« | Zephaniah 2 | » |
1 Gather your selues, eue gather you, O nation not worthy to be loued,
2 Before the decree go foorth that God hath concluded [and ye be] as chaffe that passeth in a day, & before the fearfull wrath of the Lorde come vpon you, & before the day of the Lordes sore displeasure come vpon you.
3 Seke the Lorde all ye meeke hearted vpon earth, ye that worke after his iudgement: seke righteousnesse, seke lowlinesse, that ye may be defended in the wrothfull day of the Lorde:
4 For Gaza shalbe destroyed, and Ascalon shalbe layde waste, they shall cast out Asdod at the noone day, and Accaron shalbe rooted vp.
5 Wo vnto you that dwell vpon the sea coast, the nation of the Cherethims: the worde of the Lord shal come vpon you O Chanaan thou lande of the Philistines, I will destroy thee, so that there shall no man dwell in thee any more.
6 And as for the sea coast, it shalbe heardmens cotages, and sheepefoldes.
7 Yea it shalbe a portion for such as remayne of the house of Iuda, to feede therevpon, in the houses of Ascalon shal they rest towarde night: for the Lorde their God shall visite them, and turne away their captiuitie.
8 I haue heard the despite of Moab, and the blasphemies of the children of Ammon, how they haue shamefully intreated my people, & magnified them selues within the borders of their lande.
9 Therefore as I liue, sayth the Lord of hoastes the God of Israel, Moab shalbe as Sodoma, & Ammon as Gomorra, euen the breeding of nettles, and salt pittes, & a perpetuall wildernesse: The residue of my folke shal spoyle them, the remnaunt of my people shall haue them in possession.
10 This shall happen vnto them for their pryde, because they haue dealt so shamefully with the Lorde of hoastes people, and magnified them selues aboue them.
11 The Lord shalbe terrible vnto them, and destroy all the gods in the lande: and all the Iles of the Heathen shall worship hym, euery man in his place.
12 Ye Morians also shall perishe with my sworde.
13 Yea he shall stretch out his hande ouer the north, and destroy Assur: As for Niniue he shall make it desolate, drye, and waste.
14 The flockes and all the beastes of the people shall lye in the middest of it, pellicanes and owles shal abide in the vpper postes of it, foules shall sing in the wyndowes, and desolation shalbe vpon the postes, for the Cedars are vncouered.
15 This is the proude and carelesse citie that sayd in her heart, I am, and there is els none besides me: O howe is she made so wast that the beastes lie in her? Who so goeth by, mocketh her, & poynteth at her with his finger.
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.