« | Zechariah 5 | » |
1 So I turned me, lifting vp myne eyes, & loked, and beholde, a fleeing booke.
2 And he saide vnto me: what seest thou? I aunswered: I see a fleeing booke of twentie cubites long, and ten cubites broade.
3 Then saide he vnto me, This is the curse that goeth foorth ouer the whole earth: for al theeues shalbe iudged after this booke, & al pariured persons shalbe iudged according to the same.
4 And I wil bring it foorth saith the lord of hoastes, so that it shall enter into the house of the theefe, and into the house of him that falsely sweareth by my name: and shall remayne in his house, and consume it, with the timber & stones therof.
5 Then the angel that talked with me, went foorth, and saide vnto me: Lyft vp thyne eyes, and see what is this that goeth foorth.
6 And I said, what is it? He aunswered: This is a measure going out. He saide moreouer: Eue thus are they that dwel vpon the whole earth to loke vpon.
7 And behold, there was lyft vp a talent of lead: and lo, a woman sate in the middest of the measure.
8 And he said, This is vngodlinesse: So he cast her into the middest of the measure, and threwe the lumpe of lead into the mouth of the measure.
9 Then lyft I vp myne eyes, and loked, & beholde, there came out two women, and the winde was in their winges: for they had winges lyke the winges of a storke, and they lyft vp the measure betwixt the earth and the heauen.
10 Then spake I to the angel that talked with me: Whyther wyll these beare the measure?
11 And he saide vnto me: Into the land of Sinnaar to builde it an house, & it shal be established, & set there vpon her owne place.
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.