The most sacred Bible, whiche is the Holy Scripture conteyning the Old and New Testament / translated into English, and newly recognised with great diligence after most faythful exemplars, by Rychard Taverner.

¶ Iosias readeth Deuteronomium before the peo∣ple He putteth downe the Idolles, after he had kil¦led the preastes therof. He kepeth passouer. He was kylled in Magedo, & his son Iehoa••z raigneth in his stede: after he was taken his sonne Ichoakim was made kynge.

CAPI. XXIII.

[ A] THen the kynge sente and gathered vnto him al the elders of Iuda and of Ierusa¦lem,* 1.1 and the kynge wente vp in to the house of the Lorde, and all the men of Iuda and all thinhabitauntes of Ierusalem with him / and the preestes and the Prophetes and all the people bol••e small and great. And he redde in hearynge of them, all the wordes of the boke of the testament, whiche was ••ounde in the house of the Lorde. And the kynge stode by a pyller, and made a couenaunt before the Lorde, that they sholde walke after the Lord, and kepe ••is commaundementes and his wic∣nesses, and ••is ordinaunces with a•• theyr her∣tes, and all their soules / and make good the wordes of the sayde appoyntment that were wrytten in the foresayd boke.* 1.2 And all the peo¦ple consented to the appoyntment. Then the kynge commaunded Helkia the hyghe Prees•• and the lower Preestes and the kepers of the doore, to brynge out of the Lordes temple, all the vesselles made for Baal,* 1.3 and for the groue and for all the hoste of heauen. And he burnte them withoute Ierusalem in the feldes of Ce¦dron, and caryed the asshes of them in to Be∣thel. And he put downe the relygyous person∣nes, [ B] whiche the kynge of Iuda hadde sette to burne offerynges in the hyll aulters in the ci∣tyes of Iuda rounde aboute Ierusalem, and also them that burnt sacrifices vnto Baal, to the sonne and to the moone, and to the plan••∣tes / and to all the hoste of heauen. And he broughte oute the groue frome the temple of the Lorde withoute Ierusalem, vnto the brooke Cedron / and burnte it at the brooke Cedron / and stampte it to pouldre, and casse the duste therof vpon the graues of the people of the countreye. And he brake downe the bug∣gerye places that were in the house of y^e Lord, in whiche the women woue corteyns for the groue.

And he brought all the preestes out of the cities of Iuda, and defaced the hillaulteres where the preestes dyd burne sacryfyce frome Gabaa to Bersabe. And he brake downe the hillaulters of the Gates, that were in the en∣trye of the Gate of Iosua the gouernoure of the cytye, whiche were on the lefte hande of the Gate of the cytye. Neuerthelesse the pre∣stes of the hyllaulters myght not come at the aulter of the Lorde in Ierusalem, saue onely they dyd eate of the swete breed among their brethren.

And he destroyed Topheth also whiche is [ C] in the valeye of the children of Hennom,* 1.4 be∣cause no mā shulde offer his son or his daugh∣ter in fyre to Moloch: he put downe the hor∣ses that the kynges of Israel had gyuen to y^e sonne at the entryng of the house of the Lord in the chamber of Nathanmelech the cham∣berlayne which was of Paruatim, and burnt the charettes of the sonne with fyre. And the aulters that were on the toppe of the parlour of Achaz which the kinges of Iuda had made, and the aultares which Manasses had made in the two courtes of the house of the Lorde,* 1.5 the kinge brake downe, and ranne thence and caste the duste of theym in to the brooke Ce∣dron.

And the hylaulters that were before Ieru∣salem on the ryght hande of the mount Ma∣shich,* 1.6 whiche Sa ••mon kyng of Israel buylt to Astaroth the abhomina••••on of the Zidons and to Chamos the abhomina••••on of the Moabites / and to M••••c••o•• the abhomina∣cion of the chyldren of ••mmon / the kyng•• de∣stroyed and brake the ymages, and cut downe the groues, and fylled the places w••th the bo∣nes o•• men.

Moreouer the aulter that was at Bethel,* 1.7 the hyl aul••••r t••••de by Ie••ob••••m th•• sonne of

Nabat whyche made Israell synne: both the aultare and also the hyll he brake downe and [ D] burnt the hyll and stampte it to powder, and burnt the groue. And as Iosias tourned hym selfe, he espyed the graues that were in the mounte, and sent and fet the bones oute of the graues and burnt them vpon the aultare and poluted it accordynge to the worde of the Lorde that the man of God had proclaymed,* 1.8 whiche openlye hadde denounced the same thynges.

Then the kynge sayde: What meaneth younder graue stone that I se? And the men of the cytie tolde him, it is the Sepulchre of the man of God, which came frome Iuda and o∣penlye denounced the selfe same thynges that thou haste done to the aultare of Bethel. And he sayde let hym be: se that no man moue his bones. And so his bones escaped, with the bo¦nes of a Prophete, that came oute of Sa∣maria.

And therto all the houses of the hylaulters of the cyties of Samaria, whiche the kynges of Israel had made, to angre the Lorde with: Iosias put out of the waye, and dyd to them w^t all poyntes as he dyd in Bethel. And he sa¦crificed all the preastes of the hylaultars that were there euen vpon the aultares, and burnt mens bones vpon them, and returned to Ie∣rusalem.

And the kynge commaunded all the people sayeng:* 1.9 kepe the feast of passouer vnto the Lorde your God, as it is written in the boke [ E] of this testament. For there was no passouer holden lyke that, frome the dayes of the iud∣ges that iudged Israel, and thorowe oute all the dayes of the kynges of Israell and of Iu∣da. And in the .xviij. yere of kynge Iosias, was this passouer holden to the Lorde in Ie∣rusalem.

Moreouer workers with sprites, sothsay∣ers, Ymages of wytchecrafte, Ydoles and all other abhominacions that were espyed in the lande of Iuda and in Ierusalem, Iosias put out of the waye, to make good the wordes of the lawe, which were wrytten in the booke y^e Helkia the preaste founde in the house of the Lorde: Lyke vnto him was there no kynge a∣fore him,* 1.10 that turned to the Lorde with all his herte, with al his soule, and al his might, accordinge to all the lawe of Moses, neyther after him arose there any suche.

[ F] Notwithstandinge the Lorde tourned not him selfe frome his fearce and great wrathe, wherwith he was angrye against Iuda vpon all the prouocaciōs that Manasses prouoked him. But the Lorde sayde: I will put Iuda in lyke maner out of my sight, as I haue done Israel, and will cast of, this cytie Ierusalem, which I haue chosen, and the house of which I haue sayde, my name shalbe there.

The rest of the dedes of Iosias, and all he dyd, are written in the boke of the Chronicles of kynges of Iuda.

* 1.11In his dayes Pharao Necoa, kynge of Egypte, went against the kynge of Assyria to the ryuer Euphrates. And kynge Iosias went againste him, and was slayne of him at Ma∣gedo when he had sene him. And his seruaun∣tes caryed hym deed from Magedo & brought him to Ierusalem, & buryed him in his owne Sepulchre. And the people of the lande toke Ioachaz the sonne of Iosias, and annoynted hym, and made hym kynge in his fathers rowme.

And Ioachaz was thre and twenty yeres olde, when he began to raygne, and raygned three monethes in Ierusalem. His mo••hers name was Hamital, the doughter of Ieremia of Lobnah. And he dyd that displeased the Lorde, in all thinges as his fathers had done. And Pharao Necoa put him in bondes at Re¦blah, [ G] in the lande of Hemath, in the tyme of his raygne in Ierusalem, and put the lande to a tribute of an hundred talentes of siluer and a talente of golde. And Pharao Necoa made Eliakim, the sonne of Iosias, kynge, in the rowme of Iosias his father, and tourned his name to Ioakim, and toke Ioachaz awaye,* 1.12 whyche when he came to Egypte / dyed there.

And Ioakim gaue the siluer and the golde to Pharao: howe be it he taxed the lande, to gyue the moneye at the commaundemente of Pharao, and as euery man was set at, so he requyred the siluer and the golde of the peo∣ple of the lande, to gyue Pharao Necoa. Io∣akim was fyue and twenty yeres olde, when he beganne to raygne, and he raygned eleuen yeres in Ierusalem. His mother was named Zebda the doughter of Phadaia of Rama. And he dyd that was euyll in the syghte of the Lorde / lyke in all thynges as dyd his fa∣thers.

Notes

• * 1.1

  ii. Pa .xxxiiii. f
• * 1.2

  〈…〉〈…〉
• * 1.3

  〈…〉〈…〉
• * 1.4

  I••
• * 1.5

  〈…〉〈…〉
• * 1.6

  〈…〉〈…〉
• * 1.7

  〈…〉〈…〉
• * 1.8

  〈◊〉〈◊〉 ••iii. e.
• * 1.9

  〈◊〉〈◊〉 xxv. a 〈◊〉〈◊〉 .i. a
• * 1.10

  ☞
• * 1.11

  〈◊〉〈◊〉 ••xv d
• * 1.12

  Ieremy .xxii.