« | Psalm 76 | » |
1 [To the chiefe musition in Neginoth, the psalme of Asaph, a song.] In Iurie is God knowen: his name is great in Israel.
2 At Shalem is his tabernacle: and his dwellyng in Sion.
3 There he brake the arrowes of the bowe: the shielde, the sworde, and the battayle. Selah.
4 Thou art honourable: and of more puissaunce then the mountaynes of robbers.
5 The hygh couragious stomackes are spoyled, they haue slept their slepe: and the valiaunt souldiours coulde not finde their owne handes.
6 At thy rebuke O God of Iacob: both the charet and horse be brought to naught.
7 Thou, euen thou art dreadfull: and who may stande in thy syght when thou [begynnest] to be angry?
8 Thou causest thy iudgement to be hearde from heauen: then the earth trembleth, and is styll.
9 When God ariseth to iudgement: and to helpe all the afflicted vpon the earth. Selah.
10 The fearcenesse of man shall turne to thy prayse: [and] the remnaunt of the fearcenesse thou wylt restrayne.
11 Make vowes vnto God your Lorde, & perfourme them all ye that be rounde about hym: bryng presentes vnto hym that is dreadfull.
12 He abateth the spirite of princes: he is dreadfull to the kynges of 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.