« | Psalm 85 | » |
1 [To the chiefe musition, a psalme of the sonnes of Corach.] O God, thou art become gracious vnto thy land: thou hast brought Iacob agayne home out of captiuitie.
2 Thou hast forgeuen the wickednes of thy people: and couered all their sinnes. Selah.
3 Thou hast taken away al thy displeasure: and turned thy selfe from thy wrathfull indignation.
4 Turne vs O God of our saluation: and let thyne anger ceasse from vs.
5 Wilt thou be displeased at vs for euer? and wylt thou stretche out thy wrath from one generation to another,
6 Wylt thou not turne agayne and reuiue vs: that thy people may reioyce in thee?
7 Shew vs thy louing kindnes O God: and graunt vs thy saluation.
8 I wyll hearken what God the Lord saith: for he speaketh peace vnto his people & to his saintes, that they turne not agayne to folly.
9 For truely his saluation is nye them that feare him: insomuch that glory dwelleth in our earth.
10 Mercy and trueth are met together: righteousnes and peace haue kissed [eche other.]
11 Trueth shall bud out of the earth: and ryghteousnes shall looke downe from heauen.
12 Yea, God shall geue all that is good: and our earth shall geue her encrease.
13 [Euery man] shall cause righteousnes to go before him: and he shall direct his steppes in the way.
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.