The Byble in Englyshe that is to saye, the content of all the holye scrypture, bothe of the olde and newe Testament, truly translated after the veryte of the Hebrue and Greke textes, by the diligent studye of dyuers excellent lerned [men e]xperte in the fore[saide] tongues.

¶ O•• the honoure done vnto the temple by the kynges of the Gentyles. Symon vtter teth what treasure to in the tem¦ple. Heliodorus is sent to take them awaye. He is strycken of God, and healed at the prayer of O••••as.

CAPI. III.

WHat tyme as the holy cytie was inhabi¦ted [unspec A] in al peace & wealth / and when the lawes were yet very well kepte (For so was it ordayned by O••ias the hie prest and other godly mē / that were enemies to wyckednes) It came therto / * 1.1 that euen the kynges & prī¦ces them selues dyd the place great worshyp & garnyshed the temple with great gyftes: In so muche that Seleueus kynge of Asia of his owne rentes / bare al the coastes belon¦gyng to the seruice of the offrynges. Then * 1.2 Simon of the tribe of Ben Iamin / a ruler of the temple, laboured to worke some mischefe in the cyte: but the hie preste resysted him.

Neuerthelesse when he myght not ouer∣come Onias / he gat him to * 1.3 Appollon••us y^• sonne of Thersa) which then was chefe Lord in Celosyria and Phenices) and tolde hym, y^• the treasury in Ierusalem was ful of innu∣merable money / & how that the comō goodes (whiche belonged not vnto the offerynges) were exceadyng great also: yee and howe it were possible / y^• all these myght come vnder the kynges power.

Nowe when Appolonius had shewed the [unspec B] kynge of the money / as it was tolde hym: the king called for Heliodorus hys stewarde & sent him with a commaundement / to bring hym the same money. Immediatly Heliodo∣rus toke his iourney / but vnder a coloure / as thoughe he wolde go thorowe Celosyrya and Phenices to viset the cities, but his pur¦pose was to fulfyll the kynges pleasure. So when he came to Ierusalem, and was louyn¦gly receyued of the hye preste into the cyte: he tolde what was determyned cōcernynge the money, & shewed the cause of his cōmyn••: he asked also / yf it were so in dede. Then y^• hye prest told him, y^t there was such money layed vp for the vpholdyng of wyddowes & father lesse chyldrē, and howe that a certayne of it belōged vnto Hyrcanus Tobias a noble mā and that of al the money (which y^• wycked Si¦mō had bewraied) there were. iiij. C. talentes of syluer, &. ij. C. of golde: ye & that it were vn¦possibell for those mens meanynge to be dis∣ceyued, that had layed vp theyr money in the place and temple (which is had in worshippe thorowe y^• whole worlde) for y^• mayntaynaū∣ce and honoure of the same. Where vnto He¦liodorus answered, that the kynge had com∣maunded hym in any wyse / to brynge him in the money.

So at the daye appoynted / Heliodorus [unspec C] entred into the temple to ordre this matter. But there was no small feare thorowe out y^• whole cytie. The Prestes fell downe before the aulter in theyr vestymentes / and called vnto heauen vpon him, * 1.4 which had made a lawe conceruynge stuffe geuen to kepe that they shulde be safely preserued, for such as cō¦mytte them vnto kepyng. Then who so had loked the hye preste in the face▪ it wolde haue greued his herte: For his countenaunce and the chaungynge of hys coloure / declared the inwarde sorowe of his mynde. The mā was all in heuynesse, and his body in feare. Wher by they that loked vpon him, might perceiue the grefe of his hert. The other people also ca¦me out of their houses by heapes vnto the co¦mō praier, because the place was like to come into confusion. The wemē came together tho¦rowe the stretes, with hearrye clothes about theyr brestes:

The vyrgyns also that were kept in, rāne

to O••ias, some i the walles, other some lo∣ked out of the wyndowes: yee they all helde vp theyr handes towarde heauen, & prayed A myserable thynge was it, to loke vpō the comen people, & the hye prest beinge in such trouble. But they besought almyghty god, that the goodes which were commytted vn¦to them, myghte be kepte whole, for those y^• had delyuered thē vnto theyr kepynge. Ne∣uertheles the thyng that Heliodorus was determyned to do, that perfourmed he in the same place, he hym selfe personally beynge about the treasury wyth hys men of warre. But y^• spryte of almyghty God shewed him selfe openly, so that al they which presumed to obeye Helyodorus, fell thorow the power of God into a great fearfulnesse and drede. * 1.5 For there appeared vnto them an horse, w^t a terrible man sytting vpon hym, deckce in goodly araye, & the horse smote at Heliodo∣rus w^t hys fore fete. Nowe he that sat vpon the horse / had harnesse of golde vpon hym.

Moreouer there appeared. 〈◊〉〈◊〉. fayre & beu∣tyfull yōge men in goodly aray, which stode by him, scourged hym of both the sides, and gaue hym many strypes without ceassinge. * 1.6 With that fel Heliodorus sodēly vnto the [unspec E] grounde. So they toke him vp (beinge com¦pased aboute wyth great darcknesse (& bare hym oute vpon a bere. Thus he that came wyth so many runners and men of warre in to the sayde treasury, was borne out, where as no man myght helpe him: & so the power of God was manyfest and knowne. He laye styll domme also by the power of God, desti¦tute of all hope & lyfe. And they praysed the lord, that he had shewed his power vpō his place and tēple, which a lytie afore was full of feare & trouble: and that thorow the reue¦lacyon of the almightie Lorde it was fylled wyth ioye and gladnesse.

Thē certaine of Heliodorus frēdes praied Onias / that in all hast he wolde call vpon God, to graūte him his lyfe / which was ge¦uynge vp the goost. So the hye prest consi∣dered the matter, and lest the kyng shuld sus¦pecte that the Iewes had done Heliodorus some euyll: he offred an health offrynge for him. Now when the hie Prest had opteined hys peticion, the same yonge men in y^• same clothyng appeared, & stode besyde Heliodo∣rus, saying: Thancke Onias the hye prest / [unspec F] for y^• Lord * 1.7 , for his sake hath graūted y^• thy lyfe: therfore seyng y^• god hath scourged the geue hym prayse & thākes / and shewe euery man his might & power. And whē they had spokē these wordes, they appeared nomore.

So Heliodorus offered vnto God, made great vowes vnto him, which had graūted him his lyfe, thācked Onias, toke his host / & went agayne to the kynge. Then testified he vnto euery man of the great worckes of God, y^• he had sene with his eyes. And whē the kinge asked Heliodorus who were mete to be sent yet once agayne to Ierusalem, he sayde: yf thou hast any enemy or aduersary vnto thy realme, sende him thyther, & thou shalt haue him punished, if he escape w^t his lyfe: for in y^• place (no doute) there is a speci∣all power & worcking of god. For he y^• dwel¦leth ī heauē, visiteth & defēdeth y^• place: & al that come to do it harme, he punisheth & pla¦geth thē. This is now the matter cōcerning Heliodorus, & the kepynge of the tresury at Ierusalem.

Notes

• * 1.1

  ••. Math. 1. ••
• * 1.2

  i••. M••••••, iii
• * 1.3

  2. Mat. iii. b
• * 1.4

  Ero••. ••••
• * 1.5

  ••. M••••. x •• 〈◊〉〈◊〉. xi. ••
• * 1.6

  •• M••••. v. ••
• * 1.7

  ••••••••. 27. ••