« | Psalm 66 | » |
1 [To the chiefe musition, a song (whiche is) a psalme.] Declare you ioyfull vnto the Lorde all [ye of] the earth:
2 (66:1) sing psalmes vnto the glory of his name, geue glory to his maiestie.
3 (66:2) Say vnto the Lorde, oh howe wonderfull art thou in thy workes: thorow the greatnes of thy power thyne enemies shalbe founde liers vnto thee.
4 (66:3) For all [they of] the worlde shall worship thee, and sing psalmes vnto thee: they shall sing psalmes vnto thy holy name. Selah.
5 (66:4) Come hither and beholde the workes of the Lorde: howe wonderfull he is in his doing towarde the chyldren of men.
6 (66:5) He turneth the sea into drye lande, so that they went thorowe the water on foote: there dyd we reioyce in him.
7 (66:6) He ruleth with his power for euer, his eyes beholdeth the gentiles: such as be rebels shal not come to promotion. Selah.
8 (66:7) O ye people blesse your Lorde: and make the voyce of his praise to be heard.
9 (66:8) Who preserueth our soule in life: and suffereth not our feete to slip.
10 (66:9) For thou O Lord hast proued vs: thou hast tryed vs, like as siluer is tryed.
11 (66:10) Thou broughtest vs into the snare: and layde trouble vpon our loynes.
12 (66:11) Thou sufferedst men to ride ouer our heades: we went through fire and water, and [yet] thou broughtest vs out into a pleasaunt [place.]
13 (66:12) I wyll go into thy house with burnt offeringes: and I wyll pay thee my vowes
14 (66:12) whiche I promised with my lippes, and spake with my mouth when I was in trouble.
15 (66:13) I wyll offer vnto thee fat burnt sacrifices, with the incense of rammes: I will offer bullockes and goates. Selah.
16 (66:14) O come hither, & hearken: and I wil tell all you that feare the Lorde, what he hath done for my soule.
17 (66:15) I called vnto hym with my mouth: and I exalted him with my tongue.
18 (66:16) If I had inclined vnto wickednes in my heart, the Lorde woulde not haue hearde me:
19 (66:16) but the Lorde hath hearde me, & considered the voyce of my prayer.
20 (66:17) Blessed be the Lorde which hath not reiected my prayer: nor turned his mercye from me.
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.