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1 And I sawe when the lambe opened one of the seales, and I heard one of the foure beastes say, as it were the noyse of thunder, come and see: and I sawe.
2 And behold, there was a whyte horse, and he that sate on hym had a bowe, & a crowne was geuen vnto hym, and he went foorth conqueryng, and for to ouercome.
3 And when he had opened the seconde seale, I hearde the seconde beast saye, come and see.
4 And there went out another horse that was redde, and power was geuen to him that sate theron to take peace from the earth, and that they should kyll one another: and there was geuen vnto hym a great sworde.
5 And when he had opened the thirde seale, I hearde the third beast say, come and see. And I behelde, and loe, a blacke horse, and he that sate on hym hadde a payre of balaunces in his hande.
6 And I hearde a voyce in the myddes of the foure beastes saye: A measure of wheate for a penie, and three measures of barly for a penie, and oyle and wine see thou hurt not.
7 And when he had opened the fourth seale, I hearde the voyce of the fourth beast say, come and see.
8 And I loked, and behold a pale horse, & his name that sate on him was death, and hell folowed after hym, and power was geuen vnto them ouer the fourth part of the earth, to kyll with sworde, & with hunger, and with death, and with the beastes of the earth.
9 And when he had opened the fift seale, I sawe vnder the aulter the soules of them that were kylled for the worde of God, and for the testimonie which they had.
10 And they cryed with a loude voyce, saying: Howe long taryest thou Lorde, holy and true, to iudge and to auenge our blood on the that dwell on ye earth?
11 And long whyte garmentes were geuen vnto euery one of them: and it was sayde vnto them, that they should reste yet for a litle season, vntyll the number of their felowes, and brethren, and of them that shoulde be kylled as they were, were fulfylled.
12 And I behelde when he had opened the sixt seale, and loe there was a great earthquake, & the sunne was as blacke as sackcloth made of heere, & the moone waxed all euen as blood:
13 And the starres of heauen fell vnto the earth, euen as a figge tree casteth her vntimely figges when she is shaken of a myghtie wynde.
14 And heauen vanished awaye as a scroule when it is roulled together, and all mountaynes and yles were moued out of their places.
15 And the kynges of the earth, and the great men, and the ryche men, and the chiefe capitaines, and the myghtie men, and euery bonde man, and euery free man, hyd them selues in dennes and in rockes of the hylles:
16 And sayde to the hylles & rockes, fall on vs, and hyde vs from the presence of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the lambe:
17 For the great day of his wrath is come: and who is able to endure?
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.