2 Chronicles · Chapter 25

[ edit] Amaſias forſoþe, his ſone, regnede for hym; of fyue and twenty ȝeer was Amaſias, whanne he hadde begunne to regnen, and nyne and twenty ȝeer he regnede in Jeruſalem; name of his modir Joiaden, of Jeruſalem. And he dide good in þe ſiȝte of þe Lord, neuer þe later not in perfijt herte. And whanne he ſawȝ þe empyre ſtrengþed to hym, he kutte þe ſeruauntis þrotis, þat ſlewen his fadir þe kyng; bot þe ſonus of hem he ſlewȝ not; as it is writen in þe boke of þe lawe of Moyſes, where þe Lord comaundide, ſeyinge, Þe fadirs ſchul not ben ſlayn for þe ſonus, ne þe ſonus for þeir fadirs; bot echone in his ſynne ſchal dyen.

Þanne Amazias gaderde Judam, and ordeynede hem by meynees leders of þouſandis and mayſtris of hundriþis, in al Juda and Beniamyn; and he tolde fro twentye ȝeer and aboue, and he fonde þritty þouſande of ȝonge men, þat myȝten gon out to fiȝten, and holden ſpere and terget. Alſo by meed he hyred of Irael an hundriþ þouſand of ſtronge men, for an hundriþ talentis of ſyluer, þat þei ſchulden fiȝten aȝeinus þe ſonus of Edom.

Þere came forſoþe to hym a man of God, and ſeiþ, O! kyng, go not out wiþ þee þe hooſt of Irael; forſoþe þe Lord is not wiþ Irael and wiþ alle þe ſonus of Effraym; þat ȝif þou weeniſt in ſtrengþe of hooſt batails to ſtonden, þe Lord ſchal maken þee to ben ouercommen of enmyes; of God forſoþe is to helpen, and in to fliȝt to turnen. And Amazias ſeide to þe man of God, What þanne ſchal be done of þe hundriþ talentis, þat I ȝaf to þe knyȝtis of Irael? And þe man of God anſwerde, Þe Lord haþ, wherof he may ȝeue to þee many mo þanne þeſe.

And ſo Amazias ſeuered þe hooſt þat came to hym of Effraym, þat he ſchulde turnen aȝeyn in to his place; and þei, aȝeinus Judam hugely wratþed, ben turnede aȝein in to þeir regyoun. Bot Amazias truſtily ladde out his puple, and wente in to þe valeye of ſalt places, and he ſmote þe ſonus of Seyr, tenn þouſand. And oþer tenn þouſand of men token þe ſonus of Juda, and brouȝten to an heeȝe fallynge place of a maner ſtoon; and þei tumbleden hem doun fro þe cop in to þe loweſt; þe whiche al tobroſten. And þat hooſt þat Amazie ſente aȝein, þat it ȝeede not wiþ hym in to batayle, is helde out in þe cytees of Juda fro Samarie and to Beþeron; and, þre þouſand ſleen, he deuydide myche preye.

Amazias alſo after þe ſlauȝter of Ydumes, þe brouȝt to goddis of þe ſonis of Seyr, he ſette hem in to goddis to hym, and he honourede hem, and to hem he brende enſence. For what þing þe Lord wroþ aȝeynſt Amazie, he ſente to hym a prophete, þat ſchulde ſey to hym, Why haſt þou honourede goddis þat han not delyuerde þeir puple fro þin hond? And whanne þeſe þingus he ſchulde ſpeken, he anſwerde to hym, Wheþer ert þou þe counſeylere of þe kyng? reſt, leſt perauenture I ſlee þee. And ſo þe prophete goynge aweye, I woote, he ſeiþ, þat þe Lord haþ þouȝte to ſleen þee; for þou haſt don þis yuel, and ferþermore þou haſt not aſſentide to my counſeyle.

Þanne Amazias, king of Juda, þe werſt counſeil gon in, ſente to Joas, þe ſone of Joachas, ſone of Hieu, þe king of Irael, ſeyinge, Cum, ſee we us to gyder. And he ſente aȝein meſſagers, ſeyinge, Þe þiſtil þat is in Liban ſente to þe cedre of Liban, ſeyinge, Ȝeue þi douȝter wijf to my ſone; and loo! þe beſtis þat weren in þe wode of Liban wenten and to-treden þe þiſtil. Þou ſeidiſt, I haue ſmyten Edom, and þerfore þin hert is rered in to prid; ſitt in þi hous; why euyl ſtirriſt þou aȝeinus þee, þat þou falle, and Juda wiþ þee? Amazias wolde not heeren, for þi þat þe wille of þe Lord was, þat he ſchulde ben taken in þe hondes of þe enmyes, for þe goddis of Edom.

Þanne Joas, kyng of Irael, ſteiȝide up, and þei ȝeuen to hem ſilf beholdingis eiþer to oþer. Amazias forſoþe, kyng of Juda, was in Beþſames of Juda; and Juda felle beforn Irael, and fleiȝ in to his tabernaclis. Forſoþe Joas, kyng of Irael, toke Amaziam, kyng of Juda, ſone of Joas, ſone of Ochoſie, in Beþſames, and brouȝt in to Jeruſalem; and diſtruyde þe wallis of it fro þe ȝate of Effraym vnto þe ȝate of þe corner, in foure hundriþ cubitis. And al þe gold and þe ſyluer, and alle þe veſſels þat he founde in þe hous of þe Lord, and anentis Obededom, in þe treſories and of þe kyngis hous, alſo and þe ſonus of taken to priſoun he brouȝte in to Samarie.

Forſoþe Amazias, þe ſone of Joas, kyng of Juda, lyuede, after þat Joas, þe ſone of Joachaz, kyng of Irael, is deed, fyfteen ȝeer. Þe remnaunt forſoþe of þe wordis of Amazie, þe raþer and þe laſt, ben writen in þe boke of þe kingus of Juda and of Irael. Þe whiche after þat he wente awei fro þe Lord benten to hym buſchmentis in Jeruſalem; and whanne he hadde flowen to Lachis, þei ſenten and ſlewen hym þere; and bryngynge aȝein vpon hors, biryeden hym wiþ his faders in þe citee of Dauid.