A   The .xviii. yere of kynge Ierobo&abar; ^note began Abia to raygne ouer Iuda, ∧ he raygned thre yere &ibar; Ierusal&ebar;. His mothers name also was Michaiahu the daughter of Uriel of Gibea. And there was warre betwene Abia ∧ Ieroboam. And Abia made prouisyon for þe; warre, hauyng valea&ubar;t ∧ expert men of warre, euen .iiii.C.M. chosen men. And Ierobo&abar; set him selfe in araye to fyght agaynst hym, &wt; .viii.C.M. picte men which were stronge ∧ men of armes.

And Abia stode vp vp&obar; Zemaraim an hill which is in mount Ephraim, ∧ sayd: heare me þu; Ieroboam and all Israel. Do not you knowe, howe þt; the Lorde God of Israel gaue þe; kyngdome, ouer them of Israel, to Dauid for euer, euen to hym and to hys sonnes &rhand; with a salted coueua&ubar;t? And Ieroboam the sonne of Nebat þe; seruaunt of Salomon the sonne of Dauid is rysen vp, ∧ hath rebelled agaynst his lorde. B   And ther gathered to hym lewde men þe; chyldr&ebar; of Belial, ∧ preuayled agaynst Rehoboam þe; sonne of Salomon: when Rehoboam was yong ∧ t&ebar;der hearted, ∧ coulde not stande before them.

And nowe ye saye, þt; ye be able to preuayle agaynst þe; kyngdome of the Lorde, which is in þe; hande of the sonnes of Dauid, ∧ ye be a greate multitude, ∧ haue the golden calues ^note which Ieroboam made you for gods. And ^note haue ye not cast out the prestes of the Lorde the sonnes of Aaron, and the leuites, and haue made you prestes after the maner of the naci&obar;s of other l&abar;des? so that whosoeuer commeth, ∧ consecrateth his h&abar;de with a y&obar;ge oxe ∧ seuen rammes, the same maye be a preste of them that are no gods.

But we belonge vnto the Lord our God whom we haue not forsaken, and þe; prestes are þe; sonnes of Aaron, C   which ministre vnto the Lorde, and þe; leuites wayte vpon theyr office. They burne vnto þe; Lorde euery mornynge ∧ euenynge, burnt sacrifyces ∧ swete inc&ebar;se: þe; shewe breed set they in ordre vpon a pure table: ∧ prepare þe; candelstick of gold &wt; the l&abar;pes of þe; same to burne euer at euen. And truly we kepe the watche of the Lorde oure God: but ye haue forsak&ebar; him. And behold, God hym selfe is our captayne, ∧ hys prestes blowe &wt; the ^note tr&obar;pettes, ∧ crye alarum agaynst you. O ye chyldren of Israel, fyght not agaynst the Lord God of your fathers: for it wyll not prospere with you.

But for all þt;, Ierobo&abar; c&obar;uayed men preuely about, to come behynde them: ∧ so they were before Iuda, ∧ þe; layers in wayte were behynde th&ebar;. And when they of Iuda loked about, behold the battayll was before ∧ behynde, ∧ they cryed vnto þe; Lord ∧ þe; prestes blewe &wt; þe; tr&obar;petes, ∧ þe; men of Iuda gaue a

Asa. showte. D   And as the men of Iuda showted, it came to passe, that God smote Ierobo&abar; and all Israel before Abia and Iuda. And þe; children of Israel fled before Iuda, and God delyuered them into theyr hande. And Abia ∧ hys people slue a great slaughter of th&ebar;: there fell downe wounded of Israel .v.C.M. chosen men. And so the chyldren of Israel were brought vnder, at that tyme, and the chyldr&ebar; of Iuda preuayled: because they leaned vnto the Lorde God of theyr fathers. And Abia folowed after Ierobo&abar;, and toke cities from hym, Bethel &wt; the townes belongyng therto, Iesana with the townes that l&obar;ged therto, and Ephron with her townes. And Ierobo&abar; recouered no strength agayne in þe; daies of Abia. And þe; Lorde plaged him, ∧ he dyed.

But Abia waxed mightye, and maryed xiiij. wyues, and begat .xxij. sonnes, and .xvj. daughters. The rest of the actes of Abia, his customes and hys sayinges are wrytten in the storye of the prophete Iddo.

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