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¹ In the thirde yeare of Oseas ye sonne of Ela kynge of Israel, reigned Ezechias ye sonne of Achas kynge of Iuda.² And he was fyue and twentie yeare olde whan he was made kynge, & reigned nyne & twentye yeare at Ierusalem. His mothers name was Abi the doughter of Zachary.³ And he dyd that which was righte in the sighte of the LORDE, acordinge vnto all as dyd Dauid his father.⁴ He put awaye the hye places, and brake downe the pilers, & roted out the groues, and brake the brasen serpente which Moses had made. For vnto that tyme had the children of Israel brent incese vnto it. And it was called Nehusthan.⁵ He put his trust in the LORDE God of Israel, so that after him there was not his like amoge all the kynges of Iuda nether had bene before him.⁶ He cleued vnto the LORDE, and departed not backe from him, and kepte his commaundementes, which the LORDE had comaunded Moses.⁷ And the LORDE was wt him. And whither so euer he wete forth, he behaued him selfe wysely. He resisted the kyn of Assiria, and was not subdued vnto him.⁸ He smote the Philistynes also vnto Gasa, and their borders, from the castels vnto the stronge cities.

⁹ In the fourth yeare of Ezechias kynge of Iuda (yt was the seuenth yeare of Oseas the sonne of Ela kynge of Israel) came Salmanasar the kynge of Assiria vp agaynst Samaria, and layed sege vnto it,¹⁰ and wanne it after thre yeares in the sixte yeare of Ezechias, that is in the nyenth yeare of Oseas kynge of Israel, the was Samaria wonne.¹¹ And the kynge of Assiria caried Israel awaye vnto Assiria, and set them at Halah and Habor by the water Gosan, and in the cities of the Meedes.¹² And all because they herkened not vnto the voyce of the LORDE their God, and had transgressed his couenaunt: And as for all that Moses the seruaunt of the LORDE had commaunded the, they had nether herkened vnto eny of those, ner done them.¹³ In the fourteth yeare of kynge Ezechias dyd Sennacherib ye kynge of Assiria come vp agaynst all the stronge cities of Iuda, & coquered the.¹⁴ Then sent Ezechias the kynge of Iuda to ye kynge of Assiria vnto Lachis, sayenge: I haue offended, turne back fro me: loke what thou layest vnto me, I wil beare it. The the kynge of Assiria layed vnto Ezechias the kynge of Iuda, thre hundreth talentes of syluer, & thirtie talentes of golde.¹⁵ So Ezechias gaue all ye slyuer yt was foude in ye house of the LORDE, & in the treasures of ye kynges house.¹⁶ At ye same tyme brake Ezechias the kynge of Iuda the dores of the teple of ye LORDE, & the plates of golde which he him selfe had caused to laye ouer the, & gaue the vnto the kynge of Assiria.

¹⁷ And the kynge of Assiria sent Thartan, and the chefe chamberlayne, & the chefe butler from Lachis to kynge Ezechias with a greate power vnto Ierusalem. And they wete vp: and whan they came there, they stode styll at the condyte by the ouer pole, which lyeth in the waye vpo the fullers londe,¹⁸ and called vnto the kynge. The came there forth vnto them Eliachim the sonne of Helchias the stewarde, and Sobna the scrybe, & Ioah the sonne of Assaph the Secretary.¹⁹ And the chefe butler sayde vnto the: Tell kynge Ezechias: Thus sayeth ye greate kynge, eue the kynge of Assiria: What presumpcion is this yt thou trustest vnto?²⁰ Thinkest thou, yt thou hast yet councell and power to fighte? Where vnto trustest thou then, that thou art fallen of fro me?²¹ Beholde, puttest thou thy trust in this broken staffe of rede, in Egipte? which who leaneth vpon, it shall go into his hande, & pearse it thorow. Euen so is Pharao the kynge of Egipte vnto all them that put their trust in him.²² But yf ye wolde saye vnto me: We put oure trust in ye LORDE oure God. Is not that he, whose hye places and altares Ezechias hath take downe, and sayde vnto Iuda and Ierusale: Before this altare which is at Ierusale, shal ye worshippe?²³ Make a multitude now therfore vnto my lorde the kynge of Assiria, and I wil geue ye two thousande horses, let se yf thou be able to man them:²⁴ how wilt thou then endure before the smallest prynce of my lordes subiectes? And trustest thou vnto Egipte because of the charettes and horsmen?²⁵ But thinkest thou that I came vp hither without ye LORDE to destroye these cities? The LORDE hath commaunded me: Go vp in to that londe and destroye it.²⁶ Then sayde Eliachim the sonne of Helchia & Sobna and Ioah vnto the chefe butler: Speake to thy seruauntes in the Syrias language, for we vnderstonde it, and speake not vnto vs in the Iewes speche before the eares of the people that are vpon the wall.²⁷ Neuertheles ye chefe butler sayde vnto the: Hath my lorde then sent me vnto thy lorde, or to the, to speake these wordes? Yee euen vnto the men, which syt vpon the wall, that they maye eate their owne donge and drynke their owne stale wt you.²⁸ So the chefe butler stode and cried with loude voyce in the Iewes language, and spake and sayde: Heare the worde of the greate kynge the kynge of Assiria.²⁹ Thus sayeth the kynge: Let not Ezechias disceaue you, for he is not able to delyuer you fro my hade:³⁰ & let not Ezechias make you to trust in the LORDE, sayenge: The LORDE shall delyuer vs, and this cite shal not be geuen in to the handes of ye kynge of Assiria.³¹ Folowe not ye Ezechias, for thus sayeth the kynge of Assiria: Do me this blessynge, and come forth vnto me, so shal eueryman eate of his vyne and of his fygge tre, and drynke of his well,³² tyll I come my selfe and fetch you in to a londe, which is like youre awne lode, wherin is corne, wyne, bred, vynyardes, oyle trees, oyle and hony, so shal ye lyue, and not dye. Folowe not ye Ezechias, for he disceaueth you, when he sayeth: The LORDE shal delyuer vs.³³ Haue the goddes of the Heythen delyuered eueryone his londe from the hande of the kynge of Assiria?³⁴ Where are the goddes of Hemath and Arphad? Where are the goddes of Sepharnaim Hena and Iua? Haue they delyuered Samaria fro my hande?³⁵ Where is there one god amonge the goddes of all londes, which hath delyuered his londe fro my hande? that the LORDE shulde delyuer Ierusalem fro my hande.³⁶ As for the people, they helde their peace, and gaue him no answere: for the kynge had commaunded and sayde: Answere him nothinge.³⁷ Then came Eliachim the sonne of Helchia ye stewarde, and Sobna the scrybe, and Ioah the sonne of Assaph the Secretary vnto Ezechias with rente clothes, and tolde him the wordes of the chefe butler.