« | Romans 12 | » |
1 I beseche you therfore brethren, by the mercifulnesse of God, that ye geue vp your bodyes a quicke sacrifice, holy, acceptable vnto God, [whiche is] your reasonable seruice:
2 And fasshion not your selues lyke vnto this worlde, but be ye chaunged in your shape, by ye renuing of your minde, that ye may proue what is the wyll of God, good, and acceptable, and perfect.
3 For I say, through the grace geuen vnto me, to euery man among you, that no man esteeme of hym selfe more then he ought to esteeme: but so esteeme [hym selfe] that he behaue hymselfe discretelye, accordyng as God hath dealt to euerye man the measure of fayth.
4 For as we haue many members in one body, and all members haue not one office:
5 So, we beyng many, are one body in Christe, and euery one members one of another.
6 Seyng that we haue dyuers giftes, accordyng to the grace that is geuen vnto vs, yf any man haue the gyft, either prophesie after the measure of fayth,
7 Either office in administration, or he that teacheth in teachyng:
8 Or he that exhorteth, in exhortyng, he that geueth in singlenesse, he that ruleth in diligence, he that is mercifull in chearefulnesse.
9 Loue without dissimulation, hatyng euyll, cleauyng to good.
10 Affectioned one to another with brotherly loue, in geuyng honour, go one before another.
11 Not lither in businesse, feruent in spirite, seruyng the Lorde,
12 Reioycyng in hope, pacient in trouble, instant in prayer,
13 Distributyng to ye necessitie of saintes, geuen to hospitalitie.
14 Blesse them which persecute you, blesse, and curse not.
15 Reioyce with them that do reioyce, and wepe with them that wepe.
16 Beyng of lyke affection one towardes another, beyng not hye mynded: but makyng your selues equall to them of the lower sort. Be not wise in your owne opinions,
17 Recompensyng to no man euyll for euyll. Prouydyng afore hande thynges honest, [not only before God, but also] in the syght of all men.
18 If it be possible, as much as lyeth in you, lyue peaceably with all men.
19 Dearely beloued, auenge not your selues, but rather geue place vnto wrath. For it is written: Uengeaunce is myne, I wyll repay sayth the Lorde.
20 Therfore, yf thyne enemie hunger, feede hym: yf he thyrst, geue him drinke. For in so doyng, thou shalt heape coales of fyre on his head.
21 Be not ouercome of euyll, but ouercome euyll with good.
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.