the Fourth Week of Advent
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Myles Coverdale Bible
2 Kings 3
1 Ioram the sonne of Achab was kynge ouer Israel at Samaria in ye eightenth yeare of Iosaphat kynge of Iuda, & raigned xij. yeares,2 & dyd yt which was euell in ye sighte of ye LORDE, but not as his father & his mother: for he put awaye ye pilers of Baal, which his father caused to make.3 Neuertheles he cleued vnto ye synnes of Ieroboa & sonne of Nebat, which made Israel for to synne, & departed not there fro.4 Mesa ye kynge of the Moabites had many shepe, & payed tribute vnto the kynge of Israel wt the woll of an hundreth thousande labes, & of an hudreth thousande rames.5 But whan Achab was deed, the kynge of ye Moabites fell awaye fro the kynge of Israel.
6 At ye same tyme wete kynge Ioram fro Samaria, & mustered all Israel,7 & sent vnto Iosaphat kynge of Iuda, sayenge: The kynge of the Moabites is fallen awaye fro me, come thou wt me to fighte agaynst ye Moabites. He sayde: I wil come vp, I am euen as thou, and my people as yi people, and my horses as thy horses.8 And sayde morouer: Which waye wil we go vp? He sayde: by the waye in the wyldernesse of Edom.9 So the kynge of Israel, the kynge of Iuda, & the kynge of Edom wente forth. And whan they had gone aboute seue dayes iourney, ye hoost & the catell yt were amonge the had no water.10 Then sayde the kynge of Israel: Alas, the LORDE hath called these thre kynges, to delyuer the in to the hande of the Moabites.11 But Iosaphat sayde: Is here no prophet of ye LORDE, yt we maye axe coucell at ye LORDE by him? Then answered one of ye kynge of Israels seruauntes, & saide: Here is Eliseus ye sonne of Saphat, which poured water vpon Elias handes.12 Iosaphat sayde: The worde of ye LORDE is with him. So the kynge of Israel & Iosaphat, and ye kynge of Edom wente downe vnto him.13 But Eliseus sayde vnto the kynge of Israel: What hast thou to do wt me? go to the prophetes of thy father & to yi mothers prophetes. The kinge of Israel saide vnto him: No, for ye LORDE hath called these thre kynges, to delyuer them in to the handes of the Moabites.14 Eliseus sayde: As truly as the LORDE Zebaoth lyueth, before whom I stode, yf I regarded not Iosaphat the kynge of Iuda, I wolde not regarde the, ner set oughte by ye.15 So bringe me now a mynstrell. And whan the mynstrell played vpo the instrument, the hande of the LORDE came vpo him.16 And he sayde: Thus sayeth the LORDE: Make pittes by this broke.17 For thus sayeth the LORDE: Ye shal se nether wynde ner rayne, yet shall the broke be full of water, that ye and youre housholdes & youre catell maie drynke.18 Yee and that is but a small thinge in the sighte of the LORDE. And the Moabites shal he delyuer in to youre handes,19 so yt ye shal smyte all the stronge cities, and all ye chosen cities & shal fell downe all the good trees, and stoppe all the welles of water and all the good feldes shall ye make waist with stones.
20 On the morow, whan the meatofferynge is offered, beholde, there came water ye waye from Edom, and fylled ye londe with water.21 But whan the Moabites herde, yt the kynges came vp to fighte agaynst the, they called all ye harnessed men, & their rulers, & stode on ye border.22 And whan they rose early in ye mornynge, & the Sonne wete vp vpon ye water, the Moabites thoughte the water ouer agaynst the to be eue as reed as bloude,23 & they sayde: It is bloude, ye kynges haue destroyed them selues wt the swerde, & one hath smytten another. Now Moab get the vp to the spoyles.24 But whan they came to the tentes of Israel, the Israelites gat vp, & smote the Moabites, & they fled before them. Neuertheles they came in, & smote Moab,25 & brake downe the cities, & euery one cast his stone vpon all the good feldes, and made them full, and stopped all ye welles of water, and felled downe all the good trees, tyll there remayned but the stones in the brickwall, and they compased them aboute with slynges, and smote them.26 But wha the kynge of ye Moabites sawe yt the battayll was to stroge for him, he toke to him seuen C. men, which drue ye swerde, to fall vpon the kynge of Edom: neuertheles they were not able.27 Then toke he his first sonne, which shulde haue bene kynge in his steade, and offred him for a burntofferynge vpon the wall. Then came there a greate wrath ouer Israel, that they departed from him, and turned agayne into their londe.