Zephaniah 1 | » |
1 The worde of the Lord which came vnto Sophoni the sonne of Chusi, the sonne of Gedaliah, the sonne of Amariah, the sonne of Hezekiah in the time of Iosia the sonne of Amon king of Iuda.
2 I will surely destroy all thinges in the land, sayth the Lorde.
3 I will destroy man and beast, I will destroy the foules in the ayre, and the fishe in the sea, and great ruine shall fall on the wicked, and I wil vtterly destroy the men out of the land, sayth the Lorde.
4 I wil stretch out myne hand vpon Iuda and vpon all such as dwell at Hierusalem: thus will I roote out the remnaunt of Baal from this place, and the names of the Kemurins and priestes:
5 Yea & such as vpon their house toppes worship and bowe them selues vnto the hoast of heauen, whiche sweare by the Lorde, and by their Malchom also:
6 Which start backe from the Lorde, and neither seke after the Lorde nor regard hym.
7 Be still at the presence of the Lorde God, for the day of the Lord is at hand: yea the Lord hath prepared a sacrifice, and called his ghestes therto.
8 And thus shall it happen, in the day of the Lordes sacrifice I will visite the princes and the kinges children, and al such as weare straunge clothing.
9 In the same day also will I visite all those that leape ouer the thresholde so proudly, whiche fill their lordes house with robberie and falshood.
10 At the same time sayth the Lord, [there shalbe hearde] a great crye from the fishe porte, and an howling from the seconde porte, and a great destruction from the hylles.
11 Howle ye that dwel in the lowe places, for al the marchaunt people are destroyed, and all they that were laden with siluer, are rooted out.
12 At the same time will I searche Hierusalem with lanternes, and visite them that continue in their dregges, and say in their heartes, Tush, the Lorde will do neither good nor euyll.
13 Therfore their goodes shalbe spoyled, & their houses layed waste: they shall buylde houses, and not dwell in them, they shall plante vineyardes, but not drinke the wine therof.
14 For the great day of the Lorde is at hande, it is harde by, and commeth on a pace, euen the bitter voyce of the Lordes day, then shall the strong man crye out.
15 That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and heauinesse, a day of vtter destruction and miserie, a darke & glowming day, a cloudy and stormie day.
16 A day of the trumpet and alarum against the strong cities, and hie towres.
17 I will bring the people into such vexation, that they shall go about like blinde men, because they haue sinned against the Lorde, their blood shalbe powred out as dust, & their bodies as the myre.
18 Neither their siluer nor their gold shalbe able to deliuer them in that wrothful day of the Lorde, but the who e lande shalbe consumed thorowe the fire of his ielousie: for he shall soone make cleane riddaunce of all them that dwell in the lande.
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.