« | Psalm 77 | » |
1 [To the chiefe musition vpon Ieduthun, a psalme of Asaph.] My voyce was vnto the Lorde, and I cryed: my voyce was vnto the Lord, and he hearkened vnto me.
2 In the tyme of my trouble I sought the Lorde: my hande all the nyght catched & ceassed not, my soule refused comfort.
3 I called to remembraunce God, and I was disquieted: I conferred with my selfe, and my spirite was wrapped in pensiuenesse. Selah.
4 Thou dydst kepe the watche of mine eies: I was amased & coulde not speake.
5 I dyd thynke vpon the dayes past: and on the yeres of the olde worlde.
6 I called to remembraunce my psalme, song on the musicall instrument in the nyght tyme: I communed with myne owne heart, & searched out my spirites.
7 What, wyll the Lorde forsake me for euer? wyll he be no more intreated to be fauourable?
8 Is his mercie cleane gone for euer? and is his promise made from one generation to another, come vtterly to an ende.
9 Hath God forgotten to be gratious? and will he shut vp his louing kindnesse in displeasure? Selah.
10 And I sayde, this is my death: but the ryght hande of the most hyghest [may graunt] me yeres.
11 I dyd call to remebraunce the workes of God almightie: for thy wonders done a great whyle a goe came into my mynde.
12 I also gaue my selfe to muse of all thy workes: and I talked of all thy actes.
13 Thy way O Lorde is in holynesse: who is so great a God as the Lorde?
14 Thou art the God that doth wonders: thou hast made thy power knowen among the people.
15 Thou hast redeemed thy people with a [mightie] arme: the sonnes of Iacob and Ioseph. Selah.
16 The waters sawe thee O God, the waters sawe thee, they feared: yea the depthes of them moued out of their place.
17 Thicke cloudes powred downe rayne, thinne cloudes gaue a noyse: and thine arrowes went abrode into al corners.
18 The sounde of thy thunder was rounde about the [sky]: the lightnynges shone through the worlde, the earth quaked and trembled.
19 Thy way is in the sea, and thy pathes in the great waters: and thy footesteppes are not knowen.
20 Thou dydst leade thy people lyke sheepe: by the hande of Moyses and Aaron.
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.