2 Chronicles · Chapter 14

[ edit] Forſoþe Abia ſlepte wiþ his fadirs, and þei birieden hym in þe cytee of Dauiþ; and Aza, his ſone, regnede for hym. In whos days reſtide þe londe tenn ȝeer. And Aza dide þat good and pleſaunt was in þe ſiȝte of his God, and he turned vpſadoun þe auters of ſtraunge heryinge, and þe heeȝ þingis, and tobrac þe ymagis, and þe mawmet woodis hewȝ doun; and he comaundide to Jude, þat he ſchulde ſechen þe Lord God of þeir fadirs, and done þe lawe, and alle þe maundementis. And he toke awei fro alle þe cytees of Juda auters and mawmet templis, and regned in peſe. Alſo he bylde up ſtrengþed cytees in Juda; for quyete he was, and noon in his tyme batails riſen, þe Lord grauntynge peſe.

Forſoþe he ſeide to Jude, Bilde we up þes cytees, and enuyrown we wiþ wallis, and ſtrengþe we wiþ touris and ȝatis and lockis, þe whilis fro batails alle þingis ben quyete; forþi þat we han ſouȝt þe Lord God of oure fadirs, and he haþ ȝeuen to us peſe by enuyrown. Þanne þei beelden up, and no lettynge was in þe out makynge. Aza forſoþe hadde in his enuyrown of bereris ſcheeldis and ſperis of Juda þre hundriþ þouſand, of Beniamyn forſoþe of ſcheld berers and archers two hundriþ and ſeuenty þouſand; alle þes moſt ſtronge men. Forſoþe aȝeinus hem went out Zara Eþiope wiþ his hooſt tenn hundriþ þouſand, and wiþ chaaris þre hundriþ, and he came vnto Mazara.

Forſoþe Aza wente to mete wiþ hym, and maad a ſcheltrun to bataile in þe valei of Sophata, þat is beſide Mazera. And he inwardly clepide þe Lord God, and ſeiþ, Lord, þer is not anentis þee eny diſtaunce, wheþer in fewe þou helpiſt, or in many; help us, Lord oure God, in þee forſoþe and in þi name hauynge truſt we ben comen aȝeinus þis multitude; Lord, oure God þou ert, haue not þe ouerhand aȝeins þee a man. And ſo þe Lord fered Eþiopis beforn Aſa and Juda, and Eþiopis flowen; and Aſa purſued hem, and þe peple þat was wiþ hym, vnto Jerare. And Eþiopis fellyn vnto deþ, for þe Lord ſmijtynge þei ben to-hewen, and wiþ þe hooſt of hym fyȝtyng.

Þanne þei token many ſpoylis, and ſmijten alle þe cytees by enuyrown of Jerare; forſoþe a grete fere aſſaylede alle. And þei to-broſten cytees, and beren aweie mych preye; bot and þe foldis of ſcheep diſtruynge token of beeſtis a multitude wiþoute eende, and of camels, and ben torned aȝein in to Jeruſalem.