A   In the eightenth yeare of kynge Ieroboam, was Abia kynge in Iuda, ∧ reigned thre yeare at Ierusalem. His mothers name was Michaia the doughter of Vriel of Gibea. And there was warre betwene Abia and Ieroboam. And Abia prepared himselfe to the battayll with foure h&ubar;dreth thousande stronge chosen men of warre. But Ieroboam made himselfe ready to fight agaynst him &wt; eight hundreth thousande chosen men of strength.

And Abia gatt him vp vpon the hyll Zemaraim, which lyeth vpon mount Ephraim and sayde: Herken vnto me thou Ieroboam and all Israel: Knowe ye not that the LORDE God of Israel hath geuen Dauid þe; kyngdome of Israel for euer, vnto him and his sonnes with a Salt couenaunt? But Ierobo&abar; the sonne of Nebat, the seruaunt of Salomon Dauids sonne, gat him vp ∧ fell awaye from his lorde. And there resorted vnto him vagaboundes and children of Belial, and haue strengthed them selues against Robo&abar; the sonne of Salom&obar;: for Roboam was but yonge and of a fearfull hert, and coulde not resiste them.

B   Now thinke ye to set youre selues against the kyngdome of the LORDE amonge

the sonnes of Dauid, for so moch as there is so greate a multitude of you, and haue þe; golden calues ^note þt; Ieroboam made for goddes. ^noteHaue ye not expelled the prestes of the LORDE the children of Aaron and the Leuites? and haue made you prestes of youre awne, euen as the people of the londes? Who so euer commeth to fyll his hande with a yonge bullocke and seuen rammes, shal be preste vnto them that are not goddes.

But with vs is þe; LORDE oure God, wh&obar; we forsake not: and the prestes that minister vnto the LORDE, the children of Aaron and the Leuites in their busines, and euery mornynge and euery euenynge kyndle they the burntofferynges vnto the LORDE, and the swete incense, and prepare the shewbred vp&obar; the pure table, and the golden candilsticke with his lampes, to be kyndled euery euenynge: for we wayte vp&obar; the LORDE oure God.

C   As for you, ye haue forsaken him. Beholde, God is the captayne of oure hoost, and with vs are his prestes, and the ^note blowynge trompettes, to trompe agaynst you. Ye children of Israel, fight not agaynst the LORDE God of yo&highr; fathers: for ye shal not prospere.

Neuertheles Ieroboam made a preuy watch on euery syde, to come vpon them behynde, so that they were before Iuda, and þe; preuy watch behynde. Now wh&abar; Iuda turned them, beholde, there was battayll before th&ebar; ∧ behynde. Then cryed they vnto þe; LORDE, ∧ the prestes tromped with the trompettes, ∧ wh&abar; euery man in Iuda gaue a shoute, God plaged Ieroboam and Israel before Abia and Iuda. And the children of Israel fled before Iuda, and God gaue them in to their handes, so that Abia ∧ his people dyd a greate slaughter vpon them, and there fell wounded of Israel fyue hundreth thousande chosen men.

D   Thus were the children of Israel subdued at that tyme, but the children of Iuda were comforted, for they put their trust in þe; LORDE God of their fathers. And Abia folowed vpon Ieroboam, and wanne cities fr&obar; him, Bethel with the vyllages therof, Iesana &wt; hir vyllages, and Ephron with the villages therof, so that Ieroboam came nomore to strength, as longe as Abia lyued. And the LORDE smote him that he dyed.

Now whan Abia was strengthed, he toke fourtene wyues, and begat two and twentye sonnes and sixtene daughters. What more there is to saye of Abia, and of his wayes and his doynges, it is wrytten in the storye of the prophet Iddo. And Abia fell on slepe with his fathers, and they buryed him in þe; cite of Dauid: and Asa his sonne was kynge in his steade. In his tyme was the londe in rest ten yeares.

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