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

CAP. I.

[verse 1] AND Josias made pask in Jerusalem to the Lord, and he offride pask the four|tenthe day of the monthe of the first [verse 2] monthe, ordeynynge prestis bi her whiles of daies, clothid in stolis, or longe clothis, in the temple of the Lord. [verse 3] And he seide to the dekens, the holy seruauntis of Israel, that thei schulden halewe hem self to the Lord, in settynge of the holy arke of the Lord in the hous, that kyng Salomon, the [verse 4] sone of Dauid, bildide; It schal not be to ȝou no more to take it upon schuldris; and now serueth to oure Lord, and do ȝe cure of that folk of Israel, of the part aftir [verse 5] townes, and her lynagis, aftir the writyng of Dauid, kyng of Israel, and aftir the greet wirschipful doyng of Salomon, his sone, in al the temple, and aftir ȝoure litil fadris part of princehood of hem, that stonden in the siȝt of the bretheren of the sones of Israel. [verse 6] Offre ȝe pask, and maketh redy the sacrifices to ȝoure bretheren; and do ȝe aftir the heest of the Lord, that is ȝouen to Moyses. [verse 7] And Josias ȝaf to the folc that was founden there, scheep, of lombis, and of kides, and of sche geet, thritti thousynd; calues, thre thousynd. [verse 8] Thes ȝiftis ben ȝouen of the kingis owne thingis aftir the heest of the Lord to the peple, and to prestis, in to pask; scheep

in noumbre two thousynd, and calues an hundrid. [verse 9] And Jechonyas, and Semeias, and Nathanael, his brother, and Azabias, and Oziel, and Coroba, ȝauen in to pask, fyue thousynd scheep, and fyue hundrid calues. [verse 10] And whanne thes thingis weren nobly don, the prestis and dekens stoden, hau|ynge therf looues bi lynages. [verse 11] And aftir the partis of the princehood of fadris thei offriden to the Lord in the siȝt of the peple, after tho thingis that ben writen in the book of Moyses. [verse 12] And thei rostiden the pask with fijr, as it bihouyde; and thei soden oostis in sethinge vessels and in pottis, with wel willyng. [verse 13] And thei brouȝten it to alle that ther weren of the folk; and aftir thes thingis thei maden redy to hem self and to prestis. [verse 14] Forsothe the prestis offriden ynner fatnesse, vnto the hour was endid; and dekens grey|thiden to hem self, and to her bretheren, and to the sones of Aaron. [verse 15] And men sacrifiynge offriden her douȝtris, aftir the oordre and the heestis of Dauid; and Azaph, and Zacharie, and Jeddynus, that [verse 16] was of the king; and the porters bi alle the ȝatis offriden, so that noon passide his ȝate. Forsothe her bretheren greythiden to hem. [verse 17] And so tho thingis, that per|teynyden to the sacrifice of the Lord, ben endid. [verse 18] In that day thei diden pask, and offriden ostis upon the sacrifice of the Lord, aftir the heest of kyng Josie. [verse 19] And the sones of Israel, that weren founden present, diden in that tyme pask, and the feest day of therf looues bi seuen daies. [verse 20] And ther was not solempnyzed sich a paske in Israel, fro the tymes of Samuel, the prophet. [verse 21] And alle the kyngis of Israel halewiden not sich a pask, as diden Josias, and the prestis, and dekens, and Jewis, and al Israel, that weren founden in the commemoracioun, or mynde mak|ing, at Jerusalem. [verse 22] In the eiȝtenthe ȝer, Josie regnynge, this pask was halewid. [verse 23] And the werkis of Josie ben maad riȝt in the siȝt of his Lord, in ful dredynge herte; [verse 24] and tho thingis forsothe that weren aboute

him ben writen, in the rathere tymes of hem that synnyden, and the whiche weren vnreligious aȝen the Lord, bifore or more than al hethen folk, and the whiche syn|ners souȝten not the wordis of the Lord upon Israel. [verse 25] And aftir al this deede of Josie, Pharao, king of Egipt, ȝede up, comynge to casten awey in Carcamys upon Eufraten; and Josias wente in to metyng to him. [verse 26] And the king of Egipt sente to Josiam, seiynge, What is to me and to thee, kyng of Jude? [verse 27] I am not sent of the Lord, upon Eufraten forsothe is my ba|taile; hastily therfor go doun. [verse 28] And Jo|sias was not turned aȝen upon the chare, but he enforside him self to ouercome Pharao, not takinge hede to the word of the prophet, fro the mouth of the Lord; [verse 29] but he sette to him bataile in the feeld of Mecedan; and princis camen doun to kyng Josiam. [verse 30] And thanne the king seide to his children, or seruauntes, Moueth me awey fro the bataile; forsothe I am gretly maad sijk. And anoon his children moueden him awey fro the scheltrun. [verse 31] And he stiede upon his secoundarie chare; and comynge to Jerusalem, he diede, and was biried in his fadris sepulcre. [verse 32] And in al Jude thei biweiliden Josie, and thei that bifore seten with wyues, weiliden him vnto this day; and this is grauntid to be don euer more in al the kynrede of Israel. [verse 33] Thes thingis forsothe ben writen in the book of stories of kyngis of Juda, and the glorie of Josie, and his vndirstonding in the lawe of God, bi alle dedes of the doyng of him; for euenly tho weren don of hym, and the whiche ben not writun in the book of kingis of Israel and of Juda. [verse 34] And thei that weren of the kynrede token Je|conye, the sone of Josie, and setten him king for Josie, his fadir, whanne he was of thre and thritty ȝeer. [verse 35] And he regnyde upon Israel thre monthis; and thanne the kyng of Egipt putte him awey, that he regnyde not in Jerusalem. [verse 36] And he pilide the folk of an hundrid talentis of siluer, and of a talent of gold. [verse 37] And the kyng of

Egipt sette Joachim, his brother, kyng of Jude and of Jerusalem; and he bonde the maistir iuges of Joachim, and takynge Sa|racel, his brother, he brouȝte him aȝen to Egipt. [verse 39] Joachim was of fyue and twenty ȝeer, whanne he regnyde in the loond of Juda and of Jerusalem; and he dide yuel thing in the siȝt of the Lord. [verse 40] Aftir this forsothe Nabugodonosor, kyng of Babi|loyne, stiede up, and byndynge Joachim in a strong boond, brouȝte him in to [verse 41] Babiloyne; and Nabugodonosor toke and brouȝte the holy vessels of God, and sa|cride tho in his temple in Babiloyne. [verse 42] For|sothe of his vnclennesse and his vnreli|gioustee it is writen in the book of the tymes of kyngis. [verse 43] And Joachim, his sone, regnyde for him; whanne forsothe he was ordeyned king, he was of eiȝte ȝeer. [verse 44] For|sothe he regnyde thre monthis and ten daies in Jerusalem; and dide yuel in siȝt of the Lord. [verse 45] And aftir a ȝer Nabugodo|nosor sente, and brouȝte him ouer in to Babiloyne, togidre with the sacrid vessels of the Lord. [verse 46] And he sette Sedechie kyng of Juda and of Jerusalem, whanne he was of oon and twenti ȝeer. [verse 47] Forsothe he reg|nyde elleuen ȝeer; and he dide yuel in siȝt of the Lord, and was not adred of the wordis that ben seid of Jeremye, the pro|phet, fro the mouth of the Lord. [verse 48] And he adiurid, or chargid bi ooth, of kyng Nabu|godonosor, forsworn wente awey, and his noll made hard, he ouerpasside the lawe|ful thingis of the Lord God of Israel. [verse 49] And the duykis of the Lordis peple baren hem wickidly many thingis, and thei diden vnpitously ouer alle the wickidnessis of Gentiles; and thei defouliden the temple of the Lord, that was hooly in Jerusalem. [verse 50] And God of her fadris sente bi his aungel to aȝenclepe hem, for the whiche thing he sparide to hem, and to her tabernaclis. [verse 51] Thei forsothe scornyden in her corners, and that dai that the Lord spake, thei weren bobbynge his prophetis. [verse 52] The whiche Lord is stirid to wraththe upon his folk, for their irreligiositee. And the kyngis

of Caldeis comaundiden, and stiȝeden up, [verse 53] thei slowen the ȝounge men of hem with swerd, aboute the hooly temple of hem; and thei spariden not to ȝonge man, ne to maiden, ne to old man, and to ful woxen [verse 54] man; but also alle thei ben taken in to the hondis of hem; and thei token alle the sacrid vessels of the Lord, and the kyngis coffres, and brouȝten tho in to Ba|biloyne. [verse 55] And thei brenden up the hous of the Lord, and destroieden the wallis of Jerusalem, and thei brenden his touris with fijr. [verse 56] And thei wastiden alle the wurschipful thingis, and brouȝten hem to nouȝt; and thei brouȝten the peple lefte of the swerd in to Babiloyne. [verse 57] And thei weren his thrallis, vn to the tyme that Peersis regnyden, in the fulfillynge of the word of the Lord, in the mouth of Je|remye; [verse 58] til that the loond wolde do be|nyngnely their sabotis, he sabatisede al the tyme of their forsakyng, in the appliynge of seuenti ȝer.