« | Genesis 34 | » |
1 Dina the daughter of Lea, whiche she bare vnto Iacob, went out to see the daughters of the lande.
2 Whom whe Sichem the sonne of Hemor the Heuite Lorde of the countrey sawe, he toke her, & lay with her, and forced her.
3 And his heart laye vnto Dina the daughter of Iacob, and he loued that damsell, and spake kyndly vnto her.
4 And Sichem spake vnto his father Hemor, saying: get me this mayden vnto my wyfe.
5 And Iacob heard that he had defiled Dina his daughter, (his sonnes beyng with their cattell in the fielde and Iacob helde his peace vntill they were come.
6 And Hemor the father of Sichem, went out vnto Iacob to common with hym.
7 And when the sonnes of Iacob (comming out of the fielde) hearde it, it greeued them, and they were not a little wroth, because he had wrought folly in Israel, in that he had lien with Iacobs daughter, which thing ought not to be done.
8 And Hemor communed with them, saying: the soule of my sonne Sichem, longeth for your daughter, I pray you geue her him to wyfe.
9 And make maryages with vs, and geue your daughters vnto vs, and take our daughters vnto you.
10 And ye shall dwell with vs, and the lande shalbe before you: dwell, and do your busines therein, and haue possessions therin.
11 And Sichem said, vnto her father and vnto her brethren: let me finde grace in your eyes, and whatsoeuer ye appoint me, that wyll I geue.
12 Aske freely of me both dowry and gyftes, and I wyll geue accordyng as ye say vnto me, so that ye geue me the damsell to wyfe.
13 But the sonnes of Iacob aunswered to Sichem and Hemor his father, talking amongest themselues deceiptfully, because he had defiled Diua their sister.
14 And they sayde vnto them: we can not do this thing, that we shoulde geue our sister to one that is vncircumcised, for that were an abomination vnto vs.
15 But in this will we consent vnto you: if ye wyll be as we be, & all the males amongest you be circumcised:
16 Then wyll we geue our daughters vnto you, and take your daughters to vs, and will dwell with you, and be one people.
17 But and if ye wyll not hearken vnto vs to be circumcised, then wyll we take our daughter, and go our wayes.
18 Theyr wordes pleased Hemor, and Sichem his sonne.
19 And the young man deferde not for to do the thing, because he had a lust to Iacobs daughter: he was also most set by, of all that was in his fathers house.
20 Then Hemor and Sichem his sonne went vnto the gate of their citie, and communed with the men of their citie, saying:
21 These men lyue peaceably among vs, and dwell in the lande, and do theyr occupation therein: and beholde, the lande is large inough for them, we will take their daughters to wiues, & geue them our daughters.
22 Only herein will they consent vnto vs for to dwell with vs, and to be one people: if all the males that are among vs be circumcised, as they are circumcised?
23 Shall not their goodes and their substaunce, and all their cattell be ours? let vs only consent vnto them, and they will dwell with vs.
24 And vnto Hemor & Sichem his sonne, hearkened all that went out at the gate of his citie: and all the males were circumcised, whatsoeuer went out at the gate of his citie.
25 And the thirde day, whyles they were sore, two of the sonnes of Iacob, Simeon & Leui Dinas brethren, toke eyther of them his sworde, and went into the citie boldely, and slue all that was male,
26 And slue also Hemor and Sithem his sonne with the edge of the sworde, and toke Dina out of Sichems house, and went theyr way.
27 And the sonnes of Iacob commyng vpon the dead, spoyled the citie, because they had defiled their sister.
28 And toke their sheepe, oxen, and their asses, and whatsoeuer was in the citie, and also in the fieldes.
29 And all their goodes, and all their children, and their wiues, toke they captiue, and made hauocke of all that was in the house.
30 But Iacob sayde to Simeon & Leui: ye haue troubled me, and made me to be abhorred of the inhabitours of the land of the Chanaanite and the Pherezite: and I beyng fewe in number, they shall gather the selues together against me, and slay me, and so shall I and my house be destroyed.
31 And they aunswered: shoulde he deale with our sister, as with an harlot?
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.