« | Zechariah 9 | » |
1 The burden of the word of the lord in the lande of Hadrach: & Damascus shalbe his rest, when the eyes of man, euen of all the tribes of Israel shalbe towards the Lorde.
2 The borders of Hemath shalbe harde therby, Tyrus also and Sidon, for they are very wyse.
3 Tyrus shall make her selfe strong, heape vp siluer as the sand, and golde as the clay of the streetes.
4 Beholde, the Lorde shall spoyle her, he shall smite downe her power in the sea, and she shalbe consumed with fire.
5 This shall Ascalon see, and be afraide: Gaza shalbe very sory, so shal Accaron also, because her hope is come to confusion: For the king of Gaza shall perishe, and at Ascalon shall no man dwell.
6 Straungers shall dwel at Asdod, and as for the pride of the Philistines I shal roote it out.
7 Their blood wyl I take away from their mouth, & their abhominatios from betweene their teeth: Thus they that shalbe left shalbe for our God, he shalbe as a prince in Iuda, and Accaron like as a Iebusite.
8 And I wyll pitche a campe about myne house against the armie, against him that passeth by, & against him that returneth, and no oppressour shall come vpon them any more: For now I haue seene with myne eyes.
9 Reioyce thou greatly O daughter Sion, be glad O daughter Hierusalem: For lo, the king commeth vnto thee, euen the righteous and sauiour, lowly & simple is he, he rydeth vpon an Asse and vpon the foale of an Asse.
10 I wyl roote out the charrets from Ephraim, and the horse from Hierusalem, the battaile bowes shalbe destroyed, he shal geue the doctrine of peace vnto the heathen: and his dominion shalbe from the one sea to the other, & from the ryuer to the ende of the worlde.
11 Thou also [shalt be saued] through the blood of thy couenaunt: I haue loosed thy prisoners out of the pit wherin is no water.
12 Turne you now to the strong holde ye that be in prison & long sore to be deliuered: euen this day I bring thee word that I wyl reward thee double againe.
13 For Iuda haue I bent as a bowe for me, Ephraim [his hande] haue I filled, & thy sonnes O Sion wyl I rayse vp against the Grekes, and make thee as a Giauntes sworde.
14 The Lorde God shalbe seene aboue them, and his dartes shall go foorth as the lightning: the Lorde God shall blowe the trumpet, & shall come foorth as a storme out of the south.
15 The lord of hoastes shal defend them, they shal consume & deuour, and subdue them with sling stones, they shall drincke & rage as it were through wine, they shalbe filled lyke the basons, and as the hornes of the aulter.
16 The Lorde their God shall deliuer them in that day, as the flocke of his people: For as precious stones of a Diademe they shalbe set vp ouer his lande.
17 O how prosperous and goodly a thing shall that be? For the corne shall make the young men cheareful, and the newe wine the maydens.
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.