Revelation 1 | » |
1 The reuelation of Iesus Christ, which God gaue vnto hym, for to shewe vnto his seruautes thyngs which must shortlye come to passe: And when he had sent, he shewed by his Angel, vnto his seruaunt Iohn,
2 Which bare recorde of the worde of God, and of the testimonie of Iesus Christe, and of all thinges that he sawe.
3 Happy is he that readeth, and they that heare the wordes of this prophesie, and kepe those thynges which are written therin, for the tyme is at hande.
4 Iohn to the seuen Churches in Asia: Grace be vnto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come: and from the seuen spirites which are before his throne,
5 And from Iesus Christe, which is a faythfull witnesse, and first begotten of the dead, and Lorde ouer the kynges of the earth: Unto hym that loued vs, and wasshed vs from our sinnes in his owne blood,
6 And made vs kynges and priestes vnto God his father, be glorie and dominion for euermore. Amen.
7 Beholde, he commeth with cloudes, and all eyes shall see hym, and they also which pearsed hym: And all kinredes of the earth shall wayle before hym. Euen so. Amen.
8 I am Alpha and Omega, the begynnyng and the endyng, sayth the Lorde almyghtie, which is, and which was, and which is to come.
9 I Iohn, your brother and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdome and patience of Iesus Christe, was in the Ile that is called Pathmos, for ye worde of God, and for the witnessyng of Iesus Christe.
10 I was in the spirite on the Lordes day, and hearde behynde me a great voyce, as it had ben of a trumpe.
11 Saying: I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: That thou seest, write in a booke, and sende it vnto the seuen Churches which are in Asia, vnto Ephesus, and vnto Smyrna, and vnto Pergamos, and vnto Thyatira, and vnto Sardis, and vnto Philadelphia, and vnto Laodicea.
12 And I turned backe to see the voyce that spake to me: And whe I was turned, I sawe seuen golden candlestickes,
13 And in ye middes of the candlestickes, one lyke vnto the sonne of man, clothed with a garment downe to the feete, and girde about the pappes with a golden girdle.
14 His head, and his heeres were whyte as whyte wooll, and as snowe, and his eyes were as a flambe of fyre.
15 And his feete lyke vnto fine brasse, as though they brent in a furnace, and his voyce as the sounde of many waters.
16 And he had in his ryght hande, seuen starres: And out of his mouth went a sharpe two edged sworde: And his face shone, euen as the sunne in his strength.
17 And when I sawe hym, I fell at his feete euen as dead: And he layde his ryght hande vpon me, saying vnto me, feare not, I am the first and the last,
18 And am alyue, and was dead: And beholde, I am alyue for euermore, Amen, and haue the keyes of hell and of death.
19 Write therfore the thinges which thou hast seene, and the thynges which are, and the thinges which must be fulfilled hereafter.
20 The misterie of the seuen starres which thou sawest in my ryght hande, and the seuen golde candlestickes. The seuen starres, are the Angels of the seue Churches: And the seuen candlestickes whiche thou sawest, are the seuen Churches.
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.