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.

¶ Iosios holdeth passeouer. After his death is Iechonias ••is sonne made Kynge in his steade: whome the Kynge of Egypte putteth out, and setteth in his brother Ioachim. Ie¦rusalein is destroyed, and Sedechis taken.

CAPI. I.

ANd Iosias helde [unspec A] the feast of Easter in Ieru¦salem vnto the Lorde, and dewe the Passeouer y^•. xiiij oay of the first moneth. He set the prestes also in ordre (accordyng to theyr dayly courses) being arayed in long garmentes in the tēple of y^• Lord. And he spake vnto y^• Le∣uites the holy ministers of Israell, that they shulde halow thē selues vnto the Lord, to set the holy arcke of the Lorde, in the house that kyng Salomon the sōne of Dauid had buyl ded, & sayde: Ye shal nomore beare the Arcke vpon your shulders. Now serue your Lord, & take the charge of his people of Israel, af∣ter your villages & your trybes: accordynge as kyng Dauid the kyng of Israel hath or∣dayned, & accordyng as Salomon his sōne hath honorably prepared: ye loke that ye all do seruyce in the tēple, accordynge to the or∣dring & destribucion of the principal mē whi¦che are appoynted out of the tribes, to do ser¦uice* 1.1 for the children of Israel. * 1.2 Kyl the pas∣seouer, & prepare offringes for your brethren & do accordynge to the commaundement of y^• Lord / which was giuen vnto Moses. And vnto the people y^• was founde Iosias gaue. xxx, M. of shepe, lābes, kyddes, & Goates; & [unspec B] iij. M. oxen. These the kynge (of his kyngly liberalite) gaue vnto y^• people, accordyng as he had {pro}mysed: & to the Prestes for the Pas∣seouer) he gaue. ij. M. shepe, & an. C. oxen. Moreouer / Iechonias & Semetas, & Natha nael brethrē, & Hasabias, Iehiel, & Iosabao gaue thē to the Passeouer. v. M. shepe and v. C. bullockes.

And when these thinges were brought to passe, the Prestes & the Leuites stode goodly in theyr ordre, & had the vnleuened bred tho∣rowe out the tribes. And after the ordring of the principal mē in the tribes, they offred vn to the Lord in the syght of the people accor∣dyng‡ 1.3 as it is wrytten in the boke of Moses & so they rosted the Easter lābe as according was. As for the thāke offeringes & the other they dyght thē in kettels & pott{is}, and set thē before the people w^t good wyl, & afterwarde before thē selues, and the prestes. For the pre¦stes offred the fat, vntyl the tyme was expy∣red, but the Leuytes prepared for thē selues & for theyr brethrē the chyldrē of Aaron. The holy syngers also the chyldrē of Asaph stode in their ordre / accordyng as Dauyd deuised So dyd Asaph Zachary & Iouthun, which were appoyuted by the kyng. Moreouer the porters and dore kepers stode by the dores & that diligētly, so that none wente out of his [unspec C] standyng and seruice: for theyr brethren (the Leuites) prepared for thē. Thus were al thī∣ges performed, that belōged to the offeryng of the Lord. In that day they helde the passe ouer, and offred thank offerynges besyde the sacrifyce of the Lorde, accordyng to the com¦maundement of kyng Iosias.

So the chyldrē of Israel which were thē present helde an honorable Passeouer, & the teast of swete bread. vij. dayes long. Yee such a Passeouer was not kepte in Israel, frō the tyme of y^• Prophete Samuel. And al the kin∣ges of Israel helde not suche an Easter / as this which kyng Iosias helde, & the prestes the Leuites, the Iewes and al Israel, of all thē y^• were at Ierusalē. And in the. xviij. yere of the raygne of Iosias was this Passeouer kepte. And with a parfecte herte dyd kynge Iosyas order al his workes / before the lorde and the thynges that were wrytten of hym in tymes paste, concernynge those that syn∣ned and were vngodly agaynste the Lorde: before all people / and that soughte no••▪ the worde of the Lorde vpon Israell. * 1.4 After al these actes of Kynge Iosyas Pharao the kynge of Egypte wente vp & came towarde Carmis by Euphrates, and Iosyas went to

mete him. Then sēt the kyng of Egipt vnto Iosias saying: what haue I to do w^t the / O kyng of Iuda? I am not sent of the Lord to fyght agaynst y^•, for my war is vpō Euphra¦tes, [unspec D] go y^• thy waye home agayne in al y^• hast And Iosias wolde not turne agayne vpon his charet, but vndertoke to fyght agaynst him, & herkened not vnto the worde of y^• pro¦phete, which he tolde hi out of the mouth of God, but pytched a batayle agaynst him in the felde of Mageddo. And the princes prea¦sed to kyng Iosias. Then sayd the kyng vn to his seruaūtes: Cary me awaye out of the batayle, for I am sore woūded. And immedi¦atly his seruaūtes toke him away out of the front of the batayle. Then sat he vp vpon y^e second charet, came to Ierusalē, died / & was buried in h{is} fathers sepulcre. And in al Iew¦ry they mourned for Iosias / yee the rulers also with their wyues made lamētacion for him vnto this day: And this was done euer styll in Israel.

These thynges are wryten in the boke of the stories of the kynges of Iuda / namely / all the actes and workes of kynge Iosias / his kyngly power & maiesty, his vnderstan∣dyng in the lawe of God, & what he dyd, yee thinges which are not wryten in the boke of the kynges of Israel & Iuda. * 1.5 And the peo¦ple toke Iechonias the sonne of Iosias and [unspec E] made him kynge in steade of Iosias his fa∣ther / when he was. xxxiij. yeare olde. And he raygned ouer Israel thre monethes. And y^• kyng of Egypt put him downe, y^t he shulde not raygne in Ierusalem, & raysed vp a taxe of the people: namely, an. C. talentes of syl∣uer and one talente of golde. The kynge of Egypt also made Ioachim his brother king of Iuda and Ierusalē. As for thē of the kyn¦ges councel with the kyng him selfe and Za ra••••••s his brother, he toke thē & caried them awaye presoners into Egypt. Fyue & twen∣tie yeare olde was Ioachim, when he was made kyng in the lāde of Iuda and Ierusa¦lē, & he dyd euyl before the Lord. After this / * 1.6 Nabuchodonosor y^• kyng of Babilō came vp, and bounde him with bandes of yron, & caried him vnto Babylō. Nabuchodonosor also toke also the vessels y^• were halowed in the tēple of the Lord, and al the Iewels and caryed thē vnto Babilon, & brought thē into his owne tēple at Babylon. Of his vnclen∣nes and vngodlynes, it is wrytten in y^e boke of the actes of the kinges. And Ioachim his sonne raygned in his steade: He was made kynge beyng. xviij. yeare olde, and raygned [unspec F] but thre monethes and. x. dayes in Ierusalē & dyd euyll before the Lord. So after a yere Nabuchodonosor sent and caused him to be brought vnto Babylon w^t the holy vessels of the Lord, & made Sedechias his brother kyng of Iuda & Ierusalē, whē he was. xxj. yeare olde: and he raygned. xi. yeare.

And he dyd euyll also in the syght of the Lorde, and cared not for the wordes y^t were spoken vnto hi * 1.7 by the prophete Ieremy at the mouth of the Lorde. And where he had made an othe vnto kyng Nabuchodonosor, he forswore hi selfe, and fel from him hauig a styfneck & a hert, & trangressed all the sta∣tutes and ordinaunces of the Lorde God of Israel. The rulers also & heades of the peo∣ple of the Lord dyd much euyl, & became vn¦godly, more then the Heathen, beynge defy∣led in al maner of abhominacions: Yee / & de¦filed the holy tēple of the Lord at Ierusalē. And the God of theyr fathers sente his mes∣saungers vnto thē, to turne them backe & to cal them agayne frō their sines: for he wolde fayne haue spared them for his holy taberna¦cles sake. Neuertheles, they had his messaū∣gers in derision: & loke what god spake vn∣to [unspec G] thē by his {pro}phetes, they made but a sport of it. This drewe on so longe, tyll the Lorde was wroth with his people for their vngod∣lynes / and tyl he caused the kynges of y^• Cal dees to come vp, whiche slew their yonge mē with the swerde / yee euen in the compasse of their holy temple / & spared no body / neither yong nor olde, nether maden nor yonge mā: but they were all delyuered into the power of the kinges of the Caldees, and al the holy vessels of the Lorde and the kynges treasu∣res toke they / and caried them vnto Babilō * 1.8 As for the house of the Lorde, they wēt vp into it / and brent it, & brake downe the wal∣les of Ierusalem / set fyre vpon her towres / destroyed al her noble buyldiges & brought them to nought / and the people that were not slayne with the swearde / they caryed vn to Babylon.

Thus became they presoners & bōde mē of the kyng of Babilon, tyll they were dely∣uered & raygned for them selues / * 1.9 when the wordes of the Lorde were fulfylled, whiche he promysed them by the mouth of the Pro∣phete Ieremy, and tyl the lande had her rest namely / all the tyme that it lay waste / had it rest and quytnes. lxxvij, yeares.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Exod. xii. ••
• * 1.2

  〈…〉〈…〉. 25. •• Reg. 23. ••
• ‡ 1.3

  Exod. xii. b
• * 1.4

  4. Reg. 2••. •• 3, Pu••. ••5. ••
• * 1.5

  3. Reg. 33. •• 2. Pa. 2••. a
• * 1.6

  4. Re. 24. a
• * 1.7

  I••••e. 36. ••
• * 1.8

  I••••••. ••9 •• and. 〈◊〉〈◊〉, ••
• * 1.9

  I••••••. 〈…〉〈…〉. and. 〈…〉〈…〉.