« | Psalm 2 | » |
1 Why do the Heathen so furiously rage together? and why do the people imagine a vayne thing?
2 The kynges of the earth stande vp: and the rulers take counsell together against god, and against his annointed.
3 Let vs breake [say they] their bondes a sunder: and cast away their cordes from vs.
4 He that dwelleth in heauen wyll laugh them to scorne: the Lorde wyll haue them in derision.
5 Then wyll he speake vnto them in his wrath: and he wyll astonie them with feare in his sore displeasure.
6 [Saying] euen I haue annointed [him] my kyng: vpon my holy hyll of Sion.
7 I wyll declare the decree, God sayde vnto me: thou art my sonne, this day I haue begotten thee.
8 Desire of me, and I wyll geue thee the heathen for thyne inheritaunce: and the vttermost partes of the earth for thy possession.
9 Thou shalt bruise them with a rod of iron: and breake them in peeces like a potters vessell.
10 Wherfore be you nowe wel aduised O ye kinges: be you learned ye [that are] iudges of the earth.
11 Serue ye God in feare: and reioyce ye with a trembling.
12 Kisse ye the sonne lest that he be angrye, and [so] ye perishe [from] the way, if his wrath be neuer so litle kindled: blessed are all they that put their trust in hym.
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.