« | Song of Solomon 3 | » |
1 By night in my bed I sought hym whom my soule loueth: yea diligently sought I him, but I found him not.
2 I will get vp [thought] & go about the citie, in the wayes in all the streates wyll I seeke hym whom my soule loueth: but when I sought him I founde him not.
3 The watchmen also that go about the citie, founde me [to whom I sayde] Sawe ye not hym whom my soule loueth?
4 So when I was a litle past them, I founde him whom my soule loueth: I haue gotten holde vpon hym, and wyll not let him go, vntyll I bryng him into my mothers house, and into her chaumber that bare me.
5 I charge you O ye daughters of Hierusalem by the roes and hyndes of the fielde, that ye wake not vp my loue, nor touch her, till she be content her self.
6 Who is this that commeth vp out of the wyldernesse like vapours of smoke, as it were a smell of myrre, frankensence, and all maner spices of the Apothecarie?
7 Beholde, about Solomons bedsteede there stande threescore valiaunt, of the most mightie in Israel: They holde swordes euery one, and are expert in warre.
8 Euery man also hath his sworde vpon his thigh, because of feare in the night.
9 Kyng Solomon had made him selfe a pallace of the wood of Libanus,
10 (3:9) the pillers are of siluer, the couering of golde, the seate of purple, the grounde is pleasauntly paued with loue for the daughters of Hierusalem.
11 (3:10) Go foorth (O ye daughters of Sion) and beholde king Solomon in the crowne wherewith his mother crowned him in the day of his mariage, and in the day of the gladnesse of his heart.
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.