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

CAP. XX.

[verse 1] Aftir these thinges ben gedered the sonis of Moab, and the sonis of Amon, and with hem of the Ydumes, to Josaphath, that thei fiȝten aȝeinus hym. [verse 2] And mes|sagers camen, and scheweden to Josa|phath, seying, Ther is comen aȝeins thee a grete multitude fro thes places that ben beȝonde the see, and of Cyrie; and, lo! thei ben in Azozonthamar, that is of Engaddi. [verse 3] Josaphath forsothe, for drede agast, al ȝaf hym self to preyen the Lord, and prechide fastyng to al Juda. [verse 4] And Juda is gadered to preye the Lord, bot and alle of their cytees camen to be|sechen hym. [verse 5] And whanne Josaphath hadde stonden in the mydil company of Jude and Jerusalem, in the hous of the [verse 6] Lord, before the newe porche, and seith, Lord God of oure fadirs, thou art God in heuen, and thou lordschipist to alle rewmes of gentilis; in thin hond is strengthe and myȝt, ne eny man may to thee aȝeyn stonden. [verse 7] Whether not thou, oure God, hast slayn alle the dwellers of this lond before thi puple Irael, and hast ȝeuen it to the seed of Abraham, thi frende, in to euermore? [verse 8] And thei dwell|iden in it, and maden out in it a seyn|tuarie [verse 9] to thi name, seyinge, Ȝif euyls commen vpon us, swerde of dome, of pestilence, and hungur, we schul stonden before this hous in to euermore in thi siȝte, in the [Om. C pr. m.] whiche is inwardly clepid thi name, and we schul crien to thee

in oure tribulaciouns; and thou schalt heeren us, and maken us saaf. [verse 10] Nowe thanne see, sonus of Amon and of Moab and the hil of Seyr, by whome thou grauntidist not to the sonus of Irael that thei schulden passe, whann they wenten out fro Egipt, bot thei boweden aside fro [verse 11] hem, and thei slowen hem not, aȝein|ward thei don, and enforsen to kasten us [verse 12] out fro the possessyoun [possyoun B.] , that thou, oure God, hast taken to us; thanne schalt thou not demen hem? In us forsothe is not so myche strengthe, that we mown to this multitude with stonden, that fallith vpon us; bot whanne we vnknowen what we owen to don, that oonly we han of resi|due, that oure eeȝen we dressen up to thee. [verse 13] Al forsothe Juda stood before the Lord, with litil childre and wijues and their free childre. [verse 14] Forsothe there was Yaziel, the sone of Sacharie, sone of Ana|nye, sone of Hieyel, sone of Machanye, Leuyte, and of the sonus of Asaph, vpon whome is maad the Spirit of the Lord in [verse 15] mydil of the puple, and seith, Takith heede, al Juda, and that dwellen in Jeru|salem, and thou, kyng Josaphath, thes thingus seith the Lord to ȝou, Willith not dreeden this multitude, ne taken ferd, it is not forsothe ȝour fiȝt, bot of God. [verse 16] To morowe ȝe schul steyȝen up aȝeinus hem; forsothe thei ben to steiȝen up bi the pich hil, Cis by name, and ȝe schul fynden hem in the ouermest of the streme, that is aȝeinus the wildernesse of Jheruel. [verse 17] Forsothe ȝe schul not ben, the whiche schul fiȝten; bot onely tristely stondith, and ȝe schul seen the help of the Lord vpon ȝou. O Juda and Jerusa|lem, willith not dreeden, ne takith ferd; to morowe ȝe schul goon out aȝeynus hem,

and the Lord schal ben with ȝou. [verse 18] Josa|phath thanne, and Juda, and alle the dwellers of Jerusalem, fellen bowed in to the erth before the Lord, and honoureden hym. [verse 19] Bot the Leuytis of the sonus of Caath, and of the sonus of Chore, preys|eden the Lord God of Yrael with a grete voice in to heiȝt. [verse 20] And whann erly thei hadden risen, they wenten out by the de|sert of Thecue; and, hem goon forth, Jo|saphath stonding in the mydil of hem, seide, Heerith me, Juda and alle the dwellers of Jerusalem; beleeuith in the Lord ȝoure God, and ȝe schul ben syker; leeuith to the prophetis of hym, and alle thingus schul commen welsum. [verse 21] And he ȝaf counseil to the puple, and he sette the syngers of the Lord, that they schul|den preysen hym in their companyes, and that thei schulden gon before the hoost, and with cordaunt voice thei schulden seyn, Knowlecheth [Knowleche B.] to the Lord for good [he is good A.] ; for in to the world the mercy of hym. [verse 22] And whanne thei hadden begunne preys|yngis to syngyn, the Lord turned the buschementis of hem in to hem silf, of the sonus, that is, of Amon and Moab and of the hil of Seyr, the whiche wenten out to fiȝten aȝeinus Judam, and ben smyten. [verse 23] Forsothe the sonus of Amon and of Moab rysen to gydre aȝeinus the dwellers of the hyl of Seyr, that they schulden slen, and done awey hem; and whanne that in dede thei hadden fulfild, also in to hem selue turned thei smyten to gider in woundes either in other. [verse 24] Bot whanne Juda was commen to the denn, that beholdith wil|dernesse, he sawȝ aferre al the regyoun abrood ful of careyns, ne to ben ouer laft eny man, `the whiche [that C.] hadde mouȝt [not H.] to [Om. C.] scapen the deth. [verse 25] Thanne Josaphath came, and al the puple with hym, to the spoylis of the [Om. B.] deed to ben drawen awey, and

thei founden [ben founden B.] betwene the careynes dy|uerse necessarie, and clothes, and vessels most precious; and thei breeken on two, so that alle they miȝten not beren, ne bi thre days the spoyles taken awey, for the mychilnesse of the preye. [verse 26] The ferth for|sothe day thei ben gadered in the valey of Blessynge; forsothe for ther thei bliss|iden to the Lord, thei clepiden that place the valey of Blessynge in to the present day. [verse 27] And eche man of Juda is turned aȝein, and the dwellers of Jerusalem, and Josaphath beforn hem, in to Jerusalem with grete ioye; forthi that the Lord hadde ȝeuen to hem ioye of their enmyes. [verse 28] And thei wenten in to Jerusalem with sawtrees, and harpis, and trumpis, in to the hous of the Lord. [verse 29] Forsothe inward ferd of the Lord fel vpon alle the rewmes of londis, whanne thei hadden herd, that the Lord hadde fouȝten aȝeinus the enmyes of Irael. [verse 30] And the rewme of Josaphath hadde reste; and the Lord ȝaue to hym pese by enuyroun. [verse 31] Thanne Josaphath regnede vpon Judam; and he was of fyue and thritty ȝeer, whanne he beganne to regnen; forsothe twenty and fyue ȝeer he regned in Jerusalem; and name of his modir Azuba, the douȝter of Selathy. [verse 32] And he wente in the wey of his fadir Aza, and he bowide not fro it, doynge what euer thingus weren plesaunt before the Lord. [verse 33] Neuer the later the heeȝe thingus he dide not awey; ȝit the puple hadden not dressid their hert to the Lord God of their fadirs. [verse 34] The remnaunt for|sothe of the deedis of Josaphath, of the rather and of the last, ben writen in the bokis of Hieu, the [Om. C.] sone of Anany, the whiche he discriued in the boke of the [Om. B.]

kyngis of Yrael. [verse 35] After thes thingus Jo|saphath, kyng of Juda, wente in fren|schippes with Ochosie, the king of Yrael, [verse 36] whos werkes weren werst, and parcener was that thei schulden maken schippis, that schulden gon in to Tharsis; and thei maden a nauee in Aziongaber. [verse 37] For|sothe Heliezer, the sone of Doden, of Mareza, prophecyede to Josaphath, sey|inge, For thou haddist couenaunt of pese with Ochosia, the Lord smote thi werkes; and the schippes ben to-broken, and they myȝten not gon in to Tharsis.