« | Psalm 32 | » |
1 [A wyse instruction of Dauid.] Blessed is he whose wickednes is forgeuen: and whose sinne is couered.
2 Blessed is ye man vnto whom God imputeth no vnrighteousnes: & in whose spirit there is no guile.
3 For whyle I helde my tongue: my bones consumed away through my dayly roaring.
4 For thy hande is heauie vpon me day and night: and my moysture is like the drouth in sommer. Selah.
5 [Therfore] I haue made knowen my faultes vnto thee, and my righteousnes haue I not hid: I sayd I will confesse my wickednes vnto God, and thou forgauest the vnrighteousnes of my sinne. Selah.
6 For this shall euery one that is godly make his prayer vnto thee in the time when thou mayest be founde: so that in the great water fluddes they shal not come nye hym.
7 Thou art my refuge, thou wylt preserue me from trouble: thou wylt compasse me about with songes of deliueraunce. Selah.
8 I will geue thee wise instructions, and teach thee in the way wherin thou shalt go: & I wil guyde thee with mine eye.
9 Be ye not lyke a horse [or] lyke a mule whiche haue no vnderstanding: whose mouthes must be holden with bit and brydle, lest they fall vpon thee.
10 Great plagues remaine for the vngodly: but who so putteth his trust in God, mercy imbraceth him on euery side.
11 Be glad in God, & reioyce O ye righteous: be ioyfull also all ye that be vpright of heart.
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.