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

CAP. XVII.

[verse 1] The twelfthe ȝeer of Achaz, kyng of Juda, regnede Osee, the sone of Hela, in Samarie vpon Yrael nyne ȝeer. [verse 2] And he dyde euyl before the Lord, bot not as the kyngis of Yrael, that weren beforn hym. [verse 3] Aȝeynus this steyȝide up Salmanaser, kyng of Assiries, and Osee is maad to hym seruaunt, and ȝeeldide to hym tributis. [verse 4] And whanne the kyng of Assiries hadde perceyued, that Osee enforcede to re|bellen, and that he hadde sente messa|gers to Sua, kyng of Egipt, lest he schulde ȝeuen tributis to the kyng of Assiries, as eche ȝeer he was wont, he bysegyde hym, and bounden he putte in to prysoun. [verse 5] And he wente thoruȝ out al the lond, and steyȝynge to Samarie he bysegide it thre ȝeer. [verse 6] The nynethe ȝeer forsoth of Osee, the kyng of Assiries toke Samarie, and translatyde Ysrael into Assiries; and he sett hem in Hela, and in Thabor, besyde the flode of Gozam, in the cytees of Medis. [verse 7] It is done for|sothe,

whanne the sonys of Yrael hadden synned beforn the Lord their God, that ladde hem out fro [of A.] the lond of Egipt, fro the hond of Pharao, kyng of Egipte, [verse 8] thei heryeden alyen goddis; and wenten aftir the custom of heithene, whom the Lord hadde waastyde in the siȝt of the sonys of Yrael, and of the kyngis of Yrael, for lijk maner thei hadden done. [verse 9] And the sonys of Yrael offendiden with wordis not riȝt the Lord their God, and thei bildiden to hem heeȝe thingis in alle their cytees, fro the toure of kepers vnto the strengthid cytee. [verse 10] And thei maden to hem ymagis, and mawmett wodis, in all heeȝe hill, and vndir al braunchy [braunchid H.] [verse 11] tree; and they brenden there encense vpon the auters in maner of heithen, whom the Lord hade translatide fro the face of hem. And thei diden the warst [verse 12] wordis, terryng the Lord; and they heryeden the vnclennesse [vnclennessis ABCFH.] , of the whiche the Lord comaundide to hem, that thei schulden not done that worde. [verse 13] And the Lord witnesside in Yrael and in Juda, by the hond of alle prophetis, and the seeȝers, seyinge, Turnith aȝeyn [awey A.] fro ȝoure warst weyes, and kepith myn hestis, and my cerymonyes, aftir al the lawe `the whiche [that C.] I haue comaundide to ȝoure fa|dirs, and as I sente to ȝou in the hond of my seruauntis prophetis. [verse 14] The whiche herden not, bot hardeneden their noll af|tir the noll of their fadirs, that wolden not obeyschen to the Lord their God. [verse 15] And thei kasten aweye the lawful thingis of hym, and the couenaunt that he coue|nauntyde with the fadirs of hem, and the witnessingis by the whiche he wytness|ede hem [to hem E pr. m.] ; and thei foloweden vanytes, and vaynly thei diden; and thei folow|eden heithen folc, that weren by the enuyroun of hem; vpon the whiche the Lord had comaundyde to hem, that thei

schulden not done as and [Om. ABFH.] thei dyden. [verse 16] And thei forsoken alle the hestis of the Lord their God, and thei maaden to hem two ȝoten calues, and mawmette wodis [templis E pr. m.] ; and thei honoureden alle the knyȝthode [verse 17] of heuen; and thei serueden to Baal, and thei sacreden to it their sonys and their douȝtris thoruȝ fyer, and to dyuynynge thei inwardly serueden, and to dyuyn|ynge in chiterynge of briddis; and thei bitauȝten hem seluen that thei done euyl byforn the Lord, and thei terreden hym. [verse 18] And the Lord is wrothe hydously to Yrael; and he toke hem aweye fro his siȝt, and ther laft not bot the lynage of Juda aloon. [verse 19] Bot and not he, Juda, kepte the hestis of the Lord his God, neuer the later he errid, and went in the errours of Yrael, the whiche he hadde wrouȝt. [verse 20] And the Lord threwe aweye al the seed of Yrael, and tourmentyde hem, and he toke hem in the hond of distriers [the destriers ABFH.] ; to the tyme that he cast hem aweye fro his [verse 21] face, fro that nowe tyme fro the whiche Yrael was kutt of fro the hous of Dauid, and thei ordeyneden to hem a kyng, Je|roboam, the sone of Nabath. Forsothe Jeroboam seuerede Yrael fro the Lord, and made hem to synnen a grete synne. [verse 22] And the sonys of Yrael wenten in alle the [Om. A.] synnes of Jeroboam, `the whiche [that C pr. m.] he hadde done; and thei wenten not aweye [verse 23] fro hem, for to the Lord dyde Yrael awey fro his face, as he hadde spoken in the hond of alle his seruauntis prophetis; and Yrael is translatyd fro his lond in to Assiries vnto this day. [verse 24] Forsothe the kyng of Assiries brouȝt the puple fro Babiloyne, and fro Cutha, and fro Hay|lath, and fro Emath, and fro Sepharuaym, and he sette hem in the cytees of Sama|rye for the sonys of Yrael; the whiche weeldiden Samarie, and dwelliden in the cytees of it. [verse 25] And whanne there thei had|den

begunne to dwellen, thei dredden not the Lord; and the Lord sente to hem lyouns, that slewen hem. [verse 26] And it is told to the kyng of Assiries, and seide, The folc that thou hast translatyde, and maad to dwellen in the cytees of Samarye, knowen not the lawful thingis of the God of the lond; and the Lord sente in to hem lyouns, and loo! thei schuln slen hem; for thy that thei knowen not the custum of the God of the lond. [verse 27] The [And the ABFH.] kyng forsothe of Assiries comaundyde, seyinge, Bringith hidre oon of the prestis, `the whiche [that C pr. m.] in to caytyfte ȝe han brouȝt, that he goo, and dwelle with hem, and teche hem the lawful thingis of God of the lond. [verse 28] Thanne whanne oon of thes prestis, that weren ladde caytyfe fro Sa|marie, was commen, he dwellide in Bethel, and tauȝte hem, in what maner wyse thei schulden herie the Lord. [verse 29] And ech folc forgid his god, and putten hem in heeȝe templis, `the whiche [that C pr. m.] Samaritis maden, folc and folc in their cytees, in the whiche thei dwelliden. [verse 30] Forsothe Babyloynes men maden Socoth Benoth; forsothe Cutheny men maaden Vergel; and the men of E|math [verse 31] maaden Asma; bot Euey maaden Nabaath and Tharcha; thes forsothe that weren of Sepharuaym brenden their sonys with fyre to Adramalech and Ara|malech [Amalech B.] , goddis of Sepharuaym. [verse 32] And ne|uer the latere thei herieden the Lord; thei maaden forsothe to hem prestis of the most newe thingis of heeȝe thingis, and thei putten hem in heeȝe heithen templis. [verse 33] And whanne thei schulden heryen God, forsothe to their goddis [goodis B.] thei serueden, aftir the vsage of heithen men, fro the whiche thei were translatyde to Samarye; [verse 34] vnto the day that is nowe thei folow|eden [folewen E.] the old maner; they dredden not the Lord, ne keepen his cerymonyes, and domys, and lawe, and maundement, that

the Lord hadde comaundide to the sonys [verse 35] of Jacob, whome he clepide Yrael; and hadde smyten with hem couenaunt, and hadde comaundide to hem, seyinge, Wylle ȝe not dreeden alyen goddis, and honour|ith not hem, ne herieth hem, and offre [verse 36] ȝe not to hem; bot the Lord ȝoure God, that ladde ȝou out fro the lond of Egipt in grete strengthe, and in aarme strauȝte out, hym dreedith, and hym [to hym A.] honourith, and to him offrith. [verse 37] The cerymonyes for|sothe, and the domys, and the lawe, and the maundement that he wroote to ȝou, keepith, that ȝe done alle days; and dreed ȝe not alyen goddis. [verse 38] And the couenaunt that he smoote with ȝou, willith not for|ȝeten, [verse 39] ne herie ȝee alyen goddis; bot the Lord ȝoure God dreedith, and he schal delyuere ȝou fro the hond of alle ȝoure enmyes. [verse 40] Thei forsothe herden not, bot aftir their vsage beforn hadde thei diden euyl. [verse 41] Thanne thes gentylis forsothe weren dreedynge God; bot neuer the later and [Om. E pr. m. in H.] to their mawmettis seruynge, for and the sonys of hem and the sonys sonys so done, as dyden their fadirs, vnto the present day.