« | Psalm 145 | » |
1 [The prayse of Dauid.] I will magnifie thee O Lord my king: and I wyll blesse thy name for euer and euer.
2 I wyll blesse thee euery day: and I wyll prayse thy name for euer and euer.
3 Great is God and most worthy to be praysed: and his greatnesse can not be searched out.
4 One generation shal praise thy workes vnto another: and they shall declare thy mightie power.
5 I wyll set foorth in wordes the glorious maiestie of thy excellentnesse: and thy wonderous workes.
6 I wyll also declare thy greatnesse: so that men shall speake of the force of thy terrible actes.
7 They shall vtter out of their mouth a memoriall of thyne aboundaunt kyndnesse: and they shall syng of thy ryghteousnesse.
8 God is gratious and mercifull: loth to be angry, and great in louing kindnesse.
9 God is good vnto euery man: and his mercie is ouer all his workes.
10 All thy workes shall confesse it vnto thee O God: and thy saintes shall blesse thee.
11 They shal shewe the glorie of thy kingdome: and talke of thy power.
12 That they may make knowen to the children of men his manifolde power: & the glorious maiestie of his kingdome.
13 Thy kingdome is an euerlasting kingdome: and thy dominion endureth throughout all ages.
14 God vpholdeth all such as fall: and lyfteth vp all those that be bowyng downewarde.
15 The eyes of all wayte vpon thee: and thou geuest them their meate in due season.
16 Thou openest thyne hande: and thou satisfiest the desire of euery thing liuing.
17 God is righteous in all his wayes: and holy in all his workes.
18 God is nye vnto all them that call vpon hym: vnto all such as call vpon hym in trueth.
19 He wyll fulfyll the desire of them that feare hym: he will also heare their crye, and he wyll saue them.
20 God preserueth all those that loue him: but he wyll bring to nothyng such as be vngodly.
21 My mouth shall speake the prayse of God: and all fleshe shall blesse his holy name for euer and euer.
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.