The Holy Bible, containing the Old and New Testaments, with the Apocryphal books,

CAP. XIV.

[verse 1] Forsothe [And INS.] Abia slepte with hise fadris, and thei birieden hym in the citee of Da|uid; and Asa, his sone, regnede for hym. In whos daies the lond restide [restide in pees INS.] ten ȝeer. [verse 2] And Asa dide that [that thing INS.] , that was good and plesaunt in the siȝt of his God, and he destriede the auteris of straunge worschip|yng [worschiping; that is, of idol|atrie; hiȝe placis where idolis weren wor|schepid. Lire here. C.] , [verse 3] and `he destriede [Om. I.] hiȝ [the hiȝ I.] places, and brak [brake togidre the I. brake togidere NS.] ymagis, and kittide [he hewide I. he kettide S.] doun woodis [mawmet woodis INS.] ; [verse 4] and he comaundide Juda to seke the Lord God of her fadris, and to do the lawe and alle comaundementis [the heestis IN. the hestis thereof S.] . [verse 5] And he [the kyng INS.] took awei fro alle the citees of Juda auteris [the auteris INS.] and templis of idols, and he regnede in pees. [verse 6] And he bildide stronge cytees in Juda; for he was in reste, and no batels risiden [risen IS.] in his tymes, for the Lord ȝaf [ȝaue him S.] pees. [verse 7] For|sothe [And INS.] he [Asa INS.] seide to Juda, Bilde we these cytees, and cumpasse we [we hem IS.] with wallis, and strengthe we [we hem IS.] with touris and ȝatis and lockis, as longe as alle thingis ben restful fro [for W.] batel [batels BCKOW.] ; for we han souȝte the Lord God of oure fadris, and he hath ȝoue to vs pees [rest S.] bi cumpas. Therfor thei bildiden [bildiden her citees NS.] , and no [there was no I.] lettyng was [Om. I.] in bildyng [the bildyng IN. the bijlding of hem S.] . [verse 8] So|theli

[And INS.] Asa hadde in his oost thre hundrid thousynde of men of Juda berynge scheldis and speris, sotheli [and INS.] of Beniamyn he hadde two hundrid thousynde and fourscoore thousynde of scheeld beeris and of arch|eris; alle these weren ful stronge men. [verse 9] Forsothe Zara of Ethiop [Ethiope INS.] ȝede out aȝens hem with his oost ten `sithis an [Om. I.] hundrid thousynde, and with thre hundrid charis, and cam [he cam S.] `til to [vnto INS.] Masera. [verse 10] Certis Aza ȝede [ȝede forth INS.] aȝens hem, and araiede [he araiede INS.] scheltrun [the scheltrun I. his scheltrun NS.] to batel in the valei Sephata [of Sephata C pr. m. IMNS.] , which [that INS.] is bisidis Masera. And he [Asa INS.] inwardli clepide the Lord [verse 11] God, and seide, Lord, no dyuersitee is anentis [aȝens S.] thee, whether thou helpe in fewe, ethir in manye; oure Lord God, helpe thou vs, for we han trist in thee and in thi name, and camen [therfore camen I. we camen N. forthi we camen S.] aȝens this multi|tude; Lord, thou art oure God, a man haue not the [Om. NS.] maistrye aȝens thee. [verse 12] Ther|for the Lord made aferd Ethiopens [the men of Ethiope INS.] bifor Asa and Juda, and Ethiopens [the men of Ethiopie INS.] fledden; [verse 13] and Asa and his puple, that was with hym, pursuede hem `til to [vnto INS.] Gerare. And Ethiopens [the men of Ethiopie INS.] felden doun `til to [vnto INS. to X.] deeth, for thei weren al to-brokun bi the Lord sle|ynge, and bi his oost fiȝtynge [fyȝting aȝens hem S.] . Therfor [Thanne I.] [verse 14] thei [men of Juda NS.] token many spuylis, and [and thei INS.] smitiden [smeten I. smiteden or distreyeden S.] alle the citees `bi the cumpas of [aboute I. bi cumpas NS.] Gerare; for greet drede hadde assailid alle men [men aduersaries to Juda S.] . And thei [men of Juda S.] rifliden [spuyliden I.] cytees [the citees INS.] , and baren a weye [verse 15] myche prey; but [and INS.] also thei destrieden the fooldis of scheep, and token [thei token INS.] multi|tude without noumbre of scheep and of camels, and turneden [thei turneden INS.] aȝen in to Jeru|salem.