« | Isaiah 5 | » |
1 Nowe wyll I syng my beloued friende, a song of my friende touching his vineyard: My beloued friende hath a vineyarde in a very fruiteful plenteous grounde.
2 This he hedged, and gathered out the stones from it, and planted it with the choysest vine: In the middest of it builded he a towre, also made a wine presse therin: and he loked that it shoulde bring him grapes, and it brought foorth wylde grapes.
3 Nowe O citezen of Hierusalem, and man of Iuda, iudge I pray thee betwixt me and my vineyarde:
4 What more coulde haue ben done for it, that I haue not done? Wherfore then hath it geuen wylde grapes, where I loked to haue had grapes of it?
5 Well, nowe I shall tell you howe I will do with my vineyarde: I will take the hedge from it, that it may perishe, and breake downe the wall therof, that it may be troden vnder foote.
6 I wyll lay it waste, it shall neither be digged nor cut, but beare thornes and briers: I wyll also forbyd the cloudes that they shall not rayne vpon it.
7 As for the vineyarde of the Lorde of hoastes, it is the house of Israel: and the man of Iuda, the plant of his pleasure: Of these he loked for equitie, but see there is oppression for ryghteousnesse, and lo it is a crying.
8 Wo vnto them that ioyne one house to another, and bring one lande so nigh vnto another, that there is no more place: Wyll ye be placed alone in the myddest of the earth?
9 These thynges are in the eares of the Lorde of hoastes: of a trueth great and faire houses shalbe without any dweller in them.
10 And tenne acres of vines shall geue but a quart, and thirtie busshels of seede shall geue but an Epha.
11 Wo be vnto them that rise vp early to folowe drunkennesse, continuyng vntyll nyght, tyll they be set on fire with wine.
12 In their feastes are harpes and lutes, tabrettes and pipes, and wine: but they regarde not the worke of the Lord, and consider not the operatio of his handes.
13 Therfore commeth my folke into captiuitie, because they haue no vnderstandyng: Their glorie is famished with hunger, and their multitude dryed vp with thirst.
14 Therfore gapeth hell and openeth her mouth marueilous wyde, that their glorie, multitude, and wealth, with such as reioyce in her, may descende into it.
15 Thus hath man a fall and is brought lowe, and the hygh loke of the proude shalbe layde downe.
16 But the Lorde of hoastes shalbe exalted in iudgement, and God that is holy is sanctified in ryghteousnesse.
17 Then shall the sheepe eate as they were wont, and the riche mens landes that were layde waste shall straungers deuour.
18 Wo be vnto them that drawe wickednesse with cordes of vanitie, and sinne as it were with a cart rope.
19 Which vse to speake on this maner, Let hym make speede and hasten his worke, that we may see it: let the counsayle of the holy one of Israel come and drawe nye, that we may knowe it.
20 Wo be vnto them that call euyll good, and good euyll, which make darknesse lyght, and lyght darknesse, that make sowre sweete, and sweete sowre.
21 Wo be vnto them that are wise in their owne syght, and thynke them selues to haue vnderstandyng.
22 Wo be vnto them that are strong to suppe out wine, and expert men to set vp drunkennesse.
23 Wo be vnto them that geue sentence with the vngodly for rewardes, but condempne the iust cause of the ryghteous.
24 Therfore, lyke as fire licketh vp the strawe, and as the flambe consumeth the stubble: euen so their roote shalbe as corruption, and their blossome shall vanishe away lyke dust: for they haue cast away the lawe of the Lorde of hoastes, and despised the worde of the holy one of Israel.
25 Therfore is the wrath of the Lorde kindeled against his people, and hath stretched foorth his hande vpon them, yea he hath smitten them: and the hilles dyd tremble, and their carkases dyd lye torne in the open streetes: and in al this the wrath of God hath not ceassed, but his hande stretched out styll.
26 And he shall geue a token to a people of a farre countrey, and shall hisse vnto them from the ende of the earth: and beholde, they shall come hastyly with speede.
27 There shall not be one faynt nor feeble among them, no not a sluggishe nor sleepie person: there shall not one of them put of his gyrdle from his loynes, nor loose the latchet of his shoe.
28 His arrowes are sharpe, and all his bowes bent: his horse hoofes are as flint, and his cart wheeles like a whyrle winde.
29 His crye is as it were of a Lion, and he roreth lyke Lions whelpes: they shall roare and hantche vpon the pray, and no man shall recouer it, nor get it from them.
30 In that day he shalbe so fierce vpon him as the raging of the sea: then one shall beholde the lande, and lo darkenesse and sorow, and the light is darkened in the heauens therof.
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.