« | Zechariah 11 | » |
1 Open thy doores O Libanus, that ye fire may consume thy Cedar trees.
2 Howle ye firre trees, for the Cedar is fallen, yea all the proude are wasted away: Howle O ye Oke trees of Basan, for the mightie strong wood is cut downe.
3 Men may heare the shepheardes mourne, for their glory is destroyed: men may heare the lions whelpes roare, for the pride of Iordane is wasted away.
4 Thus saith the Lorde my God: Feede the sheepe of the slaughter,
5 Which haue ben slaine of those that possessed them, yet they [toke it] for no sinne, but they that solde them said, The Lorde be thanked, for I am riche: yea their owne shepheardes spare the not.
6 Therefore wyl I no more spare those that dwell in the lande saith the Lorde: but lo, I wyll deliuer the people, euery man into his neighbours hande, and into the hande of his king, that they may smite the lande, and out of their handes I wyll not deliuer them.
7 I my selfe fed the slaughter sheepe, a poore flocke veryly, and toke vnto me two staues: the one called Beautie, the other called Bandes: and so fedde the sheepe.
8 Three shepheardes I put out of office in one moneth, for I might not away with them: neither had they any delight in me.
9 Then saide I, I wyll feede you no more: the thing that dyeth, let it dye: and that that wyll perishe, let it perishe: and let the remnaunt eate euery one the fleshe of his neighbour.
10 I toke also my staffe [euen] Beautie, and brake it, that I might disanull the couenaunt which I made with all people.
11 And so it was broken in that day: Then the poore simple sheepe that had a respect vnto me, knewe therby that it was the worde of the Lorde.
12 And I saide vnto them, If ye thinke it good, bring hither my wages: if no, then leaue. So they wayed downe thirtie siluer pence, the value that I was prysed at.
13 And the Lorde saide vnto me, Cast it vnto the potter, a goodly pryce for me to be valued at of them. And I toke the thirtie siluer pence, and cast them to the potter in the house of the Lorde.
14 Then broke I my other staffe also [namely] Bandes, that I might loose the brotherhood betwixt Iuda and Israel.
15 And the Lorde saide vnto me: Take thee also the staffe of a foolishe shephearde.
16 For lo, I wyll rayse vp a shepheard in the lande, which shal not seeke after the thinges that be lost, nor seeke the tender lambes, he shal not heale the wounded, he shal not nourish the thinges that are whole: but he shal eate the fleshe of such as be fat, and teare their clawes in peeces.
17 O idol shepheard that leaueth the flocke, the sworde shall come vpon his arme, and vpon his right eye: his arme shalbe cleane dryed vp, and his right eye shalbe sore blynded.
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.