2 Chronicles · Chapter 20

[ edit] Aftir þeſe þinges ben gedered þe ſonis of Moab, and þe ſonis of Amon, and wiþ hem of þe Ydumes, to Joſaphaþ, þat þei fiȝten aȝeinus hym. And meſſagers camen, and ſcheweden to Joſaphaþ, ſeying, Þer is comen aȝeins þee a grete multitude fro þes places þat ben beȝonde þe ſee, and of Cyrie; and, lo! þei ben in Azozonþamar, þat is of Engaddi. Joſaphaþ forſoþe, for drede agaſt, al ȝaf hym ſelf to preyen þe Lord, and prechide faſtyng to al Juda. And Juda is gadered to preye þe Lord, bot and alle of þeir cytees camen to beſechen hym.

And whanne Joſaphaþ hadde ſtonden in þe mydil company of Jude and Jeruſalem, in þe hous of þe Lord, before þe newe porche, and ſeiþ, Lord God of oure fadirs, þou art God in heuen, and þou lordſchipiſt to alle rewmes of gentilis; in þin hond is ſtrengþe and myȝt, ne eny man may to þee aȝeyn ſtonden. Wheþer not þou, oure God, haſt ſlayn alle þe dwellers of þis lond before þi puple Irael, and haſt ȝeuen it to þe ſeed of Abraham, þi frende, in to euermore?

And þei dwelliden in it, and maden out in it a ſeyntuarie to þi name, ſeyinge, Ȝif euyls commen vpon us, ſwerde of dome, of peſtilence, and hungur, we ſchul ſtonden before þis hous in to euermore in þi ſiȝte, in þe whiche is inwardly clepid þi name, and we ſchul crien to þee in oure tribulaciouns; and þou ſchalt heeren us, and maken us ſaaf.

Nowe þanne ſee, ſonus of Amon and of Moab and þe hil of Seyr, by whome þou grauntidiſt not to þe ſonus of Irael þat þei ſchulden paſſe, whann þey wenten out fro Egipt, bot þei boweden aſide fro hem, and þei ſlowen hem not, aȝeinward þei don, and enforſen to kaſten us out fro þe poſſeſſyoun, þat þou, oure God, haſt taken to us; þanne ſchalt þou not demen hem? In us forſoþe is not ſo myche ſtrengþe, þat we mown to þis multitude wiþ ſtonden, þat falliþ vpon us; bot whanne we vnknowen what we owen to don, þat oonly we han of reſidue, þat oure eeȝen we dreſſen up to þee. Al forſoþe Juda ſtood before þe Lord, wiþ litil childre and wijues and þeir free childre.

Forſoþe þere was Yaziel, þe ſone of Sacharie, ſone of Ananye, ſone of Hieyel, ſone of Machanye, Leuyte, and of þe ſonus of Aſaph, vpon whome is maad þe Spirit of þe Lord in mydil of þe puple, and ſeiþ, Takiþ heede, al Juda, and þat dwellen in Jeruſalem, and þou, kyng Joſaphaþ, þes þingus ſeiþ þe Lord to ȝou, Williþ not dreeden þis multitude, ne taken ferd, it is not forſoþe ȝour fiȝt, bot of God. To morowe ȝe ſchul ſteyȝen up aȝeinus hem; forſoþe þei ben to ſteiȝen up bi þe pich hil, Cis by name, and ȝe ſchul fynden hem in þe ouermeſt of þe ſtreme, þat is aȝeinus þe wilderneſſe of Jheruel.

Forſoþe ȝe ſchul not ben, þe whiche ſchul fiȝten; bot onely triſtely ſtondiþ, and ȝe ſchul ſeen þe help of þe Lord vpon ȝou. O Juda and Jeruſalem, williþ not dreeden, ne takiþ ferd; to morowe ȝe ſchul goon out aȝeynus hem, and þe Lord ſchal ben wiþ ȝou. Joſaphaþ þanne, and Juda, and alle þe dwellers of Jeruſalem, fellen bowed in to þe erþ before þe Lord, and honoureden hym. Bot þe Leuytis of þe ſonus of Caaþ, and of þe ſonus of Chore, preyſeden þe Lord God of Yrael wiþ a grete voice in to heiȝt.

And whann erly þei hadden riſen, þey wenten out by þe deſert of Thecue; and, hem goon forþ, Joſaphaþ ſtonding in þe mydil of hem, ſeide, Heeriþ me, Juda and alle þe dwellers of Jeruſalem; beleeuiþ in þe Lord ȝoure God, and ȝe ſchul ben ſyker; leeuiþ to þe prophetis of hym, and alle þingus ſchul commen welſum. And he ȝaf counſeil to þe puple, and he ſette þe ſyngers of þe Lord, þat þey ſchulden preyſen hym in þeir companyes, and þat þei ſchulden gon before þe hooſt, and wiþ cordaunt voice þei ſchulden ſeyn, Knowlecheþ to þe Lord for good; for in to þe world þe mercy of hym.

And whanne þei hadden begunne preyſyngis to ſyngyn, þe Lord turned þe buſchementis of hem in to hem ſilf, of þe ſonus, þat is, of Amon and Moab and of þe hil of Seyr, þe whiche wenten out to fiȝten aȝeinus Judam, and ben ſmyten. Forſoþe þe ſonus of Amon and of Moab ryſen to gydre aȝeinus þe dwellers of þe hyl of Seyr, þat þey ſchulden ſlen, and done awey hem; and whanne þat in dede þei hadden fulfild, alſo in to hem ſelue turned þei ſmyten to gider in woundes eiþer in oþer. Bot whanne Juda was commen to þe denn, þat beholdiþ wilderneſſe, he ſawȝ aferre al þe regyoun abrood ful of careyns, ne to ben ouer laft eny man, þe whiche hadde mouȝt to ſcapen þe deþ.

Þanne Joſaphaþ came, and al þe puple wiþ hym, to þe ſpoylis of þe deed to ben drawen awey, and þei founden betwene þe careynes dyuerſe neceſſarie, and cloþes, and veſſels moſt precious; and þei breeken on two, ſo þat alle þey miȝten not beren, ne bi þre days þe ſpoyles taken awey, for þe mychilneſſe of þe preye. Þe ferþ forſoþe day þei ben gadered in þe valey of Bleſſynge; forſoþe for þer þei bliſſiden to þe Lord, þei clepiden þat place þe valey of Bleſſynge in to þe preſent day. And eche man of Juda is turned aȝein, and þe dwellers of Jeruſalem, and Joſaphaþ beforn hem, in to Jeruſalem wiþ grete ioye; forþi þat þe Lord hadde ȝeuen to hem ioye of þeir enmyes.

And þei wenten in to Jeruſalem wiþ ſawtrees, and harpis, and trumpis, in to þe hous of þe Lord. Forſoþe inward ferd of þe Lord fel vpon alle þe rewmes of londis, whanne þei hadden herd, þat þe Lord hadde fouȝten aȝeinus þe enmyes of Irael. And þe rewme of Joſaphaþ hadde reſte; and þe Lord ȝaue to hym peſe by enuyroun. Þanne Joſaphaþ regnede vpon Judam; and he was of fyue and þritty ȝeer, whanne he beganne to regnen; forſoþe twenty and fyue ȝeer he regned in Jeruſalem; and name of his modir Azuba, þe douȝter of Selaþy. And he wente in þe wey of his fadir Aza, and he bowide not fro it, doynge what euer þingus weren pleſaunt before þe Lord.

Neuer þe later þe heeȝe þingus he dide not awey; ȝit þe puple hadden not dreſſid þeir hert to þe Lord God of þeir fadirs. Þe remnaunt forſoþe of þe deedis of Joſaphaþ, of þe raþer and of þe laſt, ben writen in þe bokis of Hieu, þe ſone of Anany, þe whiche he diſcriued in þe boke of þe kyngis of Yrael. After þes þingus Joſaphaþ, kyng of Juda, wente in frenſchippes wiþ Ochoſie, þe king of Yrael, whos werkes weren werſt, and parcener was þat þei ſchulden maken ſchippis, þat ſchulden gon in to Tharſis; and þei maden a nauee in Aziongaber.

Forſoþe Heliezer, þe ſone of Doden, of Mareza, prophecyede to Joſaphaþ, ſeyinge, For þou haddiſt couenaunt of peſe wiþ Ochoſia, þe Lord ſmote þi werkes; and þe ſchippes ben to-broken, and þey myȝten not gon in to Tharſis.