« | Psalm 41 | » |
1 [To the chiefe musition, a psalme of Dauid.] Blessed is he that considereth ye poore: God wyll delyuer hym in the tyme of trouble.
2 God wyll preserue hym & kepe him aliue: he shalbe blessed vpon the earth, and [thou O God] wylt not deliuer him into the wyll of his enemies.
3 God wyll comfort hym when he lyeth sicke vpon his bed: thou [O God] wylt turne vpside downe all his bed in his sicknesse.
4 I sayde, O God be mercifull vnto me: heale my soule, for I haue sinned agaynst thee.
5 Myne enemies speake euyl of me: when shall he dye, and his name perishe?
6 But yf [any of them] came to visite me, he spake vanitie: his heart conceaued vngodlynesse within hym selfe, & when he came foorth a doores he vttered it.
7 All they that hated me whispered together: they imagined euyl agaynst me.
8 [They sayde] some great mischiefe is lyghted vpon hym: and he that lyeth sicke on his bed, shall ryse vp no more.
9 Yea besides this, euen myne owne friende whom I trusted: which dyd also eate of my bread, hath kicked very much agaynst me.
10 But be thou mercifull vnto me O God: rayse me vp agayne, and I shall rewarde them.
11 By this I knowe thou fauouredst me: in that myne enemie doth not triumph agaynst me.
12 And when I am in my best case, thou vpholdest me: and thou wylt set me before thy face for euer.
13 Blessed be God the Lorde of Israel: worlde without ende, Amen, Amen.
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.