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1 [A psalme of Asaph.] The most mightie Lorde God hath spoken: and called the earth from the rysyng vp of the sunne, vnto the goyng downe therof.
2 Out of Sion: hath the Lorde appeared in perfect beautie.
3 Our Lorde commeth, and he wyll not kepe scilence: there goeth before hym a consumyng fire, and a mightie tempest is sturred rounde about hym.
4 He calleth from aboue the heauen and the earth: that he may iudge his people.
5 Gather my saintes together vnto me: those that haue made a couenaunt with me with sacrifice.
6 And the heauens shall declare his ryghteousnesse: for God is iudge hym selfe. Selah.
7 Heare O my people, and I wil speake: I my selfe wyll testifie vnto thee O Israel, I am the Lorde, euen thy Lorde.
8 I wyll not reproue thee because of thy sacrifices, or for thy burnt offerynges: [for that they be not] alway before me.
9 I wyll take no bullocke out of thy house: nor goates out of thy foldes.
10 For all the beastes of the forest are myne: and so are the cattel vpon a thousande hylles.
11 I knowe all the foules vpon the mountaynes: and the wylde beastes of the fielde are at my commaundement.
12 If I be hungry, I wyll not tell thee: for the whole worlde is myne, and all that is therin.
13 Thinkest thou that I will eate bulles fleshe: and drynke the blood of goates?
14 Offer vnto God prayse: and pay thy vowes vnto the most hyghest.
15 And call vpon me in the tyme of trouble: I wyll heare thee, and thou shalt glorifie me.
16 But the Lorde sayd vnto the vngodly: why doest thou preache my lawes, and takest my couenaunt in thy mouth?
17 Seyng that thou hatest discipline: and hast cast my wordes behynde thee.
18 When thou sawest a thiefe, thou dydst consent vnto hym: and thou hast ben partaker with the adulterers.
19 Thou hast let thy mouth speake wickednesse: and with thy tongue thou hast set foorth deceipt.
20 Thou sattest and spakedst agaynst thy brother: yea and hast slaundered thine owne mothers sonne.
21 These thynges hast thou done and I helde my tongue, thou thoughtest that I am euen such a one as thou thy selfe art: but I wyll reproue thee, and I wyll set foorth in order before thine eyes [all that thou hast done.]
22 Consider this I pray you, ye that forget the Lorde: lest I plucke you away, and there be none to delyuer you.
23 Who so offereth vnto me thankes and prayse, he honoureth me: and to hym that ordereth his conuersation ryght, I wyll shewe the saluation of God.
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.