Matthew(i)
1 The .xviij. yeare of king Ieroboam began Abiah to raygne ouer Iuda,
2 & he raygned thre yeare in Ierusalem. His mothers name was Michaiah the doughter of Vriel of Gabaah. And there was warre betwene Abiah and Ieroboam.
3 And Abiah made a battel with an hoste of fyghtynge men of foure hundred thousande chosen men. And Ieroboam put in araye to fight agaynst hym, with .viij. hundred thousande pycte men and stronge.
4 And Abiah stode vp vpon Zemaraim an hyl in mount Ephraim, & sayd: heare me thou Ieroboam & all Israel.
5 Becometh it not you to knowe how that the Lorde God of Israell gaue the kyngedome of Israel to Dauid for euer, euen to him & to his sonnes, with a salted couenaunte.
6 But Ieroboam the sonne of Nabat the seruaunt of Salomon the sonne of Dauid, rebelled agaynste the Lorde.
7 And there gathered to hym lewde men and vnthryftes, and preuayled agaynste Rehoboam the sonne of Salomon: for Rehoboam was young & tender hearted, and not stronge ynough for them.
8 And now ye thinke to preuayle against the kyngedome of the Lorde in the hande of the sonnes of Dauid, because ye be a great multytude & haue with you the golden calues which Ieroboam made you for Gods.
9 And haue ye not caste out the priestes of the Lord the sonnes of Aaron, & the Leuites, & haue made you priestes lyke the nacyons of other landes: euen whosoeuer cometh, and fylleth his hand with an oxe & seuen rammes, the same is made priest to them that are no Goddes.
10 But with vs is the Lorde oure God whome we haue not forsaken, and the priestes of the sonnes of Aaron mynistring vnto the Lorde, & the Leuites in office,
11 burnyng vnto the Lorde euery morninge & euery euen burntofferinges & swete cense: & the shewbread put in ordre vpon a pure table: & the candelsticke of goulde with the lampes of the same, to be light euery euen. For we kepe the watche of the Lord oure God: but ye haue forsaken him.
12 Moreouer se, God is with vs in the forewarde, and his priestes, and the rorynge trompettes to crye alarum agaynst you. Ye chyldren of Israell fight not with the Lorde God of youre fathers: for it wyll not prospere wyth you.
13 But for all that Ieroboam sent men pryuelye aboute to come behynd vpon them: and so they were before Iuda, & the layers in wayte were behynd them.
14 And when Iuda turned and saw the battel behynde and before, they cryed vnto the Lorde, & the priestes blew the trompettes
15 & the men of Iuda gaue a shoute. And as the men of Iuda shouted, God smote Ieroboam & all Israel before Abiah and Iuda.
16 And the chyldren of Israel fled before Iuda, & the Lorde delyuered them into the handes of Iuda.
17 And Abiah and hys people slue a greate slaughter of them, so that there were strycken doune deade of Israel fiue hundred thousand chosen men.
18 And so the chyldren of Israel were brought vnder at that tyme, and the children of Iuda preuayled: because they leaned vnto the Lord God of their fathers.
19 And Abiah folowed after Ieroboam & wanne certayne cities from him. Bethel with the townes belongynge therto, and Iesanah wyth the townes that longed therto, and Ephron with her townes.
20 And Ieroboam recouered not strength agayne in the dayes of Abiah. And at the last the Lord plaged him, that he dyed.
21 And Abiah waxed myghty, and toke hym .xiiij. wyues, and begat .xxij. sonnes, and .xvi. doughters.
22 The rest of the actes of Abiah and his wayes and his doynges are wrytten in the storye of the Prophete Ado.