« | Psalm 21 | » |
1 [To the chiefe musition, a psalme of Dauid.] The kyng ought to reioyce in thy strength O God: and he ought to be exceedyng glad of thy saluation.
2 Thou hast geuen him his heartes desire: and hast not denied him the request of his lippes. Selah.
3 For thou hast preuented him with good blessinges: and hast set a crowne of pure golde vpon his head.
4 He asked life of thee, and thou gauest him long dayes: euen for euer and euer.
5 His honour is great through thy saluation: thou hast layde glorie and great worship vpon him.
6 For thou hast placed him to be blessinges for euer: and hast made him glad with the ioy of thy countenaunce.
7 Because the king trusteth in God, and in the mercie of the most highest: he shal not miscarie.
8 Thine hande wyll finde out all thine enemies: thy right hande wyll finde out them that hate thee.
9 Thou wilt make them like a burnyng furnace in tyme of thy furie: God wyll destroy them in his wrath, and fire shall consume them.
10 Thou wilt roote their fruite out of the earth: and their seede from among the children of men.
11 For they intended mischiefe agaynst thee, and imagined a craftie deuice: [but] they coulde not [bring it to passe.]
12 Therfore thou wilt put them to flight: [and] direct thine arrowes agaynst their faces.
13 Be thou exalted O God accordyng to thine owne might: so we wyll sing, and with psalmes we wyll prayse thy power.
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.