¶ Kynge Asa by the monicion of the prophet Azaria sacrifyeth vnto the Lorde. He depryueth his mo∣ther of her dominyon.
CAPI. XV.
ANd the spirite of God came on Azaria [unspec A] the sonne of Oded. And he went out to mete Asa, and sayd vnto hym: heare me Asa, and all Iuda and Beniamin. The lorde is with you, whyle ye be with hym, and when ye seke hym, he wyll be founde of you: and a∣gayne, when ye forsake hym, he also wyll for∣sake you. And truely, for a long ceason in Is∣rael no man sought the true god, no man re∣garded the preest that taught them, no man cared for the lawe. And when any man in his trouble dyd turne vnto the Lorde god of Is∣rael and sought hym, he was founde of them And in that tyme there was no peace to hym that dyd go out and in. But great sedicyon was there among all the enhabitoures of the earth. And nacyon was destroyed of nacyon, and citye of citye: for god dyd moue all aduet syte amonge them. Play ye therfore the men, and let not your hand{is} slacke, for your worke shall be rewarded. [unspec B]
And when Asa herde those wordes, and the prophesie of Azaria / the son of Oded the prophet, he toke courage, and put awaye the abhominable ydolles out of all the lande of Iuda / and Beniamin / and out of the cityes whiche he wanne in mount Ephraim, and re∣nued the aulter of the Lorde, that was before the porche of the Lorde, And he gathered all Iuda and Beniamin, & the straungers with them out of Ephraim, Manasse and Simeon For there fell many to hym oute of Israell, when they sawe that the Lorde his god was with hym. So they assembled at Ierusalem the thyrde moneth, the fyftenth yeare of the reygne of Asa. And they offred vnto the lorde the same tyme of the spoyle whiche they had brought. vii. C. oxen, and. vii. M. shepe.
And they made a couenaunt to seke the lorde God of theyr fathers, with al theyr herte and all theyr soule: And who soeuer wolde not seke the lorde God of Israel, shulde dye for it whyther he were small or greate, man or wo∣man. And ☞ they sware vnto the Lorde with a loude voyce, showtyng and blowynge with trompettes and shaulmes.
And all they in Iuda reioysed at the othe, [unspec C] for they had sworne vnto the Lorde, with all theyr herte, & sought hym with all theyr lust, and he was founde of them. And the Lorde gaue them rest rounde aboute on euery syde. And kyng Asa put Maacha his mother out of auctoryte (bycause she had made an abho∣minable ydoll ❀ (of Priapus) in a groue, and Asa brake downe her ydoll, and stamped it, & burnt it at the broke Cedron. But all the hyll aulters were not taken away out of Israell: though the herte of Asa was perfyte all his dayes. And he brought in to the house of god the thynges that his father had dedicate, and that he hym selfe had dedicate: euen syluer, & golde, & Iuels. And there was no more war vnto the * 1.1 xxxv. yere of the reygne of Asa.