« | Zechariah 12 | » |
1 The heauy burthen which the Lorde hath deuised for Israel. Thus saith the Lorde which spread the heauens abrode, layde the foundatio of the earth, and gaue man the breath of lyfe,
2 Beholde, I wyll make Hierusalem a cuppe of surfet vnto all the people that are rounde about her: yea Iuda him selfe also shalbe in the siege against Hierusalem.
3 At the same time wyll I make Hierusalem an heauy stone for all people, so that al such as lyft it vp shalbe torne and rent, and all the people of the earth shal be gathered together against it.
4 In that day saith the Lorde, I wyll make al horses astonyed, and those that ryde vpon the to be out of their wittes: I wyll open myne eyes vpon the house of Iuda, and smite all the horses of the people with blindnesse.
5 And the princes of Iuda shall say in their heartes, The inhabiters of Hierusalem shall geue me consolation in the Lorde of hoastes their God.
6 In that time wyll I make the princes of Iuda lyke an hot burning ouen with wood, and like a fire brand among the strawe, so that they shall consume al the people rounde about them both vpon the right hande and the left: Hierusalem also shalbe inhabited againe, [namely] in the same place where Hierusalem standeth.
7 The Lorde shall preserue the tentes of Iuda as afore time, so that the glorye of the house of Dauid and the glory of the citezins of Hierusalem shal not be exalted against Iuda.
8 In that day shall the Lorde defende the citezins of Hierusalem, so that the weakest then among them shalbe as Dauid: and the house of Dauid shalbe as gods house, and as the angel of the Lorde before them.
9 At the same tyme wyll I go about to destroy all such people as come against Hierusalem.
10 Moreouer, vpon the house of Dauid & vpon the citezins of Hierusalem wyll I poure out the spirite of grace & compassion, so that they shall loke vpon me whom they haue pearsed, and they shal lamet for him as men mourne for their onely begotten sonne: yea, and be sory for him, as men are sory for their first childe.
11 Then shal there be a great mourning at Hierusalem, like as the lamentation at Adadremmon in the fielde of Mageddon.
12 And the lande shal bewaile, euery kindred by them selues alone: the kindred of the house of Dauid by them selues, and their wyues by them selues: the kindred of the house of Nathan them selues, and their wyues by them selues:
13 The kindred of the house of Leui them selues alone, and their wyues by them selues: the kindred of the house of Semei them selues alone, and their wyues by them selues.
14 In lyke maner, all the other generations euery one by them selues alone, and their wyues by them selues.
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.