« | Psalm 57 | » |
1 [To the chiefe musition (to be song lyke vnto the song beginning) destroy not, a golden psalme of Dauid, when he fled from Saul into the caue.] Be mercifull vnto me O Lorde, be mercifull vnto me: for my soule trusteth in thee, and vnder the shadowe of thy wynges wyll I trust, vntyll this tiranny be ouerpast.
2 I wyll call vnto the most high Lorde: euen vnto the Lord that wil perfourme the cause which I haue in hande.
3 He wyll sende from heauen, and saue me from the reproofe of him that woulde deuour me vp, Selah: the Lorde wyll sende foorth his mercie and trueth.
4 My soule is among Lions, and I lye among those that are set on fire: among the children of men whose teeth are speares and arrowes, and their tongue a sharpe sword.
5 Exalt thy selfe O God aboue the heauen: thy glory is aboue all the earth.
6 They haue prepared a net for my feete, that some man might presse downe my soule: they haue digged a pit before me, and are fallen into the midst of it them selues. Selah.
7 My heart is redy O Lorde, my heart is redy: I wyll sing, and prayse thee in singing of psalmes.
8 Bestirre thee O my glory, bestirre thee O Lute and Harpe: I my selfe wil bestirre me right early in the morning.
9 I wyll prayse thee O Lorde among the people: and I wyll sing psalmes vnto thee among the nations.
10 For the greatnes of thy mercie reacheth vnto the heauens: and thy trueth vnto the cloudes.
11 Exalt thy selfe O Lord aboue the heauens: let thy glory be aboue al the earth.
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.