¶ After the dethe of Amazias raygneth Oziah whi∣thers stryken with the lepre, and Ioatham raygneth in his rowme.
CAPI. XXVI.
THen all the people of Iuda toke Oziah [ A] whiche was sixtene yere olde,* 1.1 and made him kynge in the rowme of his father Amazias. And he buylte Eloth and brought it agayne to Iuda, after the kynge was layde to reste with his fathers. Sixtene yere olde was Oziah when he began to raygne, and he ray∣gned two and fiftye yere in Ierusalem. His mo¦thers name was Iecaliah of Ierusalem. And he dyd that pleased the Lord in all poyntes, as dyd his father Amazias. And he soughte God whyle Zachariah the teacher to se God liued: and as long as he sought the Lord, God made him prospere.
And he went to battayle agaynste the Phi∣listines, and brake downe the walles of Geth and the walles of Iabneh, and the walles of Asdod / and buylte cityes aboute Asdod, and amonge the Philistines. And God holpe hym [ B] agaynste the Philistines, and agaynste the A∣rabiens that dwelte in Gurbaal, and agaynst the Meunites. And the Ammonites gaue try∣bute to Oziah, and his name spred abrode e∣uen to Egypt: for he played the man, and ex∣ceded. Moreouer Oziah buylte towres in Ie∣rusalem ouer the corner gate, and ouer the va∣leye gate, and ouer other corners, and made thē stronge. And he buylte towres in the wylder∣nesse, and dygged manye welles. For he hadde moche cattell, bothe in the valeye, and also in the playne, and plowmen and vyne dressers in the mountaynes and in Charmel, for he loued husbandrye.
And Oziah hadde an hoste of fyghtynge men that wente oute to warre in the armye, and were tolde and nombred by Ieiel the scrybe, & Maasiah an offycer, vnder the hande of Hana∣niah one of the kynges lordes. And the hole nombre of the auncient heades of the men of myght, were two thousande and sixe hundred, and vnder the handes of them was the armye of the hoste, thre hundred and seuen thousande, and fyue hundred that made warre wt myghte and strengthe, to helpe the kynge agaynste his ennemyes. And Oziah prouyded them thorow [ C] oute all the hoste, shyldes, speres, helmetes, ha∣bergynnes, bowes, and slynges for stones. And he made engynes in Ierusalem by the crafte of artifycers, to be on the towres and corners, to shote arowes and greate stones with. And his name spred farre abrode / for he was wonderslye holpe, vntyll he was become myghtye.
And in his greatnesse his herte arose, that he was marred, and transgressed agaynste the Lorde his God. For he wente in to the tem∣ple of the Lorde to burne incense vpon the aul¦ter of incense.* 1.2 But Azarias the preest wente in after him with foure score preestes of ye Lorde that were bolde men. And they stepte to Ozi∣ah the kynge, and sayde to him: it pertayneth not to the Oziah to burne incense vnto the Lorde, but to the preestes the chyldren of Aa∣ron that are consecrate for to burne incense. [ D] Come out of the sanctuarye, for thou hast tres∣paced, and it shall be no worshyp to the before the Lorde God.
And Oziah was wroth & had incense in his