« | Psalm 97 | » |
1 God raigneth, the earth shalbe glad: the multitude of the Iles shalbe glad [therof.]
2 Cloudes and thicke darknesse are rounde about hym: iustice and iudgement are the habitation of his throne.
3 There goeth a fire before his face: and burneth his enemies on euery syde.
4 His lightninges gaue a lyght vnto the worlde: the earth sawe it and trembled.
5 The hylles melted lyke waxe at the presence of God: at the presence of the Lorde of the whole earth.
6 The heauens haue declared his iustice: and all the people haue seene his glorie.
7 Confounded be all they that do seruice vnto carued images: and that do glorie in idols, but O gods, you all shall worshyp hym.
8 Sion hearde of it, and reioyced: and the daughters of Iuda be glad, because of thy iudgementes O God.
9 For thou art a God hygher then all [that are in] the earth: thou art exalted farre aboue all gods.
10 You that loue God, hate the thyng which is euyll: he preserueth the soules of his saintes, he wyll delyuer them from the hande of the vngodly.
11 There is sowen a lyght for the ryghteous: and gladnesse for such as be vpryght of heart.
12 Reioyce in God O ye ryghteous: and prayse [hym] at the remembraunce of his holynesse.
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.