« | Psalm 5 | » |
1 [To the chiefe musition vpon Nehiloth, a psalme of Dauid.] Geue eare vnto my wordes O God: vnderstande thou my pensifnesse.
2 Hearken thou vnto the voyce of my crying my kyng and my Lorde: for vnto thee I wyll make my prayer.
3 Thou shalt heare my voyce betymes O God: I wyll early in the morning direct [a prayer] vnto thee, and I wyll looke [for helpe from thee.]
4 For thou art the Lorde that hath no pleasure in wickednesse: neither can any euyll dwell with thee.
5 Suche as be foolishe, can not stande in thy sight: thou hatest all workers of iniquitie.
6 Thou wilt destroy them that make a lye: God wyll abhorre both the bloodthirstie and deceiptfull man.
7 As for me I wyll come into thyne house, [trusting] in the multitude of thy mercy: and in thy feare I will humble my selfe in thyne holy temple.
8 Leade me O God in thy righteousnesse, because of myne enemies: make thy way playne before my face.
9 For no trueth is in their mouth, their inwarde partes are very wickednesse: their throte is an open sepulchre, they flatter with their tongue.
10 Destroy thou them O Lord, let them perishe through their owne counsailes: cast them out in the multitude of their vngodlinesse, for they haue rebelled against thee.
11 And all they that trust in thee wyll reioyce, they wyll triumph for euer, because thou defendest them: and they that loue thy name, wyll be ioyfull in thee.
12 For thou O God wylt blesse the righteous: and thou wylt compasse hym about with beneuolence, as with a shielde.
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.