« | Romans 9 | » |
1 I say ye trueth in Christ, I lye not, my conscience also bearyng me witnesse by the holy ghost,
2 That I haue great heauinesse, & continuall sorowe in my heart.
3 For I haue wisshed my selfe to be cursed from Christe, for my brethren, my kynsmen as pertaynyng to ye fleshe,
4 Which are the Israelites: To whom pertayneth the adoption, and the glory, & the couenauntes, and the lawe that was geuen, and the seruice of God, and the promises.
5 Of whom are the fathers, of whom as concernyng the fleshe, Christe [came,] which is God, in all thynges to be praysed for euer. Amen.
6 And it can not be, that the worde of God shoulde take none effect. For they are not all Israelites, which are of Israel:
7 Neither are they all chyldren that are the seede of Abraham: But in Isaac shall thy seede be called.
8 That is to say: They which are the chyldren of the fleshe, are not the chyldren of God: But they which be the childre of promise, are counted the seede.
9 For this is a worde of promise: About this tyme wyll I come, and Sara shall haue a sonne.
10 Not only this, but also Rebecca was with chylde by one [euen] by our father Isaac.
11 For yer the [chyldren] were borne, when they had neither done good neither bad, (that the purpose of God by election might stande: not by the reason of workes, but by the caller)
12 It was sayde vnto her: The elder shall serue the younger.
13 As it is written: Iacob haue I loued, but Esau haue I hated.
14 What shall we say then? Is there any vnrighteousnes with God? God forbid.
15 For he sayth to Moyses: I wyll shewe mercy to whom I shewe mercy: And wyll haue compassion, on whom I haue compassion.
16 So then it is not of the wyller, nor of the runner: but of the mercy of God.
17 For the scripture sayth vnto Pharao: Euen for this same purpose haue I stirred thee vp, to shewe my power in thee, & that my name myght be declared throughout all the worlde.
18 So hath he mercy on whom he wyll, and whom he wyll, he hardeneth.
19 Thou wylt say then vnto me: Why then blameth he [vs] yet? For who hath ben able to resist his wyll?
20 But O man, what art thou which disputest with God? Shall the worke say to the workeman, why hast thou made me on this fashion?
21 Hath not the potter power ouer the clay, euen of the same lumpe to make one vessel vnto honour, and another vnto dishonour?
22 If then, God wyllyng to shewe his wrath, and to make his power knowe, suffred with long patience, the vessels of wrath, ordayned to destruction,
23 To declare the riches of his glory, on the vessels of mercy, which he had prepared vnto glory:
24 Whom also he called, not of ye Iewes only, but also of the Gentiles.
25 As he sayth also in Osee: I wyll call them my people, which were not my people: and her beloued, which was not beloued.
26 And it shall come to passe, that in the place where it was sayde vnto them: Ye are not my people, there shall they be called ye chyldren of the lyuyng God.
27 And Esaias cryeth concerning Israel: Though the number of the children of Israel, be as the sande of the sea, yet [but] a remnaunt shalbe saued.
28 For he finisheth the worde, and maketh it short in ryghteousnesse: For a short worde wyll the Lorde make on earth.
29 And as Esaias sayde before: Except the Lorde of Sabboth had lefte vs seede, we had ben made as Sodoma, and had ben lykened to Gomorrha.
30 What shall we say then? that the gentiles which folowed not ryghteousnes, haue obtayned righteousnesse: euen the ryghteousnesse which cometh of fayth.
31 But Israel, which folowed the lawe of ryghteousnesse, hath not attayned to the lawe of ryghteousnesse.
32 Wherfore? Because [they sought it] not by fayth: but [as it were] by the workes of the lawe. For they haue stumbled at the stumblyng stone,
33 As it is written: Beholde, I put in Sion a stumblyng stone, and a rocke of offence: And whosoeuer beleueth on hym, shall not be confounded.
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.