« | Psalm 55 | » |
1 [To the chiefe musition vpon Neginoth, a wise instruction of Dauid.] O Lorde geue eare vnto my prayer: and hide not thy selfe from my petition.
2 Take heede vnto me, and heare me: I can not choose but mourne in my prayer, and make a noyse.
3 [Deliuer me] from the voyce of the enemie, and from the present affliction of the wicked: for they are minded to do me mischiefe, and are set malitiously against me.
4 My heart trembleth within me: and the feare of death is fallen vpon me.
5 Fearefulnes and trembling are come vpon me: and an horrible dread hath ouerwhelmed me.
6 And I sayde, O that I had wynges like a doue: for then woulde I flee away, and be at rest.
7 Lo, then woulde I fleeing get me away farre of: and remayne in the wyldernesse. Selah.
8 Then woulde I make hast to escape: from the stormie wynde, [and] from the tempest.
9 Destroy their tongues O Lorde, and deuide [them]: for I haue seene oppression and strife in the citie.
10 They do compasse it day and night within the walles: mischiefe also and labour, are in the midst of it.
11 Malice is in the midst of it: disceipt and guyle go not out of her streates.
12 Truely he was not mine enemie that hath done me this dishonour, for then I coulde haue borne it: neither was he one that seemed to hate me that dyd magnifie hym selfe against me, for then I woulde haue hyd my selfe from him.
13 But it was euen thou whom I esteemed as my selfe: my guyde, and myne owne familier companion.
14 We delighted greatly to conferre our secretes together: we walked deuoutly in the house of God felowe lyke.
15 Let death sodainly come vpon them, let them go downe quicke into hell: for wickednes is in their dwellinges and among them.
16 As for me I wyll crye vnto the Lord: and God wyll saue me.
17 In the euening and morning, and at noone day wyll I pray, and that most instantly: and he wyll heare my voyce.
18 He hath redeemed my soule through peace from the battayle that was against me: for there were many with me.
19 The Lorde who sitteth [a ruler] from the beginning, wyll heare [me] and afflict them, Selah: forsomuche as there is no chaunge in them, and for that they do not feare God.
20 He layde his handes vpon such as be at peace with him: and he brake his couenaunt.
21 The [wordes] of his mouth were softer then butter, yet warre was in his heart: his wordes were smother then oyle, and yet be they very swordes.
22 O cast thy burthen vpon God, and he wyll vpholde thee: he wyll not suffer at any time the righteous to moue.
23 [And as for] them: thou O Lorde wylt hurle headlong into the pit of destruction. (55:24) The bloodthirstie and deceiptfull men shal not liue out halfe their dayes: neuerthelesse I wyll put my full trust in thee.
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.