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and Levites.

ND Iosias helde the Feast of the Passeover in Iosias his charge Ierusalem unto his Lord, and offered the Passe- to the Priests over the fourteenth day of the first moneth: having set the Priests according to their daily courses, being arayed in long garments, in the Temple of the Lord. And hee spake unto the Levites the holy ministers of Israel, that they should hallow themselves unto the Lord, to set the holy Arke of the Lord, in the house that king Solomon the sonne of David had built: and said, Ye shall no more beare the Arke upon your shoulders: now therefore serve the Lord your God, and minister unto his people Israel, and prepare you after your families and kinreds. According as David the king of Israel prescribed, and according to the magnificence of Solomon his sonne and standing in the Temple according to the severall dignitie of the families of you the Levites, who minister in the presence of your brethren the children of Israel. Offer the Passeover in order, and make ready the sacrifices for your brethren, and keepe the Passeover according to the commaundement of the Lord, which was given unto Moyses. And unto the people that A great Passewas found there, Iosias gave thirtie thousand lambes, and kids, over is kept. and three thousand calves: these things were given of the kings. allowance, according as hee promised to the people, to the Priestes, and to the Levites. And Helkias, Zacharias, and Sielus the governours of the Temple, gave to the Priests for the Passeover, two thousand and sixe hundred sheepe, and three hundreth calves. And Iechonias, and Samaias, and Nathanael his brother, and Assabias, and Ochiel, and Ioram captaines over thousands, gave to the Levites for the Passeover five thousand sheepe, and seven hundreth calves. And when these things were done, the Priests and Levites having the unleavened bread, stood in very comely order according to the kinreds, and according to the severall dignities of the fathers,

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before the people, to offer to the Lord, as it is written in the booke of Moyses: And thus did they in the morning. And they rosted the Passeover with fire, as appertaineth: as for the sacrifices, they sodde them in brasse pots, and pannes with a good savour. And set them before all the people, and afterward they prepared for themselves, and for the Priests their brethren the sonnes of Aaron. For the Priests offered the fat untill night: and the Levites prepared for themselves, and the Priests their brethren the sonnes of Aaron. The holy Singers also, the sonnes of Asaph, were in their order, according to the appointment of David, to wit, Asaph, Zacharias, and Ieduthun, who was of the kings retinue. Moreover the porters were at every gate: it was not lawfull for any to goe from his ordinary service: for their brethren the Levites prepared for them. Thus were the things that belonged to the sacrifices of the Lord accomplished in that day, that they might hold the Passeover, and offer sacrifices upon the altar of the Lord, according to the commandement of king Iosias. So the children of Israel which were present, held the Passeover at that time, and the feast of sweet bread seven dayes. And such a Passeover was not kept in Israel since the time of the Prophet Samuel. Yea all the kings of Israel held not such a Passeover as Iosias, and the Priests and the Levites, and the lewes held with all Israel that were found dwelling at Ierusalem. In the eighteenth yeere of the reigne of Iosias was this Passeover kept. And the workes of Iosias were upright before his Lord with an heart full of godlinesse. As for the things that came to passe in his time, they were written in former times, concerning those that sinned, and did wickedly against the Lord above all people and kingdomes, and how they grieved him exceedingly, so that the words of the Lord rose up against Israel. Now after all these acts of Iosias, it came to passe that Pharao the king of Egypt came to raise warre at Carchamis upon Euphrates: and Iosias went out against him. But the king of Egypt sent to him saying, What have I to doe with thee, O king of Iudea? I am not sent out from the Lord God against thee: for my warre is upon Euphrates, and now the Lord is with mee, yea the Lord is with mee hasting me forward: Depart from me and be not against the Lord. Howbeit Iosias did not turne backe his chariot from him, but undertooke to fight with him, not regarding the words of the Prophet Ieremie, spoken by the mouth of the Lord: but ioyned battell with him in the plaine of Magiddo, and the princes came against king Iosias. Then said the king unto his servants, Carry me away out of the battell for I am very weake: and immediately his servants tooke him away out

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lamented:

of the battell. Then gate he up upon his second chariot, and being brought backe to Ierusalem, dyed, and was buried in his fathers sepulchre. And in all lury they mourned for losias, yea Ieremie His death the Prophet lamented for Iosias, and the cheefe men with the is much women made lamentation for him unto this day: and this was given out for an ordinance to be done continually in all the nation of Israel. These things are written in the booke of the stories of the kings of Iudah, and every one of the acts that Iosias did, and his glory, and his understanding in the law of the Lord, and the things that he had done before, and the things now recited, are reported in the bookes of the Kings of Israel and Iudea. And the His Successours. people tooke Ioachaz the sonne of Iosias, and made him king in stead of Iosias his father, when hee was twentie and three yeeres old. And he reigned in Iudea and in Ierusalem three moneths: and then the King of Egypt deposed him from reigning in Ierusalem. And he set a taxe upon the land of an hundreth talents of silver, and one talent of gold. The king of Egypt also made king Ioacim his brother king of Iudea and Ierusalem. And hee bound Ioacim and the nobles: but Zaraces his brother he apprehended, and brought him out of Egypt. Five and twentie yeere old was Ioacim when he was made king in the land of Iudea and Ierusalem, and he did evill before the Lord. Wherefore against him Nabuchodonosor the King of Babylon came up, and bound him with a chaine of brasse, and carried him unto Babylon. Nabuchodonosor also tooke of the holy vessels of the Lord, and carried them away, and set them in his owne temple at Babylon. But those things that are recorded of him, and of his uncleannes, and impietie, are written in the Chronicles of the kings. And Ioacim his sonne reigned in his stead: he was made king being eighteene yeeres old, and reigned but three moneths and ten dayes in Ierusalem, and did evill before the Lord. So after a yere Nabuchodonosor sent, and caused him to be brought into Babylon with the holy vessels of the Lord, and made Zedechias king of Iudea and Ierusalem, when he was one and twentie yeeres old, and he reigned eleven yeeres and he did evill also in the sight of the Lord, and cared not for the words that were spoken unto him, by the Prophet Ieremie from the mouth of the Lord. And after that king Nabuchodonosor had made him to sweare by the Name of the Lord, he forswore himselfe, and rebelled, and hardening his necke, and his heart, hee transgressed the lawes of the Lord God of Israel. The governours also of the people and of the priests did many things against the lawes, and passed al the pollutions of all nations, and defiled the Temple of the Lord which was sanctified in Ierusalem.

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The Temple, Citie, and people are destroyed.

The rest are caried unto Babylon.

Neverthelesse, the God of their fathers sent by his messenger to call them backe, because he spared them and his tabernacle also: but they had his messengers in derision, and looke when the Lorde spake unto them, they made a sport of his prophets, so farre foorth that he being wroth with his people for their great ungodlinesse, commanded the kings of the Caldees to come up against them. Who slew their yong men with the sword, yea even within the compasse of their holy Temple, and spared neither yong man nor maid, old man nor child among them, for hee delivered all into their hands. And they tooke all the holy vessels of the Lord, both great and small, with the vessels of the Ark of God, and the kings treasures, and caried them away into Babylon. As for the house of the Lord they burnt it, brake downe the walles of Ierusalem, set fire upon her towres. And as for her glorious things, they never ceased til they had consumed and brought them all to nought, and the people that were not slaine with the sword, he caried unto Babylon: who became servants to him and his children, till the Persians reigned, to fulfill the word of the Lord spoken by the mouth of Ieremie: Untill the land had enioyed her Sabbaths, the whole time of her desolation shal she rest, untill the full terme of seventie yeeres.

Cyrus is moved by God to build the Temple,

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N the first yeere of Cyrus king of the Persians, that the worde of the Lorde might bee accomplished, that hee had promised by the mouth of Ieremie: the Lord raised up the spirit of Cyrus the king of the Persians, and he made proclamation thorow al his kingdome, and also by writing, saying, Thus saith Cyrus king of the Persians, The Lord of Israel the most high Lord, hath made me king of the whole world, and commanded me to build him an house at Ierusalem in Iurie. If therefore there bee any of you that are of his people, let the Lord, even his Lord be with him, turne and con- and let him goe up to Ierusalem that is in Iudea, and build the house of the Lord of Israel: for he is the Lord that dwelleth in Ierusalem. Whosoever then dwell in the places about, let them helpe him, those I say that are his neighbours, with gold and with silver, with gifts, with horses, and with cattell, and other things, which have bene set forth by vowe, for the Temple of the Lord at Ierusalem.

And giveth leave to the Iewes to re

tribute to it.

Then the chiefe of the families of Iudea, and of the tribes of Beniamin stood up: the priests also and the Levites, and all they whose minde the Lord had moved to goe up, and to build an house

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vessels which

for the Lord at Ierusalem, and they that dwelt round about them, and helped them in all things with silver and gold, with horses and cattell, and with very free gifts of a great number whose mindes were stirred up thereto. King Cyrus also brought foorth the holy vessels which Nabuchodonosor had caried away from Ierusalem, and had set up in his temple of idoles. Now when He delivereth Cyrus king of the Persians had brought them foorth, hee delivered againe the them to Mithridates his treasurer: and by him they were delivered had bin taken to Sanabassar the governour of Iudea. And this was the number of thence. them, a thousand golden cuppes, and a thousand of silver, censers of silver twentie nine, vials of gold thirtie, and of silver two thousand foure hundred and ten, and a thousand other vessels. So all the vessels of gold, and of silver which were caried away, were five thousand, foure hundred, threescore and nine. These were brought back by Sanabassar, together with them of the captivity, from Babylon to Ierusalem. But in the time of Artaxerxes king of the Persians, Belemus, and Mithridates, and Tabellius, and Rathumus, and Beeltethmus, and Semellius the Secretarie, with others that were in commission with them, dwelling in Samaria and other places, wrote unto him against them that dwelt in Iudea and Ierusalem, these letters following. To King Artaxerxes our lord, Thy servants Rathumus the story writer, and Semellius the scribe, and the rest of their counsell, and the Iudges that are in Coelosyria and Phenice. Be it now knowen to the lord the king, that the lewes that are come up from you to us, being come into Ierusalem (that rebellious and wicked citie,) doe build the market places, and repaire the walles of it, and doe lay the foundation of the Temple. Now if this citie, and the walles thereof be made up againe, they will not onely refuse to give tribute, but also rebell against kings. And forasmuch as the things pertaining to the Temple, are now in hand, we thinke it meete not to neglect such a matter, but to speake unto our lord the king, to the intent that if it be thy pleasure, it may be sought out in the bookes of thy fathers and thou shalt finde in the Chronicles, what is written concerning these things, and shalt understand that that citie was rebellious, troubling both kings and cities: and that the lewes were rebellious, and raised alwayes warres therin, for the which cause even this citie was made desolate. Wherefore now wee doe declare unto thee, (O lord the king) that if this citie bee built againe, and the walles thereof set up anew, thou shalt from hencefoorth have no passage into Coelosyria and Phenice. Then the Artaxerxes forKing wrote backe againe to Rathumus the storie-writer, to Beel- Lewes to build tethmus, to Semellius the scribe, and to the rest that were in com- any more.

:

biddeth the