« | Psalm 33 | » |
1 Reioyce in God O ye righteous: for prayse becommeth well the iust.
2 Confesse [it] to god with the harpe: sing psalmes vnto hym with the viall, and with the instrument of ten stringes.
3 Sing vnto him a new song: do it cunningly, make a sweete noyse with your musicall instrumentes alowde.
4 For the word of God is right: and euery worke of his done in fayth.
5 He loueth righteousnes & iudgement: the earth is ful of the goodnes of God.
6 By the worde of God are the heauens made: and all the hoastes of them by the breath of his mouth.
7 He gathereth the waters of the sea together as it were vpon an heape: and layeth vp the deepe as treasures.
8 Let all the earth feare God: let all they that dwell in the worlde stande in awe of him.
9 For he spake and it was: he commauded, and it was brought to passe.
10 God bringeth the counsell of the Heathen to naught: and maketh the deuises of the people to be of none effect.
11 The counsayle of God shall endure for euer: and the thoughtes of his heart from generation to generation.
12 Blessed is the nation that hath God to be their Lorde: that people hath he chosen to be an inheritaunce for him.
13 God looketh downe from heauen, and beholdeth all the chyldren of men
14 (33:13) from the place where he resteth: he eyeth diligently euery dweller on the earth.
15 (33:14) He fashioneth their heartes together: he vnderstandeth al their workes.
16 (33:15) A king is not saued by the multitude of an hoast: a man of great myght escapeth not by much strength.
17 (33:16) A horse for to saue is vanitie: and he can deliuer none by his great strength.
18 (33:17) Beholde, the eye of God is vpon them that feare hym: and vpon them that wayteth after his mercy.
19 (33:18) To deliuer their soules from death: and to preserue their liues in dearth.
20 (33:19) Our soule wayteth after God: he is our ayde and shielde.
21 (33:20) For our heart shall reioyce in him: because we haue put our trust in his holy name.
22 (33:21) Let thy louing kindnes O God be vppon vs: like as we haue put our trust in thee.
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.