« | Zechariah 6 | » |
1 Moreouer, I turned me, lyfting vp myne eyes, and loked, and behold there came foure charrets out from betwixt two hylles, which hylles were of brasse.
2 In the first charret were red horses, in ye seconde charret were blacke horses,
3 In the third charret were white horses, in the fourth charret were horses of diuers colours, and strong.
4 Then spake I, and saide vnto the angel that talked with me: O Lord, what are these?
5 The angel aunswerd & saide vnto me: These are the foure spirites of the heauen, which be come foorth to stand before the ruler of all the earth.
6 That with the blacke horse went foorth into the lande of the north, & the white folowed them, and the speckled horses went foorth toward the south:
7 And the strong horses went out, & required to go and take their iourney ouer the whole earth: And he saide, Get you hence, & go through the worlde: So they went throughout the worlde.
8 Then cryed he vpon me, & spake vnto me, saying: Beholde, these that go toward the north, shal stil my wrath in the north countrey.
9 And the worde of the Lorde came vnto me, saying:
10 Take of the prisoners that are come from Babylon, namely, Heldai, Tobiah, & Idaia: and come thou the same day, and go vnto the house of Iosiah the sonne of Zophonia.
11 Then take golde and siluer, & make crownes therof, and set them vpon the head of Iosua the sonne of Iosedech the hie priest,
12 And speake vnto him, thus saith the lord of hoastes: Behold the man whose name is the braunche, & he shall growe vp out of his place, and he shal build vp the temple of the Lorde.
13 Yea, euen he shal builde vp the temple of the lord, & he shal beare the prayse: he shal sit vpon the lordes throne, and haue the domination: A priest shal he be also vpon his throne, & a peaceable counsell shalbe betwixt them both.
14 And the crowne shalbe to Helem, & to Tobiah, & to Idaia, & to Hen the sonne of Zophoni, for a memoriall in the temple of the Lorde.
15 And such as be farre of shall come, and build in ye temple of the lord, that ye may know how that the lord of hoastes hath sent me vnto you: And this shal come to passe, if ye wyll hearken diligently vnto the voyce of the Lorde your God.
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.