The Prophecy of Azariah 1And the sprete of God came vpo Asarias the sonne of Obed, 2which wente forth to Asa, and sayde vnto him: Heare me Asa and all Iuda & Ben Iamin: The LORDE is with you, whyle ye are with him: and yf ye seke him, he wylbe founde of you. But yf ye forsake him, he shal forsake you also. 3Neuertheles there shal be many dayes in Israel, that there shalbe no true God, no prest to teach, & no lawe. 4And whan they turne in their trouble vnto the LORDE God of Israel, and seke him, he shalbe founde. 5At that tyme shall it not be well with him that goeth out and in: for there shal be greate vproures vpon all them yt dwell on the earth. 6For one people shall all to smyte another, & one cite another: for God shal vexe them wt all maner of trouble. 7But be ye stronge, and let not youre handes be feble: for youre worke hath his rewarde. Asa’s Reforms 8Whan Asa herde these wordes, and the propheciege (of Asarias the sonne) of Obed the prophet, he toke a corage vnto him, and put awaye the abhominacions out of all ye londe of Iuda and Ben Iamin, and out of the cities that he had wonne vpon mount Ephraim: and renued the LORDES altare, which stode before the porche of the LORDE. 9And all Iuda and Ben Iamin gathered them selues together, and the straungers with them out of Ephraim, Manasses and Simeon: for there fell many vnto him out of Israel, whan they sawe that the LORDE his God was with him. 10And they resorted vnto Ierusalem in the thirde moneth of the fyftenth yeare of the reigne of Asa, 11and the same daye offred they vnto the LORDE of the spoyle that they had broughte, seuen hudreth oxen, and seuen thousande shepe. 12And they entred in to ye couenaunt, that they wolde seke the LORDE God of their fathers, with all their hert and with all their soule. 13And who so euer wolde not seke ye LORDE God of Israel, shulde dye, both small & greate, both man and woman: 14and they sware vnto the LORDE with loude voyce, with shoutinge, with trompettes and with shawmes. 15And all Iuda were glad ouer the ooth: for they had sworne with all their hert, and they soughte him with a whole wyll: and he was founde of them, and the LORDE gaue them rest on euery syde. 16And Asa ye kynge put downe his mother from the mynistracion, that she had founded in the groue vnto Miplezeth. And Asa roted out hir Miplezeth, and beate it in sunder, and brent it by the broke Cedron. 17But the hye places were not put downe out of Israel. Yet was the hert of Asa perfecte as longe as he lyued. 18And loke what his father had halowed, and that he him selfe had halowed, he broughte it in to ye house of God, syluer, golde and ornametes. 19And there was no warre vnto the fyue and thirtieth yeare of the reigne of Asa. |