Nabat, the seruaunt of Salomon, the sonne of Dauid rebelled agaynste the Lorde. And [ B] there gathered to hym lewde men and vn∣thryftes, and preuayled agaynst Roboam the sonne of Salomon: for Roboam was yonge and tender herted, and not stronge ynoughe for them.
And nowe ye thynke to preuayle agaynste the kyngdome of the Lorde in the hande of the sonnes of Dauid, bicause ye be a greate multitude, and haue with you the golden cal∣ues whiche Ieroboam made you for goddes. And haue ye not caste oute the preestes of the Lorde the sonnes of Aaron, and the Leuites / and haue made you preestes lyke the nacions of other landes: euen who so euer commeth and consecrateth his hande with an oxe, and seuen rammes, the same is made preest to them that are no goddes.
But with vs is the Lorde our God whom [ C] we haue not forsaken / and the prestes of the sonnes of Aaron ministrynge vnto the Lorde / and the Leuites in offyce burnynge vnto the Lorde euery mornynge and euery euen burnt of∣ferynges, & swete incense: and the shewebreed put in order vpon a pure table: and the candel stycke of golde, with the lampes of the same, to be lyght euery euen. For we kepe the watch of the Lorde oure God: But ye haue for∣saken him. Moreouer, beholde, God is with vs in the forewarde, and his preestes and the torynge trompettes to crye alarum agaynste you. Ye chyldren of Israel fyght not with the Lorde God of youre fathers: for it wyll not prospere with you. But for al that, Ieroboam sent men priuily aboute to come behynde vpon them: and so they were before Iuda, and the layers in wayte were behynde them. And whē Iuda tourned and sawe the battayle behynde and before, they cryed vnto the Lorde, and the preestes blewe the trompettes, and the men of Iuda gaue a shoute. And as the men of Iu¦da shouted, God smote Ieroboam and all Is∣rael [ D] before Abia and Iuda. And the chyldren of Israell fledde before Iuda / and the Lorde delyuered them in to the handes of Iuda. And Abia and his people slewe a greate slaughter of them: so that there were stryken downe of Israell, fyue hundred thousande chosen men. And so the chyldren of Israell were broughte vnder at that tyme / and the chyldren of Iuda preuayled, bycause they leaned vnto the Lord God of theyr fathers. And Abia folowed af∣ter Ieroboam, and wanne certayne cityes from him: Bethel, with townes belongynge ther∣to / and Iesanah with the townes that longed therto / and Ephron with her townes. And Ie∣roboam recouered not strengthe agayne in the dayes of Abia. At laste the Lorde plaged hym that he dyed.
And Abia waxed myghtye, and toke hym fourtene wyues, and begat two and twentye sonnes, and sixtene doughters. The reste of the actes of Abia, and his wayes and doinges, are wrytten in the hystorye of the Prophete Ado. And when Abia was layde to slepe with his fathers, they buryed hym in the citye of Dauid. And Asa his son raygned in his stede, In whose dayes the lande was quyet tenne yeres.