« | Psalm 40 | » |
1 [To the chiefe musition, a psalme of Dauid.] I wayted patiently vpon God, and he enclined vnto me [his eare]: and heard my crying.
2 He brought me also out of an horrible pyt, out of the dirtie mire: and set my feete vpon a rocke, and directed my goynges.
3 And he hath put a newe song in my mouth: euen a thankesgeuyng vnto our Lorde.
4 Many shall see it, and feare: and shall put their trust in God.
5 Blessed is the man that hath set his hope in God: and turned not vnto the proude, and to such as decline to lyes.
6 O God my Lord, great are thy wonderous workes which thou hast done: & none can count in order thy benefites towarde vs, yf I woulde declare them and speake of them, they shoulde be mo then I am able to expresse.
7 Thou wouldest haue no sacrifice or offeryng, but thou hast opened myne eares: thou hast not required burnt offerynges and sacrifice for sinne.
8 Then sayde I, lo I am come: in the booke of thy lawe it is written of me that I shoulde fulfyll thy wyll O my God, I am content to do it, yea thy lawe is within the middest of my brest.
9 I haue declared thy righteousnes in a great congregatio: lo I wil not refraine my lippes O God thou knowest [it.]
10 I haue not hyd thy ryghteousnesse within my heart: my talkyng hath ben of thy trueth and of thy saluation. (40:11) I haue not concealed thy louyng mercie and trueth: from the great congregation.
11 (40:12) Withdrawe not thou thy mercie from me O God: let thy louyng kyndnesse and thy trueth alway preserue me.
12 (40:13) For innumerable troubles are come about me, my sinnes haue taken such holde vpon me that I am not able to loke vp: yea they are mo in number then the heeres of my head, & my heart hath fayled me.
13 (40:14) O God let it be thy pleasure to deliuer me: make haste O God to helpe me.
14 (40:15) Let them be ashamed and confounded together that seke after my soule to destroy it: let them be dryuen backwarde & be put to rebuke that wyshe me euyll.
15 (40:16) Let them be desolate in recompence of their shame: that say vnto me, fye vpon thee, fye vpon thee.
16 (40:17) Let all those that seeke thee be glad and ioyfull in thee: and let such as loue thy saluation, say alway God be magnified.
17 (40:18) As for me I am afflicted and needye, but God careth for me: thou art my ayde and delyuerer, O my God make no long tarying.
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.