« | Psalm 34 | » |
1 [Of Dauid when he chaunged his behauiour before Abimelech, whiche droue him away, and he departed.] I wyll alway blesse God: his prayse shall euer be in my mouth.
2 My soule shal glory in God: the humble shall heare therof and be glad.
3 Magnifie God with me: and let vs exalt his name [all] together.
4 Carefully I sought God, & he hearde me: yea he deliuered me out of all my feare.
5 Let them turne their eyes on him, and make speede to come vnto hym: and their faces shall not be ashamed.
6 [Lo] this same poore man hath cryed: and God hath hearde hym, and saued hym out of all his troubles.
7 The angell of God campeth rounde about them that feare hym: and deliuereth them.
8 O taste and see how gracious God is: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.
9 Feare God ye that be his saintes: for they that feare him lacke nothing.
10 Young Lions do lacke and suffer hunger: but they whiche seeke God, shall want no maner of thing that is good.
11 Come ye chyldren and hearken vnto me: I will teache you the feare of God.
12 What man is he that listeth to liue: [and] woulde fayne see good dayes.
13 Kepe thy tongue from euill: and thy lippes that they speake no guyle.
14 Eschewe euill & do good: seeke peace and ensue it.
15 The eyes of God [are] ouer the righteous: and his eares [are open] vnto their prayers.
16 The countenaunce of God is against them that do euill: to roote out the remembraunce of them from of the earth.
17 The righteous crye, and God heareth them: and deliuereth them out of all their troubles.
18 God is nye vnto them that are of a contrite heart: and saueth such as be of an humble spirite.
19 Great are the troubles of the righteous: but God deliuereth him out of all.
20 He kepeth all his bones: so that no one of them is broken.
21 Malice shal put the vngodly to death: and they that hate the righteous, shalbe brought to naught.
22 God redeemeth the soules of his seruauntes: and al they that put their trust in him, shall not be brought to naught.
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.