|
2ND
CHRONICLES
CHAPTER
1
1
And Solomon the sonne of Dauid waxed strong in his kingdome, and the Lord his
God was with him, and magnified him in dignitie.
2 And Solomon spake vnto all
Israel
, to the captaynes ouer thousandes, to the captaynes ouer hundredes, to the
iudges, and to euery officer in all
Israel
, and to the auncient fathers.
3 And so Solomon and all the congregation with him went to the hie place that
was at
Gibeon
: for there was the tabernacle of the congregation of God, which Moyses the
seruaunt of the Lorde made in the wyldernesse.
4 But the arke of God had Dauid brought from Kiriathiarim, into the place which
Dauid had prepared therfore: For he had pitched a tent for it at Hierusalem.
5 Moreouer, the brasen aulter that Bezaleel the sonne of Uri the sonne of Hur
had made, was there before the tabernacle of the Lorde: And Solomon and the
congregation went to visite it.
6 And Solomon gat vp there before the Lord, to the brasen aulter that was before
the tabernacle of the congregation, and offered a thousand burnt sacrifices vpon
it.
7 And the same night did God appeare vnto Solomon, and said vnto him: Aske what
I shall geue thee.
8 And Solomon saide vnto God: Thou hast shewed great mercie vnto Dauid my
father, and hast made me to raigne in his steade.
9 Now therefore, O Lorde God, let thy promise which thou madest vnto Dauid my
father, be true: For thou hast made me king ouer a people which is lyke the dust
of the earth in multitude:
10 Wherefore geue me now wysedome and knowledge, that I may be able to go in and
out before this people: for who els can iudge this people that is so great?
11 And God saide to Solomon: Because this was in thyne heart, and because thou
hast not asked treasure and riches, and honour, & the liues of thyne
enemies, neither yet long lyfe, but hast asked wysedome and knowledge for thy
selfe, to iudge my people ouer which I haue made thee king:
12 Wysedome and knowledge is graunted vnto thee, and I will geue thee treasure,
& riches, and glory: so that among the kinges that haue ben before thee, or
after thee, none was or shalbe lyke thee.
13 And so Solomon came from the high place that was at Gibeon to Hierusalem from
the tabernacle of the congregation, and raigned ouer
Israel
.
14 And Solomon gathered charets and horsemen: and he had a thousand and foure
hundred charets, & twelue thousand horsemen, whom he bestowed in the charet
cities, and with the king at Hierusalem.
15 And the king made siluer and golde at Hierusalem as plenteous as stones, and
Cedar trees made he as plentie as the Mulbery trees that growe in the valleyes.
16 Also Solomon had horses brought out of
Egypt
, & fine linnen: The kinges marchautes receaued the fine linnen for a price.
17 They came also and brought out of
Egypt
a charet for sixe hundred peeces of siluer, euen an horse for an hundred and
fiftie: And so brought they [horses] for all the kinges of the Hethites, and for
the kinges of
Syria
, by their owne hande.
CHAPTER
2
1 And Solomon determined to buylde an house for the name of the Lord, and an
house for his kingdome.
2 And Solomon tolde out threescore and ten thousande men to beare burthens, and
fourescore thousand men to hewe stones in the mountayne, and three thousand and
sixe hundred to ouersee them.
3 And Solomon sent to Hiram the king of Tyre, saying: As thou diddest deale with
Dauid my father, and diddest send him Cedar wood to buyld him an house to dwell
in [euen so deale with me:]
4 Behold I buylde an house for the name of the Lorde my God, to offer vnto him
holy thinges, & to burne sweete incense, and to set shewe bread before him
continually, to offer burnt sacrifices of the morning and euening on the Sabbath
dayes, in the firste day of euery newe moone, and in the solempne feastes of the
Lorde our God: for it is an ordinaunce to be continually kept of Israel.
5 And the house which I buylde shalbe great: for great is our God aboue all
gods.
6 But who is able to buylde him an house? when that heauen and heauen aboue all
heauens is not able to receaue him, what am I then that should buyld him an
house? nay, but euen to burne sacrifice before him [shall this buylding be.]
7 Sende me nowe therefore a cunning man, that can worke in golde and siluer, in
brasse and iron, in purple, crymosin, yelowe silke, & that can skyll to
graue with the cunning men that are with me in Iuda and Hierusalem, whom Dauid
my father dyd prepare.
8 Sende me also Cedar trees, pine trees, and algume trees, out of Libanon: For I
wot that thy seruauntes can skill to hewe timber in Libanon: and behold my men
shalbe with thyne,
9 That they may prepare me timber enough: For the house whiche I am determined
to buylde, shalbe wonderfull great.
10 And behold, for the vse of thy seruauntes the cutters and hewers of timber, I
haue geuen twentie thousande quarters of beaten wheat, and twentie thousand
quarters of barlye, and twentie thousande battes of wine, and twentie thousande
battes of oyle.
11 And Hiram ye king of
Tyre
aunswered in writing, whiche he sent to Solomon: Because the Lorde hath loued
his people, therefore hath he made thee king ouer them.
12 And Hiram sayde moreouer: Blessed be the Lorde God of Israel whiche made
heauen & earth, & that hath geuen Dauid the king a wise sonne, and one
that hath descretion, prudence, and vnderstanding, to buyld an house for the
Lord, and a palace for his kingdome.
13 And now I haue sent a wise man, and a man of vnderstanding, whom my father
Hiram dyd vse:
14 The sonne of a woman of the daughters of Dan, and his father was a man of
Tyre, and he can skil to worke in gold and siluer, in brasse and iron, in stone
and timber, in purple and yelowe silke, in fine whyte and crymosin, and can
graue sundry maner of grauinges, and to finde out diuers maner of subtill worke
that shalbe set before hym, with thy cunning men, and with the cunning men of my
lorde Dauid thy father.
15 Nowe therefore, the wheate and barlye, oyle and wine, which my lorde hath
spoken of, let him sende vnto his seruauntes:
16 And we will cut wood in Libanon as much as thou shalt neede, and wil bring it
to thee in flotes by sea to Iapho, from whence thou mayest cary them to
Hierusalem.
17 And Solomon numbred all the straungers that were in the lande of
Israel
, after the number of them whom his father Dauid had numbred: And they were
founde an hundred fiftie and three thousand, and sixe hundred.
18 And he set threescore and ten thousande to beare burthens, and fourescore
thousande to hewe stones in the mountayne, and three thousande & sixe
hundred officers to set the people a worke. The temple of the Lorde, and the
porche are buylded, with other things thereto belonging.
CHAPTER
3
1 And Solomon began to buylde the house of the Lorde at Hierusalem in
mount
Moria
where the Lorde appeared vnto Dauid his father, euen in the place that Dauid
prepared in the thresshing floore of Ornan the Iebusite.
2 And he began to buylde in the seconde day of the seconde moneth, the fourth
yere of his raigne.
3 And these are the patternes whereby Solomon was instruct to buylde the house
of God: The length was threescore cubites after the olde measure, and the
breadth twentie cubites.
4 And the porche that was before the length in the front, according to the
breadth of the house, was twentie cubites, and the heyght was an hundred and
twentie cubites: and he ouerlayed it on the inner syde with pure golde.
5 And the greater house he seeled with firre tree, whiche he ouerlayed with the
best golde, and graued thereto paulme trees and chaynes.
6 And he ouerlayed the house with precious stone beautyfully: And the golde was
golde of Paruaim.
7 The house [I say] the beames, postes, walles, and doores therof, ouerlayed he
with golde, and graued Cherubs on the walles.
8 And he made the house most holy: whose length was twentie cubites like to the
breadth of the house, and the breadth therof was also twentie cubites: and he
ouerlayed it with good golde, euen with sixe hundred talentes.
9 And the wayght of the nayles of golde was fiftie sicles: and he ouerlayed the
vpper chambers with golde.
10 And in the house most holy he made two Cherubims of image worke, like
children, and ouerlayed them with gold.
11 And the wynges of the Cherubs were twentie cubites long: The one wyng was
fiue cubites, reaching to the wall of the house: and the other wyng was likewise
fiue cubites, reaching to the wyng of the other Cherub.
12 And euen so the one wyng of the other Cherub was fiue cubites, reaching to
the wall of the house: and the other wyng was fiue cubites also, and reached to
the wyng of the other Cherub.
13 So that the wynges of the sayde Cherubs were stretched out twentie cubites:
and they stoode on their feete, and loked inwardes.
14 And he made a fore hanging of yelow silke, purple, crymosin, and fine white,
& caused the pictures of Cherubs to be brodred theron.
15 And he made before the house two pillers of thirtie and fiue cubites high,
and the head that was aboue on the top of euery one of them was fiue cubites,
16 And he made chaynes of wreathe worke for the quier, & put them on the
heades of the pillers: and made an hundred pomegranates, and put them on the
chaynes.
17 And he reared vp the pillers before the temple, one on the right hande, and
the other on the left: and called the right Iachin, and the left Boaz.
CHAPTER
4
1 And he made an aulter of brasse, twentie cubites long, and twentie cubites
broade, and ten cubites hie.
2 And he cast a brasen lauatorie of ten cubites from brym to brym, rounde in
compasse, and fiue cubites hie: and a line of thirtie cubites dyd compasse it
round about.
3 And vnder it was the fashion of oxen, whiche dyd compasse it rounde about:
with ten cubites dyd they compasse the lauatorie rounde about, and there were
two rowes of oxen whiche were cast lyke molten worke.
4 And it stoode also vpon twelue oxen: three loked towarde the north, three
towarde the west, three toward the south, and three toward the east: and the
lauatorie was set vpon them, and all their backes were towarde the lauatorie.
5 And the thyckest of it was an hande breadth, and the brym like the brym of a
cuppe, with floures of lilies: and it receaued and helde three thousande battes.
6 And he made ten lauers, and put fiue on the right hand, and fiue on the left,
to washe and clense in them such thinges as they offered for a burnt offring:
But the great lauatorie was for the priestes to washe in.
7 And he made ten candelstickes of gold, according to the patterne that was geue
of them, and put them in the temple, fiue on the right hande, and fiue on the
left.
8 And he made also ten tables, and put them in the temple, fiue on the right
side, and fiue on the left: And he made an hundred basens of golde.
9 And he made the court of the priestes, and the great court, and doores to it,
and ouerlayde the doores of them with brasse.
10 And he set the great lauatorie on the right side of the east ende, ouer
against the south.
11 And Hiram made pottes, shouels, and basens, & finished the worke that he
was appoynted to make for king Solomon in the house of God.
12 The two pillers, and the bowles, and the pommels on the toppe of the two
pillers, and the two wreathes to couer the two bowles of the pommels whiche were
on the toppe of the pillers,
13 And foure hundred pomegranates on the two wreathes: two rowes of pomegranates
on one wreath to couer the two bowles of the pomels.
14 And he made two bottomes, and lauers made he vpon the bottomes.
15 The great lauatorie, and twelue oxen vnder it.
16 Pottes also, shouels, and fleshhokes: and all these vessels dyd Hiram his
father make to king Solomon for the house of the Lord, of bright brasse.
17 In the playne of Iordane did the king cast them, euen in the clay grounde
that is betweene Socoth and Zaredatha.
18 And Solomon made al these vessels in great aboundaunce: for the weyght of
brasse coulde not be reckened.
19 And Solomon made al the vessels that were for the house of God, the golden
aulter also, & the tables to set the shewe bread vpon.
20 Moreouer, the candelstickes with their lampes, to burne after the maner
before the quier, and that of precious golde.
21 And the floures, and the lampes, and the snoffers made he of golde, and that
perfect golde.
22 And the dressing knyues, basens, spoones, and censers of pure golde: And the
doore of the temple, and the inner doores within the place most holy, and the
inner doores of the temple were gilted.
CHAPTER
5
1 And so all the worke that Solomon made in the house of the lord was finished:
And Solomon brought in all the thinges that Dauid his father had dedicated, with
the siluer and golde, and al the iewels, and put them among the treasures of the
house of God.
2 Then Solomon gathered the elders of
Israel
together, and all the heades of the tribes and auncient fathers of the children
of
Israel
, vnto Hierusalem, to bring the arke of the couenaunt of the Lorde out of the
citie of Dauid, whiche is [in] Sion.
3 Wherefore all the men of
Israel
resorted vnto the king in the feast, euen in the seuenth moneth.
4 And all the elders of
Israel
came, and the Leuites toke vp the arke.
5 And the priestes & the Leuites brought away the arke of the tabernacle of
ye congregatio, & al the holy vessels that were in the tabernacle, and they
bare them.
6 And king Solomon & all the congregation of
Israel
that were assembled vnto him before the arke, offered sheepe and oxen, so many
that they coulde not be tolde nor numbred for multitude.
7 And the priestes brought the arke of the appoyntment of the Lorde vnto his
place, euen into the quier of the temple within the place most holy, and set it
vnder the wynges of the Cherubs,
8 So that the Cherubs stretched out their wynges ouer the place of the arke, and
the Cherubs couered both the arke and her barres aboue on hye.
9 And the barres of the arke were so long, that the heades of the barres were
seene without the arke within the quier, but not without: and there the arke
remayned vnto this day.
10 But there was nothing in the arke saue the two tables which Moyses put therin
at Horeb, when the Lord made a couenaunt with the children of
Israel
after they were come out of
Egypt
.
11 And it fortuned, that when the priestes were come out of the holy place (for
all the priestes that were present, were sanctified, and did not then wayte by
course)
12 That both the Leuites and the singers, vnder Asaph, Heman, and Ieduthun, were
appoynted to sundry offices with their children and brethren, and were arayed in
fyne whyte, hauing cymbales, psalteries, and harpes, and stoode at the east ende
of the aulter, and by them an hundred and twentie priestes blowing with
trumpets:
13 And the trumpet blowers and the singers so agreed, that it seemed but one
voyce in praysing & thanking the Lorde: And when they lift vp their voyce
with the trumpets, cymbales, and other instrumentes of musicke, and when they
praysed the Lord, How that he is good, and that his mercie lasteth euer: the
house of God was filled with a cloude,
14 So that the priestes coulde not endure to minister by the reason of the
cloude: For the maiestie of the Lorde had filled the house of God.
CHAPTER
6
1 Then Solomon sayde: The Lord hath spoken, howe that he wil dwell in the darcke
cloude.
2 And I haue buylt thee an house of habitation for thee, and a place for thy
dwelling for euer.
3 And the king turned his face and blessed the whole congregation of
Israel
, & all the congregation of
Israel
stoode.
4 And he sayde: Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, which hath with his handes
fulfilled it that he spake with his mouth to my father Dauid, saying:
5 Since the day that I brought my people out of the lande of Egypt, I chose no
citie among all the tribes of Israel to buylde an house in, that my name might
be there, neither chose I any man to be a ruler ouer my people Israel:
6 Sauing that I haue chosen Hierusalem, that my name might be there, and haue
chosen Dauid to be ouer my people Israel.
7 And when it was in the heart of Dauid my father to buylde an house for the
name of the Lorde God of Israel,
8 The Lorde sayde to Dauid my father: Forasmuch as it was in thyne heart to
buylde an house for my name, thou diddest well that thou thoughtest in thyne
heart.
9 Notwithstanding, thou shalt not buyld the house: but thy sonne which is
proceeded out of thy loynes, he shall buylde an house for my name.
10 The Lorde therefore hath made good his saying that he hath spoken: and I am
rysen vp in the roome of Dauid my father, and am set on the seate of
Israel
, as the Lorde promised, and haue buylt an house for the name of the Lord God of
Israel
.
11 And in it haue I put the arke wherein is the couenaunt of the Lorde that he
made with the children of
Israel
.
12 And the king stoode before the aulter of the Lorde in the presence of all the
congregation of Israel, and stretched out his handes:
13 (For now Solomon had made a brasen scaffold of fyue cubites long, and fyue
cubites brode, and three of heyght, and had set it in the middes of the great
courte, and vpon it he stoode and kneeled downe vpon his knees before al the
congregation of Israel, and stretched out his handes towarde heauen,)
14 And sayde: O Lorde God of Israel, there is no god like thee in heauen and
earth, which kepest couenaunt & shewest mercie vnto thy seruauntes that
walke before thee with al their heartes.
15 Thou whiche hast kept with thy seruaunt Dauid my father the thinges that thou
promisedst him, thou saydest it with thy mouth, & hast fulfilled it with
thyne handes, as it is to see this day.
16 And nowe Lorde God of Israel, kepe with thy seruaunt Dauid my father the
thinges that thou promisedst him, saying, Thou shalt in my sight not be without
a man that shall sit vpon the seate of Israel, so that thy children take heede
to their wayes to walke in my lawe, as thou hast walked before me.
17 And nowe Lord God of
Israel
, let thy saying be true whiche thou spakest vnto thy seruaunt Dauid.
18 (And wil God in verie deede dwel with men on earth? Beholde, heauen and
heauen aboue all heauens do not contayne thee, howe much lesse the house which I
haue buylded?)
19 Let it be thy pleasure therfore to turne to the prayer of thy seruaunt and to
his supplication O Lorde my God, to hearken vnto the voyce and prayer whiche thy
seruaunt prayeth before thee,
20 And let thyne eyes be open towarde this house day & night, ouer this
place wherof thou hast sayde that thou wouldest put thy name there, to hearken
vnto the prayer whiche thy seruaunt prayeth in this place.
21 Hearken vnto the prayers of thy seruaunt and of thy people
Israel
, which they pray in this place: heare thou I say, out of thy dwelling place,
euen out of heauen, heare, and be mercifull.
22 If a man sinne against his neyghbour, and take an oth agaynst hym and make
him to sweare, and they both come before thyne aulter in this house:
23 Then heare thou from heauen, and do and iudge thy seruauntes, that thou
rewarde the vngodly & recompence hym his way vpon his head, and iustifie the
righteous, and geue him according to his righteousnes.
24 And if thy people Israel be put to the worse before the enemie, because they
haue sinned against thee: Yet if they turne & geue thankes vnto thy name,
and make intercession, and pray before thee in this house:
25 Then heare thou from heauen, and be merciful vnto the sinne of thy people
Israel, and bryng them againe vnto the lande which thou gauest to them and to
their fathers.
26 When heauen is shut vp, and there be no rayne, because they haue sinned
against thee: yet if they pray in this place, and confesse thy name, and repent
from their sinne for the which thou chastenest them:
27 Then heare thou in heauen, and be merciful vnto the sinne of thy seruauntes
& of thy people Israel, and guyde thou them into the good way to walke in,
and send rayne vpon thy lande whiche thou hast geuen vnto thy people for an
inheritaunce.
28 And if ther be dearth in the land, or pestilence, corruption, or blasting of
corne, grashoppers, or caterpillers, or that their enemies besiege them in the
cities of their land, or whatsoeuer plage or sickenesse it be:
29 Then what supplications and prayers soeuer shalbe made of any man and of all
thy people Israel, which shall know euery man his owne sore, and his owne griefe,
& shall stretche out their handes towarde this house:
30 Thou shalt heare from heauen, euen from thy dwelling place, and shalt be
mercifull, and geue euery man according vnto all his wayes, euen as thou doest
know euery mans heart: (for thou only knowest the heartes of the children of
men,)
31 That they may feare thee, & walke in thy wayes as long as they liue, in
ye land which thou gauest vnto our fathers.
32 Moreouer, the straunger whiche is not of thy people Israel, if he come from a
farre lande for thy great names sake, and thy mightie hande, and thy stretched
outarme: If they come I say, and pray in this house:
33 Thou shalt heare from heauen, euen from thy dwelling place, and shalt do
according to all that the straunger calleth to thee for: That all people of the
earth may knowe thy name, and feare thee as doth thy people Israel, and that
they may knowe how that in this house whiche I haue buylt, thy name is called
vpon.
34 If thy people go out to warre against their enemies by the way that thou
shalt sende them, and they pray to thee in the way towarde this citie whiche
thou hast chosen, euen toward the house which I haue buylt for thy name:
35 Then heare thou from heauen their supplication and prayer, and helpe them in
their right.
36 If they sinne against thee (as there is no man but he doth sinne) and thou be
angry with them, and deliuer them ouer before their enemies, and they take them
and carie them away captiues vnto a lande farre or neare:
37 Yet if they repent in their heart in the lande where they be in captiuitie,
and turne, and pray vnto thee in the land of their captiuitie, saying, We haue
sinned, we haue done euyll and wickedly:
38 And turne againe to thee with all their heart and all their soule in the
lande of their captiuitie where they kepe them in bondage, and so pray towarde
their land whiche thou gauest vnto their fathers, euen toward the citie which
thou hast chosen, & toward the house whiche I haue buylt for my name:
39 Then heare thou from heauen, euen from thy dwelling place, their supplication
and their prayer, and iudge their cause, and be mercifull vnto thy people which
haue sinned against thee.
40 Now my God, let thine eyes be open, and thyne eares attent vnto the prayer
that is made in this place.
41 Nowe vp O Lorde God into thy resting place, thou and the arke of thy
strength: O Lorde God, let thy priestes be clothed with health, & let thy
sainctes reioyce in goodnesse.
42 O Lord God, turne not away the face of thyne annoynted: remember the mercies
whiche thou hast promised to Dauid thy seruaunt.
CHAPTER
7
1 And when Solomon had made an ende of praying, there came downe fire from
heauen, and consumed the burnt offring and the sacrifices: & the house was
filled with the glorie of the Lorde,
2 And the priestes coulde not go into the house of the Lorde, because the glorie
of the Lord had filled the lordes house.
3 And when al the children of Israel saw howe the fire and the glorie of the
Lord came downe vpon the house, they fell downe flat vpon their faces to the
earth vpon the pauement, and worshipped and confessed vnto the lord, That he is
gracious, and that his mercie lasteth euer.
4 And the king and all the people offered sacrifices before the Lorde.
5 And king Solomon offered a sacrifice of twentie and two thousande oxen, and an
hundred and twentie thousande sheepe: and so the king and all the people
dedicated the house of God.
6 And the priestes wayted on their offices, & the Leuites had the
instrumentes of musicke of the Lord, which king Dauid had made to confesse vnto
the Lord, that his mercie lasteth euer, Dauid praysing God by the: And the
priestes blew with trumpettes before them, and all they of Israel stoode.
7 Moreouer, Solomon halowed the middle of the court that was before the house of
the Lorde, for there he offred burnt offringes: & the fat of the peace
offringes, because the brasen aulter which Solomon had made, was not able to
receaue the burnt offringes, and the meate offringes, and the fat.
8 So at the same time Solomon kept a feast of seuen dayes, and al they of
Israel
with him, an exceeding great congregation, euen from the entring in of Hamath
vnto the riuer of
Egypt
.
9 And in the eyght day they made an assemblie: For they kept the dedication of
the aulter seuen dayes, & the feast seuen dayes.
10 And the three and twentie day of the seuenth moneth he let the people depart
into their tentes glad and mery in heart, for the goodnesse that the Lorde had
shewed to Dauid and to Solomon, and to Israel his people.
11 And so Solomon finished the house of the Lorde, and the kinges house: and all
that came in his heart to make in the house of the Lorde, & in his owne
house, went prosperously forwarde.
12 And the Lorde appeared to Solomon by night, and sayd to him: I haue heard thy
petition, and haue chosen this place for my selfe to be an house of sacrifice.
13 If I shut vp heauen that there be no rayne, or if I commaund the locustes to
deuour the lande, or if I sende pestilence among my people:
14 And if they that are of my people, among whom my name is called vpon, do
humble them selues, and make intercession, and seke my presence, and turne from
their wicked wayes: then will I heare from heauen, and be mercifull to their
sinne, and will heale their lande.
15 And from hencefoorth myne eyes shalbe open, and myne eares attent vnto the
prayer that is made in this place.
16 And therfore nowe I haue chosen and sanctified this house, that my name may
be there for euer: and myne eyes and myne heart shalbe there perpetually.
17 And if thou wilt walke before me, as Dauid thy father walked, to do all that
I haue commaunded thee, and shalt obserue my statutes and my lawes:
18 Then will I stablishe the seate of thy kingdome, according as I made the
couenaunt with Dauid thy father, saying: Thou shalt not be without a man to be
ruler in Israel.
19 But and if ye turne away, and forsake my statutes & my commaundementes
which I haue set before you, and shall go and serue other gods, and worship
them:
20 Then will I plucke them vp by the rootes, out of my lande whiche I haue geuen
them, and this house whiche I haue sanctified for my name, will I cast out of my
sight, and will make it to be a prouerbe and a iest among all nations.
21 And this house whiche is most high, shalbe an astonishement to euery one that
passeth by, and shal say: Why hath the Lorde dealt on this fashion with this
lande, and with this house?
22 And they shal aunswere: Because they forsoke the Lorde God of their fathers
which brought them out of the lande of Egypt, and caught holde on other gods,
and worshipped them, and serued them: euen therefore hath he brought all this
euyll vpon them.
CHAPTER
8
1 And it fortuned, that after twentie yeres, when Solomon had buylt the house of
the Lorde and his owne house:
2 He buylt the cities that Hiram gaue hym, and put of the children of
Israel
in them.
3 And Solomon went to Hamath Zoba, and strengthed it.
4 And he buylt Thadmor in the wildernesse, & repaired all the store cities
which were in Hamath.
5 And he buylt Bethhoron the vpper, and Bethhoron the neather, strong cities,
hauing walles, gates, and barres:
6 And Baalah, and al the store cities that Solomon had, and all the charet
cities, and the cities of the horsmen, and euery pleasaunt place that Solomon
had last to buyld in Hierusalem & Libanon, and throughout all the land of
his dominion.
7 And all the people that were left of the Hethites, Amorites, Pherezites,
Heuites and Iebusites, whiche were not of the children of Israel,
8 But were the children of them whiche were left after them in the lande, and
were not consumed of the children of Israel, them dyd Solomon make to pay
tribute, vntill this day.
9 But of the children of
Israel
dyd Solomon make no bondemen for his worke: but they were men of warre, and
rulers, and great lordes with him, and captaynes ouer his charets and horsemen.
10 And king Solomons officers that ouersawe and ruled the people, were two
hundred and fiftie.
11 And Solomon brought the daughter of Pharao out of the citie of Dauid, into
the house that he had buylded for her: For he sayde, My wyfe shall not dwel in
the house of Dauid king of
Israel
, for it is holy, because that the arke of the Lorde is come vnto it.
12 Then Solomon offred burnt offringes vnto the Lorde on the aulter of the Lorde,
whiche he had buylt before the porche:
13 Doyng euery thing in his due time, and offering according to the commaundemet
of Moyses, in the Sabbathes, new moones, and solempne feastes, three times in
the yere, [that is to say] in the feast of sweete bread, in the feast of weekes,
and in the feast of tabernacles.
14 And Solomon set the sortes of priestes to their offices as Dauid his father
had ordered them, and the Leuites in their watches, for to prayse and minister
before the priestes day by day, and the porters by course at euery gate: for so
had Dauid the man of God commaunded.
15 And they omitted not the commaundement of the king vnto the priestes and
Leuites, concerning any maner of thing, and concerning the treasures.
16 For Solomon made prouision for the charges, from the first day that the
foundation of the house of the Lorde was layed, till it was finished, that the
house of the Lorde was perfect.
17 Then went king Solomon to Ezion Gaber, and to Eloth at the sea side in the
lande of
Edom
.
18 And Hiram sent hym by the handes of his seruauntes, shippes, and seruauntes
that had knowledge of the sea: and they went with the seruauntes of Solomon to
Ophir, and caryed thence foure hundred and fyftie talentes of golde, and brought
it to king Solomon.
CHAPTER
9
1 And when the queene of Saba hearde of the fame of Solomon, she came to proue
him in hard questions at Hierusalem, with a verie great companie, with camels
that bare spices, and plentie of golde, and precious stones: And when she was
come to Solomon, she communed with him of all that she had in her heart.
2 And Solomon soyled her all her questions: and there was not one word hyd from
Solomon, which he tolde her not.
3 And when the queene of Saba had seene the wisdome of Solomon, and the house
that he had buylt,
4 And the meate of his table, the sitting of his seruauntes, and the standing of
his wayters, their apparell, his butlars, their apparell, his goyng vp by the
whiche he went into the house of Lord: there was no more spirite in her.
5 And she sayde to the king: The saying which I hearde in myne owne lande of
thyne actes and of thy wisdome, is true.
6 I beleued not the wordes of them, vntill I came and myne eyes had seene it:
And beholde, the one halfe of thy wysdome was not tolde me: for thou exceedest
the same that I hearde.
7 Happy are thy men, and happy are these thy seruauntes which stand before thee
alway, and heare thy wysdome.
8 Blessed be the Lorde thy God, whiche had lust to thee, to set thee [king] on
his seate, that thou mightest be king for the Lord thy God: because thy God
loueth
Israel
[and hath delyte] to make them continue euer, therefore made he thee king ouer
them, to do right and equitie.
9 And she gaue the king an hundred and twentie talentes of golde, and of spices
exceeding great aboundaunce, and precious stones: neither was ther any more such
spyce as the queene of
Saba
gaue king Solomon.
10 And the seruauntes of Hiram and the seruauntes of Solomon which brought gold
from Ophir, brought also Algume wood and precious stones.
11 And the king made of the Algume wood stayres in the house of the Lorde and in
the kinges palace, & harpes, and psalteries for singers: And there was none
such wood seene before in the
land
of
Iuda
.
12 And king Solomon gaue to the queene of
Saba
euery pleasant thing that she asked, besides that which she had brought vnto
the king: And so she turned and went away to her owne lande with her seruauntes.
13 The waight of golde that came to Solomon in one yere, was sixe hundred
threescore and sixe talentes of golde:
14 Besides that which chapmen & marchauntes brought: and all the kinges of
Arabia
and rulers of that countrey brought golde and siluer to Solomon.
15 And king Solomon made two hundred tarkets of beaten golde: and sixe hundred
sicles of beaten golde were spet vpon one target.
16 And three hundred shieldes made he of beaten golde, & one shielde cost
three hundred peeces of golde: and the king put them in the house that was in
the
forest
of
Libanon
.
17 And the king made a great seate of yuory, & ouerlayde it with pure golde.
18 And there were sixe steps to the seate, with a footestoole of golde fastened
to the seate: and pommels on eche syde of the sitting place, and two lions
standing by the pommels.
19 And twelue lions stoode on the one side and on the other vpon the sixe
steppes: so that there was no such worke made in any kingdome.
20 And all the drinking vessels of king Solomon were of golde, and al the
vessels of the house that was in the
forest
of
Libanon
were of precious golde: for siluer was counted nothing worth in the dayes of
Solomon.
21 For the kinges shippes went to Tharsis with the seruauntes of Hiram, euery
three yeres once came the shippes to Tharsis, and brought golde, siluer, yuorie,
and apes, and pecockes.
22 And king Solomon passed all the kinges of the earth, in richesse &
wysedome.
23 And all the kinges of the earth sought the presence of Solomon, to heare his
wysedome that God had put in his heart.
24 And they brought euery man his present, vessels of siuer, & vessels of
golde, rayment, harnesse, spises, horses, and mules, and whatsoeuer might be
gotten yere by yere.
25 And Solomon had foure thousand stalles for horses, and charrettes, and twelue
thousand horsemen: whom he bestowed in the charet cities, and [some were] with
the king at Hierusalem.
26 And he raigned ouer all the kinges that were from Euphrates, vnto the lande
of the Philistines, and to the border of
Egypt
.
27 And the king made siluer in Hierusalem as plenteous as stones, and Cedar
trees as plenteous as ye Mulberie trees that growe in the valleys:
28 And they brought vnto Solomon horses, out of Egypt, and out of all landes.
29 The rest of the actes of king Solomon first and last, are they not written in
the sayings of Nathan the prophete, and in the prophecie of Ahiah the Silonite,
and in the visions of Iddo the sear of visions against Ieroboam the sonne of
Nabat?
30 And Solomon raigned in Hierusalem vpon all
Israel
fouretie yeres.
31 And Solomon slept with his fathers: and they buried him in the citie of Dauid
his father, & Rehoboam his sonne raigned in his steade.
CHAPTER
10
1 And Rehoboam went to Sichem: for to Sichem were all
Israel
come together to make him king.
2 And when Ieroboam the sonne of Nabat (which was fled into
Egypt
from the presence of Solomon the king) heard it, he returned out of
Egypt
.
3 And they sent and called him: And so Ieroboam and all they of
Israel
, came and communed with Rehoboam, saying:
4 Thy father layde a greeuous yoke vpon vs: nowe therefore remit thou somewhat
of the greeuous seruice of thy fafather, & of his heauy yoke that he put
vpon vs, and we wyll serue thee.
5 And he saide to them: Come againe vnto me after three dayes. And the people
departed.
6 And king Rehoboam counsailed with the elders that had stande before Solomon
his father while he yet lyued, and he saide: what counsaile geue ye me, to
aunswere this people againe?
7 And they tolde him, saying: If thou be kinde to this people, and shewe thy
selfe lowlie to them, and speake louyng wordes to them, they wyll be thy
seruauntes for euer.
8 But he left the counsaile which the elders gaue him, and toke counsaile with
the young men that were growen vp with him, and that stoode in his presence.
9 And he saide vnto them: What aduise geue ye, that we may aunswere this people,
which haue communed with me, saying, Abate somewhat of the yoke which thy father
did put vpon vs?
10 And the young men that were growen vp with him, spake vnto him, saying, Thus
shalt thou aunswere the people that speake to thee, saying: Thy father made our
yoke heauy, but make thou it somewhat lighter for vs: Thus shalt thou say vnto
the, My litle finger, shalbe heauier then my fathers loynes.
11 For where my father put a heauy yoke vpon you, I will put more to your yoke:
My father chastised you with whyppes, but I wyll chastise you with scourges.
12 And so Ieroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam the third day, as the
king bade, saying, Come againe to me the third day.
13 And the king aunswered them cruelly: and king Rehoboam left the counsaile of
the aged men,
14 And aunswered them after the aduise of the young men, saying: My father made
your yoke greeuous, and I wyll adde thereto: my father chastised you with
whyppes, but I wyll chastise you with scourges.
15 And so the king hearkened not vnto the people: but the occasion came of God,
that the Lorde might make good his saying which he spake by the hand of Ahia the
Silonite to Ieroboam the sonne of Nabat.
16 And when all they of
Israel
saw that the king woulde not agree vnto them, the people aunswered the king,
saying: What portion haue we in Dauid? For we haue no inheritaunce in the sonne
of Isai: Euery man to his tent oh
Israel
, and nowe Dauid, see to thyne owne house. And so all
Israel
gat them to their tentes:
17 So that Rehoboam raigned ouer no mo of the children of
Israel
then dwelt in the cities of Iuda.
18 Then king Rehoboam also sent Haduram that was ruler ouer the tribute, and the
children of
Israel
stoned him with stones, that he dyed: But king Rehoboam made speede to get him
vp to his charet, to flee to Hierusalem.
19 And they of
Israel
rebelled against the house of Dauid vnto this day.
CHAPTER
11
1 And when Rehoboam was come to Hierusalem, he gathered of the house of Iuda and
Beniamin, nine score thousand chosen men of warre, to fight against
Israel
, & to bring the kingdome againe to Rehoboam.
2 And the worde of the Lorde came to Semiahu the man of God, saying:
3 Speake vnto Rehoboam the sonne of Solomon king of Iuda, & to all them of
Israel that are in Iuda and Beniamin, and say:
4 Thus saith the Lord, Ye shall not go vp nor fight against your brethren:
returne euery man to his house, for this thing is done of me. And they obeyed
the wordes of the Lorde, and returned from going against Ieroboam.
5 And Rehoboam dwelt in Hierusalem, and built strong cities in Iuda.
6 He built vp Bethlehem, & Etam, and Thekoa,
7 Bethzur, Socho, and Adullam,
8 Gath, and Maresa, and Ziph,
9 Adurahim, Lachis, and Azecah,
10 Zoraa, Aialon, and Hebron, which is in Iuda and Beniamin, strong cities.
11 And he repaired the strong holdes, and put captaynes in them, and store of
vittaile, and wine, and oyle:
12 And in all cities he put shieldes and speares, & made them exceeding
strong, hauing Iuda and Beniamin on his syde.
13 And the priestes and the Leuites that were in all
Israel
, resorted to him out of all their coastes.
14 For the Leuites left their suburbes, and their possession, and came to Iuda
and Hierusalem: For Ieroboam and his sonnes had cast them out from ministring
vnto the Lorde.
15 And he ordayned him priestes for the high places, for the deuils, and for the
calues which he had made.
16 And after the Leuites, there went out all the tribes of Israel, such as
submitted their heartes to seeke the Lord God of Israel, and came to Hierusalem
to offer vnto the Lorde God of their fathers.
17 And so they strengthed the kingdome of Iuda, & made Rehoboam the sonne of
Solomon mightie three yeres long: for three yeres they walked in the way of
Dauid and Solomon.
18 And Rehoboam toke him Mahalath the daughter of Ierimoth the sonne of Dauid to
wyfe, and Abihail the daughter of Eliab the sonne of Isai.
19 Which bare him children, Ieus,
Samaria
, and Zaham.
20 And after her he toke Maacha the daughter of Absolon, which bare him Abia,
Atthai, Ziza, and Selomith.
21 And Rehoboam loued Maacha the daughter of Absolo aboue al his wyues and
concubines: for he toke eyghteene wyues and threescore concubines, and begat
twentie and eyght sonnes & threescore daughters.
22 And Rehoboam made Abia the sonne of Maacha, the chiefe ruler among his
brethren: for he thought to make him king.
23 And he played wyselie, and scattered all his children throughout al the
countryes of Iuda and Beniamin vnto euery strong citie, and he gaue them
aboundaunce of vittaile, and obtayned many wyues.
CHAPTER
12
1 And it came to passe, that when Rehoboam had stablished the kingdome &
became mightie, he forsooke the law of the Lorde, and all
Israel
with him.
2 And it fortuned, that in the fifth yere of king Rehoboam, Sesac the king of
Egypt came vp against Hierusalem, because they had transgressed against the
Lorde,
3 With twelue hundred charettes, and threescore thousand horsemen: And the
people wer without number that came with him out of Egypt, Lubim, Suckim, and
the blacke Moores.
4 And he toke the strong cities in Iuda, and came to Hierusalem.
5 Then came Semeia the prophete to Rehoboam and to the Lordes of Iuda that were
gathered together within Hierusalem for Sesac, and saide vnto them: Thus saith
the Lorde, Ye haue left me, and therefore haue I also left you in the handes of
Sesac.
6 Whereupon the lordes of
Israel
and the king humbled themselues, and said: The Lorde is righteous.
7 And when the Lorde saw that they submitted them selues, the worde of the Lorde
came to Semeia, saying: They submit them selues, therefore I wyl not destroye
them, but I wyll deliuer them somewhat, and my wrath shall not be powred out
vpon Hierusalem by the hand of Sesac.
8 Neuerthelesse, they shalbe his seruauntes: to knowe what difference is
betweene my seruice and the seruice of the kingdomes of the worlde.
9 And so Sesac king of Egypt came to Hierusalem, & toke away the treasures
of the house of the Lorde, and the treasures of the kinges house, he toke euen
all: and he carryed away the shieldes of golde which Solomon made.
10 In steade of which, king Rehoboam made shieldes of brasse, and committed them
to the handes of the chiefe of the garde, & that kept the entraunce of the
kinges house.
11 And it came to passe, that when the king entred into the house of the Lorde,
the garde came and fet them, & brought them againe vnto the gard chamber.
12 And when he humbled himselfe, the wrath of the Lorde turned from him, that he
woulde not destroy altogether: and in Iuda all was well.
13 And so king Rehoboam waxed mightie, & raigned in Hierusalem: And Rehoboam
was one and fourtie yeres olde when he began to raigne, and he raigned
seuenteene yeres in Hierusalem, the citie which the Lorde had chosen out of all
the tribes of Israel to put his name there: And his mothers name was Naama, an
Ammonitesse.
14 And he did euill, because he prepared not his heart to seeke the Lorde.
15 The actes also of Rehoboam first and last, are they not written in the
sayinges of Semeia the prophete, & of Iddo the sear, which noted the
genealogie? And there was warre alway betweene Rehoboam and Ieroboam.
16 And Rehoboam slept with his fathers, and was buried in the citie of Dauid,
and Abia his sonne raigned in his steade.
CHAPTER
13
1 The eyghteenth yere of king Ieroboam began Abia to raigne ouer Iuda.
2 And he raigned three yeres in Hierusalem: (His mothers name also was Michaiahu,
the daughter of Uriel of Gibea:) And ther was warre betweene Abia and Ieroboam.
3 And Abia set the battaile in aray with the armie of valiaunt men of warre, eue
foure hundred thousand chosen men: And Ieroboam set him selfe in aray to fight
agaynst hym with eyght hundred thousand pickt men, which were strong, and men of
armes.
4 And Abia stoode vp vpon Zemaraim, an hill which is in
mount
Ephraim
, and saide: Heare me thou Ieroboam and al
Israel
.
5 Do not you knowe how that the Lord God of
Israel
gaue the kingdome ouer them of
Israel
to Dauid for euer, euen to him and to his sonnes, with a salted couenaunt?
6 And Ieroboam the sonne of Nabat the seruaunt of Solomon the sonne of Dauid is
risen vp, and hath rebelled against his lorde.
7 And there gathered to him lewde men, the children of Belial, and preuailed
against Rehoboam the sonne of Solomon, when Rehoboam was young and tender
hearted, and could not stand before them.
8 And now ye say, that ye be able to preuaile against the kingdome of the Lord,
which is in the hande of the sonnes of Dauid, and ye be a great multitude, and
haue the golden calues which Ieroboam made you for gods.
9 And haue ye not cast out the priestes of the Lorde the sonnes of Aaron and the
Leuites, and haue made you priestes after the maner of the nations of other
landes? so that whosoeuer commeth & consecrateth his hande with a young oxe
and seuen rammes, the same may be a priest of them that are no gods.
10 But we belong vnto the Lorde our God whom we haue not forsaken, and the
priestes are the sonnes of Aaron which minister vnto the Lorde, and the Leuites
wayte vpon their office.
11 They burne vnto the Lorde euery morning and euening burnt sacrifices, and
sweete incense: the shewe bread set they in order vpon a pure table, and prepare
the candelsticke of golde with the lampes of the same to burne euer at eue: And
truly we kept the watch of the lord our God, but ye haue forsaken him.
12 And beholde, God him selfe is our captayne, and his priestes blowe with the
trumpettes and crie alarum against you. O ye children of
Israel
, fight not against the Lorde God of your fathers: for it wyll not prosper with
you.
13 But for all that, Ieroboam conuayed men priuyly about, to come behinde the:
and so they were before Iuda, and the layers in wayte were behinde them.
14 And when they of Iuda loked about, beholde the battaile was before and
behinde, and they cryed vnto the Lorde, and the priestes blewe with the
trumpettes,
15 And the men of Iuda gaue a showte: And as the men of Iuda showted, it came to
passe that God smote Ieroboam and all
Israel
before Abia and Iuda.
16 And the children of
Israel
fled before Iuda, and God delyuered them into their hande.
17 And Abia and his people slue a great slaughter of them: There fell downe
wounded of
Israel
fiue hundred thousand chosen men.
18 And so the children of
Israel
were brought vnder at that time, & the children of Iuda preuayled, because
they leaned vnto the Lorde God of their fathers.
19 And Abia folowed after Ieroboam, and toke cities from him,
Bethel
with the townes belonging thereto, Iesana with the townes that belonged
thereto, and Ephron with her townes.
20 And Ieroboam recouered no strength againe in the dayes of Abia: And the Lorde
plagued him, and he dyed.
21 But Abia waxed mightie, and maryed foureteene wiues, and begat twentie and
two sonnes, and sixteene daughters.
22 The rest of the actes of Abia, his maners and his sayinges, are written in
the story of the prophete Iddo.
CHAPTER
14
1 So Abia slept with his fathers, and they buryed him in the citie of Dauid, and
Asa his sonne raigned in his steade, in whose dayes the lande was in quietnesse
ten yeres.
2 And Asa did that was good & right in the eyes of the Lorde his God.
3 For he toke away straunge aulters and the high places, and brake downe the
images, and cut downe the groues:
4 And commaunded Iuda to seeke the Lorde God of their fathers, and to do
according to the lawe and commaundement.
5 And he put away out of all the cities of Iuda the high places & the
images: & the kingdome was quiet before him.
6 And he built strong cities in Iuda, because the lande was in rest, and he had
no warre in those yeres: for the Lorde had geuen him rest.
7 Therefore he saide vnto Iuda: let vs builde these cities, & make about
them walles, towres, gates, and barres, for the lande is yet in rest before vs:
because we haue sought the Lorde our God, we haue sought him, and he hath geuen
vs rest on euery side. And so they built, and it prospered with them.
8 And Asa had an armie of men that bare shieldes and speares out of Iuda three
hundred thousand, & out of Beniamin that bare shieldes & drewe bowes two
hundred and fourescore thousand: all these were valiaunt men.
9 And there came out against them Zarah the blacke Morian with an hoast of ten
hundred thousand, & three hundred charettes, & came as farre as Maresa.
10 And Asa went out before him, and they ioyned the battaile in the
valley
of
Zephata
, beside Maresa.
11 And Asa cryed vnto the Lorde his God, and saide: Lorde, it is no harde thing
with thee to helpe with many or them that haue no power: Helpe vs therfore O
Lorde our God, for we trust to thee, and in thy name we go against this
multitude: Thou art the Lord our God, and no man shall preuaile against thee.
12 So the Lord smote the blacke
Moores
before Asa and Iuda, and the blacke
Moores
fled.
13 And Asa & the people that was with him, folowed after them vnto Gerar:
And the blacke
Moores
hoast was ouerthrowen, that there was none of them left, but were destroyed
before the Lord and before his hoast: And they caryed away a mightie great pray.
14 And they smote all the cities rounde about Gerar, for the feare of the Lorde
came vpon them: And they spoyled all the cities, & there was exceeding much
spoyle in them.
15 They smote also the tentes of cattaile, and caryed away plentie of sheepe and
camels, and returned to Hierusalem,
CHAPTER
15
1 And the spirite of God came on Azaria the sonne of Obed,
2 And he went out to meete Asa, and said vnto him: Heare me Asa, and al Iuda and
Beniamin, the Lorde is with you, while ye be with him: and when ye seeke him, he
wyll be founde of you: and againe when ye forsake him, he also wyll forsake you.
3 Nowe for a long season
Israel
hath ben without the true God, and without priestes to teache, and without law.
4 And when any man in his trouble did turne vnto the Lorde God of
Israel
and sought him, he was found of them.
5 And in that time there was no peace to him that did go out and in, but great
sedition was there among all the inhabiters of the earth.
6 And nation was destroyed of nation, and citie of citie: for God did moue all
aduersitie among them.
7 Play ye therefore the men, and let not your handes slacke: for your worke shal
be rewarded.
8 And when Asa heard those wordes, and the prophecie of Azaria the sonne of Obed
the prophete, he toke courage, and put away the abhominable idols out of all the
lande of Iuda and Beniamin, and out of the cities which he wan in mount Ephraim,
and renued the aulter of the Lorde that was before the porche of the Lorde.
9 And he gathered al Iuda and Beniamin, and the straungers with them, out of
Ephraim, Manasse, & Simeon: For there fell many to him out of
Israel
, when they sawe that the Lord his God was with him.
10 So they assembled together at Hierusale the third moneth, the fifteenth yere
of the raigne of Asa.
11 And they offered vnto the Lorde the same time of the spoyle which they had
brought, seuen hundred oxen, and seuen thousand sheepe.
12 And they made a couenaunt to seeke the Lorde God of their fathers, with all
their heart, and all their soule.
13 And whosoeuer woulde not seeke the Lorde God of
Israel
, shoulde dye for it, whether he were small or great, man or woman.
14 And they sware vnto the Lorde with a loude voyce, showting and blowing with
trumpettes and shawmes.
15 And all they in Iuda reioyced at the oth: for they had sworne vnto the Lord
with all their heart, & sought him with all their lust, and he was found of
them: And the Lorde gaue them rest rounde about on euery syde.
16 And king Asa put Maacha his mother out of aucthoritie, because she had made
an abhominable idol in a groue: And Asa broke downe her idol, & stamped it,
& burnt it at the brooke Cedron.
17 But al the high places were not taken away out of
Israel
, though the heart of Asa was perfect all his dayes.
18 And he brought into the house of God the thinges that his father had
dedicate, and that he him selfe had dedicate: euen siluer, and golde, and iewels.
19 And there was no more warre vnto the thirtie and fiue yere of the raigne of
Asa.
CHAPTER
16
1 In the thirtie and sixth yere of the raigne of Asa, came Baasa king of
Israel
against Iuda, & built Rama, to the intent that he would let none passe out
or in to Asa king of Iuda.
2 And Asa set out golde and siluer out of the treasures of the house of the
Lord, & [out] of the kings house, and sent to Benhadad king of Syria that
dwelt at Darmesec, and saide:
3 There is a confederation betweene me and thee, betweene my father and thyne:
beholde I haue sent thee siluer and golde, that thou wilt come & breake
thyne appoyntment with Baasa king of Israel, that he may departe from me.
4 And Benhadad graunted vnto king Asa, and sent the captaynes of his armies to
the cities of
Israel
: and they smote Iion, Dan, and Abelmaim, & all the strong cities of
Nephthali.
5 And when Baasa heard this, he left building of Rama, and let his worke ceasse.
6 And then Asa the king toke all Iuda, and caryed away the stones and timber of
Rama wherewith Baasa was a building, and he built therewith Geba and Mispah.
7 At that time Hanani the sear came to Asa king of Iuda, and saide vnto him:
Because thou hast trusted in the king of
Syria
, and not rather put thy trust in the Lord thy God, therfore is the hoast of the
king of
Syria
escaped out of thine hande.
8 Had not the blacke
Moores
and Lubim an exceeding great hoast, with many charettes and horsemen? And yet
because thou trustedst in the Lorde, he deliuered them into thyne hande.
9 For the eyes of the Lorde beholde all the earth, to strength them that are of
perfect heart toward him: Herein thou hast done foolishly, and therefore from
hencefoorth thou shalt haue warre.
10 And so Asa was wroth with the sear, and put him into a prison house, for he
was displeased with him because of this thing: And Asa destroyed [certaine] of
the people the same season.
11 And beholde, these deedes of Asa first and last, are written in the booke of
the kinges of Iuda and
Israel
.
12 And Asa in the thirtie and ninth yere of his raigne fell sicke in his feete,
and that his disease continued very long: And in his sickenesse he sought not
the lord, but phisitions.
13 And Asa slept with his fathers, and dyed in the fourtie and one yere of his
raigne.
14 And they buried him in his owne sepulchre which he had made for himselfe in
the citie of Dauid, and layde him in the bed which he had filled with diuers
kindes of spices, & sweete odours made by the craft of the appothecaries:
and burnt very much spice about him.
CHAPTER
17
1 And Iehosaphat his sonne raigned in his steade, and preuailed against
Israel
.
2 And he put souldiers in all the strong cities of Iuda, and set rulers in the
lande of Iuda, and in the cities of Ephraim which Asa his father had wonne.
3 And the Lorde was with Iehosaphat, because he walked in the olde wayes of his
father Dauid, and sought not Baalim,
4 But sought the Lorde God of his father, and walked in his commaundementes, and
not after the doinges of
Israel
.
5 And the Lorde stablished the kingdome in his hande, & all they that were
in Iuda brought him presentes, so that he had aboundaunce of richesse and
honour.
6 And he lyft vp his heart vnto the wayes of the Lorde, and he put downe yet
more of the high places and groues out of Iuda.
7 In the third yere of his raigne he sent to his lordes, euen to Benhail, Obadia,
Zacharia, Nethanel, and to Michaiahu, that they shoulde teache in the cities of
Iuda:
8 And with them he sent Leuites, euen Semeiahu, Nethaniahu, Zebadiahu, Asael,
Semiramoth, Iehonathan, Adoniahu, Tobiahu, & Tob adoniahu, & with them
Elisama, and Iehoram, priestes.
9 And they taught in Iuda, and had the booke of the lawe of God with them, and
went about throughout all the cities of Iuda, and taught the people.
10 And the feare of the Lorde fell vpon all the kingdomes of the landes that
were rounde about Iuda, and they fought not against Iehosaphat.
11 And some of the Philistines brought Iehosaphat giftes, and tribute siluer,
and therto the Arabians brought him cattaile, euen seuen thousand and seuen
hundred rammes, and seuen thousand and seuen hundred hee goates.
12 And so Iehosaphat prospered, and grew vp an hie: And he built in Iuda castels
and cities of store.
13 And he had great substaunce in the cities of Iuda: but the men of armes and
strongest souldiers were in Hierusalem.
14 And these are the offices of them in the house of their fathers: the
captaines ouer thousandes in Iuda, Adna the captayne, and with him of fighting
men three hundred thousand.
15 And next to his hand was Iehohanan a captayne, and with him two hundred and
fourescore thousand.
16 And next him was Amazia the sonne of Zichri, which of his owne good wyll
offered him selfe vnto the Lorde, and with him two hundred thousand mightie men
of warre.
17 And of the children of Beniamin, Eliada a man of might, and with him armed
men with bowe and shielde two hundred thousand.
18 And next him was Iehosabad, and with him an hundred and fourescore thousand,
that were prepared for the warre.
19 These wayted on the king, besides those which the king put in the strong
cities throughout all Iuda.
CHAPTER
18
1 And Iehosaphat had aboudaunce of richesse and honour, and ioyned affinitie
with Ahab.
2 And after certayne yeres he went downe to Ahab to
Samaria
: And Ahab slue many sheepe and oxen for him and for the people that he had with
him, and entreated him to go vp with him vnto Ramoth [in]
Gilead
.
3 And Ahab king of
Israel
saide vnto Iehosaphat king of Iuda: wylt thou go with me to Ramoth [in]
Gilead
? And he aunswered him: I wyll be as thou, and my people shall be as thyne [and
we wyll go] with thee to the warre.
4 And Iehosaphat saide vnto the king of
Israel
: Seke counsel I pray thee at the worde of the Lorde this same day.
5 Therfore the king of
Israel
gathered together of prophetes foure hundred men, & saide vnto them: Shall
we go to Ramoth [in]
Gilead
to fight, or should I ceasse? And they saide: Go vp, & God shall deliuer it
into the kinges hand.
6 But Iehosaphat saide: Is there yet here neuer a prophete more of the Lordes,
that we myght aske of him?
7 And the king of
Israel
said vnto Iehosaphat: There is yet one man by who we may aske the Lorde: but I
hate him, for he neuer prophecieth me good, but alway euill, and the same is
Michea the sonne of Iemla. And Iehosaphat sayde, Let not the king say so.
8 And the king of
Israel
called one of his chamberlaynes, and sayde: Fetch hyther quickly Michea the
sonne of Iemla.
9 And the king of Israel and Iehosaphat king of Iuda, sate eyther of them on his
seate in their apparell, in a thresshing floore beside the gate of Samaria,
& al the prophetes prophecied before the.
10 And one Zedekia the sonne of Chanaana had made him hornes of iron, and sayde,
thus sayth the Lorde: With these thou shalt pushe
Syria
, vntill they be brought to naught.
11 And all the prophetes prophecied euen so, saying, Go vp to Ramoth [in]
Gilead
, & it shall prosper with thee: for the Lord shall deliuer it into the hand
of the king.
12 And the messenger that went to call Michea, spake to him, saying: Behold, the
wordes of the prophetes speake good to the king with one assent: let thy wordes
therefore I pray thee be like one of theirs, that thou speake that whiche is
pleasaunt.
13 And Michea sayde: As the Lorde liueth, euen what my God sayth, that wil I
speake.
14 And when he was come to the king, the king sayd vnto him: Michea, should we
go to Ramoth [in]
Gilead
to fight, or leaue of? And he sayd: Go vp, & al shalbe well, and they
shalbe deliuered into your hande.
15 And the king sayde to him: So and so many times do I charge thee that thou
say nothing but the trueth to me in the name of the Lorde.
16 Then he sayd: I did see all them of
Israel
scattered in the mountaynes, as sheepe that haue no sheephard: And the Lorde
sayde, These haue no maister, let them returne euery man therfore to his house
in peace.
17 And the king of
Israel
said vnto Iehosaphat: Did I not tel thee, that he would not prophecie good vnto
me, but euyll?
18 But he said againe, Therfore heare ye the word of the Lord: I saw the Lord
sit vpon his seate, and all the companie of heauen stoode on his right hande and
on his left.
19 And the Lord sayd: Who shall deceaue Ahab king of Israel, that he may go vp
and be ouerthrowne at Ramoth [in] Gilead? And one sayde this, another that.
20 And there came out a spirite, & stoode before the Lorde, and sayde: I
will deceaue him. And the Lorde sayde vnto him, Wherin?
21 And he sayde: I wil go out and be a lying spirite in the mouth of all his
prophetes. And the Lord sayd, Thou shalt deceaue him, and shalt preuayle: go
out, and do euen so.
22 And nowe therfore behold the Lorde hath put a lying spirite in the mouthes of
[all] these thy prophetes, and the Lord hath spoken euyll against thee.
23 And Zedekia the sonne of Chanaana went to, and smote Michea vpon the cheeke,
& sayde: By what way went the spirite of the Lorde from me, to speake with
thee?
24 And Michea sayd: Beholde, thou shalt see the day whe thou shalt go fro
chamber to chamber, for to hyde thy selfe.
25 And the king of
Israel
sayd: Take ye Michea, and bring him to Amon the gouerner of the citie, & to
Ioas the kinges sonne.
26 And ye shall say, thus sayth the king: Put this felowe in the prison house,
and feede him with bread of affliction and water of trouble, vntil I come againe
in peace.
27 And Michea said: If thou come againe in peace, then hath not the Lord spoken
by me. And he sayde: Hearken to ye people euery one of you.
28 And so the king of
Israel
and Iehosaphat the king of Iuda, went vp to Ramoth [in]
Gilead
.
29 And the king of
Israel
sayde vnto Iehosaphat, I must chaunge me when I go to the battell: but see that
thou haue thyne owne apparel vpon thee. And the king of
Israel
chaunged him selfe, and they came to the battel.
30 But the king of
Syria
had commaunded the captaynes of the charets that were with him, saying: See
that ye fight not against small or great, saue against the king of
Israel
only.
31 And when the captaynes of the charets saw Iehosaphat, they sayd, It is ye
king of
Israel
: And therfore they compassed about hym to fight. But Iehosaphat cried out, and
the Lord helped him, and God chased them away from him.
32 For it came to passe, that when the captaynes of the charets perceaued that
it was not the king of
Israel
, they turned backe againe from him.
33 And a certayne man drewe a bow with all his might, and smote the king of
Israel beweene the ioyntes of his habergin, and he sayde to his charetman: Turne
thyne hand, that thou mayst carie me out of the hoast, for I am wounded.
34 And the battel increased that day: Howbeit the king of
Israel
caused his charet to stand still against the Syrians vntill euen: And about the
time of the sunne goyng downe, he died.
CHAPTER
19
1 And Iehosaphat the king of Iuda came home againe in peace to Hierusalem.
2 And Iehu the sonne of Hanani the sear went out to meete him, and sayd to king
Iehosaphat: Wouldest thou helpe the vngodly, and loue them that hate the Lorde?
Therfore is wrath come downe vpon thee from before the Lorde:
3 Neuerthelesse, there are some good actes founde in thee, in that thou hast
hewen downe the groues out of the lande, and hast prepared thyne heart to seke
God.
4 And Iehosaphat dwelt at Hierusalem, and turned and went out to the people from
Beerseba to
mount
Ephraim
, and brought them againe vnto the Lorde God of their fathers.
5 And he set iudges in the lande throughout all the strong cities of Iuda, citie
by citie:
6 And sayde to the iudges, Take heede what ye do: for ye execute not the
iudgementes of man, but of God, whiche is with you in the iudgement.
7 Wherfore now let the feare of the Lord be vpon you, and take heede, & be
doyng [the thing that pleaseth hym] for there is no vnrighteousnes with the
Lorde our God, that he shoulde haue any respect of persons, or take rewardes.
8 Moreouer, in Hierusalem did Iehosaphat set of the Leuites, & of the
priestes, and of the auncient fathers, ouer
Israel
in the iudgement and cause of the Lord: And they returned againe to Hierusale.
9 And he charged them, saying, Thus shal ye do in the feare of the Lord
faythfully, and with a pure heart:
10 What cause soeuer come to you of your brethren that dwell in their cities,
betweene blood and blood, betweene lawe and commaundemet, betweene statutes and
ordinaunces: ye shall warne them that they trespasse not against ye Lorde, and
so wrath come vpon you and your brethren: Thus do, & ye shal not offende.
11 And beholde, Amaria the hie priest is among you in all matters of the Lorde,
and Zebadia the sonne of Ismael, a ruler of the house of Iuda for all the kinges
matters: There be officers of the Leuites also before you, Take courage to you
therfore, and be doyng [manfully] and the Lorde shalbe with such as be good.
CHAPTER
20
1 After this also, it fortuned that the children of
Moab
and the children Ammon, & with them other of the Ammonites came against
Iehosaphat to battell.
2 And there came some that told Iehosaphat, saying: There commeth a great
multitude against thee from the other side of the sea, and out of
Syria
, and behold they be in Hasason Thamar, which is Engadi.
3 And Iehosaphat feared, & set him selfe to seke the Lorde: and proclaymed
fasting throughout all Iuda.
4 And they that were in Iuda gathered the selues together to aske counsel of the
Lord: And they came out of al the cities of Iuda, to make intercession to ye
lord.
5 And Iehosaphat stoode betweene the congregation of Iuda & Hierusalem in
the house of ye Lord before the new court,
6 And sayd: O Lord God of our fathers, art not thou God in heauen, and raignest
not thou on all the kingdomes of the Heathen, and in thyne hande is power and
might, and there is no man that is able to withstande thee?
7 Art not thou our God, whiche diddest cast out the inhabiters of this lande
before thy people Israel, & gauest it to the seede of Abraham thy louer for
euer?
8 And they dwelt therin, and haue buylt thee a teple therin for thy name,
saying:
9 If euyll come vpon vs, as the sword of iudgement, pestilence or hunger: then,
if we stande before this house in thy presence (for thy name is in this house)
and crye vnto thee in our tribulation, heare thou, and helpe.
10 And nowe beholde the children of Ammon and Moab, and mount Seir, by whom thou
wouldest not let them of Israel go when they came out of the lande of Egypt, but
they departed from them, and destroyed them not:
11 See howe they rewarde vs, to come for to cast vs out of thy possession whiche
thou hast geuen vs to inherite.
12 O our God, wilt thou not iudge them? for we haue no might against this great
companie that commeth against vs: neither wote we what to do, but our eyes be
vnto thee.
13 And all Iuda stoode before the Lorde, with their young ones, their wiues, and
their children.
14 And there was Iahaziel the sonne of Zacharia, the sonne of Banaia, the sonne
of Iehiel, the sonne of Matthania, a Leuite, of the sonnes of Asaph, & vpon
hym came the spirite of the Lorde euen in the middes of the congregation:
15 And he sayd, Hearken all Iuda, and ye inhabiters of Hierusalem, and thou king
Iehosaphat, thus sayth the Lorde vnto you: Be not afrayd nor faynt hearted by
reason of this great multitude: for the battell is not yours, but Gods.
16 To morow go ye downe against them: behold they come vp by the clift of Ziz,
and ye shall finde them at the ende of the brooke before the wildernesse of
Ieruel
17 Ye shall not neede to fight in this battell: but steppe foorth and stand, and
beholde the helpe of the Lorde whiche is with you: feare not, nor let your
heartes fayle you O ye of Iuda and of Hierusalem: To morowe go out against them
for, the Lord wilbe with you.
18 And Iehosaphat bowed his face to the earth, and all Iuda and the inhabiters
of Hierusalem fel before the Lord, worshipping the Lorde.
19 And the Leuites of the children of the Caathites, & of the children of
the Corahites, stoode vp to prayse the Lorde God of
Israel
with a loud voyce on hie.
20 And when they arose early in the morning, they gat them out vnto the
wildernesse of Thekoa, and as they went out, Iehosaphat stoode and sayd, Heare
me O Iuda, and ye inhabiters of Hierusalem: Put your trust in the Lorde your
God, that ye may be founde faythfull: Geue credence to his prophetes, and so
shall ye prosper.
21 When he had consulted with the people, and set some to sing vnto the Lorde,
and to prayse him in the beautie of holinesse, and to go out before the armie,
and to say, Prayse the Lorde, for his mercie lasteth euer.
22 And when they began to shout and to prayse, the Lord layde ambushementes
against the children of
Ammon
,
Moab
, and
mount
Seir
, whiche were come against Iuda: And they were ouerthrowen with strokes among
theselues.
23 For the children of Ammon and
Moab
, rose against the inhabiters of
mount
Seir
, and they slue and destroyed them: And when they had made an end of the
inhabiters of Seir, euery one helped to destroy another among them selues.
24 And when Iuda came towarde Mispah in the wildernesse, they loked vnto the
multitude: and beholde, they were dead carcasses fallen to the earth, and none
escaped.
25 And when Iehosaphat and his people came to take away the spoyle of them, they
founde among them aboundaunce of goods, rayment, & pleasaunt iewels, which
they toke for them selues, more then they could cary away: so that they were
three dayes in gathering of the spoyle, it was so much.
26 And the fourth day they assembled in the valley of blessing, for there they
blessed the Lord: And therfore they called the name of the same place the valley
of blessing, vnto this day.
27 And so all the men of Iuda and Hierusale returned with Iehosaphat their head,
for to go againe to Hierusalem with gladnesse: for the Lord had made them to
reioyce ouer their enemies.
28 And they came to Hierusalem with psalters and harpes, & shawmes, euen
vnto the house of the Lorde.
29 And the feare of God fell on the kingdomes of all landes, when they had heard
that the Lorde fought against the enemies of
Israel
.
30 And so the realme of Iehosaphat was in tranquillitie, and his God gaue him
rest on euery side.
31 And Iehosaphat raigned vpon Iuda, and was thirtie & fiue yeres olde when
he began to raigne, & he raigned twentie and fiue yeres in Hierusalem: And
his mothers name was Azuba the daughter of Silhi.
32 And he walked in the way of Asa his father, and bowed not therfrom, doyng
that which was right in the sight of the Lorde.
33 Howbeit the high places were not taken away: for the people had not yet
prepared their heartes vnto the God of their fathers.
34 The rest of the actes of Iehosaphat first and last, behold they are written
among the sayinges of Iehu the sonne of Hanani, which noted them in the booke of
the kinges of
Israel
.
35 After this did Iehosaphat king of Iuda ioyne himselfe with Ahaziahu king of
Israel
, whose mind was to do wickedly.
36 He coupled him selfe with him, to make shippes to go to Tharsis: And they
made the shippes in Ezion Gaber.
37 And Eliezer the sonne of Dodauah of Maresa prophesied against Iehosaphat,
saying: Because thou hast ioyned thy selfe with Ahaziahu, ye lord hath broken
thy workes. And the shippes were broke that they were not able to go to Tharsis.
CHAPTER
21
1 Iehosaphat also slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the
citie of Dauid: and Iehoram his sonne raigned in his steade.
2 And he had brethren whiche were the sonnes of Iehosaphat, Azaria, Iehiel,
Zacharia, Azariahu, Michael, and Sephatiahu: All these are the sonnes of
Iehosaphat king of Iuda.
3 And their father gaue the many great giftes of gold and siluer, and other
speciall substaunce, with strong cities in Iuda: but the kingdome gaue he to
Iehoram, for he was the eldest.
4 And Iehoram rose vp against the kingdome of his father, and preuayled, and
slue all his brethren with the sworde, and diuers of the lordes of
Israel
.
5 Iehoram was thirtie and two yeres olde when he began to raigne, and he raigned
eyght yeres in Hierusalem.
6 And he walked in the way of the kinges of
Israel
, like as dyd the house of Ahab, for he had the daughter of Ahab to wife: and he
wrought euyll in the eyes of the Lorde.
7 Howbeit the Lord woulde not destroy the house of Dauid, because of the
couenaunt that he had made with Dauid, as he promised to geue a light to hym and
to his sonnes for euer.
8 In his dayes the Edomites rebelled when they were vnder the dominion of Iuda,
and made them selues a king.
9 And Iehoram went foorth with his lordes, and all his charets were with him:
and he rose vp by night, and smote the Edomites, which compassed him in, and the
captaynes of the charets.
10 But
Edom
rebelled still, so that they woulde not be vnder the hande of Iuda vnto this
day: That same time also dyd Libna depart from being vnder his hande, because he
had forsaken the Lord God of his fathers.
11 Moreouer, he made high places in the mountaynes of Iuda, & caused the
inhabiters of Hierusalem to commit fornication, and prouoked Iuda [to idolatrie.]
12 And there came a writing to him from Elia the prophete, saying, Thus sayth
the Lord God of Dauid thy father: Because thou hast not walked in the wayes of
Iehosaphat thy father, and in the wayes of Asa king of Iuda:
13 But walkedst in the wayes of the kinges of Israel, and hast made Iuda and the
dwellers of Hierusalem to go a whoring like to the whordome of the house of
Ahab, and hast slayne thy brethren, euen thy fathers house, whiche were better
then thou:
14 Beholde, with a great plague will the Lorde smite thy folke, thy children,
thy wyues, and all thy goods:
15 And thou shalt suffer great payne, euen a disease of thy bowels, vntill thy
guttes fall out, by reason of thy sicknes day by day.
16 And so the Lorde stirred vp against Iehoram the spirite of the Philistines,
and the Arabians that were besyde the blacke
Moores
.
17 And they came vp into Iuda, and wasted it, & caried away all the
substaunce that was found in the kinges house, and his sonnes, and his wyues: so
that there was neuer a sonne left hym, saue Iehohahaz, which was the youngest
among his sonnes.
18 And after all these thinges, the Lorde smote him in his bowels with an
incurable disease.
19 And it came to passe, that in processe of time, euen after the ende of two
yeres, his guttes fell out in his sicknes, and so he died of very euyll
diseases: And they made no burning for him, lyke the burning of his fathers.
20 When he began to raigne he was thirtie and two yeres olde, and raigned in
Hierusalem eyght yeres, and liued wretchedly: howebeit they buried him in the
citie of Dauid, but not among the sepulchres of the kinges.
CHAPTER
22
1 And the inhabiters of Hierusalem made Ahaziahu his young sonne king in his
stead: For the men of warre that came with the hoast of the Arabians, had slayne
all his eldest sonnes: And so Ahaziahu the sonne of Iehoram king of Iuda was
made king.
2 Two & fourtie yeres old was he when he began to raigne, and he raigned one
yere in Hierusalem: His mothers name was Athaliahu, the daughter of Amri.
3 And he walked also in the wayes of the house of Ahab: for his mother by her
counsel enticed him to do wickedly.
4 Wherfore he dyd that which was euyll in the sight of the Lord, as dyd they
that were of the house of Ahab: for they were his counselers after the death of
his father, to his destruction.
5 And he walked after their counsel, and went with Iehoram sonne of Ahab king of
Israel
, to fight against Hazael king of
Syria
at Ramoth [in]
Gilead
: and the Syrians smote Iehoram.
6 And he returned to be healed in Iezrahel, of the woundes whiche were geuen him
at Rama, whe he fought with Hazael king of
Syria
: and Ahaziahu the sonne of Iehoram king of Iuda, went downe to see Iehoram the
sonne of Ahab at Iezrahel, because he was diseased.
7 At it came of God that Ahaziahu shoulde be dispised for his comming to Iehoram:
for when he was come, he went out with Iehoram against Iehu the sonne of Nimsi,
whom ye Lord had annointed to destroy the house of Ahab.
8 And so it came to passe, that when Iehu was executing iustice vpon the house
of Ahab, and had founde the lordes of Iuda and the sonnes of the brethren of
Ahaziahu that wayted on Ahaziahu, he slue them.
9 And he sought Ahaziahu: & they caught him where he was hid in
Samaria
, and brought him to Iehu, and when they had slayne him, they buried him:
because said they, he is the sonne of Iehosaphat, whiche sought the Lorde with
all his heart: And the house of Ahaziahu had no powre to kepe still the kingdome.
10 But when Athaliahu the mother of Ahaziahu sawe that her sonne was dead, she
arose and destroyed all the kinges seede in the kinred of the house of Iuda.
11 And Iehosabeth the daughter of the king, toke Ioas the sonne of Ahaziahu, and
stale him from among the kinges sonnes that were slayne, & put him and his
nurse in a priuie chamber: and so Iehosabeth the daughter of king Iehoram the
wyfe of Iehoiada the priest, and the sister of Ahaziahu hid him from Athaliahu,
that he was not slayne.
12 And so he was with them hyd in the house of God sixe yeres: and Athaliahu
raigned ouer the lande.
CHAPTER
23
1 And in the seuenth yere Iehoiada beyng bolde, toke the captaynes of hundredes,
Azariah the sonne of Iehoram, & Ismael the sonne of Iehohanan, Azariahu the
sonne of Obed, Maasiahu the sonne of Adaiahu, & Elisaphat the sonne of
Zichri, & made a bonde with them.
2 And they went about in Iuda, and gathered the Leuites out of all the cities of
Iuda, & the auncient fathers of
Israel
, and they came to Hierusalem.
3 And all the congregation made a bonde with the king in the house of God, and
he sayd vnto them: Beholde, the kinges sonne must raigne, as the Lorde hath
sayde of the children of Dauid.
4 This is it therfore that ye shal do: The thirde part of you shall on the
Sabbath come to the priestes, Leuites, & kepers of the porches,
5 And another thirde part shalbe by the kinges house, and another thirde part
shalbe at the gate of the foundation: and al the people shalbe in the courtes of
the house of the Lorde.
6 But there shal none come into the house of the Lorde, saue the priestes and
they that minister vnto the Leuites, they shall go in, for they are holy: but
all the people shal kepe the watch of the Lord.
7 And the Leuites shall compasse the king round about, and euery man shall haue
his weapon in his hand: and what other man soeuer doth come into the house [of
the Lorde] he shalbe slayne: and let them be with the king when he commeth in
and when he goeth out.
8 And the Leuites and all Iuda dyd according to al thinges that Iehoiada the
priest had commaunded, and toke euery man his men that came in on the Sabbath,
with them that went out on the Sabbath day: neither did Iehoiada the priest let
the companies depart.
9 And Iehoiada the priest deliuered to the captaynes of hundredes, speares,
shieldes, and bucklers, that had parteyned to king Dauid, and were in the house
of God.
10 And he set all the people (euery man hauing his weapon in his hande) from the
right side of the temple to the lift side of the temple, along by the aulter and
the temple, rounde about the king.
11 And they brought out the kinges sonne, and put vpon him the crowne, and the
testimonie, and made him king: and Iehoiada and his sonnes annoynted him, and
sayde, God saue the king.
12 When Athaliahu hearde the noyse of the people running, and praysing the king,
she came to the people into the house of the Lorde.
13 And she loked, and beholde the king stoode in his place at the entring in,
and the lordes and the trumpettes were by the king, and all the people of the
lande reioysed, blowing with trumpets, and the singers were with instrumentes of
musicke, and such as could sing prayse: But Athaliahu rent her clothes, and
sayde, Treason, treason.
14 And Iehoiada the priest went out to the captaynes of hundredes that were
gouernours of the hoast, and sayde vnto them, Haue her foorth of the ranges:
& whoso foloweth her, let him be slayne with the sword. For the priest sayd,
that they should not slay her in the house of the Lorde.
15 And they layde handes on her till she was come to the entring of the horse
gate beside the kinges house, and there they slue her.
16 And Iehoiada made a bond betweene him and al the people and the king, that
they shoulde be the Lordes people.
17 And all the people went to the house of Baal, and destroyed it, and brake his
aulters and his images, and slue Mathan the priest of Baal before the aulters.
18 And Iehoiada put the officers for the house of the Lord, vnder the hand of
the priestes and Leuites, as Dauid had distributed them in the house of the
Lord, to offer burnt offeringes vnto the Lord, as it is written in the lawe of
Moyses, with reioysing and singing, as it was ordeyned by Dauid.
19 And he set porters by the gates of the house of the Lord, that none which was
vncleane in any thing shoulde enter in.
20 And he toke the captaynes of hundredes, and all the nobles, and the
gouernours of the people, and al the folke of the lande, and caused the king to
come downe out of the house of the Lorde, and they came through the hye gate
into the kinges house, & set the king vpon the seate of the kingdome.
21 And all the people of the land reioysed, and the citie was in tranquilitie
after that they had slayne Athaliahu with the sworde.
CHAPTER
24
1 Ioas was seuen yeres olde when he began to raigne, & he raigned fourtie
yeres in Hierusalem: His mothers name also was Zibia of Beerseba.
2 And Ioas dyd that whiche was right in the sight of the Lorde all the dayes of
Iehoiada the priest.
3 And Iehoiada toke him two wyues, and he begat sonnes and daughters.
4 And it chaunced after this, that Ioas was minded to renue the house of the
Lorde.
5 And he gathered together the priestes and the Leuites, and sayde to them: Go
out vnto the cities of Iuda, and gather of all
Israel
money to repaire the house of your God from yere to yere, and see that ye haste
the thing: Howebeit the Leuites were slacke.
6 And the king called Iehoiada that was the chiefest, & sayd vnto him: Why
requirest thou not of the Leuites to bring in out of Iuda and Hierusalem the
collection of money, according to the commaundement of Moyses the seruaunt of
the Lorde, and of the congregation of Israel for the tabernacle of witnesse?
7 For wicked Athaliahu and her children brake vp the house of God, and all the
thinges that were dedicate for the house of the lord, did they bestow for Baalim.
8 And at the kinges commaundement they made a chest, and set it without at the
gate of the house of the Lorde:
9 And made a proclamation through Iuda & Hierusalem, to bring in to the Lord
the taxation of money that Moyses the seruaunt of God set vpon Israel in the
wildernesse.
10 And the lordes and al the people reioysed, and brought in, & cast into
the chest vntill it was full.
11 And it fortuned, that at the same time they brought in the chest vnto them
whiche were in the kinges businesse by the hand of the Leuites, and when they
sawe that there was much money, the kinges scribe, and one appoynted by the hye
priest, came, and emptied the chest, and toke it, and caried it to his place
agayne. Thus they dyd day by day, and gathered much money.
12 And the king and Iehoiada gaue it to such as dyd the labour and worke in the
house of the Lorde, and hired masons and carpenters to repaire the house of the
Lorde, and so dyd they artificers in iron and brasse to mende the house of the
Lorde.
13 And so the workmen wrought, and the worke mended through their handes: and
they made the house of God as it ought to be, and strengthed it.
14 And when they had finished it, they brought the rest of the money before the
king and Iehoiada, and therwith were made vessels for the house of the Lorde,
euen vessels to minister withall, [and to serue for burnt offringes] chargers
and spoones, vessels of golde and siluer: And they offered burnt offringes in
the house of the Lord continually all the dayes of Iehoiada.
15 But Iehoiada waxed olde, and dyed full of dayes: for an hundred and thirtie
yeres olde was he when he died.
16 And they buried him in the citie of Dauid among the kinges, because he dealt
well with
Israel
, and with God and with his house.
17 And after the death of Iehoiada, came the lordes of Iuda and made obeysaunce
to the king: And the king hearkened vnto them.
18 And so they left the house of the Lorde God of their fathers, and serued
groues and idoles, and then came the wrath of God vpon Iuda and Hierusalem for
this their trespaces sake.
19 And he sent prophetes to them, to bring the againe vnto the Lord, & they
testified vnto them: but they woulde not heare.
20 And the spirite of God came vpon Zacharia the sonne of Iehoiada the priest,
which stoode by the people, and sayd vnto them, thus sayth God: Why transgresse
ye the commaundementes of the Lorde, that ye can not prosper? For because ye
haue forsaken the Lord, he also hath forsaken you.
21 And they conspired against him, and stoned him with stones at the
commaundement of the king, euen in the court of the house of the Lorde.
22 And so Ioas the king remembred not ye kindnesse whiche Iehoiada his father
had done to him, but slue his sonne: And when he died, he sayde, The Lorde loke
vpon it, and require it.
23 And when the yere was out, it fortuned that the hoast of Syria came vp
against him, and they came against Iuda and Hierusalem, and destroyed all the
lordes of the people from among the people, and sent all the spoyle of them vnto
the king to Damascon.
24 For the Syrians came with a small companie of men, and the Lorde deliuered a
verie great hoast into their hande, because they had forsaken the Lord God of
their fathers: And they gaue sentence against Ioas.
25 And when they were departed from him, they left him in great diseases: and
his owne seruauntes conspired against him for the blood of the children of
Iehoiada the priest, and slue hym on his bed, and he died: and they buried him
in the citie of Dauid, but not in the sepulchres of the kinges.
26 And these are they that conspired against him: Zabad the sonne of Simeath an
Ammonite, & Iehosabad the sonne of Simrith a Moabite.
27 And his sonnes, & the summe of the taxe that was raysed in his time, and
the repairing of the house of God, beholde they are written in the storie of the
booke of the kinges: and Amaziahu his sonne raigned in his steade.
CHAPTER
25
1 Amaziahu was twentie and fiue yeres olde when he began to raigne, and he
raigned twentie and nine yeres in Hierusale: His mothers name was Iehoadan, of
Hierusalem.
2 And he dyd that which is right in the sight of the Lorde, but not with a
perfect heart.
3 And assoone as he was setled in the kingdome, he slue his seruauntes that had
killed the king his father.
4 But he slue not their children, because it is written thus in the lawe and
booke of Moyses, where the Lorde commaunded, saying: The fathers shall not dye
for the children, neither shall the children dye for the fathers, but euery man
shall dye for his owne sinne.
5 And Amaziahu gathered Iuda together, and made them captaynes ouer thousandes
and ouer hundredes, according to the houses of their fathers throughout all Iuda
and Beniamin: And he numbred them from twentie yeres olde and aboue, and found
among them three hundred thousande chosen men, able to go to battell, and that
could handle speare and shield.
6 He hired also an hundred thousande strong fighting men out of
Israel
for an hundred talentes of siluer.
7 And there came a man of God to him, and sayde, O king, let not the armie of
Israel
come with thee: for the Lorde is not with
Israel
, [to wit] with al the children of Ephraim.
8 But if thou wilt needes [be saytlesse:] come on, and take the battell in hande,
and God shall make thee fall before the enemie: For God hath power to helpe, and
to cast downe.
9 And Amaziahu saide to the man of God: What shal we do then for the hundred
talentes which I haue geuen for the hoast of
Israel
? The man of God aunswered: The Lorde is able to geue thee much more then they
be.
10 And Amaziahu separated them, [to wit] the armie that was come to him out of
Ephraim, to go home againe: Wherefore they were exceeding wroth with Iuda, &
returned home in great anger.
11 And Amaziahu toke heart, and caried out his people, and went to the salt
valley, and smote of the children of Seir ten thousand.
12 And other ten thousand did the children of Iuda take alyue, & caried them
vnto the top of a rocke, and cast them downe from the top of the rocke, that
they all to burst.
13 But the souldiers of the armie which Amaziahu sent away that they should not
go with his people to battaile, fell vpon the cities of Iuda from Samaria vnto
Bethron, and smote three thousand of them, and toke much spoyle.
14 And it chaunced after that Amaziahu was come from the slaughter of the
Edomites, he brought the gods of the children of Seir, and set them vp to be his
gods, and bowed him selfe before them, and burned incense vnto them.
15 Wherfore the Lorde was wroth with Amaziahu, & sent vnto him a prophete,
which saide vnto him: Why hast thou sought the gods of the people which were not
able to delyuer their owne people out of thyne hande?
16 And it chaunced, that as ye prophete talked with him, the king saide vnto
him: Haue men made thee of the kinges counsel: Ceasse, why wylt thou be beaten?
And the prophete ceassed, and said: I am sure that God is minded to destroy
thee, because thou hast done this, and agreest not vnto my counsell.
17 Then Amaziahu king of Iuda toke aduise, and sent to Ioas the sonne of
Iehoahaz the sonne of Iehu king of
Israel
, and said: Come, that we way see either other.
18 And Ioas king of
Israel
sent to Amaziahu king of Iuda, saying: A thistle that is in Libanon, sent to a
Cedar tree of Libanon, saying, Geue thy daughter to my sonne to wyfe: And there
came a wylde beast of Libanon, and trode downe the thistle.
19 Thou sayest: Loe, thou hast smitten the Edomites, & thyne heart maketh
thee proude to glorifie thy selfe: Now therefore byde at home, why doest thou
prouoke vnto euyll, that thou mayest perishe, both thou and Iuda with thee?
20 But Amaziahu woulde not hearken to him: for it came of God, euen to delyuer
them into the hande of their enemies, because they sought counsell at the gods
of
Edom
.
21 And so Ioas the king of
Israel
came vp, and they sawe either other both he and Amaziahu king of Iuda, at
Bethsames which is in Iuda.
22 And Iuda was put to the worse before
Israel
, and they fled euery man to his tent.
23 And Ioas the king of Israel toke Amaziahu king of Iuda the sonne of Ioas the
sonne of Iehoahaz at Bethsames, and brought him to Hierusalem, and tare the wall
of Hierusalem (from the gate of Ephraim, vnto the gate that was ouer against it)
foure hundred cubites.
24 And he toke away also all the golde and siluer, and all the iewels that were
founde in the house of God with Obed Edom, and the treasures of the kinges
house, and the young wardes, and returned to Samaria.
25 And Amaziahu the sonne of Ioas king of Iuda, lyued after the death of Ioas
sonne of Iehoahaz king of
Israel
fifteene yere.
26 The rest of the actes of Amaziahu first and last, are they not written in the
booke of the kinges of Iuda and
Israel
.
27 And after the time that Amaziahu did turne away from the Lorde, they
conspired treason against him in Hierusalem: and when he was fled to Lachis,
they sent to Lachis after him, and slue him there:
28 And brought him vp with horses, and buryed him with his fathers in the citie
of Iuda.
CHAPTER
26
1 Then all the people of Iuda toke Uzzia, which was sixteene yeres olde, &
made him king in the roome of his father Amaziahu.
2 And he built Eloth, and brought it againe to Iuda, after that the king was
layde to sleepe with his fathers.
3 Sixteene yeres olde was Uzzia when he began to raigne, and he raigned fiftie
and two yeres in Hierusalem: His mothers name also was Iecholia, of Hierusalem.
4 And he did that which was right in the sight of the Lorde, according to all as
did his father Amaziahu.
5 And [it came to passe that] he sought God in the dayes of Zachariahu, who had
vnderstanding in the visions of God: And as long as he sought the Lorde, God
made him to prosper.
6 And he went to battaile against the Philistines, and brake downe the wall of
Geth, and the wall of Iabne, and the wall of Asdod, & built cities about
Asdod and among the Philistines.
7 And God holpe him against the Philistines and against the Arabians that dwelt
in Gur baal and Hamehunim.
8 And the Ammonites gaue tribute to Uzzia, & his name spread abrode euen to
the entring in of
Egypt
: for he played the man exceedingly.
9 Moreouer, Uzzia built towres in Hierusalem by the corner gate, and by the
valley gate, and at the turning of the wall, and made them strong.
10 And he built towres in the wildernesse, and digged many welles: For he had
much cattaile in the valleyes & playnes, plowmen and vinedressers in the
mountaines and in Charmel: for he loued husbandry.
11 And Uzzia had an hoast of fighting men, that went out to warre in the armie,
according to the number of their office, vnder the hande of Ieiel the scribe,
and Maasiahu the ruler, and vnder the hand of Hananiahu, which was one of the
kinges lordes.
12 And the whole number of the auncient fathers and of the men of might, were
two thousand and sixe hundred.
13 And vnder the hand of them was the armie of the men of warre, euen three
hundred and seuen thousand, and fiue hundred that made warre with the power of
an armie, helping the king against the enemies.
14 And Uzzia prouided them throughout all the hoast, shieldes, speares, helmets,
haberginnes, bowes, and slinges for to cast stones.
15 And he made subtyll engins in Hierusalem, which he inuented and layed on the
towres and corners, to shoote arrowes and great stones withall: And his name
spread farre abrode, because he had prepared to him selfe marueylous strength.
16 But in his strength his heart arose to his destruction: For he transgressed
against the Lorde his God, and went into the temple of the Lorde to burne
incense vpon the aulter of incense.
17 And Azariahu the priest went in after him, and with him fourescore priestes
of the Lorde, that were valiaunt men:
18 And they stoode by Uzzia the king, and saide vnto him: It parteyneth not to
thee Uzzia to burne incense vnto the Lorde, but to the priestes the children of
Aaron, that are consecrated for to offer incense: Come therfore out of the
sanctuary, for thou hast trespassed, and it is no worship to thee before the
Lorde God.
19 And Uzzia was wroth, & had incense in his hande to burne it, and so while
he had indignation against the priestes, the leprosie sprang in his forehead
before the priestes in the house of the Lorde, euen beside the incense aulter.
20 And Azariahu the chiefe priest, with al the other priestes, loked vpon him,
and beholde he was become a leaper in his forehead, and they vexed him thence:
and he was fayne to go out, because the Lorde had smytten him.
21 And Uzzia the king continued a leper vnto the day of his death, & dwelt
seuerall in an house being a leper and shut out of the house of the Lorde: and
Iotham his sonne had the gouernauce of the kinges house, and iudged the people
of the lande.
22 The rest of the actes of Uzzia first and last, did Isai the prophete the
sonne of Amos write.
23 And so Uzzia slept with his fathers, and they buried him with his fathers in
the fielde of the buriall which was beside the sepulchres of the kinges: for
they saide, he is a leper: And Iotham his sonne raigned in his steade.
CHAPTER
27
1 Iotham was fiue and twentie yeres olde when he began to raigne, and he raigned
sixteene yeres in Hierusalem: His mothers name also was Ierusa, the daughter of
Zadoc.
2 And he did that which was right in the sight of the Lorde, in all poyntes as
did his father Uzzia, saue that he came not into the temple of the Lorde: and
the people did yet wickedly.
3 He built the hie gate of the temple of the Lorde, and on the wall (where the
house of ordinauce was) he built much.
4 Moreouer, he built cities in the mountaines of Iuda, and in the wood countrey
he built castels and towres.
5 He fought with the king of the children of Ammon, and preuailed against them:
And the children of Ammon gaue him the same yere an hundred talentes of siluer,
& ten thousand quarters of wheate, and ten thousand of barlye: So much did
the children of Ammon geue him the second yere, and the third also.
6 So Iotham became mightie, because he directed his way before the Lorde his
God.
7 The rest of the actes of Iotham, and all his warres, & his conuersation,
loe they are written in the booke of the kinges of
Israel
and Iuda.
8 He was twentie and fiue yeres olde when he began to raigne, and raigned
sixteene yeres in Hierusalem.
9 And Iotham slept with his fathers, and they buryed him in the citie of Dauid:
and Ahaz his sonne raigned in his steade.
CHAPTER
28
1 Ahaz was twentie yeres olde when he began to raigne, and raigned sixteene
yeres in Hierusalem, and he did not that which is right in the sight of the
Lorde, as did his father Dauid:
2 For he walked in the wayes of the kinges of Israel, & made moulten images
for Baalim.
3 He offered incense in the valley of the sonne of Hinnon, and burnt his
children in fire, after the abhominations of the heathen whom the Lorde cast out
before the children of
Israel
.
4 He offered also and burnt incense in the high places, and on mountaynes, and
vnder euery greene tree.
5 Wherefore the Lorde his God delyuered him into the hande of the king of the
Syrians, which beat him, and caryed away a great multitude of his captiue, and
brought them to Damascon: And he was deliuered into the hand of the king of
Israel
, which smote him with a great slaughter.
6 For Pekah the sonne of Remaliahu slue in Iuda an hundred and twentie thousand
in one day, which were all fighting men: and that because they had forsaken the
Lord God of their fathers.
7 And Zichri a mightie man of Ephraim slue Maasiahu the kinges sonne, and
Africa
the gouernour of the house, and Elcana that was next to the king.
8 And the children of
Israel
toke prisoners of their brethren two hundred thousand women, sonnes, and
daughters, and caryed away much spoyle of them, and brought the spoyle to
Samaria
.
9 But there was a prophet of the Lordes, whose name was Obed: and he went out
before the hoast that came to
Samaria
, & saide vnto them: Beholde, because the Lorde God of your fathers is wroth
with Iuda, he hath deliuered them into your hande, and ye haue slaine them with
cruelnesse, that reacheth vp to heauen.
10 And nowe ye purpose to keepe vnder the children of Iuda and Hierusalem, and
to make them bondmen and bondwomen: And do ye not lade your selues with sinne in
the sight of the Lord your God?
11 Now heare me therefore, and deliuer the captiues againe which ye haue taken
of your brethren: for els shall the great wrath of God be vpon you.
12 Wherfore certayne of the heads of the children of Ephraim, as Azariahu the
sonne of Iehohanan, Berechiahu the sonne of Mesillemoth, and Iehezkiahu the
sonne of Sallum, & Amasa the sonne of Hadlai, stoode vp against them that
came from the warre,
13 And saide vnto them, Bryng not in the captiues hither: for where as we haue
offended toward God alredy, ye entende to adde more to our sinnes and trespasse:
For our trespasse is great alredie, and there is a fierce wrath against Israel.
14 And vpon that, the men of armes left the captiues and the spoyle before the
lordes and all the congregation:
15 And the men that were now rehearsed by name, rose vp, and toke the prisoners,
and with the spoyle clothed all that were naked among them, & arayed them,
& shoed them, and gaue them to eate and to drinke, and annoynted them, and
carryed al that were feeble of them vpon asses, & brought them to Iericho
the citie of Paulme trees, to their brethren: and then they returned to Samaria
againe.
16 At that same time did king Ahaz send vnto the kinges of the Assyrians, to
haue helpe of them.
17 And the Edomites came againe, and slue some of Iuda, and caryed away captiues.
18 And the Philistines inuaded the cities in the lowe countrey, and toward the
south of Iuda: and toke Bethsames, and Aialon, and Gederoth, and Socho with the
townes longing thereto, and Thimna with the townes of the same, Gimso and the
townes thereof, and dwelt there.
19 For the Lorde brought Iuda lowe, because of Ahaz king of Iuda, which made
Iuda naked, & transgressed sore against the Lorde.
20 And Thilgath Pilneser king of the Assyrians came vpon him, and troubled him
rather then strengthed him.
21 For Ahaz toke away a portion out of the house of the Lorde, and out of the
kinges house, and out of the lordes houses, and gaue vnto the king of the
Assyrians: and yet it helped him not.
22 And in the very time of his tribulation, did king Ahaz trespasse yet more
against the Lorde.
23 For he offered vnto the gods of them of Damascon, which beat him: and he sayd,
Because the gods of the kinges of
Syria
helpe them, therefore wyll I offer to them, that they may helpe me also: But
they were his destruction, and the destruction of all
Israel
.
24 And Ahaz gathered together the vessels of the house of God, & brake them,
and shut vp the doores of the house of the Lorde, and made him aulters in euery
corner of Hierusalem.
25 And in all the cities of Iuda he made high places to burne incense vnto other
gods, and angred the Lorde God of his fathers.
26 The rest of his actes, and his workes first and last, beholde they are
written in the booke of the kinges of Iuda and
Israel
.
27 And Ahaz slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the citie of
Hierusalem: but brought him not vnto the sepulchres of the kinges of
Israel
: and Hezekia his sonne raigned in his steade.
CHAPTER
29
1 Hezekia began to raigne when he was fiue and twentie yeres olde, and he
raigned nine & twentie yeres in Hierusalem: And his mothers name was Abia,
the daughter of Zachariahu.
2 And he did that which was right in the sight of the Lorde, in all poyntes as
did Dauid his father.
3 He opened the doores of the house of the Lorde in the first yere and first
moneth of his raigne, and repaired them.
4 And he brought in the priestes and the Leuites, and gathered them together
into the east streate,
5 And saide vnto them: Heare me ye Leuites, and now be sanctified and halow the
house of the Lorde God of your fathers, bring filthynesse out of the holy place.
6 For our fathers haue trespassed, and done euill in the eyes of the Lorde our
God, and haue forsaken him, and turned away their faces from the habitation of
the Lord, and turned their backes on it.
7 And beside that, they haue shut vp the doores of the porche, and quenched the
lampes, and haue neither burnt incense, nor offered burnt offringes in the holy
place vnto the God of Israel.
8 Wherefore the wrath of the Lorde fell on Iuda & Hierusalem, and he hath
brought them to trouble to be wondred on, & to be hissed at, euen as ye see
with your eyes.
9 For loe, our fathers were ouerthrowen with the sword, and our sonnes, our
daughters, and our wyues were caried away captiue for the same cause.
10 And now it is in myne heart to make a couenaunt with the Lord God of Israel,
that he may turne away his heauy indignation from vs.
11 Now therefore my sonnes, be not negligent: for the Lorde hath chosen you to
stande before him, and for to minister and serue him, and to burne incense.
12 Then the Leuites arose, Mahath the sonne of Amasai, and Ioel the sonne of
Azariahu of the children of the Caathites: And of the sonnes of Merari, Cis the
sonne of Abdi, and Azariahu the sonne of Iahalelel: And of ye sonnes of the
Gersonites, Ioah the sonne of Simma, and Eden the sonne of Ioah:
13 And of the sonnes of Elizaphan, Simri and Iehiel: And of the sonnes of Asaph,
Zechariahu and Matthaniahu:
14 And of the sonnes of Heman, Iehiel, and Simei: And of the sonnes of Ieduthun,
Semaia and Uzziel.
15 And they gathered their brethren, and purified them selues, and came
according to the commaundement of the king and the wordes of the Lord for to
clense the house of the Lorde:
16 And the priestes went into the inner partes of the house of the Lord to
clense it, and brought out all the vnclennesse that they founde in the temple of
the Lorde, into the court of the house of the Lorde: And the Leuites toke it, to
cary it out into the brooke Cedron.
17 They began the first day of the first moneth to purifie, and the eyght day of
the moneth came they to the porche of the Lorde: So they sanctified the house of
the Lorde in eyght dayes, and in the sixteenth day of the first moneth they made
an end.
18 And they went in to Hezekia the king, and saide: We haue clensed all the
house of the Lorde, the aulter of burnt offring with all his vessels, and the
shew bread table with all his apparell:
19 And all the vessels which king Ahaz did cast aside, when he raigned, &
transgressed, them we haue prepared and sanctified, and beholde they are before
the aulter of the Lorde.
20 And Hezekia the king rose earlye, and gathered the lordes of the citie, and
went vp to the house of the Lorde.
21 And they brought seuen oxen, seuen rammes, seuen sheepe, and seuen hee goates,
to be a sinne offring for the kingdome, for the sanctuary, and for Iuda: And he
commaunded the priestes the sonnes of Aaron, to offer them on the aulter of the
Lorde.
22 And they slue the oxen, and the priestes receaued the blood and sprinckled it
on the aulter: likewyse when they had slaine the rammes, they sprinckled the
blood vpon the aulter: They slue also the sheepe, and they sprinckled the blood
vpon the aulter.
23 And then they brought foorth the hee goates for the sinne offering before the
king and the congregation, & put their handes vpon them.
24 And the priestes slue them, and with the blood of them they clensed the
aulter, to make satisfaction for all
Israel
: for the king comaunded that the burnt offering and the sinne offering shoulde
be made for all
Israel
.
25 And set the Leuites in the house of the Lorde with cymbales, psalteries, and
harpes, according to the commaundement of Dauid and of Gad the kinges sear, and
Nathan the prophete: For so was the commaundement of the Lord through the hande
of his prophetes.
26 And the Leuites stoode, hauing the instrumentes of Dauid: and the priestes
helde the trumpettes.
27 And Hezekia commaunded to offer the burnt offring vpon the aulter: And when
the burnt offring began, the song of the Lorde began also, and the trumpettes,
with the instrumentes that were ordayned by the hand of Dauid king of
Israel
.
28 And all the congregation worshipped, singing a song, and blowyng with the
trumpettes, and all this [continued] vntill the burnt offring was finished.
29 And when they had made an end of offering, the king and all that were present
with him, bowed them selues, and worshipped.
30 And Hezekia the king and the lordes, spake to the Leuites to prayse the Lord
with the wordes of Dauid & of Asaph the sear: And they sang prayses with
gladnesse, and the other bowed them selues, and worshipped.
31 And Hezekia aunswered, and saide: Now ye haue consecrated your handes to the
Lorde: go to therefore, and bryng the sacrifices and thanke offeringes into the
house of the Lorde. And the congregation brought in the sacrifices & thank
offeringes, and burnt offringes, as many as were of a free liberall heart.
32 And the number of the burnt offringes which the congregation brought, was
threescore and ten oxen, an hundred rammes, & two hundred sheepe: which were
all for the burnt offering of the Lorde.
33 And there were dedicated sixe hundred oxen, and three thousand sheepe.
34 And the priestes were to fewe to flay al the burnt offringes: but their
brethren the Leuites did helpe them, till they had ended the worke, & vntil
the priestes were sanctified: For the Leuites were purer hearted to be
sanctified, then the priestes.
35 And therto ye burnt offringes were many, with the fat of the peaceoffringes,
& the drinke offringes, that belong to the burnt offring: And so the seruice
parteyning to the house of the Lorde, was finished.
36 And Hezekia reioyced, and all the people, that God had made the folke so
readie, & that the thing was so soone done.
CHAPTER
30
1 And Hezekia sent to all
Israel
and Iuda, and wrote letters to Ephraim and Manasse, that they shoulde come to
the house of the lorde at Hierusalem, and offer passouer vnto the Lorde God of
Israel.
2 And the king helde a counsell with his lordes, and all the congregation of
Hierusalem, to kepe the feast of passouer in the second moneth:
3 For they coulde not kepe it at that time, because the priestes were not
sanctified sufficiently, neither was the people gathered together to Hierusalem.
4 And the thing pleased the king and all the congregation.
5 And they decreed that it shoulde be proclaymed throughout all
Israel
from Beerseba to Dan, that they shoulde come & holde the feast of Passouer
vnto the Lord God of
Israel
at Hierusalem: For they had not done it of a great season, as it was written.
6 So the postes went with letters of the king and of his lordes throughout all
Israel & Iuda, and at the commaundement of the king they sayde: Ye children
of Israel, turne againe vnto the Lorde God of Abraham, Isahac, and Israel, and
he wyll returne to the remnaunt that are escaped of you out of the hande of the
kinges of the Assyrians.
7 And be not ye lyke your fathers and your brethren, which trespassed against
the Lorde God of their fathers, which gaue them vp to be destroyed, as ye see.
8 And now be not ye stiffe necked lyke as were your fathers: but yeelde your
selues vnto the Lord, and enter into his holy place which he hath sanctified for
euer, and serue the Lord your God, and the fiercenesse of his wrath shall turne
away from you.
9 For if ye turne againe vnto the Lorde, then shall your brethren and your
children finde compassion in the presence of them that toke them captiue, and
they shall come againe vnto this lande: For the Lorde your God is gratious and
mercifull, and wyll not turne away his face from you, if ye conuert vnto him.
10 And so the postes went from citie to citie in the lande of Ephraim &
Manasse, euen vnto Zabulon: but they laughed them to scorne, and mocked them.
11 Neuerthelesse, yet diuers of Aser, Manasse, and of Zabulon, submitted them
selues, and came to Hierusalem.
12 And the hande of God was in Iuda, and he gaue them one heart to do the
commmaundement of the king and of the rulers, according to the worde of the
Lorde.
13 And there assembled to Hierusalem much people, and there was present a
mightie great congregation, to hold the feast of sweete bread in the second
moneth.
14 And they arose, and remoued the aulters that were in Hierusalem: And all the
aulters for incense did they away, and cast them into the brooke Cedron.
15 And they slue Passouer the foureteenth day of the second moneth: And the
priestes and Leuites which were ashamed, sanctified them selues, and brought in
the burnt offringes into the house of the Lorde.
16 And they stoode in their office after their maner and according to the lawe
of Moyses the man of God: And the priestes sprinckled the blood, [which they
receaued] of the hande of the Leuites.
17 For there were many in the congregation that were not sanctified, and
therefore the Leuites had the charge of the killing of the Passouer for euery
one that was not cleane, to sanctifie him vnto the Lorde.
18 For many of the people, and very many out of Ephraim, Manasse, Isachar, and
Zabulon, were not clensed, and yet did eate Passour against the lawe appoynted:
but Hezekia prayed for them, saying, The good Lorde be mercifull toward euery
one
19 That prepareth his heart to seeke the Lorde God, the God of his fathers:
though he be not [clensed] accordyng to the purification of the sanctuarie.
20 And the Lorde heard Hezekia, and healed the people.
21 And the children of
Israel
that were present at Hierusalem, held the feast of sweete bread seuen dayes,
with great gladnes: and the Leuites & the priestes praysed the Lorde day by
day, singing with loude instrumentes vnto the lord.
22 And Hezekia spake comfortablie vnto all the Leuites that had good knowledge
[to sing] vnto the Lorde: and they did eate throughout that feast seuen dayes
long, and offered peace offringes, and thanked the Lorde God of their fathers.
23 And the whole assemblie toke counsel to do so other seuen dayes: & they
helde those seuen dayes with gladnesse:
24 For Hezekia king of Iuda, did geue to the congregation a thousand young oxen,
and seuen thousand sheepe: And the lordes gaue out to the congregation a
thousand oxen, & ten thousand sheepe, and a great number of the priestes
were sanctified.
25 And all the congregation of Iuda, with the priestes & Leuites, and all
the congregation that came out of
Israel
, & the straungers that came out of the lande of
Israel
, & that dwelt in Iuda, reioyced.
26 And there was great gladnesse in Hierusalem: For since the time of Solomon
the sonne of Dauid king of
Israel
, there was no such [ioy] in Hierusalem.
27 And the priestes and the Leuites arose, and blessed the people: and their
voyce was heard [of the Lorde,] and their prayer came vp vnto heauen his holy
dwelling place.
CHAPTER
31
1 And when all these thinges were finished, all they of Israel that were present
in the cities of Iuda, went out and brake the images, and cut downe the idol
groues, and all to brake the high places and aulters throughout al Iuda and
Beniamin, in Ephraim also and Manasse, vntil they had vtterly destroyed them
all: And all the children of Israel returned euery man to his possessions, and
to their owne cities.
2 And Hezekia appoynted sundry companies of the priestes and Leuites after the
diuersitie of their ministrations, euery man according to his office both
priestes and Leuites, for the burnt offering and peace offringes, to minister
and to geue thankes and praise in the gates of the hoast of the Lorde.
3 And the kinges portion of his substaunce that he gaue, were dayly burnt
offringes in the morning and euening, and burnt offringes for the Sabbath dayes,
newe moones, & solempe feastes, according as it is written in the lawe of
the Lorde.
4 And he bade the people that dwelt in Hierusalem, to geue a parte to the
priestes and Leuites, that they might substancially applie them selues to the
lawe of the Lorde.
5 And assoone as the kinges commaundement came abrode, the children of
Israel
brought aboudance of first fruites, of corne, wine, oyle, hony, and of all
maner of fruites of the fielde, & the tythes of all maner of thinges brought
they in plenteously.
6 And the children of
Israel
and Iuda that dwelt in the cities of Iuda, they also brought in the tithes of
oxen and sheepe, & other holy tithes which were consecrate vnto the Lorde
their God, they did offer and brought them all by heapes.
7 In the third moneth, they began to lay the heapes in maner of a foundation,
and finished them in the seuenth moneth.
8 And when Hezekia and the lordes came and sawe the heapes, they blessed the
Lorde, and his people
Israel
.
9 And Hezekia questioned with the priestes and the Leuites concerning the heapes.
10 And Azaria the chiefe priest of the house of Zador, aunswered him and saide:
Since the people began to bryng the heaue offringes into the house of the Lorde,
we also haue had inough to eate, there remayned so much: for the Lorde hath
blessed his people, and this heape is left.
11 And Hezekia bade prepare the chambers in the house of the Lord: And they did
prepare them,
12 And caried in the first fruites, the tithes, and the dedicate thinges
faithfully: ouer which Chonaniahu the Leuite had the rule, and Semei his brother
next to him:
13 And Iehiel, Azariahu, Nahath, Asael, Ierimoth, Iosabad, Eliel, Iesmachiahu,
Mahath, and Banaiahu, were ouerseres ordayned by Chonaniahu, & Semei his
brother was an officer of Hezekia the king, & Azariahu was the ruler of the
house of God.
14 And Core the sonne of Imna the Leuite, and porter of the east doore, had the
ouersight of the thinges that were offered of a free wyll vnto God, & were
geuen in maner seuerally vnto the lord, and ouer the thinges most holy.
15 And vnder his hand were Eden, Miniamin, Iesua, Semeiahu, Amariahu, and
Sechaniahu in the cities of the priestes [appoynted] of their fidelitie to geue
to their brethren their portions, aswell to the small as to the great.
16 Beside their generation, beyng males, from three yeres old and vpwarde, euen
vnto euery one that entereth into the house of the Lord, they should geue day by
day, for their ministration, and for their geuing attendaunce, and for their
diuers waytinges by course,
17 Both to the generation of the priestes and Leuites throughout the housholde
of their fathers, from twentie yeres and aboue, to wayte when their courses
came:
18 And to the families of all their babes, wynes, sonnes and daughters through
all the congregation: For vpon the fidelitie of them were the holy thinges
bestowed.
19 And to the children of Aaron the priestes whiche were in the fieldes and
suburbes of their cities, citie by citie, the men whose names were expressed
afore, shoulde geue portions, euen to all the males among the priestes, and to
all the Leuites, according to their number.
20 And of this maner did Hezekia throughout all Iuda: & wrought it that is
good, and right and true before the Lorde his God.
21 And in al the workes that he began, for seruice of the house of God, for the
lawe, & for the commaundementes, he sought his God: and that did he with all
his heart, and prospered.
CHAPTER
32
1 After that these deedes were faythfully done, Sennacherib king of the
Assyrians came, and entred into Iuda, & compassed the strong cities, and
thought to winne them for him selfe.
2 And so when Hezekia sawe that Sennacherib was come, and that he was purposed
to fight against Hierusalem,
3 He toke counsell with his lordes and men of might, to stop the water of the
fountaynes without the citie: And they dyd helpe him.
4 For there gathered many of the people together, and stopt all the welles, and
the broke that ran through the middes of the land, saying: Why shall the kinges
of the Assyrians come and finde much water?
5 And Hezekia went to lustyly, and buylt vp the wall where it was broken, and
made ordinaunce vpon the towres, and to the other wall without, and repaired
Millo in the citie of Dauid, and made many dartes and shieldes.
6 And he set captaynes of warre ouer the people, and gathered them together to
him in the large streete of the gate of the citie, and spake gentylly to them,
saying:
7 Plucke vp your heartes and be strong: be not afrayde nor discouraged for the
king of the Assyrians, & for all the multitude that he hath with hym: for
there be mo with vs then with hym.
8 With him is an arme of flesh: but with vs is the Lord our God for to helpe vs,
and to fight our battayles. And the people toke a courage through the wordes of
Hezekia king of Iuda.
9 After this did Sennacherib king of the Assyrians send of his seruauntes to
Hierusalem (but he him selfe remayned beside Lachis, hauing all his power with
him) vnto Hezekia king of Iuda, and vnto all Iuda that were at Hierusalem,
saying,
10 Thus saith Sennacherib king of the Assyrians: wherin do ye trust O ye that
dwell in Hierusalem which is besieged?
11 Doth not Hezekia entice you to geue ouer your selues vnto death, hunger, and
thirst, saying: The Lord our God shall ryd vs out of the hand of the king of the
Assyrians?
12 Hath not the same Hezekia put downe his hye places and his aulters, &
commaunded Iuda and Hierusalem, saying, Ye shall worship before one aulter, and
burne incense vpon the same?
13 Knowe ye not what I and my fathers haue done vnto the people of all landes?
Were the gods of the people of other landes, able or mightie to saue their
landes out of my hande?
14 Which of all the gods of those nations that my fathers destroyed, could
deliuer his people out of my hande? And shall your God be able to deliuer you
out of my hande?
15 Wherfore nowe let not Hezekia deceaue you, nor persuade you of this fassion,
nor yet beleue him: For as no god among all nations and kingdomes, was able to
rid his people out of my hand and out of the hand of my fathers: Howe much lesse
shall your gods be able to kepe you out of my hande?
16 And yet mo thinges did his seruauntes speake against the Lorde God, and
against his seruaunt Hezekia.
17 And Sennacherib also wrote a letter to rayle on the Lord God of
Israel
, and spake against him, saying: As the gods of the nations of [other] landes
haue not ben able to deliuer their people out of my hande: euen so shal not the
God of Hezekia deliuer his people out of my hande.
18 And they cried with a loude voyce in the Iewes speach vnto the people of
Hierusalem that were on the wall, to feare them, and to make them faynt hearted,
and that they might so take the citie.
19 And they spake against the God of Hierusalem, as against the gods of the
nations of the earth, [whiche were] the workes of the handes of men.
20 But Hezekia the king, and the prophet Esai the sonne of Amos prayed against
that [blasphemie,] and cried vp to heauen.
21 And the Lord sent an angel, which destroyed all the men of warre and the
lordes and captaynes of the hoast of the king of the Assyrians, that he turned
his face againe with shame towarde his owne lande: And when he was come into the
house of his god, they that came of his owne body slue him there with the sworde.
22 And so the Lorde saued Hezekia and the inhabiters of Hierusalem out of the
hand of Sennacherib the king of the Assyrians, and from the hande of all other,
and mayntayned them on euery side.
23 And many brought offeringes vnto the Lorde to Hierusalem, and presentes to
Hezekia king of Iuda: so that he was magnified in the sight of all nations from
thence foorth.
24 In those dayes Hezekia was sicke to the death, and prayed vnto the Lorde:
which aunswered him, and shewed him a wonderfull miracle.
25 But Hezekia dyd not againe vnto God according to it that he had shewed him:
for his heart arose, & there came wrath vpon hym, and vpon Iuda and
Hierusalem.
26 Notwithstanding Hezekia submitted him selfe after that his heart was risen vp,
he and the inhabiters of Hierusalem: and the wrath of the Lorde came not vpon
them in the dayes of Hezekia.
27 And Hezekia had exceeding much riches and honour: And he gat him treasures of
siluer and gold, pretious stones, and spices, shieldes, and of all maner
pleasaunt iewels:
28 And made store houses for the fruites of corne, for wine and oyle, and
stalles for all maner of beastes, and foldes for sheepe.
29 And he made him cities, & had of sheepe and oxen great aboundaunce: For
God had geuen him substaunce exceeding much.
30 This same Hezekia stopped the vpper water springes of Gihon, and brought them
downe to the west side of the citie of Dauid: And Hezekia prospered in all his
workes.
31 And when the princes of
Babylon
sent vnto him ambassadours, to enquire of the wonder that chaunced in the lande,
God left him, to trye him, and that all that was in his heart might be knowen.
32 The rest of the deedes of Hezekia, and his goodnes, beholde they are written
in the vision of Esai the prophet the sonne of Amoz, in the booke of the kinges
of Iuda and
Israel
.
33 And Hezekia slept with his fathers, and they buried hym in the most worthy
place of the sepulchres of the sonnes of Dauid, and all Iuda and the inhabiters
of Hierusalem dyd him worship at his death: and Manasse his sonne raigned in his
steade.
CHAPTER
33
1 Manasse was twelue yeres olde when he began to raigne, and he raigned fiftie
and fiue yeres in Hierusalem:
2 But dyd euyll in the sight of the Lorde, like vnto the abhominations of the
heathen whom the Lord cast out before the children of
Israel
.
3 For he went to, and buylt the high places whiche Hezekia his father had broken
downe: And he reared vp aulters for Baalim, and made groues, and worshipped all
the hoast of heauen, and serued them.
4 And he buylt aulters in the house of the Lorde, where as the Lord yet had sayd,
In Hierusale shal my name be for euer.
5 And he buylded aulters for all the hoast of heauen, in the two courtes of ye
house of the Lorde.
6 And he burnt his children in fire in the valley of the sonne of Hinnon: He was
a sorcerer, he regarded the crying of birdes, vsed inchauntmentes, and
mayntayned workers with spirites and sears of fortunes, and wrought much euyll
in the sight of the Lorde to anger hym withall.
7 And he put the carued image and an idol whiche he had made, in the house of
God: Of which house, God had sayd to Dauid and to Solomon his sonne, In this
house and in Hierusalem whiche I haue chosen afore all the tribes of
Israel
will I put my name for euer.
8 Neither will I make the foote of Israel to remoue any more out of the land
whiche I haue ordeyned for your fathers, yf so be that they wil be diligent and
do all that I haue commaunded them in all the law and statutes, and ordinaunces
by the hande of Moyses.
9 And so Manasse made Iuda and the inhabiters of Hierusalem to erre, and to do
worse then the heathen whom the Lord destroyed before the children of
Israel
.
10 And the Lord spake to Manasse and to his people: but they woulde not regarde.
11 Wherfore the Lord brought vpon them the captaynes of the hoast of the king of
the Assyrians, whiche toke Manasse in holde, and bounde him with chaynes, and
caried him to
Babylon
.
12 And when he was in tribulation, he besought the Lord his God, and humbled him
selfe exceedingly before the God of his fathers,
13 And made intercession to him: and God was intreated of him, and hearde his
prayer, and brought him againe to Hierusalem into his kingdome: and then Manasse
knewe that the Lorde was God.
14 After this he buylt a wall without the citie of Dauid on the west side of
Gion, in the valley, as they came to the fishe gate, and round about Ophel,
& brought it vp of a very great heyght, and put captaynes of warre in all
the strong cities of Iuda.
15 And he toke away straunge gods and images out of the house of God, and all
the aulters that he had buylt in the mount of the house of God and Hierusalem,
and cast them out of the citie.
16 And he prepared the aulter of the Lord, and sacrifised thereon peace
offeringes and thanke offeringes, and charged Iuda to serue the Lorde God of
Israel
.
17 Neuerthelesse, the people dyd offer stil in the high places, howbeit vnto the
Lorde their God only.
18 The rest of the actes of Manasse, and his prayer vnto his God, & the
wordes of the sears that spake to him in the name of the Lorde God of
Israel
, behold they are [written] in the sayinges of the kinges of
Israel
.
19 And his prayer, and howe that he was hearde, and all his sinnes, and his
trespasse, and the places where he made high places and set vp groues and images
before he was meekened, beholde they are written among the sayinges of the
sears.
20 And Manasse slept with his fathers, & they buried him in his owne house,
and Amon his sonne raigned in his roome.
21 Amon was two and twentie yeres old when he began to raigne, and raigned two
yeres in Hierusalem.
22 But he did euill in the sight of the Lord, like as dyd Manasse his father:
for Amon sacrifised to all the carued images whiche Manasse his father had made,
and serued them.
23 And submitted not him selfe before the Lorde, as Manasse his father had
meekened him selfe: but Amon trespassed greatly.
24 And his owne seruauntes conspired against him, and slue him in his owne
house.
25 But the people of the lande slue al them that had conspired against king
Amon: and the same people of the lande made Iosia his sonne king in his roome.
CHAPTER
34
1 Iosia was eyght yeres olde when he began to raigne, and he raigned in
Hierusalem thirtie and one yeres.
2 And he dyd that whiche was right in the sight of the Lord, and walked in the
wayes of Dauid his father, and bowed neither to the right hand nor to the left.
3 In the eyght yere of his raigne, when he was yet a childe, he began to seke
after the God of Dauid his father: And in the twelfth yere he began to purge
Iuda & Hierusalem from the high places, groues, carued images, and images of
metall.
4 And they brake downe the aulters of Baalim euen in his presence: and other
images that were in greater honour then they, he caused to be destroyed: And the
groues, carued images, and images of metall he brake and made dust of them, and
strowed it vpon the graues of them that had offered vnto them.
5 And he burnt the bones of the priestes vpon the aulters of them, and clensed
Iuda and Hierusalem:
6 And euen so did he in the cities of Manasse, Ephraim, Simeon, vnto Nephthali,
and in the wildernesse of them rounde about,
7 He plucked asunder the aulters & the groues, & did beate the images
& stampe them to powder, and cut downe all the idoles throughout all the
lande of Israel, and returned to Hierusalem againe.
8 In the eyghtenth yere of his raigne, when he had purged the lande and the
temple, he sent Saphan the sonne of Azaliahu, and Maasiah the gouernour of the
citie, and Ioah the sonne of Ioahaz the recorder, to repaire the house of the
Lorde his God.
9 And when they came to Helkiah the hie priest, they deliuered the money that
was brought into the house of God, whiche the Leuites that kept the entryes had
gathered of the hand of Manasse and Ephraim, and of all that yet remayned in
Israel, and of all Iuda and Beniamin, and they returned to Hierusalem.
10 And they put it in the handes of the workmen that had the ouersight of the
house of the Lorde, & they gaue it to the labourers that wrought in the
house of the Lorde, to repaire and mende the house.
11 Euen to masons and carpenters gaue they it, to get hewed stone, & timber
for couples and for beames of the houses which ye kinges of Iuda had destroyed.
12 And the men did the worke faythfully: And the ouersears of them to courage
them forward, were Iahath and Obadiahu Leuites of the children of Merari: and
Secharia and Mesullam of the children of the Caathites, and other of the Leuites,
whiche all could skill of instrumentes of musicke.
13 And ouer the bearers of burthens, and ouer all that wrought in whatsoeuer
worckmanship it were, were there scribes, officers, & porters of the Leuites.
14 And when they brought out the money that was brought into the house of the
Lorde, Helkia the priest founde the booke of the law of the Lorde [geuen] by
Moyses.
15 And Helkia aunswered and sayd to Saphan the scribe: I haue found the booke of
the law in the house of the Lord. And Helkia gaue the booke to Saphan.
16 And Saphan caried the booke to the king, and brought the king word againe,
saying: All that was committed to thy seruauntes, that do they.
17 And they haue gathered together the money that was founde in the house of the
Lord, and haue deliuered it into the handes of the ouersears of the worke, and
to the handes of the worckmen.
18 And then Saphan the scribe shewed the king, saying, Helkia the priest hath
geuen me a booke: and Saphan read in it before the king.
19 And it fortuned, that when the king had heard the wordes of the lawe, he tare
his clothes:
20 And the king commaunded Helkia and Ahikam the sonne of Saphan and Abdon the
sonne of Micah, and Saphan the scribe, and Asaa a seruaunt of the kinges,
saying:
21 Go and enquire of the Lord for me and for them that are left in Israel and
Iuda, concerning the wordes of the booke that is founde: For great is the wrath
of the Lord that is fallen vpon vs, because our fathers haue not kept the worde
of the Lorde, to do after all that is written in this booke.
22 And Helkia and they that the king had [appoynted] went to Hulda a prophetisse,
the wyfe of Sallum, the sonne of Thecuath, the sonne of Hasra, keper of the
wardrope (for she dwelt in Hierusalem within the seconde wall:) & so they
communed with her.
23 She aunswered them, Thus sayth the Lorde God of Israel: Tell ye the man that
sent you to me,
24 Euen thus sayth the Lorde: Beholde, I will bring euyll vpon this place, and
vpon the inhabiters thereof, euen al the curses that are written in the booke
whiche they haue read before the king of Iuda:
25 Because they haue forsaken me, and haue offred vnto other gods, to anger me
with all maner workes of their handes: therfore is my wrath set on fire against
this place, and shall not be quenched.
26 And as for the king of Iuda which sent you to enquire of the Lord, so shal ye
say vnto him: thus sayth the Lorde God of
Israel
, concerning the wordes whiche thou hast hearde.
27 Because thyne heart did melt, and thou diddest meeke thy selfe before God
when thou heardest his wordes against this place, and against the inhabiters
thereof, and humbledst thy selfe before me, and tarest thy clothes, and weepedst
before me: that haue I heard also, sayth the Lorde.
28 Behold, I wil take thee to thy fathers, and thou shalt be put in thy graue in
peace, and thyne eyes shall not see all the mischiefe that I will bring vpon
this place, and vpon the inhabiters of the same. And they brought the king worde
againe.
29 Then the king sent and gathered together all the elders of Iuda and
Hierusalem:
30 And the king went vp into the house of the Lorde, and all the men of Iuda,
and the inhabiters of Hierusalem, and the priestes and Leuites, and all the
people great and smal, and [the king] did reade in their eares all the wordes of
the booke of the couenaunt that was founde in the house of the Lorde.
31 And the king stoode at his standing, and made a couenaunt before the Lorde,
to folowe the Lorde, and to kepe his commaundementes, his witnesse, and his
statutes, with all his heart, and with al his soule, and to fulfill the wordes
of the appoyntment written in the sayd booke.
32 And he set in their roome all them that were founde in Hierusalem and
Beniamin: and the inhabiters of Hierusalem did according to the couenaunt of the
Lorde God of their fathers.
33 And Iosia put away all maner of abhominations out of all landes that
parteyned to the children of Israel, and brought in all that were founde in
Israel, to worship and to serue the Lorde their God: And they turned not aside
from after the Lorde God of their fathers, as long as he liued.
CHAPTER
35
1 And Iosia helde the [feast of] passouer vnto the Lorde in Hierusalem, &
they slue passouer in the fourteenth day of the first moneth.
2 And he set the priestes in their offices, and ayded them in the seruice of the
house of the Lorde,
3 And sayd vnto the Leuites that taught all Israel, and were sanctified vnto the
Lorde: Put the holy arke in the house whiche Solomon the sonne of Dauid king of
Israel dyd buylde, it shalbe no more a burden vpon your shoulders: But now serue
the Lord your God, and his people Israel:
4 And prepare your selues by your auncient housholdes, and companies, according
to the writing of Dauid king of Israel, and the writing of Solomon his sonne:
5 And stand in the holy place, according to the deuision of the auncient
housholdes of your brethren the children of the people, and after the deuision
of the auncient housholdes of the Leuites:
6 Kill passouer, and sanctifie your selues, & prepare your brethren, that
they may do according to the word of the Lord by the hande of Moyses.
7 And Iosia gaue to the people flockes of sheepe and kiddes all for passouer,
and for al that were present, thirtie thousande by tale, and three thousande
oxen: and these were euen of the kinges substaunce.
8 And his lordes gaue willingly both vnto the people and to the priestes, and
vnto the Leuites: Helkia also, Zacharia, and Iehiel, rulers of the house of God,
gaue vnto the priestes for passouer offeringes two thousande and sixe hundred
sheepe, and three hundred oxen.
9 Conania, and Semeiahu, & Nathanael his brethren, & Hasabiah, and
Iehiel, and Iosabad, rulers of the Leuites, gaue vnto the Leuites passouer
offeringes [euen] fiue thousande sheepe and fiue hundred oxen.
10 And so the seruice was prepared, and the priestes stoode in their places,
& the Leuites in their distinct companies, at the kinges commaundement:
11 And they slue passouer, and the priestes sprinckled the blood with their
hande, and the Leuites pulled of the skinnes of the beastes.
12 And they set away the burnt offeringes, to geue them vnto the people that
were deuided be auncient houses, and that they shoulde offer vnto the Lorde,
like as is written in the booke of Moyses: And so dyd they with the oxen also.
13 And they dressed the passouer with fire, as the maner was: And the other
dedicate beastes sodde they in pottes, caldrons, and pannes, and deuided them
among all the people.
14 And afterward they made redy for them selues and for the priestes: for the
priestes the children of Aaron were busied in offring of burnt offringes and the
fat vntill night: therfore the Leuites prepared for them selues and for the
priestes the sonnes of Aaron.
15 And the singers the children of Asaph stoode in their standing, according to
the commaundement of Dauid, and Asaph, Heman, and Ieduthun the kinges sear: and
the porters wayted at euery gate, and might not depart from their seruice: for
their brethren the Leuites prepared for them.
16 And so all the seruice of the Lord was prepared the same day, to offer
passouer, and to offer burnt offeringes vpon the aulter of the Lord, according
to the commaundement of king Iosia,
17 And the children of Israel that were present, kept the passouer the same
time, and the feast of sweet bread seuen dayes.
18 And there was no passouer like to that kept in Israel from the dayes of
Samuel the prophete, neither did al the kinges of Israel holde such a passeouer
feast as dyd Iosia, and the priestes and Leuites, and all Iuda and Israel that
were present, and the inhabiters of Hierusalem.
19 This passouer was holden in the eyghteenth yere of the raigne of Iosia.
20 After all this when Iosia had prepared the temple, Necho king of
Egypt
came vp to fight against Charcamis beside
Euphrates
: and Iosia went out against him.
21 Whiche sent messengers to hym, and said: What haue I to do with thee thou
king of Iuda? Be not thou against thy selfe this day, for my warre is against
another house, and God bad me make hast: Leaue of therfore & meddle not with
God which is with me, lest he destroy thee.
22 Neuerthelesse Iosia would not turne his face from him, but rather toke aduise
to fight with hym, and hearkened not vnto the wordes of Necho out of the mouth
of God, and came to fight in the valley of Mageddo.
23 And the shooters shot dartes at king Iosia: And the king sayde to his
seruauntes, Carie me away, for I am sore wounded.
24 His seruauntes therefore had hym out of that charet, and put him in another
charet that they had: And when they had brought him to Hierusalem, he died, and
was buried in the sepulchre of his fathers: And all Iuda and Hierusalem mourned
for Iosia.
25 And Ieremia lamented Iosia, and all singing men and singing women mourned for
Iosias in their lamentations to this day, and made the same lamentations an
ordinaunce in
Israel
: and beholde they are written in the lamentations.
26 The rest of the actes of Iosia and his goodnes [whiche he did] folowing in
the writing of the lawe of the Lorde,
27 And his sayinges first and last, behold they are written in the booke of the
kinges of
Israel
and Iuda.
CHAPTER
36
1 And the people of the lande toke Iehoahaz the sonne of Iosia, and made hym
king in his fathers steade in Hierusalem.
2 And Iehoahaz was twentie & three yeres olde when he began to raigne, and
he raigned three monethes in Hierusalem.
3 And the king of
Egypt
put him downe at Hierusalem, and
merced
the lande in an hundreth talentes of siluer, and a talent of golde.
4 And the king of
Egypt
made Eliakim his brother king vpon Iuda and Hierusalem, and turned his name to
Iehoiacim: and Necho toke Iehoahaz his brother, and caried him to
Egypt
.
5 Iehoiacim was twentie and fiue yeres old when he began to raigne, & he
raigned aleuen yeres in Hierusalem, and he did euil in the sight of the Lord his
God.
6 Against him came vp Nabuchodonosor king of
Babylon
, and bounde hym with two chaynes, to
cary
him to
Babylon
.
7 The king Nabuchodonosor also caried of the vessels of the house of the Lord to
Babylon
, and put them in his temple at
Babylon
.
8 The rest of the actes of Iehoiacim, and his abhominations which he did, and
that which was found vpon him, behold they are written in the booke of the
kinges of
Israel
and Iuda: and Iehoiacin his sonne raigned in his steade.
9 And Iehoiacin was eyght yeres olde when he began to raigne, and he raigned
three monethes and ten dayes in Hierusalem, and dyd euyll in the sight of the
Lorde.
10 And when the yere was out, king Nabuchodonosor sent and fet him to
Babylon
with the goodly vessels of the house of the Lorde, and made Zedekia his fathers
brother king ouer Iuda and Hierusalem.
11 Zedekia was one and twentie yeres old when he began the raigne, and raigned
aleuen yeres in Hierusalem.
12 And he dyd euyl in the sight of the Lord his God, and humbled not him selfe
before Ieremia the prophete, at the mouth of the Lorde.
13 And he rebelled against king Nabuchodonosor, which had receaued an oth of him
by God: but he was stifnecked, and to hard hearted to turne vnto the Lord God of
Israel
.
14 Moreouer, all the chiefe of the priestes and the people trespassed
wonderfully after all maner of abominations of the heathen, and polluted the
house of the Lorde which he had halowed in Hierusalem.
15 And the Lorde God of their fathers sent to them by his messengers, rising vp
betimes, and sending: for he had compassion on his people, and on his dwelling
place.
16 But they mocked the messengers of God, and despised his wordes, and misvsed
his prophetes, vntill the wrath of the Lorde arose against his people, and till
there was no remedie.
17 And so he brought vpon them the king of Chaldee, which slue their young men
with the sword in their holy temple, and spared neither young man, mayden, old
man, nor him that stowped for age: He gaue them all into his hande.
18 And all the vessels of the house of God, both great and small, and the
treasures of the house of the Lorde, and the treasures of the king, and of his
lordes: all these caryed he to
Babylon.
19 And they burnt the house of God, and brake downe the wal of Hierusalem, and
burnt all the pallaices thereof with fire, and destroyed all the goodly iewels
therof.
20 And the rest that had escaped the sword, caried he to Babylon: where they
were bondmen to him & his children, vntill the time that Persia had the
Empire:
21 To fulfill the worde of the Lord by the mouth of Ieremia, vntill the lande
had her pleasure of her Sabbathes: for as long as she lay desolate, she kept
Sabbath, vntil threescore and ten yeres were fulfilled.
22 And the first yere of Cyrus king of Persia (when the worde of the Lorde
spoken by the mouth of Ieremia was finished) the Lorde stirred vp the spirite of
Cyrus king of Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdome,
and that by wryting, saying:
23 Thus sayth Cyrus king of Persia, All the kingdomes of the earth hath the
Lorde God of heauen geuen me, & hath charged me to buylde hym an house in
Hierusalem, that is in Iuda: Wherfore whosoeuer is among you of all his people,
the Lorde his God be with him, and let hym go vp.
|
