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

CAP. XIII.

[verse 1] The eiȝtene [eiȝtenthe ACEFH.] ȝeer of kyng Jeroboam [verse 2] regnede Abia vpon Judam; thre ȝeer he regnede in Jerusalem; and name of his modir Machaia, the douȝter of Vriel of Gabaa. And ther was bataile betwene [betwe C passim.] Abiam and Jeroboam. [verse 3] And whanne Abia hadde gon in strijf, and hadde most best fiȝtynge men, and of chosen foure hun|drith thousand, Jeroboam ordeynde aȝein|ward scheltrun of eiȝt hundrith thousand of men, the whiche and thei weren chosen and to batails most stronge. [verse 4] Thann Abia stood vpon the hil of Semeron, that was in Effram, and seith, Heere, Jeroboam [verse 5] and al Yrael; whether ȝe knowe not, that the Lord God of Yrael ȝaue the rewme to Dauid vpon Yrael in to euermore, to hym and to his sonis into couenaunt of salte [Salti ABFH.] ? [verse 6] And Jeroboam, the sone of Na|bath, the seruaunt of Salamon, sone of Dauith, ros, and rebellide aȝeinus his lord. [verse 7] And ther ben gaderd to hym most vein men and the sonis of Belial, and thei hadden the ouer hond aȝeinus Roboam, the sone of Salamon. Bot Roboam was rude, and with ferde herte, and myȝt not aȝeinstonden to hem. [verse 8] Now thann ȝe sayn, that ȝe schul mown withstonde to the rewme of the Lord, that he weldith by the sonis of Dauid; and ȝe han a gret multitude of puple, and golden calues, `the whiche [that C.] Jeroboam hath made to ȝou in to goddis. [verse 9] And ȝe han throwen awei the prestis of the Lord, the sonys of Aaron, and Leuytis, and han maad to

ȝou prestes, as alle the puplis of londis; whosoeuer commith and sacrith his hond in bool, in oxen and in seuen wethers, anoon he is maad the [Om. ABFH.] preste of hem that ben not goddis. [verse 10] Our forsothe Lord is God, whom we han not forsaken; and the prestis mynistriden [mynystren C.] to the Lord of the sonis of Aaron, and Leuytis ben in their [verse 11] ordre; also brent sacrifices thei offren to the Lord by ech days, erly and at euen, and the encense maad aftir the hestis of the lawe; and there ben leid forth looues in the most clene borde; and there is anentis us a golden chaundeler, and the lantern of it, that it be tend euermore at euen; we forsothe kepen the hestis of oure God, whom ȝe han forsaken. [verse 12] Thanne duke in oure hoost is God, and the prestis of hym, that crien in trumpis and sownen aȝeins ȝou; ȝe sonis of Yrael, willith not fiȝten aȝeinus the Lord God of oure fadirs, for it spedith not to ȝou. [verse 13] Thes thingis hym spekyng, Jeroboam bihynde kaste buschementis; and whanne he schulde stonden forn aȝeinus of the hoostis, he enuyrounde with his hoost Judam vn|knowynge. [verse 14] And Juda biholdynge sawȝ to stonden in bataile forn aȝeinst, and bi|hynde the bac; and he criede to the Lord, and the prestis with trumpis be|gunnen to syngen. [verse 15] And alle the men of Juda crieden out, and loo! hem criynge out, God ferid Jeroboam and al Ysrael, that stood forn aȝeynst Juda and Abia. [verse 16] And the men of Yrael flowen Judam, and the Lord tok hem in to the hondis of hem. [verse 17] Than smote hem Abia and his puple in a grete veniaunce, and ther fellen of hem woundid fyue hundrith [Om. E pr. m.] thousand of stronge men. [verse 18] And the sonis of Yrael ben mekid in that tyme, and the sonis

of Juda most hugely coumfortid, forthi that thei hadden hopide in the Lord God of their fadirs. [verse 19] Forsothe Abia pursued Jeroboam fleeȝinge, and toke citees of him, Bethel and the douȝtirs of it, and Jesana with his douȝtirs, Efron also and [verse 20] the douȝtirs of it; and miȝt no more withstonde Jeroboam in the days of Abia, whome the Lord smote, and is deed. [verse 21] Than Abia, comfortid his empyre, toke foure|tene wijues and gat two and twenty sonis, and sixtene douȝters. [verse 22] And [Om. C.] the remnaunt of the wordis of Abia and of the weies and of his werkis, ben writen most bisily in the boke of Abdo, prophete.