« | Song of Solomon 5 | » |
1 I am come into my garden, O my sister, my spouse, I haue gathered my Myrre with my spice: I haue eate hony with my hony combe, I haue drunke my wine with my milke: Eate O ye frendes, drinke and be merie O ye beloued.
2 I am a sleepe, but my heart is waking: I heare the voyce of my beloued when he knocketh, saying, Open to me O my sister, my loue, my doue, my dearling: for my head is full of deawe, and the lockes of my heere are full of the nyght doppes.
3 I haue put of my coate, howe can I do it on agayne? I haue washed my feete, howe shall I fyle them agayne?
4 My loue put in his hande at the hole, and my heart was moued within me.
5 I stoode vp to open vnto my beloued, and my handes dropped with Myrre, & the Myrre ranne downe my fingers vpon the locke.
6 I opened vnto my beloued, but he was departed and gone his way: Now whe he spake, my heart was gone: I sought him, but I coulde not finde him: I cryed vpon hym, neuerthelesse he gaue me no aunswere.
7 So the watchmen that went about the citie, founde me, smote me, and wounded me: yea they that kept the walles toke away my kerchaffe from me.
8 I charge you therfore O ye daughters of Hierusalem, yf ye fynde my beloued, that ye tell hym howe that I am sicke for loue.
9 What maner of man is thy loue aboue other louers, O thou fairest among women? Or what can thy loue do more then other louers, that thou chargest vs so straytly?
10 As for my loue, he is whyte and red coloured, a goodly person among tenne thousande.
11 His head is as the most fine golde, the lockes of his heere are busshed, & blacke as a crowe.
12 His eyes are as the eyes of doues by the water brookes as though they were wasshed with mylke, and are set lyke pearles in golde.
13 His cheekes are lyke a garden bed, wherin the Apothecaries plant all maner of sweete thynges. (5:14) His lippes are lyke lilies that droppe sweete smellyng Myrre:
14 His handes are lyke golde rynges, hauyng inclosed the precious stone of Tharsis. (5:15) His body is as the pure iuorie, dect ouer with Saphires:
15 His legges are as the pillers of Marble set vpon sockettes of golde. (5:16) His face is as Libanus: and as the beautie of the Cedar trees.
16 (5:17) The wordes of his mouth are sweete: yea he is altogether louely: Such a one is my loue O ye daughters of Hierusalem, such a one is my loue.
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.