to our Lord a new song because he hath done meruelous thinges His righthand hath wrought saluation to himselfe and his arme is holie â Our Lord hath made knowne his saluation in the sight of the Gentiles he hath reueled his iustice â He hath remembred his mercie and his truth to the house of Israel Al the ends of the earth haue seene the saluation of our God â Make ye iubilation to God al the earth chaunt and reioyce and sing â Sing to our Lord on harpe on harpe and voice of psalme â on long drawen trumpets and voice of cornet of horne Make iubilation in the sight of the king our Lord â let the sea be moued and the fulnes therof the round world and they that dwel therin â The riuers shal clappe with hand the mountaynes together shal reioyce â at the sight of our Lord because he cometh to iudge the earth He wil iudge the round earth in iustice and the peoples in equitie PSALME XCVIII Christ reigneth notwithstanding his enimies repine is adored 5. also his footestoole 6. whom ancient Prophetes did inuocate A Psalme to Dauid himselfe OVR Lord hath reigned let peoples be angrie he that sitteth vpon the Cherubs let the earth be moued â Our Lord great in Sion and high aboue al peoples â Let them confesse to thy great name because it is terrible and holie â And the honour of the king loueth iudgement Thou hast prepared directions thou hast done iudgement and iustice in Iacob â Exalt ye the Lord our God and â adore his footstoole because it is holie â Moyses and Aaron in his priestes and Samuel among them that inuocate his name They inuocated our Lord and he heard them â in a piller of a cloud he spake to them They kept his testimonies the precept which he gaue them â O Lord our God thou heardest them God thou wast propitious to them and taking vengeance vpon al their inuentions Exalt ye the Lord our God and adore ye in his holie mount because the Lord our God is holie ANNOTATIONS PSALME XCIX 5. Adore his footestoole For so much as al Expositors also the Hebrevv Rabbins affirme that the Psalmist here prophecieth of Christ the promised Messias that should redeme mankind and seing the Arke of couenant perteyneth not to the seruice of Christ but vvas only a figure of him the footestoole of Messias here mentioned must nedes be something perteyning to him and therfore most ancient Fathers expound it of Christs humanitie And because the Prophet speaketh of perpetual adoration not only of the shorte time he conuersed vvith men in this life vvhen very fevv adored him the same fathers vnderstand here the adoration of Christ in the blessed Sacrament of the Eucharist Which S Ambrose teacheth lib. 3. de Spiritu Sancto c. 12. in these plaine vvordes By the footstoole must be vnderstood the earth by the earth the flesh of Christ VVhich vve also at this day adore in the Mysteries and vvhich the Apostles adored in our Lord Iesus S. Augustin more largely vpon this Psalme I am made doubtful saith he I feare to adore the earth lest he condeme me that made heauen and earth Againe I feare not to adore the footstoole of my Lord because the Psalme saith to me Adore his footstoole I seeke vvhat is his footstoole and the Scripture Isaiae 66. telleth me the earth is his footstoole Doubtful I turne myself vnto Christ because I seeke him here and I finde hovv vvithout impietie the earth may be adored vvithout impietie his footstoole may be adored For he tooke earth of earth because flesh is of earth and he tooke flesh of the flesh of the B. virgin Marie And because he vvalked here in the same flesh and gaue the very flesh to vs to eate vnto saluation and no man eateth that flesh onles he first adore it it is found hovv such a footstoole of our Lord may be adored and not only vve doe not sinne in adoring but vve should sinne in not adoring Thus farre S. Augustin Further instructing not to coÌceâue of Christs flesh as âhe Capharnaites did that he would cute it in peeces from his bodie and geue them portions therof His very flesh is geuen and eaten not in fleshlie maner but in sacramental See Annotations Ioan. 6. PSALME XCIX Al are inuited to reioyce in God Creator of al. A Psalme in confession MAKE ye iubilation to God al the earth serue ye our Lord in gladnesse Enter ye in before his sight in exultation â Know ye that our Lord he is God he made vs and not we ourselues His people and the sheepe of his pasture â enter ye into his gates in confession his courtes in hymnes confesse ye to him Praise ye his name â because our Lord is sweete his mercie for euer and his truth euen vnto generation and generation PSALME C. King Dauid gratfully celebrateth the two general diuine vertues Mercie and Iustice 2. by his owne example exhorteth al especially Superiors to direct their wayes in sinceritie 4. and to seperate the wicked from conuersation of the good A Psalme to Dauid himselfe MERCIE and iudgement I wil sing to thee â Lord I wil sing â and I shal vnderstand in the immaculate way when thou shalt come to me I walked through in the inocencie of my hart in the middes of my house â I did not propose before mine eies any vniust thing I hated them that do preuarication â A peruerse hart hath not cleaued to me the malignant declining from me I knew not â One secretly detracting from his neighbour him did I persecute One of a proud eye and vnsatiable hart with him I did not eate â Mine eies are towards the faithful of the earth that they may sit with me A man that walketh in the immaculate way he did minister to me â He that doth proudly shal not dwel in the middes of my house he that speaketh vniust thinges hath not directed in the sight of mine eies â In the morning did I kil al the sinners of the earth that I might destroy out of the citie of our Lord al those that worke iniquitie PSALMES CI. A sinner in affliction of mind prayeth God to deliuer him 10. desolate of al other helpe 13. conceiueth comforth in Gods eternal goodnes and singular mercie in redeming mankind and propagating the Church 24. Prayeth to be made mature in vertue before he dye that he may liue with God 26. who only and wholly being immutable establisheth his seruantes for euer The prayer of the poore when he shal be anxious and shal make his petition before our Lord. LORD heare my prayer and let my crie come to thee â Turne not away thy face from me in what
diuers names or one was true and natural father an other legal or adoptiue for there were such also before the law of Moyses as appeareth in the historie of Thamar yet it were hard to geue a determinate solution of this difficultie VVhich example with manie others by vs omitted in these briefe annotations conuince the Protestants presumptuous error holding that Scriptures are easie to be vnderstood 6. Departed from his brother 8. Dvvelt in Mount Seir Here is an other difficultie though not so intricate as the former how Esau now parted into Mount Seir seing he dwelled there when his brother Iacob came from Mesopotamia chap. 22. v. 3. VVhich S. Augustin q. 119. in Gen. solueth saying Esau first dwelt in Seir after he was disapointed of his fathers blessing but dwelt againe with his father after Iacobs returne from Mesopotamia and now went to Seir againe after his fathers death CHAP. XXXVII Ioseph informing his father of his brethrens faults 5. and telling his dreames is by them more hated 13. being sent to visite them 18. they first thinke to kil him 26. but by Iudas coâsel sel him to the Ismaelâtes 29. vnwiting to Ruben 33. his father lamenteth supposing him to be slaine by some wild beast 36. He is sold againe to Putiphar in Aegypt AND Iacob dwelt in the land of Chanaan wherin his father soiourned â And these are his generations Ioseph when he was sixten e yeares old fed the flock with his brethren being yet a boy and he was with the sonnes of Bala and Zelpha his fathers wiues and he accused his brethren to his father of a most wicked crime â And Israel loued Ioseph aboue al his sonnes because he had begotten him â in his old age and he made him a coate of diuers coloures â And his brethren seing that he was loued of his father more then al his sonnes they hated him neither could they speake any thing to him peaceably â It chanced also that he reported to his brethren a dreame that he had seene which occasion was the seed of greater hatred â And he said to them Heare my dreame which I haue seene â I thought we bounde sheaues in the field and my sheafe arose as it were and stood and your sheaues standing about did adore my sheafe â His brethren answered What shalt thou be our king or shal we be subiect to thy dominion This occasion of his dreames and wordes ministred nourishment to the enuie and hatred â He sawe also an other dreame which telling his brethren he said I sawe in a dreame as it were the sunne and the moone and eleuen starres adore me â Which when he had reported to his father and brethren his father rebuked him and said What meaneth this dreame that thou hast seene why shal I and thy mother and thy brethren adore thee vpon the earth â His brethren therfore enuyed him but his father considered the thing with him selfe â And when his brethren abode in Sichem feeding their fathers flockes â Israel said to him Thy brethren feed sheepe in Sichem come I wil send thee to them Who answering â I am readie he said to him Goe and see if al things be wel with thy brethren and the sheepe and bring me word againe what they doe Being sent therfore from the Vale of Hebron he came to Sichem â and a man found him there wandring in the field and asked what he sought â But he answered I seeke my brethren shew me where they fede the flockes â And the man said to him They are departed from this place for I heard them say Let vs goe into Dothain Ioseph therfore went forward after his brethren and found them in Dothain â Who when they had seene him a farre of before he came nighe them they deuised to kil him â and spake among them selues Behold the dreamer commeth â come let vs kil him and cast him into an old cesterne and we wil say A naughtie wild beast hath deuoured him and then it shal appeare what his dreames doe profite him â And Ruben hearing this endeuored to deliuer him out of their hands and said â Do not take away his life neyther shee l ye blood but cast him into this cesterne that is in the wildernesse and keepe your handes harmeles and he said this desirous to deliuer him out of their handes and to restore him to his father â As soone therfore as he came vnto his brethren forthwith they stripped him out of his side coate and of diuers colours â And cast him into the old cesterne that had not water â And sitting to eate bread they saw Ismaelites wayfaring men coÌming from Galaad and their camels carying spices and rosen and mirrh into Aegypt â Iudas therfore said to his brethren What auaileth it vs if we kil our brother and conceale his bloode â It is better that he be sold to the Ismaelites and that our handes be not polluted for he is our brother and our flesh His brethren assented to his wordes â And when the Madianite marchants passed by they drawing him out of the cesterne sold him to the Ismaelites for twentie peeces of siluer who brought him into Aegypt â And Ruben returning to the cesterne findeth not the boy â and renting his garments went to his brethren and said The boy doth not appeare and whither shal I goe â And they tooke his coate and dipped it in the blood of a kidde which they had killed â sending some that should carie it to their father and should say This we haue founde see whether it be thy sonnes coate or no. â Which when the father acknowledged he said It is my sonnes coate a naughtie wild beast hath eaten him a beast hath deuoured Ioseph â And tearing his garments did on sackcloth mourning his sonne a great time â And al his children being gethered together to asswage their fathers sorowe he would not take comforte but said I wil descend vnto my sonne â into hel mourning And whilest he perseuered in weeping â the Madianites sold Ioseph in Aegypt to Phutiphar an Eunuch of Pharoes maister of the souldiars ANNOTATIONS CHAP. XXXVII 3. In his old age This being one cause why Iacob loued Ioseph aboue al his other sonnes for that he was the youngest of the eleuen for Beniamin the twelfth was yet an infant it is alleaged in holie Scripture saith S. Chrisostom Epist ad Olympiam as least offensiue to his bretheren For a more special cause was for his mother Rachels sake but most principal cause of al was for his great vertues and mature iudgement for which God also preferred him aboue them al and now forshewed the same by visions in sleepe VVhich they enuying and meaning to preuent did in dede vnwitting cooperate therto Gods prouidence turning their euil worke to infinite good As the same holie Ioseph truly interpreteth it to them after their fathers death
the buier and so he shal receiue his possession againe â but if his hand finde not to repay the price the buier shal haue that he bought vntil the yeare of Iubilee For in it al sale shal returne to the owner and to the old possessour â He that selleth a house within the walles of a citie shal haue licence to redeme it vntil one yeare be expired â if he redeme it not and the compasse of the yeare be fully out the buier shal possesse it and his posteritie for euer and it can not be redemed no not in the Iubilee â But if the house be in a village that hath not walles it shal be sould according to the law of fieldes if it be not redemed before in the Iubilee it shal returne to the owner â The houses of Leuites which are in cities may alwaies be redemed â if they be not redemed in the Iubilee they shal returne to the owners because the houses of the cities of the Leuites are for possessions among the children of Israel â But let not their suburbes be sould because it is a perpetual possession â If thy brother be empouerished and weake of hand and thou receiue him as a stranger and seiourner and he liue with thee â take not vsuries of him nor more then thou gauest feare thy God that thy brother may liue with thee â Thou shalt not geue him thy money to vsurie and an ouer plus of the fruites thou shalt not exact of him â I the Lord your God that brought you out of the Land of Aegygt that I might geue you the Land of Chanaan and might be your God â If thy brother constrained by pouertie sel him self to thee thou shalt not oppresse him with the seruitude of seruants â but he shal be as an hireling and a seiourner vntil the yeare of Iubilee he shal worke with thee â and afterward he shal goe out with his children and shal returne to his kinred and to the possession of his fathers â for they are my seruantes and I brought them out of the Land of Aegypt let them not be sould by the condition of seruantes â afflict him not by might but feare thy God â Let your man seruant and woman seruant be of the nations that are round about you â And of the strangers that seiourne with you or that were borne of them in your land these you shal haue for seruantes â and by right of inheritance shal leaue them to your posteritie and shal possesse them for euer but your brethren the children of Israel doe ye not oppresse by might â If the hand of a stranger or seiourner grow strong among you and thy brother empouerished sel him self to him or to any of his stocke â after the sale he may be redeemed He that wil of his brethren shal redeme him â both the vncle by father and the vncles sonne and the kinsman and the allied But and if him self be able also he shal redeme him selfe â accounting onlie the yeares from the time of his selling vnto the yeare of Iubilee and accounting the money that he was sould for according to the number of the yeares and the reckning of an hyreling â If they be more yeares that remaine vntil the Iubilee according to these also shal he repay the price â if few he shal make the reckning with him according to the number of the yeares and shal repay to the buyer for that which remaineth of the yeares â his wages being allowed for the which he serued before he shal not afflict him violently in thy sight â And if by these meanes he can not be redemed in the yeare of Iubilee he shal goe out with his children â For the children of Israel are my seruantes whom I brought forth out of the Land of Aegypt CHAP. XXVI VVith new prohibition of Idolatrie and commandment to kepe the Sabbath 3. rewardes are promised to al that obserue Gods precepts 14. And manie miserable punishments are threatned to al transgressors I THE Lord your God you shal not make to your selues an idol and thing grauen neither shal you erect titles nor set a notorious stone in your land for to adore it for I am the Lord your God â Keepe my sabbathes and dread my Sanctuarie I the Lord. â If you walke in my preceptes and keepe my commandementes and doe them I wil geue you raine in their seasons â and the earth shal bring forth her spring and the trees shal be replenished with fruites â The threshing of your haruest shal reach vnto vintage and the vintage shal reach vnto sowing time and you shal eate your bread to your fil and without feare shal you dwel in your land â I wil geue peace in your coastes you shal sleepe and there shal be none to make you afraid I wil take away euil beastes and the sword shal not passe through your quarters â You shal pursue your enemies and they shal fal before you â fiue of yours shal pursue an hundred strangers and an hundred of you tenne thousand your enemies shal fal by the sword in your sight â I wil respect you and make you encrease you shal be multiplied and I wil establish my couenant with you â You shal eate the eldest of the old store and new coming vpon it you shal cast forth the old â I wil sette my tabernacle in the middes of you and my soule shal not cast you of â I wil walke among you and wil be your God and you shal be my people â I the Lord your God that haue brought you out of the Land of the Aegyptians that you should not serue them and that haue broken the chaines of your neckes that you might goe vpright â But if you wil not heare me nor doe al my commandements â if you dispise my lawes and contemne my iudgementes that you do not those thinges which are appointed by me and bring my couenant to nothing worth â I also wil do these thinges to you I shal quickly visite you with pouertie and burning heat which shal waist your eies and consume your liues you shal sowe your seede in vaine which shal be deuoured of the enemies â I wil sette my face against you and you shal fal downe before your enemies and shal be made subiect to them that hate you you shal flee when no man pursueth you â But if you wil not obey me so neither I wil increase your chastisementes seuen fould for your sinnes â and wil breake the pride of your stubburnesse and I wil make to you the heauen from aboue as iron and the earth as brasse â Your labour shal be speÌt in vaine the earth shal not bring forth her spring nor the trees yeld their fruites â If you walke contrarie to me and wil not heare me I wil increase your plagues vntil seuen fould for your sinnes â and I wil send in vpon you the beastes of the field
they camped in Ietebatha in a Land of waters and torrentes â At that time he separated the tribe of Leui to carie the arke of the couenant of our Lord and to stand before him in the ministerie and to blesse in his name vntil this present day â For the which cause Leui had no part nor possession with his brethren because our Lord him self is his possession as the Lord thy God promised him â And I stoode in the mount as before fourtie daies and nightes and our Lord heard me this time also and would not destroy thee â And he said to me Goe and march before the people that they may enter and possesse the Land which I sware to their fathers that I would deliuer to them â And now Israel what doth the Lord thy God require of thee but that thou feare the Lord thy God and walke in his waies and loue him and serue the Lord thy God with al thy hart and with al thy soule â and keepe the commandementes of our Lord and his ceremonies which I command thee this day that it may be wel with thee â Behold heauen is the Lords thy God and the heauen of heauen the earth and al thinges that are in it â And yet to thy fathers was our Lord ioyned and he loued them and chose their seede after them that is to say you from al Nations as this day it is proued â Circumcise therfore the prepuce of your hart and your necke indurate no more â because the Lord your God he is the God of goddes and the Lord of lordes a great God and mightie and terrible that accepteth not person nor giftes â He doth iudgement to the pupil and the widowe loueth the stranger and geueth him victual rayment â And do you therfore loue strangers because you also were strangers in the Land of Aegypt â Thou shalt feare the Lord thy God and serue him only to him thou shalt cleaue and shalt sweare in his name â He is thy praise and thy God that hath done for thee these greate and terrible thinges which thyne eies haue seene â In seuentie soules did thy fathers goe downe into Aegypt and behold now the Lord thy God hath multiplied thee as the slarres of heauen CHAP. XI For the benefites of God wherof some are repeted and others promised the Israelites are bound to loue him 16. but if they forsake him he threatneth punishmentes 26. proposing benediction and malediction as they shal deserue LOVE therfore the Lord thy God and obserue his preceptes and ceremonies his iudgementes and commandmentes at al time â Know this day the thinges that your children know not who saw not the discipline of the Lord your God his great doinges and strong hand and stretched out arme â the signes and workes which he did in the middes of Aegypt to Pharao the king and to al his land â and to al the hoste of the Aegyptians and to their horses and charriottes how the waters of the red sea couered them when they pursewed you and how our Lord destroyed them vntil this present day â and to you what thinges he hath done in the wildernes til you came to this place â and to Dathan and Abiron the sonnes of Eliab which was the sonne of Ruben whom the earth opening her mouth swalowed vp with their houses and tabernacles and al their substance which they had in the middes of Israel â Your eies haue seene al the great workes of our Lord that he hath done â that you may keepe al his commandementes which I command you this day and may enter in and possesse the Land to the which you enter â and may liue in it a great time which our Lord by oath promised to your fathers and to their seede flowing with milke and honie â For the Land which thou goest to possesse is not as the Land of Aegypt which thou camest out of where when the seede is sowen waters are brought in to water it after the maner of gardens â but it is hilly and champion expecting raine from heauen â which the Lord thy God doth alwaies visite and his eies are on it from the beginning of the yeare vnto the end therof â If then you obey my commandementes which I command you this day that you loue the Lord your God and serue him with al your hart and with al your soule â he wil geue rayne to your Land the timely and the lateward that you may gather your corne and wine and oile â and haye out of the fieldes to feede your cattel and that your selues may eate and be filled â Beware lest perhaps your hart be deceiued and you depart from our Lord and serue strange goddes and adore them â and our Lord being wrath shutte vp heauen and the raine come not downe nor the earth geue her spring and you perish quickly from the excellent Land which our Lord wil geue you â Put these my wordes in your hartes and mindes and hang them for a signe on your handes and place them betwen your eies â Teach your children that they meditate them when thou sittest in thy house walkest on the way and liest downe and rysest vp â Thou shalt write them vpon the postes and gates of thy house â that thy daies may be multiplied and the dayes of thy children in the Land which our Lord sware to thy fathers that he would geue it them as long as the heauen hangeth ouer the earth â For if you keepe the commandementes which I command you and doe them that you loue the Lord your God and walke in al his wayes cleauing to him â our Lord wil destroy al these nations before your face and you shal possesse them which are greater and stronger then you â Euerie place that your foote shal treade shal be yours From the desert and from Libanus from the great riuer Euphrates vnto the west sea shal be your borders â None shal stand against you your terrour and feare shal the Lord your God geue vpon al the land that you shal treade as he hath spoken to you â Behold I sette forth in your sight this day benediction and malediction â benection if you obey the commandementes of the Lord your God which I command you this day â malediction if you obey not the commandementes of the Lord your God but reuolt from the way which now I doe shew you and walke after strange goddes which you know not â And when the Lord thy God shal haue brought thee into the Land to the which thou goest to inhabite thou shalt put the benediction vpon mounte Garizim the malediction vpon mounte Hebal â which are beyond Iordan behinde the way that bendeth to the going downe of the sunne in the Land of the Chananeite which dwelleth in the champion countrie against Galgala which is beside the valle that reacheth and entreth farre â For you shal passe ouer Iordan to possesse
of our Lord thy God and keepe his preceptes and ceremonies which are written in this law and returne to our Lord thy God in al thy hart and in al thy soule â This commandment that I command thee this daie â is not aboue thee nor so farre of â nor situated in heauen that thou maiest say Which of vs is able to ascend vnto heauen to bring it to vs that we may heare and fulfil it in worke â Nor placed beyond the sea that thou mayest pretend and say Which of vs can passe ouer the sea and bring it euen vnto vs that we way heare and doe that which is commanded â But the word is very neere thee in thy mouth and in thy hart to doe it â Consider that I haue â set before thee this day life and good and contrariewise death and euil â that thou mayest loue our Lord thy God and walke in his waies and keepe his commandmentes and ceremonies and iudgementes and thou mayest liue and he multiplie thee and blesse thee in the Land which thou shalt enter to possesse â But if thy hart be auerted and thou wilt not heare and deceaued with errour thou adore strange goddes and serue them â I foretel thee this day that thou shalt perish and abide a litle time in the Land which passing ouer Iordan thou shalt enter to possesse â â I cal for witnesses this day heauen and earth that I haue proposed to you life and death blessing and cursing Choose therfore life that both thou mayest liue and thy seede â and mayest loue our Lord thy God and obey his voice and cleaue to him for he is thy life and the length of thy daies that thou mayest liue in the Land for the which our Lord sware to thy fathers Abraham Isaac and Iacob that he would geue it them ANNOTATIONS CHAP. XXX 6. God vvil circumcise thy bart Most true it is that of our selues without Gods grace none can kepe or fulfil the commandmentes But he whose hart God doth circumcise is therby made able to loue God with al his hart and with al his soule And except some hartes were thus circumcised and so made able to loue God aboue al and consequently their neighboures God should not performe his promise that he wil circumcise the hart of some 11. Is not aboue thee VVhen thou art stirred vp assisted and indued with Gods grace the commandment of God is not then aboue thee nor faire of from thee but very nere thee in thy mouth to confesse God and his truth and in thy hart to do it But you wil aske How then cometh it to passe that manie hauing receiued sufficient grace yet do not kepe Gods commandmentes God him self answereth 15. That he hath set before thee life and good and contrrivvise death and euil he inuiteth and helpeth yet forceth thee not he geuethâthee powre abilitie helping and not destroying thy freewil that thou maist loue our Lord thy God walke in his wayes and kepe his commandements But if thy hart be auerted and v. 17. thou vrilt not heare thou shalt perish Againe God inculcateth 19. I cal for vvitnesses heauen and earth that I haue proposed to you life and death blessing and cursing Choose therfore life c. VVhat Doctor can teach more plainly the possibilitie of keeping Gods commandmentes and frewil in man then this text of holie Scripture CHAP. XXXI Moyses substituteth Iosue his successour in temporal gouernment 9. deliuereth the law to the Priestes 16. God fortelleth that the people wil often forsake him and that he wil punish them 19. commandeth Moyses to write a canticle an abrigement of the Law easie to be remembred 25. and in further testimonie against them the Leuites must put this booke in the arke of couenant MOYSES therfore went and spake al these wordes to al Israel â and said to them I am this day a hundred and twentie yeares old I can not goe out and come in any longer especially wheras our Lord also hath said to me Thou shalt not passe ouer this Iordan â Our Lord therfore thy God wil passe ouer before thee he wil destroy al these nations in thy sight and thou shalt possesse them and this Iosue shal passe ouer before thee as our Lord hath spoken â And our Lord shal doe to them as he did to Sehon and Og the kinges of the Ammorheites and to their land and shal destroy them â Therfore when our Lord shal haue deliuered these also to you you shal doe in like manner to them as I haue commanded you â Doe manfully and be strengthned feare not neither tremble ye at their sight because our Lord thy God him selfe is thy conductor and wil not leaue nor forsake thee â And Moyses called Iosue and said to him before al Israel Take courage and be strong for thou shalt bring in this people into the Land which our Lord sware that he would geue to their fathers and thou shalt diuide it by lotte â And our Lord that is your conductor him selfe wil be with thee he wil not leaue nor forsake thee feare not neither dread thou â Moyses therfore wrote this law and deliuered it to the priestes the sonnes of Leui which caried the arke of the couenant of our Lord and to al the ancientes of Israel â And he commanded them saying After seuen yeares in the yeare of remission in the solemnitie of tabernacles â when al come together out of Israel to appeare in the sight of our Lord thy God in the place which our Lord shal choose thou shalt read the wordes of this law before al Israel they hearing â and the people being assembled together as wel men as wemen children and strangers that are within thy gates that hearing they may learne and feare our Lord your God and keepe and fulfil al the wordes of this law â Their children also who now are ignorant that they may heare and feare our Lord their God al the daies that they liue in the Land which passing ouer Iordan you goe to obteyne â And our Lord said to Moyses Behold the daies of thy death are nigh cal Iosue and stand ye in the tabernacle of testimonie that I may command him Moyses therfore and Iosue went and stoode in the tabernacle of testimonie â and our Lord appeared there in the piller of a cloude which stood in the entring of the tabernacle â And our Lord said to Moyses Behold thou shalt sleepe with thy fathers and this people rysing vp wil fornicate after strange goddes in the Land to the which it entreth to dwel therein there wil they forsake me and wil make the couenant which I haue made with them of none effect â And my furie shal be wrath against them in that day and I wil forsake them and wil hide my face from them and they shal be deuoured al euils and afflictions shal finde them so that they shal say
that they were with vs in Carmel â Aske thy seruantes and they wil tel thee Now therefore let thy seruantes finde grace in thyne eies for we are come in a good day whatsoeuer thy hand shal finde geue thy seruantes and thy sonne Dauid â And when Dauids seruantes were come they spoke to Nabal al these wordes in Dauids name and so held their peace â But Nabal answering the seruantes of Dauid said Who is Dauid and what is the sonne of Isai There are seruantes multiplied now a daies which flee from their masters â Shal I then take my breades and my waters and the flesh of my cattel which I haue killed for my sheares and geue to men whom I know nnt whence they are â Therefore the seruantes of Dauid returned by their way and returning came and told him al the wordes that he had said â Then sayd Dauid to his seruantes Euery man gird him with his sworde And they were euery one girded with their swordes And Dauid also was girded with his sworde and there folowed Dauid about foure hundred men moreouer two hundred remayned at the baggage â But to Abigail the wife of Nabal one of their seruantes told saying Behold Dauid hath sent messengers from the desert to blesse our maister he disdayned them â these men were good ynough to vs and not trublesome neither did euer any thing perish al the time that we haue couuerst with them in the desert â they were in steed of a wal to vs both in the day and in the night al the dayes that we fed the flockes with them â Wherefore consider thinke what thou hast to doe for malice is accomplished against thy husband and against thy house and he is the sonne of Belial so that no man can speake to him â Abigail therefore made hast and tooke two hundred loaues and two bottels of wine and fiue muttons ready drest and fiue measures of polent and a hundred branches of raysens and two hundred mases of drie figges and laid them vpon asses â and said to her seruantes Goe before me loe I wil folow you at your backe but she told not her husband Nabal â When she therefore had gotten vpon an asse and came downe to the foote of the mountaine Dauid and his men came downe meeting her whom she also mette â And Dauid said In vaine veryly haue I preserued al thinges that were this mans in the desert and there perished nothing of al that perteined to him and he hath rendred me euil for good â These thinges doe God to the enemies of Dauid and these thinges adde he if I shal leaue of al thinges that perteine to him vntil morning any thing pissing against the wal â And when Abigail had seene Dauid she made hast and light from her asse and fel downe before Dauid vpon her face and adored vpon the earth â and fel at his feete and sayd In me my lord be this iniquitie let thy handmayde speake I besech thee in thine eares and heare the wordes of thy seruant â Let not my lord the king I pray thee set his hart vpon this naughtie man Nabal because according to his name he is a foole and follie is with him but I thy handmaide sawe not thy seruantes my lord whom thou didst send â Now therefore my lord our Lord liueth and thy soule liueth who hath stayed thee that thou shouldest not come vnto blood and hath saued thy hand to thee and now be thine enemies as Nabal and they that seeke euil to my lord â Wherefore receiue this benediction which thy handmaide hath brought to thee my lord and geue to thy seruantes that folow thee my lord â Take away the iniquitie of thy handmaide for our Lord making wil make to my lord a faithful house because thou my lord doest fight the battels of our Lord let not malice therefore be found in thee al the dayes of thy life â For if a man shal rise persecuting thee and seeking thy life the life of my lord shal be kept as in the bundel of the liuing with our Lord thy God Moreouer the life of thine enemies shal be whurled and in the violence and whurle of a sling â When our Lord therefore shal doe to thee my lord al good thinges which he hath spoken concerning thee and shal constitute thee prince ouer Israel â this shal not be an occasion of sobbing to thee and a scruple of hart to my lord that thou hast shed innocent blood or thy selfe hast reuenged thy selfe and when our Lord hath bestowed these benefites vpon my lord thou shalt remember thy handmaide â And Dauid sayd to Abigail Blessed be our Lord the God of Israel who hath sent thee this day to meete me and blessed be thy speach â and blessed be thou which hast stayed me to day that I might not goe to blood and reuenge me with myn owne hand â Otherwise our Lord liueth the God of Israel who hath staied me that I should not doe thee any euil vnles thou hadst quickely come to meete me there had not remained to Nabal vntil morning light any pissing against a wal â And Dauid tooke of her hand al thinges which she had brought him and said to her Goe peaceable into thy house behold I haue heard thy voice and haue honoured thy face â And Abigail came to Nabal and behold he had a feast in his house as it were the feast of a king and Nabals hart was pleasant for he was drunke excedingly and she told him not a word little or great vntil morning â But early when Nabal had digested his wine his wife told him these wordes and his hart was dead inwardly and he became as a stone â And when ten dayes had passed our Lord stroke Nabal and he died â Which when Dauid had heard that Nabal was dead he sayd Blessed be our Lord who hath iudged the cause of my reproch at the hand of Nabal and hath kept his seruant from euil and the malice of Nabal hath our Lord rendred vpon his head Dauid therefore sent and spake to Abigail that he might take her to himselfe to wife â And Dauids seruantes came to Abigail into Carmel and spake to her saing Dauid hath sent vs vnto thee to take thee to his wife â Who arising adored flat toward the earth and sayd Loe let thy seruant be as an handmaide to wash the feete of the seruantes of my lord â And Abigail arose and made hast and gatte vpon an asse and fiue wemen went with her waiting maides and folowed the messengers of Dauid and became his wife â Yea and Achinoam also did Dauid take of Iezrahel and both were his wiues â But Saul gaue Michol his daughter Dauids wife to Phalti the sonne of Lais who was of Gallim CHAP. XXVI The Ziphians bewrraying the place Saul besiegeth Dauid 5. who by night goeth where Saul and his men are a sleepe 9. hurteth him
Ioab with thee in al these thinges The woman answered and sayd By the health of thy soule my lord king it is neither on the left hand nor on the right of al these thinges which my lord the king hath spokeu for thy seruant Ioab he commanded me and he put al these wordes into the mouth of thy handmayde â That I should change the forme of this speach thy seruant Ioab commanded this and thou my lord king art wise as an Angel of God hath wisdom that thou vnderstandest al thinges vpon the earth â And the king sayd to Ioab Behold I being pacified haue done thy word Goe therefore and cal agayne the boy Absalom â And Ioab falling vpon his face vnto the earth adored and blessed the king and Ioab sayd This day thy seruant hath vnderstood that I haue found grace in thy sight my lord king for thou hast done the word of thy seruant â Ioab therefore arose and went into Gessur and brought Absalom into Ierusalem â But the king sayd Let him returne into his house and not see my face Absalom therefore returned into his house and the kings face he saw not â Moreouer like as Absalom there was not a man in al Israel so beautiful and exceding comelie from the sole of the foote to the crowne there was no blemish in him â And when he powled his heare once a yeare he was powled because his bush did burden him he weighed the heare of his head at two hundred sicles of the common weight â And there were borne to Absalom three sonnes and one daughter named Thamar of a goodly beautie â And Absalom abode in Ierusalem two yeares and saw not the kinges face â He therefore sent to Ioab to send him to the king who would not come to him And when he had sent the second time and he would not come to him â he sayd to his seruantes You know the filde of Ioab beside my filde that hath barley haruest goe therefore and burne it with fyre The seruantes therefore of Absalom burnt the corne with fyre And Ioabs seruantes coming renting their garmentes sayd The seruantes of Absalom haue burnt part of the filde with fyre â And Ioab arose came to Absalom in his house sayd Why haue thy seruantes burnt my corne with fire â And Absalom answered Ioab I sent to thee beseching thee that thou wouldest come vnto me and I might send thee to the king and thou shouldest say to him Wherefore came I out of Gessur It was better for me to be there I besech thee therefore that I may see the face of the king if he be mindeful of mine iniquitie let him kil me â Ioab therefore entring in to the king told him al thinges and Absalom was called and he entered in to the king and adored vpon the face of the earth before him and the king kissed Absalom CHAP. XV. Absalom getteth fauour of the people 7. and conspireth in Hebron agaynst his father 14. VVho fleeing 19. With difficultie permitteth Ethai a stranger to goe with him 24. but sendeth Sadoc and other priestes and leuites with the arke back into the citie 31. Sendeth Chusat to defeate Achitophels counsel THEREFORE after these thinges Absalom made him self chariotes and horsemen and fiftie men that should goe before him â And Absalom rising early stoode beside the entrance of the gate and euerie man that had busines to the kinges iudgement did Absalom cal to him and sayd Of what citie art thou Who answering sayd Of such a tribe of Israel am I thy seruant â And Absalom answered him Thy wordes seeme vnto me good and iust But there is none to heare thee appointed of the king And Absalom sayd â Oh who would appoint me iudge ouer the land that al might come to me which haue busines and I might iudge iustly â Yea and when a man came vnto him to salute him he put forth his hand and taking him kyssed him â And this did he to al Israel coming for iudgement to be heard of the king and he intised the hartes of the men of Israel â And after fourtie yeares Absalom sayd to king Dauid Let me goe and pay my vowes which I haue vowed to our Lord in Hebron â For thy seruant vowing did vow when he was in Gessur of Syria saying If our Lord wil bring me againe into Ierusalem I wil sacrifice to our Lord. â And king Dauid sayd to him Goe in peace And he arose and went into Hebron â And Absalom sent spies into al the tribes of Israel saying forthwith as you shal heare the sound of the trumpet sav ye Absalom reigneth in Hebron â Moreouer with Absalom there went two hundred men out of Ierusalem being called going with a simple hart and vtterly ignorant of the cause â Absalom also sent for Achitophel the Gilonite Dauids counseler from his citie Gilo And when he immolated victimes there was made a strong conspiracie and the people running together increased with Absalom â A messenger therefore came to Dauid saying Al Israel with al their hart foloweth Absalom â And Dauid said to his seruantes that were with him in Ierusalem Arise let vs flee for there wil be no escape for vs from the face of Absolom make hast to goe out lest coming perhaps he ouertake vs and force ruine vpon vs and strike the citie in the edge of the sword â And the kinges seruantes said to him al thinges whatsoeuer our lord the king shal command we thy seruantes wil gladly execute â The king therefore went forth and al his house on foote the king leift ten wemen his concubines to keepe the house â And the king going forth al Israel on their feete stoode farre from the house â and al his seruantes walked by him and the legions Cerethi and Phelethi and al the Getheites valiant warriers six hundred men which had folowed him from Geth footemen went before the king â And the king said to Ethai the Getheite Why comest thou with vs returne and dwel with the king because thou art a stranger and art come forth out of thy place â Yesterday thou camest and to day shalt thou be forced to goe forth with vs but I wil goe whither I shal goe returne and leade backe thy brethren with thee and our Lord wil doe with thee mercie and veritie because thou hast shewed grace and fidelitie â And Ethai answered the king saying The Lord liueth and my lord the king liueth for that in what place soeuer thou shalt be my lord king either in death or in life there wil thy seruant be â And Dauid said to Ethai Come and passe And Ethai the Getheite passed and al the men that were with him and the rest of the multitude â And they al wept with alowd voice and al the people passed the king also went ouer the Torrent Cedron and al the people marched against the way that looketh to the
desert â And Sadoc also the priest came and al the Leuites with him carying the arke of the couenant of God and they sette downe the arke of God Abiathar ascended til al the people was fully passed which was come forth of the citie â And the king sayd to Sadoc Cary backe the Arke of God into the citie if I shal finde grace in the sight of my Lord he wil bring me agayne and wil show me it and his tabernacle â But if he shal say to me Thou pleasest me not I am readie let him doe that which is good before him â And the king sayd to Sadoc the priest O seer returne into the citie in peace and Achimaas thy sonne and Ionathas the sonne of Abiathar your two sonnes let them be with you â Behold I wil be hid in the champayne of the desert til there come word from you aduertising me â Sadoc therefore and Abiathar caryed backe the Arke of God into Ierusalem and they taried there â Moreouer Dauid went vp mount Oliuet climbing weeping going bare foote and his head couered yea and al the people which was with him their head couered went vp weeping â And it was told Dauid that Achitophel also was in the conspiracie with Absalom and Dauid sayd Infatuare o Lord I besech thee the counsel of Achitophel â And when Dauid went vp to the toppe of the mount wherein he would adore our Lord behold there mette him Chusai the Arachite his garment rent and his head ful of earth â And Dauid sayd to him If thou come with me thou shalt be a burden to me â but if thou returne into the citie and wilt say to Absalom I am thy seruant o king as I haue beene thy fathers seruant so I wil be thy seruant thou shalt defeate the counsel of Achitophel â And thou hast with thee Sadoch and Abiathar the priests and euery word whatsoeuer thou shalt heare from out of the kinges house thou shalt tel Sadoc and Abiathar the priestes â And there are with them their two sonnes Achimaas the sonne of Sadoc and Ionathas the sonne of Abiathar and you shal send by them vnto me euery word whatsoeuer you shal heare â Chusai therefore the frend of Dauid coming into the citie Absalom also entred into Ierusalem CHAP. XVI Siba bringing victuals obtaineth by false suggestion his maister Miphiboseths enheritance 5. Semei curseth and throweth stones at the king who neuertheles forbiddeth to kil him 15. Absalom entreth into Hierusalem 16. intertayneth Chusai 20. and by Achitophels aduise lieth with his fathers concubines AND when Dauid had passed a litle the toppe of the Mount Siba the seruant of Miphiboseth appeared coming to meete him with two asses which were loden with two hundred loaues and a hundred bunches of raysens an hundred masses of figges and a bottel of wine â And the king said to Siba What meane these thinges And Siba answered The asses are for the kinges houshould to sitte on and the loaues and the figges to eate for thy seruantes and the wine to drinke if any man shal fainte in the desert â And the king said Where is thy masters sonne And Siba answered the king He hath remained in Ierusalem saying This day wil the house of Israel restore me the kingdom of my father â And the king said to Siba Let al thinges be thine that were Miphiboseths And Siba said I besech thee let me find grace before thee my lord king â King Dauid therefore came as farre as Bahurim behold there came forth thence a man of the kinred of the house of Saul named Semei the sonne of Sera and he proceded going forth cursed â And he threw stones against Dauid against al the seruantes of king Dauid the whole people al the warriers went on the right and the left side of the king â And thus spake Semei when he cursed the king Come forth come forth thou man of bloud and man of Belial â Our Lord hath repayed thee al the bloud of the house of Saul because thou hast inuaded the kingdom for him and our Lord hath geuen the kingdom into the hand of Absalom thy sonne and behold thyne euiles presse thee because thou art a man of bloud â And Abisai the sonne of Seruia said to the king Why curseth this dead dogge my lord the king I wil goe and strike of his head â And the king said What is it to me and you ye sonnes of Saruia Let him alone that he may curse for our Lord hath commanded him to curse Dauid and who is he that dare say why hath he so done â And the king said to Abisai and to al his seruantes Behold my sonne that came out of my wombe seeketh my life how much more the sonne of Iemini let him alone that he may curse according to the precept of our Lord â if perhaps our Lord may respect mine affliction and our Lord may render me good for this dayes cursing â Dauid therefore walked and his companie in the way with him And Semei by the banke on the hils side went ouer against him cursing and casting stones against him and sprinkling earth â The king therefore came and al the people with him wearie and they were refreshed there â But Absalom and al his people entered into Ierusalem yea and Achitophel with him â And when Chusai the Arachite Dauids frend was come to Absalom he said to him God saue thee ô king God saue thee ô king â To whom Absalom is this quoth he thy kindenes toward thy frend why wentest thou not with thy frend â And Chusai answered Absalom Not so because I wil be his whom our Lord hath chosen and al this people and al Israel and with him wil tarie â Yea that I may adde this also whom shal I serue not the kinges sonne as I haue serued thy father so wil I serue thee also â And Absalom said to Achitophel Consult what we ought to doe â And Achitophel said to Absalom Goe in to the concubines of thy father which he hath left to keepe the house that when al Israel shal heare that thou hast defiled thy father their handes may be strengthened with thee â They pitched therefore a tent for Absalom in the house toppe and he went in to his fathers concubines before al Israel â And the counsel of Achitophel which he gaue in those dayes as if a man should consult God so was al the counsel of Achitophel both when he was with Dauid and when he was with Absalom CHAP. XVII Achitophel counselleth Absolom presenly to assault his father with forces 7. Chusai perswadeth the contrarie 15. and secretly aduertiseth the king therof 23. Achitophel hangeth him self 25. Absolom appointeth Amasa general of his armie 27. Other freindes bring victuals to the kinges campe ACHITOPHEL therefore said to Absolom I wil choose me twelue thousand men and rysing I wil pursew Dauid this night â
were manie moe whom the forest had consumed of the people then they whom the sword deuoured in that day â And it chanced that Absalom mette the seruantes of Dauid sitting on a mule and when the mule was gone in vnder a thicke oke and a great his head stucke to the oke and he hanging betwen heauen and earth the mule that he rode vpon passed through â And one sawe this told Ioab saying I saw Absolom hang vpon an oke â And Ioab sayd to the man that told him If thou sawest him why didst thou not nayle him to the earth and I had geuen thee ten sicles of siluer and one belt â Who sayd to Ioab If thou wouldest pay downe in my handes a thousand peeces of siluer I would not lay my handes vpon the kinges sonne for in our hearing the king commanded thee and Abisai and Ethai saying Keepe me the child Absalom â Yea and if I had done agaynst my life boldly this could not haue beene hid from the king and thou wouldest haue stand agaynst it â And Ioab sayd Not as thou wilt but I wil set vpon him before thee He tooke therefore three lances in his hand and thrust them in the hart of Absalom and when as yet he panted for life sticking on the oke â there ranne ten yong men the squyers of Ioab and striking they killed him â And Ioab sounded the trumpet and stayed the people that they should not pursew Israel fleeing willing to spare the multitude â And they tooke Absalom and cast him in the forrest into a great pitte and they heaped vpon him an exceding great heape of stones but al Israel fled into their tabernacles â Moreouer Absalom had erected to himself whiles he yet liued a title which is in the kinges Valley for he said I haue no sonne and this shal be a monument of my name And he called the title by his name and it is called The hand of Absalom vntil this present day â And Achimaas the sonne of Sadoc said I wil runne and tel the king that our Lord hath done him iudgement of the hand of his enemies â To whom Ioab said Thou shalt not be messenger this day but thou shalt carie the message an other day to day I wil not haue thee carie the message for the kinges sonne is dead â And Ioab said to Chusai Goe and tel the king what thou hast seene Chusai adored Ioab and ranne â And againe Achimaas the sonne of Sadoc said to Ioab What letteth if I also runne after Chusai And Ioab sayd to him Why wilt thou runne my sonne thou shalt not be caryer of good tydinges â Who answered But what if I runne And he said to him Runne Achimaas therfore running a nere way out went Chusai â And Dauid sate betwen the two gates and the watchman that was in the toope of the gate vpon the wal lifting vp his eies saw a man running alone â And crying out he told the king and the king said If he be alone there are good tydinges in his mouth And he making hast and coming neerer â the watchman saw an other man running and crying alowde in the toppe he said There appeareth vnto me an other man running alone And the king said And this is a good messenger â And the watchman I behold said he the running of the former as it were the running of Achimaas the sonne of Sadoc And the king said He is a good man and cometh bringing good newes â And Achimaas crying sayd to the king God saue thee ô king And adoring the king before him flatte to the earth he said Blessed be our Lord thy God who hath shut vp the men that haue lifted vp their handes against my lord the king â And the king said Is the child Absalom safe And Achimaas sayd I saw a great tumult when thy seruant Ioab sent ô king me thy seruant other thing I know not â To whom the king Passe sayd he and stand here â And when he had passed and stood â Chusai appeared and coming he sayd I bring good tydinges my lord king for our Lord hath iudged for thee this day of the hand of al that haue rysen against thee â And the king sayd to Chusai Is the child Absalom safe To whom Chusai answering sayd Let the enemies of my lord the king become as the child and al that ryse against him vnto euil â The king therfore being made sorie went vp into the high chamber of the gate and wept And thus he spake going My sonne Absalom Absalom my sonne who would graunt me that I might die for thee Absalom my sonne my sonne Absalom CHAP. XIX Dauid moued by Ioabs admonition 8. ceaseth mourning for Absalom and reconcileth the rebels 19. Semei is pardoned 24. Mipbiboseth clereth him self of his seruantes false accusation yet recouereth not his whole right 32. Berzellai is courteously intreated 40. The other tribes contend with Iuda for their affection to the king AND it was told Ioab that the king wept and mourned for his sonne â And the victorie was turned into mourning that day to al the people for the people heard it sayd in that day The king soroweth vpon his sonne â And the people shunned that day to enter into the citie as a people turned fleing out of battel is wont to shrinke aside â Moreouer the king couered his head and cried with a lowd voice O my sonne Absalom o AbsaloÌ my sonne o my sonne â Ioab therfore entring in to the king into his house sayd Thou hast coÌfounded this day the countenances of al thy seruantes that haue saued thy life and the life of thy sonnes and thy daughters and the life of thy wiues and the life of thy concubines â Thou louest them that hate thee and thou hatest them that loue thee and thou hast shewed this day that thou carest not for thy nobles and for thy seruantes and in deede I knowe now that if Absalom liued and al we had beene slayne then it would please thee â Now therfore arise and come forth and speaking vnto them satisfie thy seruantes for I sweare to thee by our Lord that if thou wilt not goe forth not one verely wil remayne with thee this night and this shal be worse for thee then al the euils which haue come vpon thee from thy youth vntil this present â The king therfore arose and sate in the gate and it was told al the people that the king sate in the gate and al the multitude came forth before the king but Israel fled into their tabernacles â Al the people also stroue in al the tribes of Israel saying The king hath deliuered vs out of the hand of our enemies he hath saued vs from the head of the Philistianes and now he fled out of the land for Absalom â But Absalom whom we annoynted ouer vs is dead in the battel how long are you stil and reduce not the king â But
the number of the description of the people to the king and there were found of Israel eight hundred thousand strong men that could drawe sword and of Iuda fiue hundred thousand fighting men â But Dauids hart strooke him after the people was numbred and Dauid sayd to our Lord I haue sinned very much in this fact but I pray thee Lord to transferre the iniquitie of thy seruant because I haue done exceding folishly â Dauid therfore arose in the morning and the word of our Lord was made to Gad the prophete and Seer of Dauid saying â Goe and speake to Dauid Thus sayth our Lord Choyse is geuen thee of three thinges choose one of them which thou wilt that I may do it to thee â And when Gad was come to Dauid he told him saying Either famine shal come to thee seuen yeares in thy land or three monethes thou shalt flee thy aduersaries and they shal pursew thee or certes three dayes the pestilence shal be in thy land Now therfore deliberate and see what word I shal answer to him that sent me â And Dauid sayd to Gad I am distressed excedingly but it is better that I fal into the handes of our Lord for his mercies be manie then into the handes of men â And our Lord sent the pestilence in Israel from morning vnto the time appoynted and there died of the people from Dan to Bersabee seuentie thousand men â And when the Angel of Our Lord had stretched forth his hand ouer Ierusalem to destroy it our Lord had pitie vpon the affliction and sayd to the Angel that stroke the people It is sufficient now hold thy hand and the Angel of our Lord was beside the floore of Areuna the Iebuseite â And Dauid sayd to our Lord when he saw the Angel striking the people I am he that haue sinned I haue done wickedly these that are the sheepe what haue they done let thy hand I beseche thee be turned agaynst me and agaynst my fathers house â And Gad came to Dauid in that day and sayd to him Goe vp and build an altar to our Lord in the ââoore of Areuna the Iebuseite â And Dauid went vp according to the word of Gad which our Lord had coÌmanded him â And Areuna looking perceiued the king and his seruantes to come towards him â And going forth he adored the king with his face bowing to the earth and sayd What is the cause that my lord the king cometh to his seruant To whom Dauid sayd That I may bye of thee the floore and build an altar to our Lord and the slaughter may cease which rageth among the people â And Areuna sayd to Dauid Let my lord the king take and offer as it pleaseth him thou hast the oxen for holocauste and the wayne and the yokes of the oxen for prouision of wood â Areuna gaue al thinges to the king and Areuna sayd to the king The Lord thy God receiue thy vowe â To whom the king answering sayd Not so as thou wilt but I wil bye it of thee at a price and I wil not offer to our Lord my God holocaustes geuen gratis Dauid therfore bought the floore and the oxen for fiftie sicles of siluer â and Dauid built there an altar to our Lord offered holocaustes and pacifiques and our Lord became merciful to the land and the plague was stayed from Israel THE ARGVMENT OF THE THIRD BOOKE OF KINGES VVITH commemoration of king Dauids old age of his appointing a successour and of his death in the first and part of the second chapters this booke conteyneth two other principal partes the former is of king Salomon of his entrance to the kingdom his deuotion wisdom magnificence richesse great familie building of the Temple and other sumptuous palaces of his fal also into luxurie and idolatrie in the rest of the second chapter to the end of the eleuenth The other part sheweth the diuision of the kingdom onlie two tribes remayning to Roboam Salomons sonne with title of king of Iuda and tenne passing to Ieroboam his seruant called king of Israel So folow the seueral reignes of Abias Asa and Iosaphat kinges of Iuda and of Madab Baasa Ela Zambri Amri Achab with Iezabel and Ochosias kinges of Israel with the preaching miracles and other actes of Abias Elias Eliseus and other prophetes in the other eleuen chapters THE THIRD BOOKE OF KINGES ACCORDING TO THE HEBREWES THE FIRST OF MALACHIM CHAP. I. King Dauid waxing old Abisag a Sunamite is brought to him 5. Adonias pretending to reigne 11. Nathan and Bethâabee obtaine 28. that Salomon is declared and annointed King 41. VVherupon Adonias his folowers parting to their houses 50. fleeth to the altar in the tabernacle but vpon promise of safeâââ doth homage to Salomon AND king Dauid was old and had manie daies of age and when he was couered with clothes he was not warmed â His seruantes therfore sayd to him Let vs seeke for our lord the king a yong woman a virgin and let her stand before the king and cherishe him and sleepe in his bosome and warme our lord the king â They sought therfore a beautiful yong woman in al the costes of Israel and they found Abisag a Sunamite and brought her to the king â And the damsel was exceding beautiful and she slept with the king and serued him but the king did not know her â And Adonias the sonne of Haggith was eleuated saying I wil reigne And he made him self chariotes and horsemen and fiftie men that should runne before him â Neither did his father controwle him at any time saying Why didst thou this And he also was very beautiful the second borne after Absalom â And he had talke with Ioab the sonne of Saruia with Abiathar the priest who furthered Adonias side â But Sadoc the priest and Banaias the sonne of Ioiada and Nathan the prophet and Semei and Rei and the strength of Dauids armie was not with Adonias â Adonias therfore hauing immolated rammes and calues and al satte beastes beside the Stone zoheleth which was nigh to the Fountaine Rogel called al his brethren the sonnes of the king and al the men of Iuda the seruantes of the king â But Nathan the prophet and Banaias and al the strong ones and Salomon his brother he called not â Nathan therfore sayd to Bethsabee the mother of Salomon Hast thou not heard that Adonias the sonne of Haggith hath reigned and our lord Dauid is ignorant therof â Now therfore come take counsel of me and saue thy life and thy sonne Salomons â Goe and enter in to king Dauid and say to him Didst not thou my lord king sweare to me thy handmayd saying Salomon thy sonne shal reigne after me and he shal sitte in my throne Why then reigneth Adonias â And whiles thou art yet speaking there with the king I wil come after thee and make vp thy wordes â
Bethsabee therfore went in to the king in the chamber and the king was exceding old and Abisag the Sunamite ministred to him â Bethsabee bowed her self and adored the king To whom the king sayd What is thy wil quoth he â Who answering sayd My lord thou didst sweare to thy handmayd by our Lord thy God that Salomon thy sonne shal reigne after me and he shal sitte in my throne â And behold now Adonias reigneth thou my lord the king not knowing therof â He hath killed oxen al fatte thinges and manie rammes and called al the kinges sonnes Abiathar also the priest and Ioab the General of the warfarre but Salomon thy seruant he called not â Notwithstanding my lord king the eyes of al Israel looke vpon thee that thou wouldest shew them who shal sitte in thy throne my lord king after thee â And it shal be when my lord king sleepeth with his fathers I and my sonne Salomon shal be sinners â As she was yet speaking with the king Nathan the prophet came â And they told the king saying Nathan the prophete is here And when he was gone in to the king and had adored bowing to the earth â Nathan sayd My lord king didst thou say Let Adonias reigne after me and let him sitte vpon my throne â Because he is gone downe to day and hath immolated oxen and fattelinges and manie rammes and called al the kinges sonnes and the captaynes of the armie Abiathar also the priest and they eating and drinking before him and saying God saue the king Adonias â me thy seruant and Sadoc the priest and Banaias the sonne of Ioiada and Salomon thy seruant he called not â Is this word proceded from my lord the king and hast thou not told me thy seruant who should sitte vpon the throne of my lord the king after him â And king Dauid answered saying Cal vnto me Bethsabee Who when she was entered in to the king and stood before him â the king sware and sayd Our Lord liueth which hath deliuered my soule from al distresse â that as I sware to thee by our Lord the God of Israel saying Salomon thy sonne shal reigne after me and he shal sitte vpon my throne for me so wil I doe this day â And Bethsabee bowing her conâenance vnto the earth adored the king saying God saue my lord for euer â King Dauid also said Cal me Sadoc the priest and Nathan the prophet Banaias the sonne of Ioâadâ Who when they were entred in before the king â he said to them Take with you the seruantes of your lord and sette Salomon my sonne vpon my mule and bring him into Gihon â And let Sadoc the priest anoint him there and Nathan the prophet to be king ouer Israel and you shal sound the trumpet and shal say God saue king Salomon â And you shal goe vp after him and he shal come and shal sitte vpon my throne and he shal reigne for me and I wil ordaine him that he be prince ouer Israel and ouer Iuda â And Banaias the sonne of Ioiada answered the king saying Amen so speake our Lord the God of my lord the king â As our Lord hath beene with my lord the king so be he with Salomon and make his throne higher then the throne of my lord king Dauid â Sadoc therfore the priest and Nathan the prophet went downe and Banaias the sonne of Ioiada and Cherethi and Phelethi and they set Salomon vpon the mule of king Dauid and brought him into Gihon â And Sadoc the priest tooke a horne of oile out of the tabernacle and annointed Salomon and they sounded the trumpet and al the people said God saue king Salomon â And al the multitude went vp after him and the people singing on shaulmes and reioysing with great gladnes and the earth sounded of their crie â And Adonias heard and al that were inuited of him and the feast was ended yea and Ioab hearing the voice of the trumpet said What meaneth the crie of the citie making a tumult â As he yet spake came Ionathas the sonne of Abiathar the priest to whom Adonias said Come in because thou art a stout man and bringest good newes â And Ionathas answered Adonias Not so for our lord king Dauid hath appointed Salomon king â and hath sent with him Sadoc the priest and Nathan the prophete and Banaias the sonne of Ioiada and Cerethi and Phelethi and they haue set him vpon the kinges mule â And Sadoc the priest and Nathan the prophete haue annointed him king in Gihon they are gone vp thence reioysing and the citie sounded this is the voice that you heard â Yea and Salomon sitteth vpon the throne of the kingdom â And the kinges seruantes entring in haue blessed our lord king Dauid saying God amplify the name of Salomon aboue thy name and magnifie his throne aboue thy throne And the king adored in his bed â and he hath thus spoken Blessed be our Lord the God of Israel who hath geuen this day one sitting in my throne mine eies seing it â They therfore were terrified and they al arose that had beene inuited of Adonias and euery man went his way â And Adonias fearing Salomon arose and went and held the horne of the altar â And they told Salomon saying Behold Adonias fearing king Salomon hath taken hold of the horne of the altar saying Let king Salomon sweare to me this day that he wil not kil his seruant with the sword â And Salomon sayd If he be a good man there shal not so much as one heare of his fal vpon the ground but if euil shal be found in him he shal die â King Salomon therfore sent and brought him out from the altar and going in he adored king Salomon and Salomon sayd to him Goe to thy house CHAP. II. Dauid geueth godlie preceptes to Salomon 5. willeth him to punish certaine offenders 10. and dieth 12. Salomon reigneth 13. Adonias by intercession of âeâhsabee requesleth to haue Abisag to wife 22. but is put to death for demanding her 26. Abiathar the priest is banished and deposed for conspiring with Adonias 28. Ioab also for the same cause and former crimes is slaine 36. Semei is confined in Ierusalem 40. for transgressing his limites together with old faultes is likewise slaine AND the dayes of Dauid approched that he should die and he commanded his sonne Salomon saying â I enter into the way of al flesh take courage and play the man â And obserue the watches of our Lord thy God that thou walke in his waies and keepe his ceremonies and his preceptes and iudgementes and testimonies as is written in the law of Moyses that thou mayst vnderstand al thinges which thou doest and whithersoeuer thou shalt turne thy selfe â that our Lord may confirme his wordes which he hath spoken of me saying If thy children shal keepe their waies and shal walke before me in truth in al
the burden of two mules for thy seruant wil no more make holocaust or victimes to strange goddes but to the Lord. â But this onlie is it for which thou shalt besech the Lord for thy seruant when my maister shal goe into the temple of Remmon to adore and he leaning vpon my hand if I shal adore in the temple of Remmon he adoring in the same place that the Lord pardon me thy seruant for this thing â Who sayd to him â Goe in peace He therfore went from him in the spring time of the earth â And Giezi the seruant of the man of God sayd My maister hath spared Naaman this Syrian that he tooke not of him the things which he brought Our Lord liueth I wil runne after him and wil take some thing of him â And Giezi folowed at the backe of Naaman whom when he saw running toward him he lept downe from his chariote to mete him and said Are al thinges wel â And he said Wel. my maister hath sent me to thee saying Euen now there are come to me two yong men from mount Ephraim of the children of the prophetes geue them a talent of siluer and two change of rayment â And Naaman sayd It is better that thou take two talentes And he forced him bound the two talentes of siluer in two bagges and the duble rayment layd it vpon two of his seruantes who also caried it before him â And when he was come now in the euening he tooke it out of their hand layd it vp in the house dismissed the men and they departed â And himself going in stood before his maister And Eliseus said From whence comest thou Giezi Who answered Thy seruant hath not gone any whither â But he sayd Was not my hart present when the man returned out of his chariote to meete thee Now therfore thou hast receiued siluer and taken rayment to bye oliuetes and vineyardes and sheepe and oxen and seruantes and handmaides â But the leprosie also of Naaman shal cleaue to thee and to thy seede for euer And he went out from him a leper as it were snow ANNOTATIONS CHAP. V. 19 Goe in peace Shcismatiques as they are commonly but improperly now called in England which being in mind and iudgement Catholiques goe sometimes to Protestantes common prayers or âââmons draw an excuse of their fact from this warrant of the Prophet permitting a Nobleman of Syria to goe and serue his king in the temple when he adored an Idol But whosoeuer wil duly consider this example shal find great difference in respect of the times places persons and of the very doubtes proposed betwen this mans case and ours For before Christs Gospel was promulgate neither al Articles of faith were so expresly taught nor the external profession therof so strictly commanded as now they are in time of more grace which geueth more ayde to mans weaknes wherin also more perfection is required and therfore our Sauiour exacteth of al to confesse him and his Religion before men els he vvil denie them before his Father Likewise in the place where this Nobleman dwelt his presence in the temple and seruice to the king could not be accounted a reuolt from true religion which was neuer professed there nor be scandalous to anie man being al Infidels but in a christian countrie where al beare the name of Christians especially where men are at controuersie about the true Christian religion al that frequent or repaire to the same assemblies for publique seruice of God are reputed to be of the same religion or els dissemblers as it were to haue no care of religion knowing God and not glorifying him as God and reuolting from the truth which they had lerned The difference also of persons is great For this Nobleman hauing before his conuersion serued his king in the office of sustayning him when he bowed to the Idol if he should haue refused to do the same it would rather haue bene supposed that he disdained his Maister or shewed disloyaltie then thought that he refrayned for religion wheras in our case verie few do such temporal seruice about the king in the church and such as doe carrie the sword scepter or the like are accounted of that religion which is there practised except they manifest the contrarie as this man did and our men commonly do not Yea if anie do say they are Catholiques and yet goe to the Protestantes church they are counted of that rank S. Paul speaketh of which confesse they knovv God but denie him in their deedes And those which refuse such an office can not be iudged disloyal because it is sufficiently knowne that Catholiques refuse of mere conscience An other most especial difference is in the thinges demanded This Syrian promising expresly before the Prophet and his owne great trayne that he would neuer againe serue false goddes and that he would serue the onlie true God and for that purpose caried earth with him to make an Altar for Sacrifice and returning home preached the miracle wrought in himself desired not to doe anie thing wherby he might seme to serue an Idol but that when the king leaning vpon him should adore Remmon he might bow with his maister not adoring the Idol for he resolued and promised the contrarie but adoring God Almightie in whom now he beleued And this the Prophet approued in that time place and person to be lawful But those that now in England goe to Protestants seruice or sermons do neither publikly renounce al heresies not professe to frequent Masse the true Sacrifice of the Christian Church nor auouch the erecting of an Altar but goe to church to shew them selues obedient to the Parlament law which abandoned the true Diuine Seruice and in place therof appointed commanded al to be present at a new forme of common prayer thereby making it a distinctiue signe of conformitie and participation in that religion which these dissemblers in their consciences know to be false This example therfore doth in no sorte warrant their going to the heretical church but contrariwise admonisheth al to take resolution in our case as Naaman did in his of our Eliseus or spiritual Superior and if he should say Goe in peace then might they pleade an excuse but he sayth None can goe without incurring greuous sinne and eternal damnation The case being so much different from Naamans It is in deede more like to that of Eleazatus and other Machabees who were commanded by eating svvines flesh to depart from the lavv of God and their fathers VVhich by no meanes was lawful to doe nor to make shew of doing it but rather to dye as they did most gloriously CHAP. VI. Eliseus maketh iron to swimme vpon the water 8. leadeth the king of Syria his men sent to apprehend him blindly into Samaria 20. vvhere their eyes being opened they are curtously intertained and freely dismissed
Vriel Asaia Ioel Semeia Eliel and Aminadab â and he sayd to them You that are the princes of the Leuitical families be sanctified with your brethren and fetch the Arke of our Lord the God of Israel to the place which is prepared for it â lest as from the beginning because yow were not present our Lord strike vs so now also it come to passe we doing some vnlawful thing â The Priestes therfore and the Leuites were sanctified to carie the Arke of our Lord the God of Israel â And the sonnes of Leui tooke the Arke of God as Moyses had commanded according to the word of our Lord vpon their shoulders on barres â And Dauid sayd to the princes of the Leuites that they should appoynt of their brethren singing men on musical instrumentes to witte on nables harpes and cymbals that the sound of ioy might resound on high â And they appoynted Leuites Hemam the sonne of Ioel and of his brethren Asaph the sonne of Barachias and of the children of Merari their brethren Ethan the sonne of Casaia â And with them their brethren in the second order Zacharias and Ben and Iaziel and Semiramoth and Iaâiel and Ani Eliab and Banaias and Maasias and Mathathias and Eliphalu and Macenias and Obededom and Iehiel porters â Moreouer them that sang Heman Asaph and Ethan sounding on brasen cymbals â And Zacharias and Oziel and Semiramoth and Iahiel Ani and Eliab and Maasias and Banaias vpon nables sang mysteries â Moreouer Mathathias and Eliphalu and Macenias and Obededom and Iehiel and Ozaziu vpon harpes for the octaue sang a triumphant song â And Chonenias the prince of the Leuites was chiefe ouer prophecie to beginne the melodie for he was verie coning â And Barachias and Elcana doore keepers of the Arke â Moreouer Sebenias and Iosaphat and Nathanael and Amasai and Zacharias and Banaias and Eliezer priestes sounded with trumpettes before the Arke of God and Obededom and Iehias kept the doore of the Arke â Therfore Dauid and al the ancientes of Israel and the tribunes went to fetch the Arke of the couenanr of our Lord out of the house of Obededom with ioy â And when God had holpen the Leuites which caried the Arke of the couenant of our Lord there were immolated seuen oxen seuen rammes â Moreouer Dauid was clothed with a robe of fine linen and al the Leuites that caried the Arke and the singing men and Chonenias the prince of prophecie among the singers and Dauid also was clothed with an Ephod of linen â And al Israel brought the Arke of the couenant of our Lord in iubiley and sounding with the sound of shaulme and with trumpettes and cymbals and nables and harpes â And when the Arke of the couenant of our Lord was come vnto the citie of Dauid Michol the daughter of Saul looking forth through a window saw Dauid the king dancing and playing and she despised him in her hart CHAP. XVI The Arke is placed in a tabernacle Sacrifice is offeâed Dauid blesseth the people 4. disposeth the offices of Leuites 8. and maketh a Psalme of praise to God THEY therfore brought the Arke of God and set it in the middes of the tabernacle which Dauid had pitched for it and they offered holocaustes and pacifiques before God â And when Dauid had finished offering holocaustes and pacifiques he blessed the people in the name of our Lord. â And he duided to al through out euerie one from man vnto woman a loafe of bread and a peece of rosted beefe and floure fryed with oile â And he appoynted before the Arke of our Lord of the Leuites that should minister and should remember his workes glorifie and prayse our Lord the God of Israel â Asaph the prince and the second after him Zacharias moreouer Iahiel and Semiramoth and Iehiel and Mathathias and Eliab and Banaias Obed-edom and Iehiel ouer the instrumentes of psalterie and the harpes Asaph to sound vpon the cymbals â but Banaias and Iaziel priestes to sound the trumpet continually before the Arke of the couenant of our Lord. â In that day Dauid made Asaph prince to confesse to our Lord and his brethren â Confesse ye to our Lord and inuocate his name make his inuentions knowen among the peoples â Chaunt to him and sing to him and tel ye al his meruelous thinges â Prayse ye his holie name let the hart of them that reioyse seeke our Lord. â Seeke ye our Lord and his powre seeke ye his face alwayes â Remember his meruelous thinges which he hath done his signes and the iudgementes of his mouth â The seede of Israel his seruant the children of Iacob his elect â He is the Lord our God in al the earth are his iudgementes â Remember for euer his coueuant the word which he commanded vnto a thousand generations â Which he couenanted with Abraham and his othe with Isaac â And he appoynted it to Iacob for a precept and to Israel for an euer lasting couenant â Saying To thee wil I geue the Land of Chanaan the corde of your inheritance â When they were few in number smal and soiourners therof â And they passed from nation into nation from kingdom to an other people â He suffered not any man to calumniate them but rebuked kinges for their sake â Touch not my annoynted and vnto my prophetes be not malicious â Sing ye to our Lord al the earth shew forth from day to day his saluation â Tel his glorie among the gentiles among al peoples his meruelous workes â Because our Lord is great and laudable excedingly and terrible ouer al goddes â For al the goddes of the peoples be idols but our Lord made the heauens â Confession and magnificence before him strength and ioy in his place â Bring to our Lord ye families of peoples bring to our Lord glorie and impire â Geue our Lord glorie to his name eleuate sacrifice and come ye in his sight and adore our Lord in holie honour â Let al the earth be moued before his face for he founded the world vnmoueable â Let the heauens be glad the earth reioyse and let them say among the nations Our Lord hath reigned â Let the sea thunder and the fulnesse therof let the fieldes reioyse and al thinges that are in them â Then shal the trees of the forest prayse before our Lord because he is come to iudge the earth â Confesse ye to our Lord because he is good because his mercie is for euer â And say ye Saue vs ô God our sauiour and gather vs together deliuer vs out of the nations that we may confesse to thy holie name and may reioyse in thy songues â Blessed be our Lord the God of Israel from eternitie vnto eternitie and let al the people say Amen and hymne to God â He therfore leaft Asaph there before the Arke of the couenant of our Lord and his
thee and walke in thy waies al the daies that they liue vpon the face of the land which thou hast geuen to our fathers â The Forener also which is not of thy people Israel if he come from a far countrie for thy strong hand thy streched out arme and adore in this place â thou shalt heare from heauen thy most firme habitation shalt do al thinges for the which that pilgrime shal inuocate thee that al the peoples of the earth may know thy name and may feare thee as thy people Israel and may know that thy name is inuocated vpon this house which I haue built â If thy people shal goe forth to warre agaynst their aduersaries by the way that thou shalt send them shal adore thee agaynst the way wherein is this citie which thou hast chosen and the house which I haue built to thy name â thou shalt from heauen heare their prayers and petition and doe thou reuenge â And if they shal sinne to thee for there is no man that sinneth not and thou be angrie with them and deliuer them to the enemies and they leade them captiue into a farre countrie or which is neere at the least â and being conuerted in their hart in the land to the which they were led captiue shal doe penance and shal besech thee in the land of their captiuitie sayng We haue sinned we haue done wickedly we haue delt vniustly â and shal returne to thee in al their hart and in al their soule in the land of their captiuitie to the which they were led shal adore thee agaynst the way of their land which thou gauest their fathers and of the citie which thou hast chosen and of the house which I haue built to thy name â thou shalt heare from heauen that is from thy firme habitation their prayers and doe thou iudgement and forgeue thy people although sinneful â for thou art my God let thine eies I besech thee be opened and let thine eares be attent to the prayer that is made in this place â Now therfore arise Lord God in thy rest thou and the Arke of thy strength Let thy Priestes Lord God put on saluation thy Saintes reioyse in good thinges â Lord God turne not away from the face of my Christ remember the mercies of Dauid thy seruant CHAP. VII Fire from heauen deuoureth the holocaustes and glorie replenisheth the Temple 5. More sacrifices are offered 8. and the Temple is dedicated with seven daies solemnitie the eight day collection is made 12. God signifieth that he hath heard Salomons prayer 17. conditionally as it was made if they serue him 19. otherwise he wil punish them AND when Salomon had finished to poure out his prayers fyre descended from heauen and deuoured the holocaustes and victimes and the maiestie of our Lord filled the house â Neither could the Priestes enter into the Temple of our Lord because the maiestie of our Lord had filled the temple of our Lord. â Yea and al the children of Israel sawe the fyre descending and the glorie of our Lord vpon the house and falling flat on the earth vpon the pauement paued with stone they adored and praysed our Lord Because he is good because his mercie is for euer â And the king and al the people immolated victimes before our Lord. â King Salomon therfore killed hostes of oxen twentie two thousand of rammes an hundred twentie thousand and the king and al the people dedicated the house of God â And the Priestes stood in their offices and the Leuites with the instrumentes of the songues of our Lord which Dauid the king made to prayse our Lord Because his mercie is for euer singing the hymnes of Dauid by their handes moreouer the Priestes sounded with trumpettes before them and al Israel stood â Salomon also sanctified the middes of the court before the temple of our Lord for he had offered there the holocaustes and the fatte of the pacifiques because the brasen altar which he had made could not susteyne the holocaustes and the sacrifices and the fatte â Salomon therfore made a solemnitie at that time seuen daies and al Israel with him an assemblie verie great from the entrance of Emath to the Torrent of Aegypt â And he made in the eight day an assemblie because he had dedicated the altar seuen daies and had celebrated the solemnitie seuen daies â Therfore in the three and twenteth day of the seuenth moneth he dismist the people to their tabernacles reioysing and being glad for the good that our Lord had done to Dauid and Salomon and Israel his people â And Salomon accomplished the house of our Lord and the house of the king and al that he had disposed in his hart to do in the house of our Lord and in his owne house and he prospered â And our Lord appeared to him by night and sayd I haue heard thy prayer and haue chosen this place to me for a house of sacrifice â If I shal shut heauen and rayne fal not and shal bid and command the locust to deuoure the land and shal send pestilence into my people â and my people being conuerted vpon whom my name is inuocated shal besech me and seeke out my face and shal doe penance from their most wicked waies I also wil heare from heauen and wil be propitious to their sinnes and wil saue their land â Mine eies also shal be opened and mine eares erected to his prayer that shal pray in this place â For I haue chosen and haue sanctified this place that my name may be there for euer and mine eies and my hart may remaine there al daies â Thou also if thou walke before me as Dauid thy father walked and shalt doe according to al thinges which I haue commanded thee and shalt keepe my iustices and iudgementes â I wil rayse vp the throne of thy kingdom as I promised to Dauid thy father saying There shal not be taken away of thy stocke a man that shal be prince in Israel â But if you shal be turned away and shal forsake my iustices and my preceptes which I haue proposed to you and going shal serue strange goddes and adore them â I wil plucke you out of my land which I haue geuen you and this house which I haue sanctified to my name I wil cast away from my face and wil deliuer it for a parable and an exemple to al peoples â And this house shal be for a prouerbe to al passengers and they shal say being astonyshed Why hath the Lord done so to this land and to this house â And they shal answer Because they forsooke the Lord the God of their fathers who brought them out of the Land of Aegypt and tooke hold of strange goddes and adored them and worshipped them therfore are al these euils come vpon them CHAP. VIII Salomon buildeth diuers cities 7. maketh the residue of the Chananites tributarie 12. offereth the ordinarie
Senaa three thousand nine hundred thirtitie â The Priests The children of Idaia in the house of Iosue nine hundred three â The childeren of Emmer a thousand fiftie two â The childeren of Phashur a thousand two hundred fourtie seuen â The children of Arem a thousand seuentene The Leuites â The children of Iosue Cedmiel the children â of Cenia seuentie foure The singing men â the childeren of Asaph an hundred fourtie eight â The porters The childeren of Sellum the childeren of Ater the childeren of Telmon the childeren of Accub the childeren of Hatita the childeren of Sobai an hundred thirtie eight â The Nathineites The childeren of Soha the childeren of Hasupha the childeren of Tebbaath â the childeren of Ceros the childeren of Siaa the childeren of Phadon the childeren of Lebana the childeren of Haguba the childeren of Seimai â the childeren of Hanan the childeren of Geddel the childeren of Gaher â the childeren of Raaia the childeren of Rasin the childeren of Necoda â the childeren of Gesem the childeren of Aza the childeren of Phasea â the childeren of Besai the childeren of Munim the childeren of Nephussim â the childeren of Bacbuc the childeren of Hacupha the childeren of Harur â the childeren of Besloth the childeren of Mahida the childeren of Harsa â the childeren of Bercos the childeren of Sisara the childeren of Thema â the childeren of Nasia the childeren of Hatipha â the childeren of the seruantes of Salomon the childeren of Sotai the childeren of Sophereth the childeren of Pharida â the childeren of Iahala the childeren of Darcon the childeren of Ieddel â the childeren of Saphia the childeren of Hatil the chideren of Phohereth who was borne vnto Sabaim the sonne of Amon. â Al Natheneites and the childeren of the seruantes of Salomon three hundred nyntie two â But these be they which came vp from Thelmela Thelharsa Cherub Addon and Emmer and could not shew the house of their fathers and their seed whether they were of Israel â The children of Dalaia the childeren of Tobia the childeren of Necoda six hundred fourtie two â And of the Priests the childeren of Habia the childeren of Accos the childeren of Berzellai who tooke a wife of the daughters of Berzellai a Galeadite and he was called by their name â These sought their writing in the register and found it not they were cast out of the Priesthood â And Athersatha said to them that they should not eate of the Holies of holies vntil there stood vp a Priest learned and cunning â Al the multitude as it were one man fourtie two thousand three hundred sixtie â beside their men seruants and wemen seruantes which were seuen thousand three hundred thirtie seuen and among them singing men singing wemen two hundred fourtie fiue â Their horses two hundred fourtie six their mules two hundred fourtie fiue â their camels foure hundred thirtie fiue asses six thousand seueÌ hundred twentie Hitherto is reported what was written in the Register From this place forward goeth on in order the historie of Nehemias â And certaine of the princes of families gaue vnto the worke Athersatha gaue into the treasure of gold a thousand drachmas phials fiftie tunikes for Priestes fiue hundred thirtie â And of the princes of families there gaue into the treasure of the worke of gold twentie thousand drachmas and of siluer two thousand two hundred pound â And that which the rest of the people gaue of gold twentie thousand drachmas and of siluer two thousand pound and tunikes for Priestes sixtie seuen â And the Priestes and Leuites and porters and singing men and the rest of the common people and the Nathineites and al Israel dwelt in their cities And the seuenth moneth was come and the childeren of Israel were in their cities CHAP. VIII Esdras readeth the law before the people 9. Nehemias conforteth them 13. They celebrate the feast of tabernacles seuen dayes 13. of collection the eight day AND al the people was gathered togethor as it were one man to the streate which is before the water and they sayd to Esdras the scribe that he should bring the booke of the law of Moyses which our Lord had commanded Israel â Esdras therfore the priest brought the law before the multitude of men and wemen and al that could vnderstand in the first day of the seuenth moneth â And he read it playnly in the streate that was before the water gate from morning vntil midday in the presence of the men and wemen and of these that vnderstood and the eares of al the people were attent to the booke â And Esdaas the scribe stood vpon a steppe of wood which he made to speake vpon and there stood by him Mathathias and Semeia and Ania and Vria and Helcia and Maasia on his right hand and on the left Phadaia Misael and Melchia and Hasum and Hasbadana Zacharia and Mosollam â And Esdras opened the booke before al the people for he appeared aboue al the people and when he had opened it al the people stood â And Esdras blessed our Lord the great God and al the people answred Amen amen lifting vp their handes and they bowed and adored God flatte on the earth â Moerouer Iosue Bani and Serebia Iamin Accub Septhai Oâia Maasia Celita Azarias Iozabed Hanan Phalaia Leuites made silence in the people to heare the law and the people stoode in their degree â And they read in the booke of the law of God distinctly and playnly for to vnderstand and they vnderstood when it was read â And Nehemias said the same is Athersatha and Esdras the Priest and scribe and the Leuites interpreting to al the people It is a day sanctified to the Lord our God mourne ye not and weepe not For al the people wept when they heard the wordes of the law â And he said to them Goe eate fat thinges and drinck the sweete wine and send portions to them that haue not prepared for themselues because it is the holie day of our Lord and be not sadde for the ioy of our Lord is our strength â And the Leuites made silence in al the people saying Hold your peace because the day is holie and be not sorowful â Therefore al the people went to eate and drinck and to send portions and to make great ioy because they vnderstood the wordes that he had taught them â And in the second day were gathered the princes of the families of al the people the Priests and Leuites to Esdras the scribe that he should interpret vnto them the wordes of the law â And they found written in the law that our Lord commanded in the hand of Moyses that the children of Israel should dwel in tabernacles on the solemne day the seuenth moneth â and that they should proclame and publish a voice in al their cities and in Ierusalem saying
when their mightie ones shal be taken then shal he with them be strooken through with the sword â that euerie nation may know that Nabuchodonosor is God of the earth and besides him there is none other CHAP. VI. Holofernes in great rage sendeth Achior to Bethulia that he may there be slaine with the Israelites 8. He is leift bound to a tree 10. from whence the Israelites taking him he telleth them the cause 14. They entertaine him courteously and earnestly pray to God for helpe AND it came to passe when they had ceased to speake Holofernes being sore offended said to Achior â Because thou hast prophecied vnto vs saying that the nation of Israel is defended of their God that I may sheu thee that there is no God but Nabuchodonosor â when we shal haue strookeÌ them al as one man then thy self with them shalt die by the sword of the Assyrians and al Israel with thee shal perish by destruction â and thou shalt proue that Nabuchodonosor is lord of the whole earth and then the sword of my warfare shal passe through thy sides pearsed thou shalt fal among the wounded of Israel and thou shalt no more fetch breath til thou be destroyed with them â But if thou thinke thy prophecie true let not thy countenance quaile and the palenesse that is in thy face let it depart from thee if thou thinke these my wordes can not be accomplished â And that thou mayst know that thou shalt proue these thinges together with them behold from this houre thou shalt be associate to their people that whiles they shal receiue worthie punishment of my sword thou withal may be subiect to the vengeance â Then Holofernes commanded his seruantes that they should take Achior and lead him into Bethula and should deliuer him into the handes of the children of Israel â And the seruantes of Holofernes taking him went through the champaine but when they came neere the mountaynes the slingers came forth against them â And they turning out of the way by the side of the mountayne tyed Achior to a tree hand and foote and so left him bound with withes and returned to their lord â Moreouer the children of Israel descending from Bethulia came to him Whom loosnig they brought to Bethulia and setting him in the middes of the people demanded what was the matter that the Assyrians had left him bound â In those dayes the princes there were Ozias the sonne of Micha of the tribe of Simeon and Charmi who also is Gothoniel â In the middes therefore of the ancientes and in the sight of al Achior told al thinges that he had spoken being asked of Holofernes and how the people of Holofernes would haue killed him for this word â and how Holofernes him selfe being angrie coÌmanded him to be deliuered for this cause to the Israelites that when he should ouercome the children of Israel then he might command Achior also himself to die by diuerse tormentes for this that he had said The God of heauen is their defender â And when Achior had declared al these thinges al the people fel on their face adoring our Lord and with common lamentation and weeping they powred out their prayers with one accord to our Lord â saying Lord God of heauen and earth behold their pride and haue regard to our humilitie and attend the face of thy sainctes and shew that thou forsakest not them that presumeof thee and that thow humblest them that presume of them selues and glorie of their power â Their weeping therfore being ended the peoples prayer by the whole day being finished they comforted Achior â saying The God of our fathers whose power thou hast set forth he wil geue thee this recompence that thou rather shalt see their destruction â And when the Lord out God shal geue this libertie to his seruantes be God with thee also in the middes of vs that as it shal please thee so thou with al thine mayst conuerse with vs. â Then Ozias the counsel being ended receiued him into his house and made him a greate supper â And al the ancientes being called they refreshed them selues together after the fasting was ended â But afterwarde al the people was called together and al the night long within the church they prayed desiring helpe of the God of Israel CHAP. VII Holofernes besiegeth Bethulia 6. cutteth their conduite of water 9. kepeth their fountaines 12. the people murmure and mutenie 18. yet they pray to God 23. and the high priest determineth if aide come not within fiue dayes to deliuer the citie to the Assyrians BVT Holofernes the next day commanded his armies that they should goe vp against Bethulia â And there were of warre foote men an hundred twentie thousand and horse men two and twentie thousand besides the preparations of those men whom the captiuitie had taken and had beene led away out of the prouinces and cities of al youth â Al prepared them selues together to the fight agaynst the children of Israel and they came by the hil side vnto the toppe which looketh toward Dothaim from the place which is called Belma vnto Chelmon which is against Esdrelon â But the children of Israel as they saw the multitude of them laid them selues prostrate vpon the earth casting ashes vpon their heades praying with one accord that the God of Israel would shew his mercie vpon his people â And taking their weapons of warre they sate at the places which by a narrow path way lead directly betwen the mountaynes and they were keping them al day and night â Moreouer Holofernes whiles he compasseth round about found that the fouÌtayne which ranne in went directly to their conduite on the south side without the citie and he commanded their conduite to be cut asunder â Neuerthelesse there were fountaynes not far from the walles out of which secretly they semed to draw water to refresh them selues rather then to drinke â But the children of Ammon Moab came to Holofernes saying The children of Israel trust not in speare nor in arrow but the mountaynes defend them the hilles standing meruelous stipe gard them â Therfore that thou mayst ouercome them without ioyning battel set kepers of the fountaynes that they may not draw water of them and without sword thou shalt kil them or at the least being wearied they wil yeld their citie which they thinck being set in the mountaynes can not be ouercome â And these wordes pleased Holofernes and his souldiars and he placed round about an hundred men at euerie fountayne â And when that watch had beene fully kept for twentie dayes the cesternes fayled and the collections of waters to al the inhabitantes of Bethulia so that there was not within the citie wherof they might be satisfied no not for one day because water was dayly geuen to the people by measure â Then al the men and wemen yong men and children being gathered
and watch â And Iudith stood before the bed praying with teares and with mouing of her lippes in silence â saying Confirme me o Lord God of Israel and in this houre haue respect to the workes of my handes that as thou hast promised thou mayst aduance Ierusalem thy citie and I may bring to passe that which I beleuing that it may be done by thee haue purposed â And when she had sayd these thinges she went to the piller that was at his beds head and his sword that hong tyed on it she loosed â And when she had drawen it out she tooke him by the heare of his head and sayd Confirme me ô Lord God in this houre â and she stroke twise vpon his necke and cut of his head and tooke his canopie from the pillers and rolled aside his bodie a truncke â And after a while she went out and deliuered the head of Holofernes to her mayde and bad her put it into her wallet â And they two went forth according to their custome as it were to prayer and they passed the campe and compassing the valley they came to the gate of the citie â And Iudith a far of said to the keepers of the walles Open the gates because God is with vs which hath wrought power in Israel â And it came to passe when the men had heard her voyce they called the ancientes of the citie â And they ran al to meete her from the least to the greatest because they hoped not that now she would come â And they lighting lightes gathered round about her euerie one and she going vp into a higher place commanded silence to be made And when al had held their peace â Iudith said Prayse yee the Lord our God who hath not forsaken them that hope in him â and in me his handmayde he hath sulfilled his mercie which he promised to the house of Israel and he hath killed by my hand the enemie of his people this night â And bringing forth the head of Holofernes out of the wallet she shewed it them saying Loe the head of Holofernes the general of the armie of the Assyrians and behold his canopie wherein he lay in his drunkennes where the Lord our God stroke him by the hand of a woman â But the same our Lord liueth that his Angel hath kept me both going hence and abyding there and from thence returning hither and our Lord hath not suffered me his handmayde to be defyled but without pollution of sinne he hath called me backe to you reioysing in this victorie in my escape and in your deliuerie â Confesse ye al to him because he is good because his mercie is for euer â And they al adoring our Lord said to her Our Lord hath blessed thee in his power because by thee he hath brought our enemies to nothing â Moreouer Ozias the prince of the people of Israel said to her Blessed art thou daughter of our Lord the high God aboue al wemen vpon the earth â Blessed be our Lord which made heauen and earth which hath directed thee vnto the woundes of the head of the prince of our enemies â Because this day he hath so magnified thy name that they prayse shal not depart out of the mouth of men which shal be mindeful of the power of our Lord for euer for that thou hast thy life for the distresses and tribulation of thy kinred but hast holpen the ruine before the presence of our God â And al the people sayd So be it so be it â Moreouer Achior being called came and Iudith said to him The God of Israel to whom thou gauest testimonie that he reuengeth him self of his enemies he hath cut of the head of al the vnfaithful this night by my hand â And that thou mayst proue that it is so loe the head of Holofernes who in the contempt of his pride contemned the God of Israel and threatened thee death saying When the people of Israel shal be taken I wil command thy sides to be pearsed with a sword â But Achior seing the head of Holofernes being in anguish for feare fel on his face vpon the earth and his soule was sore trubled â But after taking spirit agayne he was refreshed fel downe at her feete and adored her and sayd â Blessed art thou of thy God in euerie tabernacle of Iacob because in euerie nation which shal heare thy name the God of Israel shal be magnified in thee CHAP. XIIII Holofernes head is hanged on the wall 6. Achior is circumcised 7. The Israeelites assault the Assyrians 8. who going to awake their General 14. finde him slaine 17 and are al confounded with feare AND Iudith said to al the people Heare me brethren hang ye this head vpon our walles â and it shal be when the sunne shal rise let euerie man take his armour and yssue ye forth with violence not that you goe downe beneath but as it were inuading violently â Then the watchmen must of necessitie runne to rayse vp their prince to battel â And when the captaynces of them shal runne to the tabernacle of Holofernes and shal finde him headles rowled in bloud feare wil fal vpon them â And when you shal know that they flee goe after them securely because our Lord wil destroy them vnder your feete â Then Achior seeing the power that God of Israel wrought forsaking the rite of gentilitie beleued God and circuncided the flesh of his prepuce and was ioyned to the people of Israel and al the succession of his kinred vntil this present day â And immediatly as day brake they hong the head of Holofernes vpon the walles and euerie man tooke his armour and they went forth with great noyse and shouting â Which the watchmen seing ranne to the tabernacle of Holofernes â Moreouer they that were in the tabernacle coming and before the dore of the tabernacle making a noyse to rayse him they endeuored by art to disquiet him that Holofernes might awake not by them raysing him but by them making a noyse â For no man durst by knocking or entring to open the chamber of the chiefe of the Assyrians â But when his dukes and tribunes were come and al the chiefe of the armie of the king of the Assyrians they said to the chamberlayns â Goe in and awake him becaufe the mice yssuing out of their holes haue presumed to prouoke vs to battel â Then Vagao entring into his chamber stoode before the cortine and made a clapping with his handes for he thought that he slept with Iudith â But when with the sense of his eares he percieued no motion of person lying he came neere to the cortine and lifting it vp and seing the bodie without the head of Holofernes weltred in his bloud lye vpon the ground cried out in a lowd voyce with weeping and rent his garmentes â And going into the tabernacle of Iudith he found her not and he lept
desiderable aboue al vvorldlie riches or pleasures So by these and like spiritual motiues the soule freely desiteth accepteth vndertaketh endureth and by continual assistance of grace obserueth Gods lavv and so meriteth the great revvard vvhich is promised for keping it v. 12. 2. Tim. 4. v. 6. PSALME XIX Faithful people ioyne their prayer for their Prince or Prelate 4. with sacrifice offered for his preseruation and prosperous successe â Vnto the end the Psalme of Dauid OVR Lord heare thee in the day of tribulation the name of the God of Iacob protect thee â Send he ayde to thee from the holie place and from Sion defend he thee â Be he mindeful of al thy sacrifice and be thy holocaust made fatte â Geue he vnto thee according to thy hart and confirme he al thy counsel â We shal reioyce in thy saluation and in the name of our God we shal be magnified â Our Lord accomplish al thy petitions now haue I knowen that our Lord hath saued his CHRIST He shal heare him from his holie heauen the faluation of his righthand is in powers â These in chariotes and these in horses but we wil inuocate in the name of the Lord our God â They are bound and haue fallen but we haue risen and are set vpright â Lord saue the king and heare vs in the day that we shal inuocate thee PSALME XX. Praise to God for Christs exaltation after his passion 9. and depression of his enemies â Vnto the end the Psalme of Dauid LORD in thy power the king shal be glad and vpon thy saluation he shal reioyce excedingly The desire of his hart thou hast geuen him and of the wil of his lippes thou hast not defrauded him â Because thou hast preuented him in blessinges of sweetnesse thou hast put on his head a crowne of preâious stone â He asked life of thee and thou gauest him length of daies for euer and for euer and euer â Great is his glorie in thy saluation glorie and great beautie thou shalt put vpon him â Because thou shalt geue him to be a blessing for euer and euer thou shalt make him ioyful in gladenesse with thy countenance Because the king hopeth in our Lord and in the mercie of the Highest he shal not be moued â Let thy hand be found of al thy enemies let thy righthand find al that hate thee â Thou shalt put them as an ouen of fyre in the time of thy countenance our Lord in his wrath shal truble them and fyre shal deuoure them Their fruite thou shalt destroy from the land and their seede from the children of men Because they haue turned the euils vpon thee they haue deuised counsels which they could not establish Because thou shalt put them backe in thy remnantes thou ââ shalt prepare their countenance Be exalted Lord in thy powre we wil chaunte and sing thy powers PSALME XXI Christ prayeth in his Passion 7. describeth the acerbitie therof 20. foresheweth by way of prayer his Resurection 23. more clerly the fundation and propagation of his Church 27. 30. interposing the singular foode of the most blessed Sacrament euen to the endes of the earth in al nations â Vnto the end â for the morning enterprise the Psalme of Dauid GOD my God haue respect to me why hast thou forsaken me far from my saluation are the wordes of my sinnes My God I shal crie by day and â thou wilt not heare and by night and not for follie vnto me â But thou dwellest in the holie place the prayse of Israel â In thee our fathers haue hoped they hoped and thou didst deliuer them They cried to thee and were saued they hoped in thee and were not confounded â But I am a worme and no man a reproch of men and outcast of the people â Al that see me haue scorned me they haue spoken with the lippes and wagged the head â He hoped in the Lord let him deliuer him let him saue him because he wil him â Because thou art he that hast drawen me out of the wombe my hope from the brestes of my mother â Vpon thee I haue bene cast from the matrice from my mothers wombe thou art my God â depart not from me Because tribulation is verie nigh because there is not that wil helpe â Manie calues haue compassed me fatte bulles haue besieged me â They haue opened their mouth vpon me as a lion rauening and roaring â As water I am powred out and al my bones are dispersed My hart is made as waxe melting in the middes of my bellie â My strength is withered as a pot-shard and my tongue cleaued to my iawes and thou hast brought me downe into the dust of death â Because manie dogges haue compassed me the counsel of the malignant hath besieged me They â haue digged my handes and my feete â they haue numbered al my bones But themselues haue considered and beheld me â they haue deuided my garmentes among them and vpon my vesture they haue cast lot â But thou Lord prolong not thy helpe from me looke toward my defense â Deliuer ô God my soule from the sword and myne onlie one from the hand of the dog â Saue me out of the lions mouth and my humilitie from the hornes of vnicornes â â I wil declare thy name to my bretheren â in the middes of the Church I wil prayse thee â Ye that feare our Lord praise him al the seede of Iacob glorifie ye him â Let al the seede of Israel feare him because he hath not contemned nor despised the petition of the poore Neither hath he turned away his face from me and when I cried to him he heard me â With thee is my praise in the great Church I wil render my vowes in the sight of them that feare him â â The poore shal eate and shal be filled and they shal praise our Lord that seeke after him their hartes shal liue for euer and euer â Al the endes of the earth shal remember and be conuerted to our Lord â And al the families of the Gentiles shal adore in his sight â Because the kingdome is our Lords and he shal haue dominion ouer the Gentiles â Al the fatte ones of the earth haue eaten and adored in his sight shal al fal that descend into the earth â And my soule shal liue to him and my seede shal serue him â The generation to come shal be shewed to our Lord and the heauens shal shew forth his iustice to the
continew his grace and protection against the malice of the enimie 5. Recounteth Gods mercie in deliuering him from falling into tentations 6. prayeth for the same in old age or weakenes of bodie and spirite 20. and promiseth perpetual gratitude and praises A Psalme for Dauid of the sonnes of Ionadab and the former captiues IN thee ô Lord I haue hoped let me not be confounded for euer â in thy iustice deliuer me and receiue me Incline thine eare to me and saue me â Be vnto me for a God protector and for a fensed place that thou maist saue me Because thou art my firmament and my refuge â My God deliuer me out of the hand of the sinner and ouâ of the hand of him that doth aganst the law and of the vniust Because thou art my patience ô Lord my hope from my youth â Vpon thee haue I bene confirmed from the wombe from my mothers bellie thou art my protector In thee is my singing alwaies â I was made to manie as a wonder and thou art a strong helper â Let my mouth be filled with praise that I may sing thy glorie al the day thy greatnes â Reiect me not in the time of olde age when my strength shal âaile forsake me not â Because mine enimies haue said to me and they that watched my soule consulted together â Saying God hath forsaken him pursew and take him because there is none to deliuer â O God be not farre from me my God haue respect to mine ayde â Let them be confounded and fayle that detract from my soule let them be couered with confusion and shame that seeke euils to me â But I wil alwaies hope and wil adde vpon al thy praise â My mouth shal shew forth thy iustice al the day thy saluation Because I haue not knowne lerning I wil enter into the powres of our Lord â ô Lord I wil be mindful of thy iustice onely â O God thou hast taught me from my youth and vntil now I wil pronounce thy meruelous workes â And vnto ancient age and olde age ô God forsake me not Vntil I shew forth thy arme to al the generation that is to come Thy might â and thy iustice ô God euen to the highest great meruailes which thou hast done ô God who may be like to thee â How great tribulations hast thou shewed me manie and euil and turning thou hast quickened me and from the depthes of the earth thou hast brought me backe againe â Thou hast multiplied thy magnificence and being turned thou hast comforted me â For I also wil confesse to thee in the instruments of Psalme thy truth ô God I wil sing to thee on the harpe holie one of Israel â My lippes shal reioyce when I shal sing to thee and my soule which thou hast redemed â Yea and my tongue al the day shal meditate thy iustice when they shal be confounded and ashamed that seeke euils to me PSALME LXXI By way of prayer the Psalmist prophecieth Christs coming our King and Iudge 4. the deliuerer of mankind from the thraldom of the diuel â the greatnes of his spiritual kingdom in the Gentiles 16. and his continual glorie and praise Concerning Salomon O God giue thy iudgement to the king and thy iustice to the sonne of the king To iudge thy people in iustice and thy poore in iudgement â Let the mountains receiue peace for the people and the litle hilles iustice â He shal iudge the poore of the people and shal saue the children of the poore and he shal humble the calumniator â And he shal continew with the sunne and before the moone in generation and generation â He shal descend as rayne vpon a fleece and as droppes distilling vpon the earth â There shal rise in his dayes iustice and aboundance of peace vntil the moone be taken away â And he shal rule from sea vnto sea and from the riuer euen to the ends of the round world â Before him shal the Aethiopians fal downe and his enimies shal lick the earth â The kinges of Tharsis and the Ilands shal offer presentes the kings of the Arabians and of Saba shal bring giftes â And al kinges of the earth shal adore him al nations shal serue him â Because he shal deliuer the poore from the mightie and the poore which had no helper â He shal spare the poore and needy and he shal saue the soules of the poore â From vsuries and iniquitie he shal redeme their soules and their name shal be honorable before him â And he shal liue and there shal be giuen him of the gold of Arabia and they shal adore it alwaies al the day they shal blesse him â And there shal be a firmament in the earth in the toppes of mountanes the fruite therof shal be extolled farre aboue Libanus and they shal florish of the citie as the grasse of the earth â Be his name blessed for euer before the sunne his name is permanent And al the tribes of the earth shal be blessed in him al nations shal magnifie him â Blessed be our Lord the God of Israel who only doth meruelous thinges â And blessed be the name of his maiestie for euer and al the earth shal be filled with his maiestie Be it be it â The praises of Dauid the sonne of Iesse are ended PSALME LXXII The royal prophet first professing the vnspeakable goodnes of God 2. in the person of the weake complaineth that the wicked prosper and the iust are afflicted 15. reprehendeth the murmuration for though we can not comprehend the secrete iudgements of God 18. yet they are most iust 25. So with desire to rest in God he promiseth euer to praise him A Psalme to Asaph HOW good is God to Israel to them that are of a right hart â But my feete were almost moued my steppes almost slipped â Because I haue had zele vpon the wicked seing the peace of sinners â Because there is no respect to their death and stabilitie in ther plague â In the labours of men they are not and with men they shal not be scourged â Therfore hath pride helde them they are couered with their iniquitie and impietie â Their iniquitie hath proceded as it were of fatte they haue passed into the affection of the hart â They haue thought and haue spoken wickednes they haue spoken iniquitie on high â They haue sette their mouth vnto heauen ad their tongue hath passed in the earth â Therfore wil my people returne here and ful daies shal be found in them â And they haue saide How doth God know and is there knowledge in the highest â Loe the sinners them selues and they that abounde in
planted the eare shal he not heare Or he that made the eie doth he not consider â He that chastiseth nations shal he not rebuke he that teacheth man knowledge â Our Lord knoweth the cogitations of men that they be vaine â Blessed is the man whom thou shalt instruct ô Lord and shalt âeach out of thy lawe â That thou maist geue him quietnes from the euil daies til a pitte be digged for the sinner â Because our Lord wil not reiect his people and his inheritance he wil not forsake â Vntil iustice be turned into iudgement and they who are neere it are al that are right of hart â Who shal rise for me against the malignant or who shal stand with me against them that worke iniquitie â But that our Lord hath holpen me within very litle my soule had dwelt in hel â If I said My foote is moued thy mercie ô Lord did help me â According to the multitude of my sorrowes in my hart thy consolations haue made my soule ioyful â Doth the seat of iniquitie cleaue to thee which makest labour in precept â They wil hunt after the soule of the iust and wil condemne innocent bloud And our Lord became my refuge and my God the helpe of my hope â And he wil repay them their iniquitie and in their malice he wil destroy them the Lord our God wil destroy them PSALMES XCIIII An inuitation to serue and adore Christ our Lord and Messias 3. aswel for the benefites of creating al thinges 7. as for his Incarnation and not to harden our hartes as the Iewes did Praise of Canticle to Dauid him selfe COME let vs reioyce to our Lord let vs make iubilation to God our sauiour â Let vs preuent his face in confession and in Psalmes let vs make iubilation to him â Because our Lord is a great God and a great King aboue al goddes â Because in his hand are the endes of the earth and the heightes of the mountaines be his â Because the sea is his and he made it and his handes formed the drie land â Come let vs adore and fal downe and wepe before our Lord that made vs. â Because he is the Lord our God and we the people of his pasture and the shepe of his hand â To day if ye shal heare his voice â harden not your hartes â As in the prouocation according to the day of the tentation in the desert where your fathers tempted me proued me and saw my workes â Fourtie years was I offended with that generation and said These alwaies erre in hart â And these haue not knowne my waies as I sware in my wrath if they shal enter into my rest ANNOTATIONS PSALME XCIIII 8. Harden not your hartes VVhatsoeuer God proposeth by preaching or inspiration to a sinner it resteth stil in the powre of his freewil to harden his harte and to reiect al such good motions and so he doth not only frustrate Gods grace and hinder his owne iustification but also increaseth his former sinnes But by not resisting when deliberating therupon he could resist he disposeth himselfe and cooperateth to first iustification And therfore the royal Prophet here admonisheth and earnestly exhorteth al men to do this which God hath put in our powre not to harden our owne hartes when we heare his voice by resisting and reiecting his grace freely offered without al merite of our part PSALME XCV Al peoples nations are inuited to praise the blessed Trinitie 3. for Christs Incarnation and spiritual kingdom in al the world ââ euen sensles creatures acknowledging his maiestie 13. and iudicial powre A Canticle to Dauid * himselfe when the house was built after the captiuitie SING ye to our Lord a new song sing to our Lord al the earth â Sing ye to our Lord and blesse his name shewforth his saluation from day to day â Shewforth his glorie among the Gentiles his meruelous workes in al peoples â Because our Lord is great and exceeding laudable he is terrible aboue al goddes â Because al the goddes of the Gentiles are diuels but our Lord made the heauens â Confession and beauty in his sight holinesse and magnificence in his sanctification â Bring to our Lord ye families of Gentiles bring ye to our Lord glorie and honour â bring to our Lord glorie vnto his name Take vp hoastes and enter into his courtes â adore ye our Lord in his holie court Let al the earth be moued before his face â say ye among the Gentiles that our Lord hath reigned For he hath corrected the round world which shal not be moued he wil iudge peoples in equitie â Let the heauens be glad and the earth reioyce the sea be moued and the fulnesse therof â the fieldes shal be glad and al things that are in them Then shal the trees of the woodes reioyce â before the face of our Lord because he cometh because he cometh to iudge the earth He wil iudge the round world in equitie and peoples in his truth PSALME XCVI Al the earth is inuited to reioyce in Christs kingdom 3. with description of the signes coming before the day of Iudgement 7. Idolaters shal be confounded 8. Holie Angels and iust men shal adore Christ and reioyce To this Dauid when his land was restored agane to him OVR Lord hath reigned let the earth reioyce let manie Ilands be glad â Cloude and mist round about him iustice and iudgement the correction of his seat â Fire shal goe before him and shal inflame his enimies round about â His lightninges shined to the round world the earth sawe and was moued â The mountaines melted as waxe before the face of our Lord before the face of our Lord al the earth â The heauens haue shewed forth his iustice and al peoples haue seene his glorie â Let them al be confounded that adore sculptils and that glorie in their idoles Adore him al ye his Angels â Sion heard and was glad And the daughters of Iuda reioyced because of thy iudgements ô Lord. â Because thou Lord most high ouer al the earth thou art exalted excedingly aboue al goddes â You that loue our Lord hate ye euil our Lord keepeth the soules of his saintes out of the hand of the sinner he wil deliuer them â Light is risen to the iust and ioy to the right of hart â Be glad ye iust in our Lord and confesse ye to the memorie of his sanctification PSALME XCVII Al men are againe inuited ioyfully to celebrate the meruelous conquest of Christ in al nations 4. with hart voice and instruments 8. al creatures acknowledging his coming to iudge the world A psalme to Dauid himselfe SING ye
Idumea â Wil t not thou ô God which hast repelled vs and wilt not thou goeforth ô God in our hoastes â Geue vs helpe out of tribulation because mans saluation is vayne â In God we shal doe strength and he wil bring our enemies to nothing PSALME CVIII Christ by the mouth of Dauid requesteth of God to be iustly declared innocent and his enimies punished 6. particularly describing Iudas the traitors malice 21. and his owne temporal afflictions 26. prayeth 30. and praiseth God for his deliuerie â Vnto the end a Psalme of Dauid O God conceale not my prayse because the mouth of the sinner and the mouth of the deceitful man is open vpon me â They haue spoken against me with deceitful tongue and with wordes of hatred they haue compassed me and they haue impugned me without cause â For that they should loue me they backbited me but I prayed â And they set against me euil thinges for good and hatred for my loue Appoint a sinner ouer him and let the diuel stand on his righthand â When he is iudged let him comeforth condemned and let his prayer be turned into sinne â Let his dayes be made fewe and let an other take his bishopricke â Let his children be made orphans and his wife a widow â Let his children be transported wandering and let them begge and let them be cast out of their habitations â Let the vsurer search al his substance and let strangers spoile his labours â Let there be none to helpe him neither let there be anie to haue pittie on his pupilles â Let his children come to destruction in one generation let his name be cleane put out â Let the iniquitie of his fathers returne to memorie in the sight of our Lord and let not the sinne of his mother be blotted out â Let them be before our Lord alwayes and let the memorie of them perish out of the earth â For that he remembred not to doe mercie â And he persecuted the poore and needie man and the compunct in hart to kil him â And he loued cursing and it shal come to him and he would not blessing and it shal be far from him And he put on cursing as a garment and it entred as water into his inner partes and as oile in his bones â Be it to him as a garment wherwith he is couered and as a girdle wherwith he is alwayes girded â This is the worke of them that detract from me before our Lord and that speake euils against my soule â And thou Lord Lord doe with me for thy names sake because thy mercie is swete Deliuer me â because I am needie and poore and my hart is trubled within me â As a shadow when it declineth am I taken away and I am shaken as locustes â My knees are weakened with fasting and my flesh is changed by reason of oile â And I am made a reproch to them they saw me and wagged their heades â Helpe me ô Lord my God saue me according to thy mercie â And let them know that this is thy hand and thou ô Lord hast done it â They wil curse and thou shalt blesse let them that rise vp against me be confounded but thy seruant shal reioyce â Let them that detract from me be clothed with shame and let them be couered with their confusion as with a duble patched cloke â I wil confesse to our Lord excedingly with my mouth and in the middes of manie I wil prayse him â Because he hath stood on the righthand of the poore that he might saue my soule from the persecutors PSALME CIX Christ rising and ascending into heauen sitteth on the right hand of God 2. beginning in Ierusalem reigneth in the Church of the whole earth 4. vseth the Priesthood of Melchisedechs order to the end of the world 6. and shal iudge the world â A psalme of Dauid OVR Lord sayd to my Lord Sitte on my right hand til I make thine enemies thy footestoole of thy feete â Our Lord wil sendforth the rod of thy strength from Sion rule thou in the middes of thine enemies â With thee the beginning in the day of thy strength in the brightnes of holie thinges from the wombe before the day starre I begat thee â Our Lord sware and it shal not repent him Thou art â a Priest for euer â according to the order of Melchisedech â Our Lord on thy righthand hath broken kinges in the day of his wrath â He shal iudge in nations he shal fil ruines he shal crush the heads in the land of manie â Of the torrent in the way he shal drinke therfore shal he exalt the head ANNOTATIONS CIX 4. A Priest for euer In two respectes Christ is a Priest for euer in that from the first instant of his incarnation he was and remaneth a Priest now also in heauen and al other Priestes are his ministerial vicares not successors So that al priestlie functions which they doe he by them doth the same as the principal Priest VVherupon saith S. Paul 1. Cor 4. So let a man thincke of vs as of the ministers of Christ and dispensers of the mysteries of God Secondly Christ dayly offering Sacrifice by the handes of his Priestes doth continually pacifie Gods wrath in behalf of those sinners for whom it is duly applied euen to the end of the world VVheras the Priesthood of Aaron and of al others in the old Testament ceassed by their deathes both in the office and in the effect 4 According to the order of Melchisedech As Melchisedech king of peace and iustice without father mother or genealogie expressed in holie Scriptures or otherwise knowen to the world was Priest or the Hieghest offered bread and wine an vnbloudie sacrifice communicating with both Chananeites and Hebrewes blessed Abraham and tooke tithes of him and his subiectes so Christ the true King of peace iustice without father of his humanity without mother of his Diuinitie the Sonne of God of ineffable genealogie borne of a virgin in his humanitie the Priest of God offereth Sacrifice not only bloudie on the Crosse but also vnbloudie in the formes of bread and wine continueth the same by the ministerie of other Priestes maketh al nations partakers therof blesseth them and receiueth of them al dutiful and rellgious seruice as of his subiectes PSALME CX Praise of God for benefites 4. especially for the B. Sacrament of the Eucharist 6 with other graces imperted to the Catholique Church Alleluia I Wil confesse to thee ô Lord with al my hart in the counsel of the iust and b the congregation â The workes of our Lord are great exquisite according to al his willes â Confession and magnificence his worke
of the earth â But if you wil not and wil prouoke me to wrath the sword shal deuoure you because the mouth of our Lord hath spoken â How is the faythful citie ful of iudgement become an harlot iustice hath dwelled in it but now mankillers â Thy siluer is turned into drosse thy wine is mingled with water â Thy princes are vnfaithful companions of theues al loue giftes folow rewardes They iudge not for the pupil and the widowes cause goeth not in to them â For this cause sayth our Lord the God of hostes the mightie one of Israel Alas I wil comfort myselfe vpon mine aduersaries and wil be reuenged of mine enemies â And I wil turne mine hand to thee and I wil boyle out thy drosse til it be pure wil take away al thy tinne â And I wil restore thy iudges as they haue beene before and thy counselers as of old After these thinges thou shalt be called the iust a faithful citie â Sion shal be redemed in iudgement and they shal bring her backe in iustice â And he shal destroy the wicked and the sinners together and they that haue forsaken our Lord shal be consumed â For they shal be confounded for the idols to which they haue sacrificed and you shal be ashamed of the gardens which you chose â When you shal be as an oke the leaues falling of and as a garden without water â And your strength shal be as the isles of to we and your worke as a sparke and both shal be set on fire together and there shal be none to quench it CHAP. II. Al nations shal come to the Church of Christ which shal beginne in Ierusalem 6. And the Iewes shal be reiected for their idolatrie auarice and other sinnes 11. Proud men shal be humbled Gods glorie shal increase 18. Idolatrie shal be destroyed THE word that Isaie the sonne of Amos saw vpon Iuda and Ierusalem â And in the later dayes the montaine of the house of our Lord shal be prepared in the toppe of montaines and it shal be eleuated aboue the little hilles and al nations shal flowe vnto it â And manie peoples shal goe shal say come and let vs goe vp to the mount of our Lord and to the house of the God of Iacob and he wil teach vs his wayes and we shal walke in his pathes because the law shal come forth from Sion and the word of our Lord from Ierusalem â And he shal iudge the Gentiles and rebuke manie peoples and they shal turne their swordes into culters and their speares into siethes nation shal not lift vp sword against nation neither shal they be exercised any more to battel â House of Iacob come ye and let vs walke in the light of our Lord. â For thou hast reiected thy people the house of Iacob because they are filled as in times past and haue had southsayers as the Philisthijms and haue stucke fast to strange children â The land is replenished with siluer and gold and there is no end of their treasures â And their land is replenished with horses and their chariotes are innumerable And their land is ful of idoles they haue adored the worke of their handes which their fingers made â And man bowed himself and man was humbled therfore forgeue them not â Enter thou into the rocke and be hid in a pitte in the ground from the face of the feare of our Lord from the glorie of his maiestie â The loftie eies of man are humbled and the height of men shal be made to stoupe our Lord onlie shal be exalted in that day â Because the day of the Lord of hostes shal be vpon al the proude and loftie and vpon euerie one that is arrogant and he shal be humbled â And vpon al the ceders of Libanus high eleuated vpon al the okes of Basan â And vpon al the high mountaines and vpon al little hilles eleuated â And vpon euerie high towre and euerie fensed wal â And vpon al the shippes of Tharsis and vpon al that is fayre to behold â And the loftines of men shal be bowed and the height of men shal be humbled and our Lord onlie shal be exaited in that day â And idols shal vtterly be destroyed â And they shal enter into the caues of rockes and into the pittes of the earth from the face of the feare of our Lord and from the glorie of his maiestie when he shal rise vp to strike the earth â In that day shal a man castaway the idols of his siluer and the idols of his gold which he had made him to adore mowles and battes â And he shal goe into the clefts of rockes and into the caues of stones from the face of the feare of our Lord and from the glorie of his maiestie when he shal rise vp to strike the earth â Cease therfore from the man whose spirit is in his nosthrels because he is reputed high CHAP. III. The Iewes shal be depriued of wise men 4. and be subiect to childish and effeminate gouerners 8. for their greuous sinnes 16. The proud curious and lasciuious attyre of their wemen 24. shal be turned into ignominie and sorow FOR behold the dominatour the Lord of hostes shal take away from Ierusalem and from Iuda the valiant and the strong al strength of bread and al strength of water â The strong and the man of warre the iudge and the prophete and southsayer and the ancient â The prince ouer fiftie and the honorable of countenance and the counseler and the wise of workemasters and the skilful of mystical speach â And I wil geue children to be their princes and the effeminate shal rule ouer them â And the people shal rush violently man against man and euerie one against his neighbour the childe shal make tumult against the ancient and the base against the noble â For a man shal take hold of his brother one of the house of his father Thou hast a garment be thou our prince and let this ruine be vnder thy hand â He shal answer in that day saying I am no physicion in my house there is no bread nor garment do not appoint me prince of the people â For Ierusalem is gone to ruine and Iuda is fallen because their tongue their inuentions were against our Lord to prouoke the eyes of his maiestie â The knowlege of their face hath answered them and they haue proclaimed their sinne as Sodom neither haue they hid it woe to their soule because euils are rendered to them â Say to the iust that it is wel because he shal eate the fruite of his inuentions â Woe to the impious vnto euil for the reward of his handes shal be made to him â My people their exactours haue spoyled wemen haue ruled ouer them My people they that cal thee blessed the same deceiue thee and dissipate
Iuda and the bones of the princes thereof and the bones of priests and the bones of the Prophets and the bones of them that inhabite Ierusalem out of their sepulchers â And they shal spread them abrode in the sunne and the moone and al the host of heauen which they haue loued and which they haue serued and after which they haue walked and which they haue sought and adored they shal not be gathered and they shal not be buried they shal be as a dunghil vpon the face of the earth â And they shal choose rather death then life al that shal be remaining of this wicked kinred in al places which are leaft to the which I haue cast them out saith the Lord of hostes â And thou shalt say to them Thus saith our Lord Shal not he that falleth rise againe and he that is turned away shal he not turne againe â Why then is this people in Ierusalem turned away with a contentious reuolting they haue apprehended lying and would not returne â I attended and harkned no man speaketh that which is good there is none that doth penance for his sinne saying What haue I done They are al turned to their owne course as an horse going with violence to battel â The kite in the heauen hath knowen her time the turtle and the swalow and the storke haue obserued the time of their coming but my people haue not knowen the iudgement of the Lord. â How say you We are wise and the law of our Lord is with vs In very deede the lying penne of the Scribes hath wrought lying â The wise are confounded they are terrified taken for they haue cast away the word of our Lord and there is no wisedom in them â Therefore wil I geue their wemen to strangers their fildes to inheritours because from the least euen to the greatest al folow auarice from the prophet euen to the priest al make lies â And they healed the destruction of the daughter of my people to ignominie saying Peace peace when there was not peace â They are confounded because they haue done abomination yea rather they are not confounded with confusion and they haue not knowen how to blush therefore shal they fal among them that fal in the time of their visitation they shal fal saith our Lord. â Gathering I wil gather them together saith our Lord there is no grape in the vines and there are no figges on the figtree the leafe is fallen downe and I haue geuen them the thinges that are passed â Why doe we sitte come together and let vs enter into the fenced citie and let vs be silent there because the Lord our God hath made vs to be silent and hath geuen vs water of gaule for drinke for we haue sinned to our Lord. â We expected peace and there was no good a time of medicine and behold feare â From Dan was the snoring noyse of his horses heard with the voice of the neyinges of his fighting horses al the land was moued and they came and deuoured the land and the fulnes thereof the citie and the inhabitants thereof â For behold I wil send you serpents basaliskes for which there is no inchantment and they shal bite you saith our Lord. â My sorow is aboue sorow my hart mourning within me â Behold the voice of the daughter of my people from a farre countrie Is not our Lord in Sion or is not her king in her Why then haue they prouoked me to wrath in their sculptils and in strange vanities â The haruest is past sommer is ended and we are not saued â For the affliction of the daughter of my people I am afflicted and made sorowful astonishment hath taken me â Is there noe rosen in Galaad or is there no phisition there Why then is not the wound of the daughter of my people closed CHAP. IX The prophet lamenteth the future calamitie of the people and their false dealing ech with others 12. willing al to consider that their wickednes is the cause of their miserie 17. and to mourne 23. and returne to God 25. Who otherwise wil punish both Gentiles and Iewes not circumcised in hart VVHO wil geue water to my head and to mine eies a fountaine of teares and I wil weepe day night for the slaine of the daughter of my people â Who wil geue me in the wildernes an inne of wayfaring men and I wil forsake my people and depart from them because they are al adulterers an assemblie of transgressors â And they haue bent their tongue as a bowe of lying and not of truth they haue taken courege in the land because they haue proceeded from euil to euil and me they haue not knowen saith our Lord. â Let euerie man take heede to himself of his neighbour and in euerie brother of his let him not haue affiance because euerie brother supplanting wil supplant and euerie freind wil walke deceitfully â And man shal scorne his brother and they wil not speake truth for they haue taught their tongue to speake lies they haue laboured to doe vniustly â Thine inhabitation is in the middes of deceipt in deceipte they haue refused to know me saith our Lord. â Therefore thus saith the Lord of hostes Behold I wil melt and wil trie them for what els shal I doe at the face of the daughter of my people â Their tongue is a wandring arrow it hath spoken guile in his mouth he hath spoken peace with his freind and secretly he layeth waite for him â Shal I not visite vpon these thinges saith our Lord or vpon such a nation shal not my soule be reuenged â Vpon the mountaines I wil take vp weeping and lamentation vpon the beautiful places of the desert mourning because they are burnt for that there is not a man that passeth through they haue not heard the voice of the owner from the foule of the ayre vnto the beastes they are gone away and departed â And I wil make Ierusalem to be heapes of sand and dennes of dragons and I wil geue the cities of Iuda into desolation because there is not an inhabiter â Who is a wise man that can vnderstand this and to whom the word of the mouth of our Lord may be made that he may declare this why the earth hath perished and is burnt as a desert because there is none that passeth through â And our Lord said Because they haue forsaken my law which I gaue them and haue not heard my voice and haue not walked in it â And they haue gone after the peruersitie of their owne hart and after Baalim which they learned of their fathers â Therfore thus saith the Lord of hostes the God of Israel Behold I wil feede this people with worme wood and geue them water of gaule to drinke â And I wil disperse them in the Nations which they and their fathers haue not knowen and I wil
hath wept in the night and her teares are on her cheekes there is none to comfort her of al her deare ones al her freindes haue despised her and are become her enimies Iudas is gone into transmigration because of affliction and the multitude of bondage she hath dwelt among the Gentiles neither hath she found rest al her persecuters haue apprehended her within the straites The waies of Sion mourne because there are none that come to the solemnitie al her gates are destroyed her priestes sighing her virgins lothsome and herself is oppressed with bitternes Her aduersaries are made in the head her enemies are enriched because our Lord hath spoken vpon her for the multitude of her iniquities her litle ones are led into captiuitie before the face of the afflicter And from the daughter of Sion al her beautie is departed her princes are become as rammes not fynding pastures and they are gone without strength before the face of the pursewer Ierusalem hath remembred the dayes of her affliction and preuarication of al her thinges worthie to be desyred which she had from the daies of old when her people fel in the enimies hand and there was no helper the enemies haue sene her and haue scorned her sabbathes Ierusalem hath sinned a sinne therfore is she made vnstable al that did glorifie her haue despised her because they haue sene her ignominie but she sighing is turned backward Her filthines is on her feete neither hath she remembred her end she is pulled downe excedingly not hauing a comforter see ô Lord mine affliction because the enemie is exalted The enimie hath thrust his hand to al her thinges worthie to be desyred because she hath sene the Gentiles enter into her sanctuarie of whom thou gauest commandment that they should not enter into thy church Al her people sighing and seeking bread they haue geuen al precious thinges for meate to refresh the soule see ô Lord and consider because I am become vyle O al ye that passe by the way attend and see if there be sorow like to my sorow because he hath made vintage of me as our Lord hath spoken in the day of the wrath of his furie From on high he hath cast a fyre in my bones and hath taught me he hath spred a net for my feete he hath turned me backward he hath made me desolate al the day consumed with sorow The yoke of mine iniquities hath watched they are folded together in his hand and put vpon my necke my strength is weakened our Lord hath geuen me into the hand from which I can not rise Our Lord hath taken away al my magnifical ones out of the middes of me he hath called a time against me to destroy mine elect our Lord hath troden the winepresse to the virgin the daughter of Iuda Therfore am I weeping and mine eye shedding teares because a comforter is made far from me conuerting my soule my children are become desolate because the enemie hath preuayled Sion hath spred forth her handes there is none to comfort her our Lord hath commanded against Iacob round about him are his enemies Ierusalem is become as a woman polluted with menstrous floores among them Our Lord is iust because I haue prouoked his mouth to wrath heare I beseech al ye peoples and see my sorow my virgins and my pong men are gone into captiuitie I haue called my freindes they haue deceiued me my priestes and my ancientes are consumed in the citie because they haue sought meat for themselues to refresh their soule See ô Lord that I am in tribulation my bellie is trubled my hart is ouerturned in myself because I am ful of bitternes the sword killeth abrode and at home it is lyke death They haue heard that I doe sigh and there is none to comfort me al mine enimies haue heard mine euil they haue reioyced because thou hast done it thou hast brought a day of consolation and they shal be made lyke to me Let al their euil enter in before thee and vintage them as thou hast vintaged me for al mine iniquities for my sighings are manie and my hart is sorowful CHAP. II. HOW hath our Lord in his furie couered the daughter of Sion with darknes cast forth the noble one of Israel from heauen to the earth and hath not remembred the footestoole of his feete in the day of his furie Our Lord hath cast downe headlong and hath not spared al the beautiful thinges of Iacob he hath destroyed in his furie the munitions of the virgin of Iuda and cast it downe to the ground he hath polluted the kingdom and the princes therof He hath broken euerie horne of Israel in the wrath of furie he hath turned away his right hand backward from the face of the enemie and he hath kinled in Iacob as it were the âyre of a flame deuouring round about He hath bent his bow as an enemie he hath fastned his right hand as an aduersarie and he hath killed al that was fayre to behold in the tabernacle of the daughter of Sion he hath powred out his indignation as fyre Our Lord is become as an enemie he hath cast downe Israel headlong he hath cast downe headlong al her walles he hath destroyed the munitions therof and hath replenished in the daughter of Iuda the humbled man and humbled woman And he hath destroyed his tent as a garden he hath throwen downe his tabernacle our Lord hath brought festiuitie and sabbath in Sion to obliuion and king and priest into reproch and into the indignation of his furie Our Lord hath reiected he hath cursed his sanctification he hath deliuered the walles of the towers therof into the hand of the enemie they haue made a noyse in the house of our Lord as in a solemne day Our Lord hath meant to destroy the wal of the daughter of Sion he hath streched out his corde and hath not turned away his hand from destruction and the forewal hath mourned and the wal is destroyed together Her gates are fastned in the ground he hath destroyed and broken ber barres her king and her princes in the Gentiles there is no law and her prophets haue not found vision from our Lord. The ancients of the daughter of Sion haue sitten on the ground they haue held their peace they haue sprinkled their heades with dust they are girded with heare clothes the virgins of Ierusalem haue cast downe their heades to the ground Myne eies haue fayled for teares my bowels are trubled my liuer is powred out on the earth for the destruction of the daughter of my people when the litle one and the sucking faynted in the streetes of the towne They sayd to their mothers Where is wheate and wyne when they faynted
her hart had confidence in our Lord. â And the ancients sayd When we walked alone in the orchard this woman came in with two maydes shut the doores of the orchard and she sent away the maydes from her â And a yongman that was hid came to her and lay with her â But we being in a corner of the orchard seeing the iniquitie ranne to them and saw them lie together â And him in deed we could not take because he was stronger then we and opening the doores he lept out â but her when we apprehended we asked what yongman it was and she would not tel vs of this thing we are witnesses â The multitude beleued them as the ancients and the iudges of the people and they condemned her to death But Susanna cried out with a lowd voice and sayd Eternal God which art the knower of hidden things before they come to passe â thou knowest that they haue borne false witnes against me and loe I dye wheras I haue done none of these thinges which these men haue maliciousely forged against me â And our Lord heard her voice â and when she was led to death our Lord raysed vp the holie spirit of a yong boy whose name was Daniel â and he cried out with alowd voice I am cleane from the bloud of this woman â And al the people turning to him sayd What is this word that thou hast spoken â Who when he stood in the middes of them sayd So folish ye children of Israel not iudgeing nor discerning that which is the truth haue you condemned the daughter of Israel â Returne ye to iudgement because they haue spoken false testimonie against her â The people therfore returned with speede and the ancients sayd to him Come and sitte in the middes of vs and tel vs because God hath geuen thee the honour of old age â And Daniel sayd to the people Separate them far one from an other and I wil discouer them â When they were therfore diuided one from the other he called one of them and said to him O thou inueterated of euil dayes now are thy sinnes come which thou didst committe before iudging vniust iudgements oppressing innocents and dismissing offenders our Lord saying The innocent and the iust thou shalt not kil â Now then if thou sawest her tel vnder what tree thou sawest them talking together Who sayd Vnder a schine tree â And Daniel sayd Wel hast thou lyed agaynst thine owne head for behold the Angel of God taking the sentence of him shal cut thee in the middes â And remouing him away he commanded that the other should come and he sayd to him Seede of Chanaan and not of Iuda beautie hath deceiued thee and concupiscence hath subuerted thy hart â so did you to the daughters of Israel and they fearing spake to you but the daughter of Iuda did not abide your iniquitie â Now therfore tel me vnder what tree thou tookest them speaking one to an other Who said Vnder a prine tree â And Daniel said to him Wel hast thou also lyed against thine owne head for the Angel of our Lord tarieth hauing a sword that he may cut thee in the middes and kil you â Therfore al the assemblie cried out with a lowd voice and they blessed God which saueth them that hope in him â And they rose vp against the two elders for Daniel had conuinced them by their owne mouth to haue geuen false testimonie and they did to them as they had dealt naughtely against their neighbour â to doe according to the law of Moyses they killed them and innocent bloud was saued in that day â But Helcias and his wyfe praysed God for their daughter Susanna with Ioakim her husband and al her kinne because there was no vnhonest thing found in her â And Daniel became great in the sight of the people from that day thence forward â And king Astyages was layd to his fathers Cyrus the Persian receiued his kingdom CHAP. XIIII Daniel detecteth the fraud of Bels priestes who pretend that Bel eateth much meate 21. for which they are slaine and the idol destroyed 22. Likewise he destroyeth a dragon which the Babylonians held for a god 27. He is cast into the lake of seuen lions 32. whithet Habacuc miraculously bringeth him meate 39. the lions hurt him not his accusers are deuoured AND Daniel was the kings ghest and honoured aboue al his freindes â There was also an idol among the Babylonians named Bel and there were bestowed on him euerie day of floure twelue aâctabaes and fourtie sheepe and of wine six great pottes â The king also did worshipe him and went euery day to adore him But Daniel adored his God the king sayd to him Why dost thou not adore Bel. â Who answering sayd to him Because I worshipe not idols made with hand but the liuing God that created heauen and earth and hath powre ouer al flesh â And the king sayd to him Doeth not Bel some vnto thee to be a liuing God Seest thou not how much he eateth and drinketh euerie day â And Daniel smiling sayd Be not deceiued ô king For this same is within of clay and without of brasse neither hath he eaten at any time â And the king being wrath called his priests sayd to them Vnlesse you tel me who it is that eateth these expenses you shal dye â But if you shew that Bel eateth these things Daniel shal dye because he hath blasphemed against Bel. And Daniel sayd to the king Be it done according to thy woord â And the priests of Bel were seuentie beside their wiues and litle ones children And the king came with Daniel into the temple of Bel. â And the priestes of Bel sayd Behold we goe forth thou ô king set the meates mingle the wine shut the doore seale it with thy ring â and when thou shalt come in the morning vnles thou finde al eaten of Bel dying we wil dye or Daniel that hath lyed against vs. â And they contemned because they had made vnder the table a secrete entrance by it they came in alwayes and deuoured those thinges â It came to passe therfore after they were gone out the king set the meates before Bel Daniel commanded his seruants and they brought ashes and he sifted them ouer al the temple before the king and going forth they shut the doore and sealing it with the kings ring they departed â But the priestes went in by night according to their custome and their wiues and their children and they did eate and drinke al. â And the king arose in the first breake of day and Daniel with him â And the king sayd Are the seales safe Daniel Who answered Safe ô king â And forth with when he had opened the doore the king looking on the table cried out with a lowd