the Fourth Week of Advent
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Myles Coverdale Bible
2 Chronicles 23
1 Bvt in the seuenth yeare was Ioiada bolde, and toke the rulers ouer hundreds: namely Asaria ye sonne of Ieraham, Ismael ye sonne of Iohanan, Asaria ye sonne of Obed, Maeseia ye sonne of Adaia, and Elisaphat ye sonne of Sichri with him, into the couenaunt:2 and they wente aboute in Iuda, and broughte ye Leuites together out of all the cities of Iuda, and the chefe fathers of Israel, to come vnto Ierusalem.3 And all the cogregacion made a couenaunt with the kynge in the house of God, and he sayde vnto them: Beholde, the kynges sonne shal be kynge, eue as the LORDE spake cocernynge the children of Dauid.4 This is it therfore yt ye shal do: The thirde parte of you that entre on the Sabbath, shalbe amonge the prestes & Leuites, which are dorekepers at the thresholdes:5 & one thirde parte in the kynges house, and one thirde parte at the grounde porte. But all the people shalbe in the courtes of the house of the LORDE,6 and that no man go in to the house of the LORDE, excepte the prestes and Leuites that mynister there, they shal go in: for they are halowed. And let all ye people wayte vpon the LORDE.7 And the Leuites shal get them rounde aboute ye kynge, euery one with his weapen in his hande. And who so els goeth in to ye house, let him dye. And they shall be wt the kynge wha he goeth out & in.8 And the Leuites & all Iuda dyd as Ioiada ye prest had commaunded, and euery one toke his men that entred on the Sabbath, wt those yt wente of on the Sabbath: for Ioiada ye prest suffred not those two companies to parte asunder.9 And Ioiada ye prest gaue the captaynes ouer hundreds speares & shyldes, and kynge Dauids weapens, which were in the house of God,10 and set all the people euery one wt his weapen in his hande, from the righte corner of the house, vnto the lefte corner of the altare, and to the house warde aboute the kynge.11 And they broughte forth the kynges sonne, & set the crowne vpon his heade, and gaue them the wytnesse, & made him kynge. And Ioiada wt his sonnes anoynted him, & sayde: God saue the kynge.
12 But whan Athalia herde the noyse of ye people yt ranne together and praysed ye kynge, she wente forth to the people in to ye house of the LORDE,13 and loked: and beholde, ye kynge stode in his place at ye intraunce, and the rulers and trompettes aboute ye kynge: and all the people of the londe were glad, & blewe the trompes, and there were syngers yt coulde playe wt all maner of musicall instrumentes. But she rete hir clothes, & sayde: Sedicion, sedicion.14 Neuertheles Ioiada ye prest gat him forth with the captaynes ouer hundreds and rulers of the hoost, and sayde vnto them: Brynge her forth betwene ye walles, & who so euer foloweth her, shal be slayne with ye swerde: for the prest had comaunded, that she shulde not be slayne in ye house of the LORDE.15 And they layed handes on her. And whan she came at the intraunce of the horsgate of the kynges house, they put her to death there.16 And Ioiada made a couenaunt betwene him and all the people, and the kynge, yt they shulde be the people of the LORDE.17 The wete all the people in to the house of Baal, and destroyed it, & brake downe his altares & ymages, & slewe Mathan the prest of Baal before the altare.18 And Ioiada appoynted ye officers in the house of the LORDE amoge the prestes & Leuites whom Dauid had ordeyned for ye house of the LORDE, to offre burntsacrifices vnto ye LORDE, as it is wrytten in the lawe of Moses: wt ioye & songes made by Dauid.19 And ye porters set he at ye gates of ye house of ye LORDE, yt none shulde entre, which were defiled wt eny maner of thinge.20 And he toke the captaynes ouer hudreds and the mightie men and lordes of ye people, and all the people of the londe, and brought the kinge downe from the house of the LORDE, and broughte him thorow the hye porte of the kynges house, and caused the kinge sit vpon the seate royall.21 And all the people of the lode were glad, and the cite was at rest. But Athalia was slayne with the swerde.