« | Psalm 37 | » |
1 [Of Dauid.] Fret not thy selfe because of the vngodly: neither be thou enuious against the euyll doers.
2 For they shall soone be cut downe like the grasse: and be withered euen as the greene hearbe.
3 Put thou thy trust in God, and be doing good: dwell in the land, and feede in trueth.
4 Delight thou also in God: and he shall geue thee thy heartes desire.
5 Commit thy way vnto God: and put thy trust in hym, and he shall bryng it to passe.
6 He shall make thy righteousnesse appeare as cleare as the light: and thy iust dealing as the noone tyde.
7 Holde thee still in God, and wayte paciently vpon him: fret not thy selfe at him whose way doth prosper, at the man that doth abhominations.
8 Leaue of from wrath, and let go displeasure: fret not thy selfe, lest thou be moued to do euill.
9 For the malitious doers shalbe rooted out: and they that paciently wayte after God, they shall inherite the lande.
10 [Looke] at them yet a litle whyle, and the vngodly shalbe cleane gone: thou shalt looke after his place, and he shall not be [there]
11 But the meeke spirited shall possesse the earth: and shalbe delighted in the aboundaunce of peace.
12 The vngodly busieth his head [all] against the iust: and gnasheth vpon him with his teeth.
13 The Lorde shall laugh him to scorne: for he seeth that his day is comming.
14 The vngodly haue drawen out the sworde, and haue bended their bowe: to cast downe the poore and needie, and to slay such as be of right conuersation.
15 But their sworde shal go thorow their owne heart: & their bow shalbe broken.
16 A small thing that the righteous hath: is better then great riches of ye vngodly.
17 For the armes of the vngodly shalbe broken: and God vpholdeth the righteous.
18 God knoweth the dayes of them that be perfect: and their inheritaunce shall endure for euer.
19 They shall not be confounded in the perilous tyme: and in the dayes of dearth they shall haue inough.
20 As for the vngodly they shall perishe, and the enemies of God shall consume as the fat of lambes: yea, euen with the smoke they shall vanishe away.
21 The vngodly boroweth and payeth not agayne: but the righteous geueth mercifully and liberally.
22 Suche as be blessed of God shall possesse the lande: and they that be cursed of hym, shalbe rooted out.
23 The pathes of man is directed by God: and his way pleaseth.
24 Though he fall, he shall not be vndone: for God vpholdeth him with his hande.
25 I haue ben a young chylde, and nowe I am olde: and yet sawe I neuer the righteous forsaken, nor his seede begyng bread.
26 The righteous is euer mercifull and lendeth: and his seede is blessed.
27 Flee from euill & do good: and dwell for euer.
28 For God loueth iudgement, he forsaketh not his saintes: they are preserued for euermore, but the seede of the vngodlye shalbe rooted vp.
29 The righteous shal inherite the land: and dwell therin for euer.
30 The mouth of the righteous is exercised in wysdome: and his tongue wyll be talking of iudgement.
31 The lawe of his God is in his heart: therfore his feete shall not slide.
32 The vngodly spyeth the righteous: and seeketh [occasion] to slay hym.
33 God wyll not leaue him in his hande: nor suffer hym to be condemned when he is iudged.
34 Wayte thou on God & kepe his way, and he wyll promote thee, that thou mayest possesse the lande: when the vngodly shalbe cut of, thou shalt see it.
35 I my selfe haue seene the vngodly in great power: and florishing lyke a greene bay tree.
36 And he vanished away, so that he could be no more seene: I sought hym, but he coulde no where be founde.
37 Marke hym that is perfect, and beholde him that is iust: for the ende of suche a man is peace.
38 As for wicked transgressours, they shalbe destroyed [all] together: and the ende of the vngodly shalbe rooted vp at the last.
39 But saluation of the righteous commeth of God: whiche is also their strength in time of trouble.
40 And God wyll ayde them and deliuer them, he wyl deliuer them from the vngodly: and he wyll saue them, because they put their trust in him.
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.