« | Malachi 3 | » |
1 Beholde, I wyll sende my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me, and the lord whom ye seeke, shal speedyly come to his temple, and the messenger of the couenaunt whom ye desire, beholde he commeth, saith the Lorde of hoastes.
2 But who may abyde the day of his comming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is lyke a purging fire, and lyke fullers sope.
3 And he shall sit downe to trye and fine the siluer, and he shal purge the children of Leui, and purifie them as golde and siluer: and they shal bring vnto the lorde offeringes in righteousnesse.
4 Then shall the offeringes of Iuda and Hierusalem be acceptable vnto the Lorde, as in olde tyme, and as in the yeres afore.
5 And I wyl come neare to you in iudgement, and I wyll be a swyft witnesse against the soothsayers, and against the adulterers, and against false swearers, and against those that wrongfully keepe backe the hirelynges wages, and vexe the widowe and the fatherlesse, and oppresse the straunger, and feare not me, saith the Lorde of hoastes.
6 For I am the Lorde, I chaunge not: and you sonnes of Iacob are not consumed.
7 From the dayes of your fathers ye are gone away from myne ordinaunces, and haue not kept [them:] turne you to me, and I wyll turne to you, saith the Lorde of hoastes. And ye saide, Wherein shall we returne?
8 Wyll a man spoyle his Gods? yet ye haue spoyled me: and ye say, Wherein haue we spoyled thee? In tythes and offeringes?
9 Ye are cursed with a curse, & me haue ye spoyled, euen this whole nation.
10 Bryng euery tythe into the store house, that there may be meate in myne house, and prooue me withal, saith the Lorde of hoastes: if I wyl not open the windowes of heauen vnto you, and poure you out a blessing without measure.
11 And I wyl reprooue the deuourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruite of the grounde, neither shall your vine be barren in the fielde, saith the Lorde of hoastes.
12 And al nations shal call you blessed: because you shalbe a pleasaunt lande, saith the Lorde of hoastes.
13 Your wordes haue ben stout against me saith the lorde: and you saide, Wherein haue we spoken against thee?
14 Ye haue saide: [it is but] vayne to serue God, and what profite [is it] that we haue kept his commaundement, & that we haue walked humbly before the face of the Lorde of hoastes?
15 And nowe we call the proude happie: yea the workers of wickednesse are set vp, and also they that tempt God, yea they are deliuered.
16 Then they that feared God, saide euery one to his neighbour: and the Lorde considered and hearde, and there was written a booke of remebraunce before him for them that feared the Lorde, and for them that thinke vpon his name.
17 And they shalbe to me, saith the Lorde of hoastes, in that day wherein I shall do [iudgement,] a stocke: and I wyl spare them as a man spareth his owne sonne which serueth him.
18 Then shall ye returne, and discerne betweene the iust and the wicked, betweene him that serueth God, and him that serueth him not.
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.