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1 And I sawe in the right hande of hym that sate on the throne, a booke written within, and on the backe syde, sealed with seuen seales.
2 And I sawe a strong angell, whiche preached with a loude voyce: Who is worthy to open the booke, and to loose the seales therof?
3 And no man in heauen, nor in earth, neither vnder the earth, was able to open the booke, neither to loke theron.
4 And I wept muche, because no man was founde worthy to open & to reade the booke, neither to loke theron.
5 And one of the elders sayde vnto me, wepe not: behold a Lion of the tribe of Iuda, the roote of Dauid, hath obteyned to open the booke, and to loose the seuen seales therof.
6 And I behelde, and loe in the middes of the throne and of the foure beastes, and in the middes of the elders, stoode a lambe as though he had ben kylled, hauyng seuen hornes & seuen eyes, whiche are the seuen spirites of God, sent into all the worlde.
7 And he came, and toke the booke out of the right hande of him that sate vpon the throne.
8 And when he had taken the booke, the foure beastes and 24 elders fell downe before the lambe, hauyng euery one of them harpes, and golden vyals full of odours, which are the prayers of saintes:
9 And they song a newe song, saying: Thou art worthy to take the booke and to open the seales therof: for thou wast kylled, and hast redeemed vs to God by thy blood, out of al kinrede, and tongue, and people, and nation:
10 And hast made vs vnto our God kinges and priestes, and we shall raigne on the earth.
11 And I beheld, and I heard the voyce of many angels about the throne, and [about] the beastes and the elders, and hearde thousande thousandes,
12 Saying with a loude voyce: Worthy is the lambe that was kylled to receaue power, and richesse, and wisedome, and strength, and honor, and glorie, and blessyng.
13 And all the creatures whiche are in heauen, and on the earth, and vnder the earth, and in the sea, and all that are in them, hearde I, saying: Blessyng, honour, glorie, and power be vnto hym that sitteth vpon the throne, and vnto the lambe for euermore.
14 And the foure beastes sayde, Amen. And the 24 elders fell vpon their faces, and worshipped hym that lyueth for euermore. The lambe openeth the sixe seales, and many thynges folowe the openyng therof, so that this conteyneth a generall prophesie to the ende of the worlde.
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.