For I knowe that God is great: and that our Lorde is aboue all gods.
6 God doth whatsoeuer pleaseth hym in heauen and in earth: in the sea, and in all deepe places.
7 He causeth cloudes to ascende from the lowest part of the earth: he maketh it to lighten when it rayneth, he bringeth wyndes out of his treasure houses.
8 He smote the first borne of Egypt: aswell of beast as of man.
9 He sent tokens and wonders into the mydst of thee O Egypt: against Pharao and all his seruauntes.
10 He smote many nations: and slue mightie kinges.
11 Sihon king of the Amorites, and Og the king of Bashan: and all the kingdomes of Chanaan.
12 And he gaue their lande for an inheritaunce: euen for an heritaunce to Israel his people.
13 Thy name O God endureth for euer: there wil be a remembraunce of thee O God, from one generation to another.
14 For God wyll iudge his people: and he will be pacified [beyng displeased] with his seruauntes.
15 As for the idols of the Heathen they are but siluer and golde: the worke of mens handes.
16 They haue a mouth and speake not: they haue eyes but they see not.
17 They haue eares and they heare not: yea there is no breath in their mouth.
18 They that make them are lyke vnto them: [and] euery one that putteth his trust in them.
19 Blesse God ye the house of Israel: blesse God ye the house of Aaron.
20 Blesse God ye the house of Leui: ye that feare God, blesse God.
21 Blessed be God out of Sion: who dwelleth at Hierusalem. Prayse ye 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.