« | Psalm 44 | » |
1 [To the chiefe musition, a wise instruction of the sonnes of Corach.] We haue hearde with our eares O Lorde: our fathers haue tolde vs what workes thou hast done in their daies in the olde tyme.
2 Howe thou hast driuen out the heathen with thy hande and planted them in: howe thou hast destroyed the nations & placed them.
3 For they gat not the lande in possession through their owne sworde: neither was it their owne arme that saued them. (44:4) But thy ryght hande, and thine arme, & the lyght of thy countenaunce: because thou hadst a fauour vnto them.
4 (44:5) Thou art my kyng O Lorde: commaunde that Iacob be saued.
5 (44:6) Through thee we wyll ouerthrowe our enemies: and in thy name we wyll treade them vnder that ryse vp agaynst vs.
6 (44:7) For I wyll not trust in my bowe: and it is not my sworde that can saue me.
7 (44:8) But it is thou that sauest vs from our enemies: and thou puttest them to confusion that hate vs.
8 (44:9) We make our boast of God all the day long: and we wyll confesse thy name for euer. Selah.
9 (44:10) But nowe thou art farre of, and thou puttest vs to confusion: neither goest thou foorth with our armies.
10 (44:11) Thou makest vs to turne away backwarde from the enemie: so that they which hate vs, do make vs a spoyle vnto them.
11 (44:12) Thou hast delyuered vs as sheepe to be eaten: and thou hast scattered vs among the heathen.
12 (44:13) Thou hast solde thy people for naught: and thou hast taken no money for them.
13 (44:14) Thou hast made vs a rebuke to our neighbours: to be laughed to scorne and had in derision of them that are rounde about vs.
14 (44:15) Thou hast made vs [to be] a fable among the heathen: [and to be such] that the people shake their head at vs.
15 (44:16) My confusion is dayly before me, and the shame of my face couereth me:
16 for [to heare] the voyce of the slaunderer & blasphemer, and for to see the enemie and the auenger.
17 [And though] all this be come vpon vs: [yet] we do not forget thee, nor shewe our selues to be false in thy couenaunt.
18 Our heart is not turned backe, neither our steppes be declined out of thy pathes:
19 (44:18) no not when thou hast smitten vs in the place of dragons, and couered vs with the shadowe of death.
20 (44:19) If we had forgotten the name of our Lorde, and holden vp our handes to any straunge god:
21 (44:19) woulde not God searche it out? for he knoweth the very secretes of the heart.
22 (44:20) For thy sake also are we kylled all the day long: and are counted as sheepe appoynted to be slayne.
23 (44:21) Stirre vp O Lorde, why slepest thou? awake & be not absent from vs for euer:
24 (44:21) wherfore hydest thou thy face, and forgettest our miserie and tribulation?
25 (44:22) For our soule is brought lowe vnto the dust: our belly cleaueth vnto the grounde.
26 (44:23) Aryse vp thou our ayde, and redeeme vs: for thy louyng kindnesse sake.
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.