the Fourth Week of Advent
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Myles Coverdale Bible
2 Chronicles 20
1 After this came the childre of Moab, the children of Ammon, and certayne of Amanim wt them, to fighte against Iosaphat.2 And they came and tolde Iosaphat, and sayde: There cometh a greate multitude agaynst the from beyonde the See of Syria, & beholde, they are at Hazezon Thamar, that is Engaddi.3 And Iosaphat was afrayed, & set his face to seke ye LORDE, & caused a fast to be proclamed in all Iuda.4 And Iuda came together to seke the LORDE. And out of all ye cities of Iuda came they to seke the LORDE.5 And Iosaphat stode amoge ye cogregacion of Iuda & Ierusalem in the house of ye LORDE before the new courte,6 and sayde: O LORDE God of oure fathers, art not thou God in heauen, and hast domynion in all the kyngdomes of the Heythen? And in thy hande is strength and power, and there is no man that can withstode the.7 Hast not thou or God expelled the inhabiters of this londe before thy people of Israel? and hast geue it vnto the sede of Abraham thy louer for euer?8 so that they haue dwelt in it, & haue buylded the a Sanctuary vnto yi name therin, and sayde:9 Yf there come eny plage, swerde, iudgmet, pestilence, or derth vpon vs, we wyll stonde before this house euen before the (for thy name is in this house) and wyll crye vnto the in oure trouble, and thou shalt heare, and shalt saue vs.10 Beholde now, the children of Ammon, of Moab, & they of mount Seir, vpon whom thou woldest not suffre the children of Israel to go, whan they wente out of the londe of Egipte, but they were fayne to departe from the, and not to destroye them:11 and beholde, they deale contrarely with vs, and come to thrust vs out of the inheritaunce, that thou hast geuen vs in possession.12 O oure God, wylt thou not iudge them? For in vs is no strength to withstonde this greate multitude that commeth agaynst vs. We knowe not what we shulde do, but oure eyes loke vnto the.13 And all Iuda stode before the LORDE, with their children, wyues and sonnes.
14 But vpon Iehasiel the sonne of Zacharias, the sonne of Benaia, the sonne of Iehiel, the sonne of Mathania the Leuite of ye children of Assaph, came the sprete of the LORDE in the myddes of the congregacion,15 and sayde: Geue hede all thou Iuda, and ye inhabiters of Ierusalem, and thou kynge Iosaphat: Thus sayeth the LORDE vnto you: Be not ye afrayed, nether feare ye this greate multitude: for it is not ye that fighte, but God.16 Tomorow shal ye go downe vnto the. And beholde, they go vp by Sis, and ye shal fynde them at the reed see by the broke before the wyldernes of Ieruel:17 for ye shall not fighte in this cause. Do ye but steppe forth, and stonde, and se the health of the LORDE that is with you. Feare not O Iuda and Ierusalem, and be not afrayed, tomorow go ye forth agaynst them, and the LORDE shalbe with you.18 The Iosaphat bowed him selfe wt his face to the earth, & all Iuda, & the inhabiters of Ierusalem fell before the LORDE, & worshipped the LORDE.19 And the Leuites of ye childre of the Kahathites & of the children of the Corahites arose to prayse the LORDE God of Israel wt loude voyce on hye.
20 And they gat them vp early in ye mornynge, and wete forth by the wyldernesse of Thekoa. And whan they were goynge out, Iosaphat stode, & sayde: Herke vnto me O Iuda, & ye indwellers of Ierusale: Put youre trust in the LORDE yor God, & ye shal be safe: and geue credence vnto his prophetes, & ye shall prospere.21 And he gaue councell vnto ye people, and appoynted the syngers vnto ye LORDE, and them that gaue prayse in the bewtye of holynes to go before the harnessed me, & to saye: O geue thankes vnto the LORDE, for his mercy endureth for euer.22 And whan they beganne to geue thankes and prayse, the LORDE caused the hynder watch that was come agaynst Iuda, to come vpon the childre of Ammon, Moab & them of mount Seir, and they smote them.23 Then stode the children of Ammon & Moab agaynst them of mount Seir, to damne them, and to destroye them. And whan they had destroyed them of mount Seir, one helped another to destroye them selues also.24 And whan Iuda came to Mispa vnto the wyldernes, they turned them towarde the multitude, and beholde, the deed bodies laye vpo the earth, so that none was escaped.25 And Iosaphat came with his people to deuyde the spoyles of them. And they founde amonge them so moch goodes and rayment and precious Iewels (which they toke from them) that they coulde not beare them. And thre dayes were they deuydinge the spoyle, for it was so moch.26 On the fourth daye came they together into the valley of blessynge: for there blessed they the LORDE. Therfore is the place called the valley of blessinge vnto this daye.27 So euery man of Iuda & Ierusalem turned back agayne, & Iosaphat before them, to go to Ierusale with ioye: for ye LORDE had geuen them gladnesse on their enemies.28 And they entred in to Ierusalem with psalteries, harpes & trompettes vnto the house of the LORDE.29 And there came a feare of God ouer all the kyngdomes in the londes, whan they herde that the LORDE had foughte agaynst ye enemies of Israel.30 Thus was ye kyngdome of Iosaphat in quyetnes, & God gaue him rest on euery syde.
31 And Iosaphat reigned ouer Iuda, & was fyue & thirtie yeare olde whan he was made kynge, & reigned fyue & twentye yeare at Ierusalem. His mothers name was Asuba the doughter of Silhi32 And he walked in the waye of his father Asa, & departed not asyde from doynge yt which was righte in the sighte of the LORDE:33 sauynge that ye hye places were not put downe, for the people had not yet prepared their hert to the God of their fathers.34 What more there is to saye of Iosaphat, both the first & the last, beholde, it is wrytten in the actes of Iehu ye sonne of Hanani, which he noted vp in the boke of the kynges of Israel.35 Afterwarde dyd Iosaphat the kynge of Iuda agree wt Ahasia the kynge of Israel, which was vngodly in his doynges.36 And he agreed with him to make shippes, for to go vpon the see. And they made the shippes at Ezeon Gaber.37 But Elieser the sonne of Dodana of Maresa prophecied agaynst Iosaphat, and sayde: Because thou hast agreed with Ahasia, therfore hath the LORDE broken thy workes. And so ye shippes were broken, & mighte not go vpon the See.