not killed hym with the rest the Lorde was grieuously displeased with Saul and woulde not suffer Agag so to escape but sent Samuel to execute his iudgement vpon him who calling for Agag he came out vnto him very pleasantly fearing nothing lesse but that all bitternesse of death had bene past but contrary to his expectation Samuel sayde vnto hym as thy sworde hath made women chyldelesse so shall thy mother be chyldelesse among other women and with that he fell vpon Agag and hewed hym in péeces before the Lorde in Gilgal Agabus was a certaine Prophete which came from Ierusalem to Antioch where he prophecyed of a great dearth that shoulde be thoroweout all the worlde which came to passe as thys Prophete had sayde in the Emperour Claudius dayes Also whyle Paule laye at Cesarea in the house of Philip the Euaungelist purposing to kéepe his iourney to Ierusalem this Prophete chauncing to come thither tooke Paules girdle and therwithall bounde his owne hande and féete saying Thus sayeth the holy ghost so shall the Iewes at Ierusalem bynde the man that oweth this gyrdle and shall deliuer hym into the handes of the Gentyles Agar was handemayde to Sara Abrahams wyfe which Sara being long barren and chyldelesse gaue Agar hir Mayde vnto Abraham to be his wyfe who being conceyued and féeling hir selfe with chylde began to despise and set lyght by Sara hir Mistres for the which Sara complayned to Abraham hir husbande who giuing hir power to correct the Mayde at hir pleasure she began to deale so roughlye with Agar that in no wyse she woulde abyde it but ranne away into the wildernesse and sitting there besyde a fountayne of water not knowing whither to go an Angell appeared vnto hir and sayd Agar from whence commest thou and whither intendest thou to go I flie sayde Agar from Sara my mystresse which fareth so fowle wyth me that I am euen weary of my life Well sayde the Aungell returne to thy dame againe and submit thy selfe vnder hir handes for the Lorde will so encrease thy séede that it shall not be numbred for multitude Thou art with child and shalt beare a sonne whose name shall be Ismael Then Agar giuing God thankes for his consolation in trouble returned home againe to Sara hir mystres submitting hir selfe vnto hir and in processe of time brought forth hir sonne Ismael as the Aungell had sayde ▪ But when it pleased God to visit Sara that she conceyued and brought forth Isaac a new contention arose betwéene Sara and Agar for their children for Sara perceyuing Ismael to be a mocker and a despiser of Isaac woulde not suffer Ismael to companie with hir sonne Isaac but made hir complaynt to Abraham causing him to put both Agar and hir sonne away which thing although it grieued Abraham so to doe yet being comforted of God that he woulde multiplie Ismael bicause he was of his séede he obeyed the voyce of Sara his wife and with prouision of victuals sent Agar awaye with hir sonne to shifte for hir selfe Then Agar being departed from Abraham gat hir into the forrest of Béerseba where she wandred so long vppe and downe till all hir prouision of meate was spent and gone And when she sawe no remedie but that both she and hir childe must néedes perish for lacke of sustenance she layde downe the childe behinde a bushe and went hir selfe away bicause she woulde not sée it dye and as she sate a farre off mourning and wéeping for hir sonne she was comforted againe by the Angell of God who had so prouided for hir and hir sonne that they were both relieued and liued togithers a long time after to hir great ioy and comfort Aggeus was one of the twelue Prophetes which prophecied in the time of Zorobabel Kinge of the Iewes and rebuked them for that they were slacke in the worke of the Lorde Agrippa was a certayne king who as Paule reporteth had good knowledge in the Lawe and Prophets but vnderstoode not the true applying of the same Which King on a tyme came to Cesarea to sée Festus and to welcome hym into the Countrie who was then but newly entred into his office And being there a good whyle with Festus and hearing of him what a doe there was about Paule whome the Iewes had accused vnto him was much desirous to sée the man and to heare him speake Where vpon the next day following Paule was brought into the common Hall before Agrippa and other Magistrates of the Citie there assembled to heare his cause And when Festus had declared for what purpose he had brought forth Paule that after examination had he might haue somewhat of certaintie to write to Cesar to whome Paule had appealed Agrippa permitted the prisoner to speake and to say what he coulde for himselfe Who then so approoued his innocencie by rehearsing his conuersation before the audience that Agrippa interrupting his tale confessed and sayde vnto Paule Thou hast almost perswaded me to become a Christian And when the prisoner had ended his matter the king arose and all the Courte among whome was much secrete talke of Paule and for a finall sentence Agrippa sayde vnto Festus I sée no worthye cause of death or of bandes in this man but that he might haue bene loosed if he had not appealed to Cesar Ahaz the sonne of Iotham King of Iuda at the age of twentie yeares began his reygne in the xvj yeare of Pekah King of Israel and did not walke in the wayes of his godly Father but gaue himselfe to all kynde of ydolatrie and abhominations of the heathen consecrating his chyldren in fier and offering incense on euerye hill and Mountaine For the which his wickednesse the Lorde forsooke him and deliuered him into the handes and power of Razin king of Siria and Pekah king of Israel which two Kings on the one side with the Edomites and Philistines inuading his lande and spoyling his Cities and townes on the other side brought him very lowe And yet in all his aduersitie would he not once lyft vp his heart to call vpon God for his ayde and helpe but contrarye to the Prophetes admonition sought for the succour of man spoyling the Temple of God and sending the treasure thereof to Thiglath Pileser king of Assiria to come and deliuer him out of trouble by whose comming Ahaz was nothing the more strengthned but rather troubled and hindered Then Ahas measuring Gods fauour by the prosperitie of hys enimies not considering howe God oftentymes doth punishe those whom be loueth and giueth to his enimies good successe for a tyme turned his heart full and whole to the Sirians Gods who as he thought had plagued hym And to thintent he might serue them and worship them in al things according as the Heathen did to haue their helpe also he tooke the patterne of an aultar at Damascus the which he sent to Vria his Priest to
farre excéeded all other in wysedome and learning that Salomon was compared vnto them Darius in taking of Babilon slue King Balthasar and possessed his kingdome In the seconde yeare of his raigne he graunted the same licence vnto the Iewes to builde againe the Citie of Ierusalem and the house of God that King Cyrus had graunted to them in the first yeare of his raigne And for so much as the worke had béene much hindered from the first yeare of Cyrus vnto the seconde yeare of this King Darius he gaue a strayte commaundement that whosoeuer dyd from hencefoorth hinder or let that worke a Beame shoulde be taken from that mans house and he hanged thereon and his house made a dunghill And so the buylding went forwarde with spéede and was perfectly finished in the sixte yeare of his raigne Dathan and Abiram were the sonnes of Eliab and two of the chiefe Captaynes with Chore in the insurrection against Moses on whom God tooke such vengeance that he caused the earth to open and swallow them vp quick Reade the story of Chore. Dauid was the yoongest sonne of Isai and by Gods commaundement annoynted King of Israell Saule yet raigning of the Prophet Samuel Wherefore Saule fearing that Dauid would defeate him of his kingdome vexed hym with continuall persecution during the which tyme Dauid shewed notable examples both of pacience and true obedient seruice to Saule his soueraigne Lorde And first to shew his obedient and faithfull heart to his Prince and loue he bare to his countrey he put himselfe in daunger to fight with that great monster Goliah and slue him of whome the king and all the host of Israell stoode in great feare And after this act also when Saule of enuie that the women in their daunce had giuen to Dauid more prayse than to him threwe his Iauelin at Dauid as he stoode and played on his Harpe before him to haue nayled him fast to the wall Dauid auoyded and armed himselfe with pacience and neuer sought other meanes to reuenge In so much that when Saule by the prouidence of God came into the Caue to ease himselfe in the which Caue Dauid lay hid for feare of Saul he woulde not being prouoked put foorth his hande to hurt his mayster But cut of a péece of the hemme of his coate in token that he might haue killed him And yet after that it sore repented him that he had done so much injury vnto his soueraigne Lorde and maister although he was his most gréeuous enimy and euery houre sought his death Also when he came into the host of Saule and founde the King and his men fast a sléepe he woulde not for his owne priuate cause though Iehu slue two Kinges at Gods commaundement lay his hand vpon the Lords annointed but onely that he shoulde know that Dauid was there might haue béene reuenged tooke his speare and pot of water which stoode at his heade and went hys waye Finally when it pleased God to deliuer him of his enimie in battaile against the Philistines one to get thanke of Dauid brought vnto him Saules crowne and the Bracelet that he wore on hys arme certifying him of the Kings death and that he with his owne handes had killed him whose acte dyd so much abhorre Dauid that he thought the man not woorthy to lyue but put him to death by and by Read more of Dauids pacient suffering and obedient seruice in the story of Michol Ionathas Ahimelech Achis and Absalon his sonne Nowe when Saule was dead Dauid was admitted king and reigned ouer Iuda .vij. yeares after which time expired he reigned both ouer Israel and Iuda .xxxiij. yeares And dyd that which was good in the sight of God and put his trust confidence in the Lord God of Israel so that before nor after him was not his like He cleaued so vnto the Lord that God of him bare witnesse that he had founde a man according to his hearts desire To him God made a promise that Christ shoulde come of his séede for the which cause Christ of the Prophets is called the sonne of Dauid To this holy Prophet God gaue many victories and excellent giftes which are touched in other stories and yet among all his vertues he suffred him to fall into the abhominable vice of adulterie and homicide and most gréeuously punished him for the same who notwithstanding after earnest repentaunce was receyued agayne into the fauour of God and neuer after offended in that sinne more Finally after many conflictes with his enimies he died after he had reigned .xl. yeares leauing Salomon his sonne to succéede him Debora the wyfe of one Lapidoth was a Prophetesse and the fourth Iudge and gouernour of the people of Israel who by the power and pleasure of God and helpe of Barack the Captayne of hir armie deliuered them from the Tyrannie of King Iabyn and of Sisera his Captaine generall putting the king to a great foyle in flying of his Captain Sisera Thorow the which victorie the Israelites were restored to libertie and their enimies the Cananites vtterly confounded She iudged Israel .xl. yeares Demas was Christes Disciple a great while and a faythfull minister to Paule and neuer shranke from him nor his doctrine so long as all things prospered well with Paule But when he saw Paule cast in pryson and in daunger of his life for the Gospels sake He forsooke both him and his doctrine and imbraceing the worlde conueighed himselfe to Thessalonica Such there be that so long as pleasure profite fauour honour glory or riches doe followe the worde of God so long will they fauour the same But when affliction persecution losse of goods riches landes possessions or such like aduersities doe come then they doe as Demas dyd forsake the Gospel and followe the worlde Demetrius the sonne of Sceleucus came from Rome with a small company of men to a certaine Citie of his owne lying vpon the Sea coast and prepared an armie to go to Antioche the Citie of his Progenitours where he founde Antiochus and Lisias which both he caused to be slayne and being stablished in his kingdom he began through the wicked counsell of Alcimus whom he had made hye Priest to séeke the destruction of the Iewes sending foorth diuers armies against them in the which he spedde diuersly Finally the sonne of noble Antiochus mooued warre agaynst hym and in battell slue him Demetrius the sonne of Demetrius being in the lande of Creta at his fathers death made haste homewarde to take possession of his Kingdome And being stablished therein he began to waxe mightie â–ª â—y reason that Ptolomy King of Egipt had withdrawne his fauour from Alexander his sonne in law and taken his daughter Cleopatra from him and giuen hir to Demetrius And also for as much as Ptolomy and Alexander lyued not long after the strife
there be iudged of these thinges before me Then sayde Paule I sée no cause wherefore I shoulde go thither but may be iudged as well here as there But forasmuch as the Iewes séeketh my condemnation against all right and Iustice I appeale to the Emperour Well sayde Festus thou hast appealed to the Emperour and to him shalt thou go Within a fewe dayes after this it chaunced King Agrippa with Bernice his wyfe to come vnto Cesarea to salute and welcome Festus the newe President And during the Kings aboade there Festus by occasion rehearsed Paules matter vnto him saying Felix my predecessor left here a certaine man in holde whome the hye Priests and Elders of the Iewes at Ierusalem complained on desiring mée for their sakes to giue sentence agaynst him To whom I answered that it was not the custome of the Romaines to giue sentence against any man before his accusers were brought before him that he might make answere for himselfe And so when his accusers were come hither I on the next day sate in iudgement commaunded the prisoner to be brought forth before me against whom his accusers brought no accusation of such things as I supposed they would haue done but demaunded certayne questions of him concerning their owne superstition and laying to his charge one Iesus which was deade whome he affirmed to be risen from death to lyfe againe And forasmuch as I wilt not wel what to say in this matter I asked him whether he would go to Ierusalem and there to be iudged And when he had refused that and appealed to Cesar I commaunded him to be kept in prison vntill I might haue occasion to sende him to Cesar Then sayde the King to Festus I haue hearde much of that same Iesus and his Disciples and therefore am much desirous to heare the fellow speake my selfe before he go to Cesar Whervpon Festus on the next morow brought forth Paule into the Common hall before Agrippa the King saying on this wyse King Agrippa and you all that be here present ye sée this man whom all the Iewes haue complayned on to me both at Ierusalem and here crying that he ought not to liue any longer and yet haue I made inquirie and can finde nothing worthy of death that he hath committed neuerthelesse for as much as he hath appealed to the Emperour I am determined to sende him thither and yet bicause I haue no certayne thing to wryte vnto his Maiestie I haue brought hym forth before you and specially to the King Agrippa that after examination had I might haue somewhat to write for me thinke it standeth with no reason to sende a prisoner and not to shew withall what is layde to his charge And when Agrippa sawe Paule stande before him hée sayde fellow thou hast pardon to speake for thy selfe if thou hast any thing to say in thy defence saye on Then began Paule to speake and made such a pithy declaration of his former lyfe and of hys calling to Christ that Festus which was not skilfull in the Iewes religion thought all his sayings to be but madnesse and cryed out with a lowde voyce saying that he was beside himselfe and that much learning had made him madde Then after sentence giuen by King Agrippa that Paule shoulde be sent to the Emperour Festus deliuered him and certayne other prisoners in bandes to the Emperours vnder Captaine named Iulius who conueyghed them into Italie .8 Gad animo magnus belli uirtute probatus Victoris laudes abstulit ense suo Ex me prognatus uates proeclarus Elias Quem currus uiuum igneus eripu Fortunatus was a faythfull Souldiour of Christ whome Paule sent in the companie of Stephana and Achaicus with his letters from Philippos to the Corinthians G. GAbelus was a certayne man of the kinrede and Tribe of Tobias dwelling in the countrye of Medes in a Citie called Rages And being fallen into pouertie Tobias lent him ten Talents of siluer vpon a byll of his hande whereby Gabelus was greatly holpen and in processe payde the same agayne to Tobie when he had néede with great thankes Reade Tobie the yonger Gad the sonne of Iacob and Silpha When the Tribe of Gad had long iourneied with the reast of the Israelites their brethren towarde the lande of Canaan Gad and Ruben with the halfe Tribe of Manasses desired of Moses to haue their possession on this side of Iordan Eastwarde and not on the other side bicause it was a lande méete for Cattell whereof they had great store To whome Moses aunswered saying Shall your brethren go harnessed before the Lorde and ye sit styll and doe nothing wherefore will ye discourage the hearts of the people so did your fathers when I sent them from Cades Barne to search and sée the lande discouraging the heartes of the people reporting so much euill of the lande that they were ready to turne into Egypt againe whose doings did so prouoke the Lorde to anger that he sware that none of them all shoulde sée that good lande saue Caleb and Iosua Therefore sayde he if ye do now leaue your brethren will not go harnessed before them vntill the Lorde haue cast out their enimies ye doe so much sinne agaynst the Lorde that he will surely finde it out And when they hearde Moses say so they answered saying We doe not intende to leaue our brethren our meaning is nothing lesse than so to doe but rather that we might be suffered to make in this place shéepefoldes for our cattell and houses for our wyues and children to leaue them therein which being done we our selues will go forth before our brethren harnessed and will not returne home to our houses vntill we haue brought them to their places and that euery one of them be possessed in his enheritance Then Moses contented with this answere graunted their request And so they builded shéepecotes for their Cattell and houses for their families wherein they left them and went forth with their brethren vntill they had performed their promise and then returned home agayne And when they had rested a whyle at home they went and buylded an Aultar fast by Iordan and that a very great one And when the reast of the children of Israel hearde that the children of Ruben Gad and Manasses had buylt them an Aultar in Geliloth beside Iordan euen on the same side that they were of in the lande of Canaan they were sore offended and so angry that they gathered themselues togither to battell against them And being redy prepared they sent Phinehes the son of Eleazar the Priest with him ten Lordes of euery chiefe house one to knowe for what purpose they had made them an Aultar and whether it were to rebell agaynst the Lorde or no. And when they had done their Commission the other aunswered and sayde that God was their witnesse that they had done it for no euill purpose eyther to
to Daniel which is in the Lyons denne O Lorde quoth he I neuer saw Babilon and as for the denne I knowe it not With that the Angel caught vp the Prophet by the toppe of hys head and bare him to Babilon and set him vpon the denne Then Abacuck cryed to Daniel and sayde O Daniel thou seruant of the Lord take here the breakefast that God hath sent thée Daniel hearing the voyce of Abacuck reioyced greatly and sayde O Lorde hast thou thought vpon mée Well thou neuer faylest them that loue thée And so he rose vp and did eate of such things as the Prophet had brought hym And immediatelye after that Daniel had eaten the Angell set Abacuck in his place againe Abdy the Prophet prophecyed destruction to the Idumeans which came of Esau and were vtter enimies to the Israelites which came of Iacob as at the siege of Ierusalem it did most plainely appeare where as they ioyned wyth Nabuchodonosor against their brethren whom they ought rather to haue holpen and defended against the heathen Abedmelech was a Morian borne and Chamberlane wyth Zedekia King of Iuda This man had so great a confidence in God and loue to his Prophets that when he saw Ieremie so euill intreated he went to the king and besought his grace that Ieremie the Prophet might be taken out of the filthy dungeon wherinto he was cast least he there should perishe and dye for hunger And so obtayning the Kinges good will he tooke his men and went to the prison where Ieremie lay threwe downe vnto him olde ragges clowtes which he had prouided bidding him to put them vnder his arme holes to kéepe the cordes from hurting and fretting his armes in pulling vp Nowe for this his kindenesse shewed on Ieremie and trust that he had in the Lorde he was deliuered from captiuitie and saued from the handes of Nabuchodonosor at the destruction of Ierusalem when other perished Abel was the sonne of Adam borne of hys Mother Eue next after Cain Hée was a kéeper of Shéepe and wholy dedicated to vertue and godlynesse In all hys oblations he euer gaue of the best things he had Which of the Lorde was greatly accepted And therfore Cain perceyuing his brothers offerings to be regarded and hys reiected eâ—â—yed him to death And at the last by a subtyle trayne slue hym Abia the sonne of Roboam began his reigne ouer Iuda in the xviij yeare of Ieroboam King of Israel Hys mothers name was Maacha the daughter of Abisalom He walked not in the steppes of Dauid but followed the wayes of hys father before him Yet notwythstanding for Dauids sake God gaue him a light that is to saye a sonne to reigne ouer Iuda Hée ouercame Ieroboam in battell wyth an Armie of fower hundred thousande notwithstanding the other had twise so many chosen and picked men Of the which Abia fiue fiue hundred thousande and weakened the power of Ieroboam so sore that he was neuer able to recouer hys strength againe so long as Abia reigned This King had .xiiij. Wyues by whome he had xxij Sonnes and xvj Daughters Hée reigned but thrée yeares and was buryed in the Citie of Dauid Abia the sonne of Ieroboam being sick on a time hys father called the Quéene his wyfe vnto him and bade hyr disguise hir selfe the in no wyse she might be knowne what woman shée was And so go thy way quoth hée to Sylo and there shalt thou finde the Prophet of God called Ahia which tolde me long before Salomon dyed that I should be King of Israel Make spéede and take a present wyth thée and learne of him what shall become of the Childe The Quéene did then as shée was commaunded but all was in vaine For God had reuealed the matter vnto the Prophet before the woman came In so much that as soone as the blinde olde man hearde the noyse of hir comming and entring in at the dore he sayde Come in thou wife of Ieroboam why hast thou disguised and fayned thy selfe to be another woman Thou art come to receyue some comfort for thy sonne which lyeth sicke but I am commaunded to tell thée heauye and sorowfull things It repenteth the Lorde that he hath exalted Ieroboam and rented the kingdome from the house of Dauid and giuen it to him forsomuch as he hath forsaken the Lorde and not folowed him in hys heart as Dauid did but hath made him goddes of hys owne therefore the Lorde hath determined to bring such a plague vpon the house and posterity of Ieroboam that hée wyll not leaue one alyue to make water against the walle Wherefore now get thée home and as soone as thy foote shall enter into the Citie the child shall dye and all Israel shall lament him and bring him to hys Sepulchre And so shall none of the house of Ieroboam thy husbande enioy the honour of his buryall but only thys childe bicause the Lorde sawe in him some goodnesse towarde And so when the Prophet had all sayde the wyfe of Ieroboam rose vp returned home to hir house and founde hir sonne deade as the Prophet had foretolde Abia the Daughter of Zacharia was wyfe to Ahaz King of Iuda and Mother to Hezekia Which name signifieth thus Abiathar the sonne of Achimelech priest of Nob seyng the great crueltie of Saul in putting hys Father to death for refreshing of Dauid escaped hys handes and fledde to the forest of Hareth where Dauid at that tyme laye declaring to him the great murder that Saul had done to Achimelech hys father and to all the Priestes of the Lorde for his sake Then being comforted of Dauid he abode wyth him and was his Priest and Counsayler so long as he reigned But in the ende of Dauids reigne he consented wyth Adoniah who had exalted himselfe to stablishe him in the kingdome after the death of Dauid But Salomon beyng proclaymed and the other deposed as soone as he was possessed depryued Abiathar and placed Sadock in hys rowme And so was the worde of the Lorde fulfilled which he had spoken before concerning the house of Eli for Abiathar was the last of that lyne Abigail the wyfe of Naball y Carmelite was a woman not onely bewtifull but of a singular wysedome with all For when hir husbandes denyall to Dauids men for sustenaunce in their maisters necessitie was tolde hir she then considering the great displeasure that might arise of the occasion offered hasted to lode hir Asses wyth sundrye kinde of victuals sending them forth before hir and folowing after wyth spéede And as shée was goyng the prouidence of God was so that she mette Dauid by the way vpon the side of an hyll comming to Carmell determined vtterly to haue destroyed hir husbande and all that he had by the dawning of the daye folowyng Then she perceyuing the furie of Dauid lighted downe of hir Asse falling flatte on the
wyll blesse them that blesse thée and curse them that curse thée and in thâ—â— shall all the families of the earth be blessed 〈◊〉 nowe hauing this promise made him of God departed out of Haran he and Sara his wife with Lâ—t his â—ephewe and with all their substance that they had to go to soiourne in the lande of Canaan And being there the Lorde made a promise to Abraham that hys seede shoulde possesse that lande Wherevpon soone after in the same place where God spake thus vnto him he made an aultar and offered sacrifices therâ—â— to the Lorde And so remayning in the lande there fell at the last so great a famine that he was constrained to â—â—â—â— into Egypt where he fearing the Egyptians to be vngodly and vicious men â—â—igned Sara to be his sister thinking and if â—â—â— were knowne to be his wife they woulde for hir bâ—wtâ—â— take hir from him and put him in hazarde of his lyfe Then was it â—old to king Pharao what a bewtifull woman Abraham had brought with him into Egypt The king nowâ— knowing therof commaunded the woman to be brought vnto him and with all gentle entertainement receyued hir into his house and intreated Abraham well for hir sake But when he sawe so many plagues fall on him and on all his householde vnderstandyng that it was for withholding another mans wyfe from him he restored the woman without dishonestie to Abraham hir husbande againe Giuing also his men a great charge concerning the man and hys wife Then soone after Abraham returned from Egypt into the countrey of Canaan where he had bene afore And when he had lyen some space in the lande there fell such a stryfe betwéene the herdemen of Abrahams cattell and the herdemen of Lottes cattell that Abraham was fayne to deuyde the lande betwéene his Nephewe Lot and him and so they remooued the one from the other Abraham had nowe bene so long without issue that he tooke by consent an aduise of Sara one of his Maydes named Agar to wyfe who conceyued and brought him forth a sonne which was called Ismael Abraham then being at the age of fourescore yeares and sixe And when he was come to the number of ninetie and nine God gaue vnto him the couenant of Circumcision which he receyued first in himselfe and then made Ismael and all the reast of hys householde to receyue the same The next yeare after when Abraham was iust an hundred yeare olde Sara conceiued brought him forth his long promised sonne named Isaac whome he circumcised the eight day folowing and would after that haue offered him vp in sacrifice but that God séeing his prompt obedience stayed his hande Finally after the death of Sara Abraham tooke him another wife called Ketura who bare vnto him six sonnes Which children hée woulde not suffer to remayne and companye with his sonne Isaac but before he died sent them away with great rewardes and giftes and made Isaac heyre of all his goodes He dyed at the age of an hundred seauentie and fiue and was buried beside Sara his wyfe in the double Caue which he bought of Ephron the Hethite ¶ Looke more in the histories of Lot Sara and Melchisedech Absalom the sonne of Dauid whom he begat on his wyfe Maacha the daughter of Thalmai King of Gessur was y goodlyest personage in all Israel for as Scripture witnesseth God had so framed the forme and ornaments of his bodie that from the sole of the foote to the crowne of the head was no member amisse And yet among all the heare of his head excelled which so increased daylye that the weyght therof compelled him at euery yeares ende to â—haue it off This Absalom had a brother named Ammon to whoÌ„ he bare a priuie grudge for defiling his sister Thamar And to be reuenged on him for the same he invited al his brethren vnto a banket made in y time of his shéepe shearing to the which banket Ammon came with the rest of his brethren in the middest of their chéere Absalom killed Ammon and fled to the king of Gessur his Grandfather With whome he abode thrée yeares In the which space by mediation of friendes he was at the last fette home againe and brought by Ioab his Auntes sonne to Ierusalem where he remayned two yeares after Then Absolom marueyling why Ioab had not brought him to the king his father in all that space sent once or twyse for him to come and speake with him And when he saw that he came not he commaunded his men to go and burne vp the fielde of Barley which parteyned to Ioab and laye ioyning to his grounde Then Ioab hearing therof went to Absalom demaunding wherfore his men had destroyed his Corne Marrie quoth Absalom I sent for thée twyse and thou wouldest not come wherefore diddest thou bring me from Gessur had it not bene as good for mée and better to haue continued there still than here to lye so nye the King my father and cannot be suffered to sée him Then Ioab considering the matter had him to the king where he was ioyfully receyued After all this Absalom began certaine practises to aspire to the kingdome wherein he prospered so farre that at length hée proclaymed himselfe king in Hebron Causing his father for feare to flie out of hys Realme against whome he called his counsell to deuise what waye he might best ouercome his Father But God by whose prouidence all things are stayde so wrought with his Counsaylers that the successe of his enterprisâ— turned to his owne destruction For when it came so to passe that both the armies were ioyned in battell togithers Absaloms men had the woorsse and he himselfe a sodâ—ine mischaunce for as he rode on his Mule thorow the woode to haue escaped a twyste of an Oke caught hym so fast in the heire of his head that it tooke him quite out of hys Saddle And so he hanged on the trée till Ioab came with his speare and slue him whose Carkeys after was taken downe and cast into a pitte and couered wyth an heape of Stones Acan was the sonne of Charmy and of the Trybe of Iuda who beyng at the wynning of the City of Iericho hearing Iosua pronounce the Citie and al things therin to be excommunicate accursed of the Lorde tooke notwithstanding certaine iewels of the same hidde them priuily vnder the grounde in his tent Then after when Iosua went about the taking of Hai and had sent thrée thousand souldiers to wynne it the men of Hai issued out of the citie and slewe thirtie and sixe of the Israelites and chased the rest backe agayne whereat Iosua was so discomfited that he rent his clothes and called on God to knowe the cause of their ouerthrowing who made him answere that Israel coulde not stande before the men of Hai forasmuch as some of them had
transgressed his commaundement and tolde him the waye and meanes how he should search it out which thing being done he founde that Acan had taken of the spoyle at Iericho a Babilonish garment two hundred sicles of siluer and a wedge of golde which being tried and brought forth before the whole congregation Iosua tooke Acan his sonnes and daughters cattell goodes and all that he had and caryed them out to the valley of Acor where they were stoned to death and consumed with fire Achab the sonne of Amrie began his reigne ouer Israel in the xxxviij yeare of the reygne of Asa king of Iuda He tooke Iezabel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sydonites to wyfe by whose meanes he fell into all wicked and straunge Idolatrie and cruell persecution for the which God plagued him so that in thrée yeares space neither dewe nor rayne fell downe from aboue to moysture the earth whereof ensued so great a Murrayne of men and beastes that innumerable dyed thereof and all the fault and cause of this plague he layde on Elia the Prophete and sought by all meanes howe to destroye him This king was so wicked that Scripture sayeth he had euen solde himselfe to worke wickednesse and yet notwithstanding God gaue him a marueylous victorie of Benhadad king of Siria who had in his companie .xxxij. kings with whome he fought twyse and bette him and at the thirde time brought him into so miserable a case that he was fayne to humble himself to Achab with a rope about his necke who neuerthelesse had pitie on that wicked King and made a bonde with him and let him go Nowe for this mercie which Achab had shewed to Benhadad whome the Lorde had cursed and put into Achabs handes to be slayne God was angry with Achab and promised his vtter destruction for the same This gréedy Cormorant was not content with his kingdome and spoyle of his victories which God had giuen him but caused Naboth that innocent man to be murdered onely to haue his vineyarde which laye so nye his nose whose bloud did craue such vengeance of God that worde was brought him by the Prophet Elia that in the same place where dogges had licked the bloude of Naboth shoulde dogges lycke his also and that he woulde doe vnto Achab and his posteritie euen as he had done to the house of Ieroboam and Baasa which terrible threatnings of God so feared Achab that he repented and humbled himselfe in sackecloth for the which the Lorde deferred hys plague and woulde not performe it in Achabs dayes but in the tyme of his sonnes reygne Finallye it came in the mynde of Achab to go into Siria to recouer the Citie of Ramoth which he claymed by inheritance And trusting more to the counsell of foure hundred false Prophetes than he did to Micheas the true Prophet of God he tooke his iourney towardes Ramoth and being in battell agaynst his enimies the Sirians he was shot in wyth an arrowe standing in his Charet of the which stroke he dyed And then when his Charet was had to the poole of Samaria to be washed the dogges lycked vp the bloude that ran thorow the Charet and so was the worde of the Lorde fulfilled which he had spoken before concerning the same He reigned .xxij. yeares Achaicus was a faythfull Christian brother whome Saint Paule sent wyth Stephana and Fortunatus from Philippos to the Corinthians with his Epistle Achior was Captaine gouernour of all the Ammonites vnder Holofernes and had the spirite of Prophecie so plentifull in him that when Holofernes demaunded what maner of people the Iewes were hée stepped forth before him and sayde If it please thée O Prince I will tell thée of a truth what they be They are a people which came of the generation of the Chaldeys and bicause they woulde not serue their goddes nor yet followe their customes they went and dwelt first in Mesopotamia worshipping one God that made heauen and earth at whose commaūdement they went from thence and dwelt in the land of Chanaan where in processe fell so great a dearth that then from Chanaan they went downe to Egypt and dwelt among the Egiptians foure hundreth yeares In the which space they grewe to a mightie number and were sore oppressed of the king of that lande but assoone as they cryed to their God for helpe he sent downe such plagues vpon the king and all his lande that he was fayne to suffer them to departe yet when they were gone and the plague ceased he then pursued to haue brought them backe agayne into bondage But God perceyuing his people to be in a strayte opened the Sea before them and brought them thorowe on drye ground and closed the sea vpon their enimies and so drowned Pharao with all his hoste And nowe being passed the redde Sea they came to the wildernesse of Mount Sinay where the waters being bitter he made them swéete and fedde them forty yeares with meate from heauen They had such power of their God that they cast out before them the Chananites the Pherisites the Iebusites and the Hethites with many great Nations mo For so long as they stoode in awe of their God and did not offende him so long was no Nation yet euer able to molest or hurt them But if anye time they declyned from his wyll and ordinance then were they quickly destroyed in battell and brought to captiuitie and bondage Wherefore O Prince let inquisition now be made whether they haue offended their God or no and if they haue then let vs goe agaynst them for God shall deliuer them into thy hande But if they haue not displeased their God he will so defende them that we shall not surely be able to stande before them but become a reproche vnto all the worlde Now was Holofernes so madde with Achior that he commanded his men to carie him to the Iewes that he myght perishe with them in their destruction And as they went towarde Bethulia with Achior and saw they might not come nye the Citie without great perill of their lyues They went to a trée and bound him fast to the same and so leauing him went their wayes Then came the Iewes to Achior and loosed his bandes had him into the Citie and set hym before the Senators who demaunded the cause wherefore the Assirians had so cruelly vsed him to whome he declared the matter in order as he had spoke it before to the prince Holofernes which being done the whole assemble gaue prayses and thankes to God which had giuen to Achior being an heathen man such boldnesse of spirite to sette forth his power and glory And from that time forth they comforted Achior and had hym in great estimation who fell from his heathenishe beliefe and put all his trust in the liuing God and became a Iewe and was circumcised and numbred among the people of Israel he and
make him the lyke against his comming home who being such a minister as was content to serue the Kinges turne made it with all spéede on the which Aultar the King at his comming home offered to those Idolles abolishing all the holye lawes and ordinaunces of God to stablyshe his owne wicked and vngodlye procéedings which turned to hys vtter confusion He reygned sixtene yeares and was buryed in the Citie of Dauid but not among the sepulchres of Kings leauing Hezekia his godly sonne to enioy his place Ahazia the sonne of Achab began his reigne ouer Israel in the xvlj yeare of Iosaphat king of Iuda and followed the steppes of that wicked Idolatour Achab his father in all thinges for the which the Lorde punished him two maner of wayes First the Moabites rebelled agaynst him refusing to pay any tribute Seconde as he walked vpon his house for his recreation he fell downe at a grate of the same which was made to gyue light beneath And being sore brused with the fall and in perill of death he sent to Belzebub the God of Ekrom to enquire of him whether he shoulde recouer or no. And as the Messengers were going Elia the Prophete by the prouidence of God met them and sayde is there no God in Israel to aske counsell at but your Maister must send to Belzebub returne and tell him he shall not liue The Messengers returned and tolde the king Who perceyuing by all the markes and tokens of the man that it was the Prophete Elia sent forth a Captaine with fiftie Souldiers to bring him with violence if otherwise he woulde not come And when the Captaine came to the Prophet he sayde Thou man of God come away the King hath sent for thée If I be the man of God quoth the Prophet fyre come downe from heauen and consume thée and all thy men which wordes were no sooner gone out of his mouth but fire fell downe from heauen and destroyed them all The King sent againe and they were likewyse destroyed Then went the thirde who fell downe before the Prophete and sayde O thou man of God let my life I pray thée and the life of these thy fistie seruants be precious in thy sight With this man the Prophet went boldly to the King and tolde him plainly be shoulde not recouer and so he died in the seconde yeare of his reygne and for lacke of issue his brother Iehoram succéeded Ahasuerus otherwise called Artaxarzes King of Persia reigned ouer an hundreth and twentie seauen Prouinces This King in the thirde yeare of hys reigne made a feast royall in the Citie of Susan to all his Princes and Nobles which continued an hundreth and foure score daies And these days expired he made another feast to all the people great and small for the space of seauen dayes and in the seauenth and last daye of the feast the King being mery and pleasantly disposed sent diuers of his Chamberlaines to fetch the Quéene named Vasthy and to bring hir to him with the Crowne Imperiall vpon hir heade that the people might sée hir bewtie But for so much as she woulde not come at the Kinges commaundement it was decréed that the King shoulde put hir awaye and take another at his pleasure And according to the same decrée the King was diuorsed from Vasthy and tooke Ester in hir place for whose sake he shewed great pleasure to hir nation the Iewes promoting Mardocheus which had preserued him from the danger of Treason and put downe Aman whome he had aboue all exalted Ahimaaz the sonne of Sadoch with Ionathas the sonne of Abiathar stoode wayting without the Citie of Ierusalem at the Well called Rogell to beare such newes to Dauid as they shoulde heare from their fathers being within with Absalom And when they were instructed of all thinges by a certaine Mayde sent from their fathers what they shoulde doe and saye vnto Dauid they departed with spéede But being espyed by a certaine yong man who went and tolde it to Absalom Messengers were sent forth in post haste which followed them so sore that they were constrayned to slip into a certaine mans house in Bahurim which had a Well in his yarde into the which they were conueyghed and being hid in the Well the wife of the house spred a Couerlet ouer the Welles mouth and strawed corne thereon whereby the Well was not séene Then Absaloms men comming into the house demaunded of the wyfe where the two men were which came in before them They be gone sayde she ouer the brooke of water The men beleuing the woman went after and sought and when they coulde not finde them returned home againe Then Ahimaaz and Ionathas were let out of the Well who went to Dauid and did their message as they were commaunded After this when Absalom was slaine Ahimaaz desired of Ioab the Captaine that he might beare newes to the King of Absaloms death Nay sayde Ioab thou shalt be no messenger this daye bicause the Kings sonne is deade but Chusy shall go Then I pray thée quoth Ahimaaz let me go with Chusy And wherfore quoth Ioab art thou so desirous to go séeing for thy tydings thou shalt haue no rewarde whatsoeuer I haue quoth he I pray thée let me go Then go sayd Ioab And so Ahimaaz ran a nearer way than Chusy and was euer before him And as they were comming the watch man spied them and sayde to the King I sée two men running hytherwarde and me thinke the running of the foremost is like the running of Ahimaaz the sonne of Sadoch Oh sayd the King he is a good man and bringeth good tydings And so Ahimaaz came to the King before Chusy and fell downe before him and sayd Blessed be the Lorde thy God which hath shut vp the men that lift vp their handes against my Lorde the King is the yong man Absalom safe sayde the King Ahimaaz aunswered When Ioab sent Chusy and me thy seruaunt I sawe much a doe but I wote not what it was Well sayde the King stande still Then Chusy came and sayd Good tidings my Lorde the King for the Lorde hath deliuered thée this day out of the handes of all that roâ—e against thée Is the yong man Absalom safe quoth the King The enimies of my Lorde the King sayde he and all that rise against thée to doe thée hurt be as that yong man is And so the King departed and mourned for his sonne Ahimelech the sonne of Ahitob the sonne of Phiâ—ehes the sonne of Eli was Priest of the Citie of Nob in whose tyme it chaunced Dauid being persecuted of king Saule to flye vnto him for succour at whose comming with so fewe wayting on him Ahimelech was sore astonied and asked him wherefore he came so alone Then Dauid bearing him in hande that the King had sent him of a secrete businesse which might not be knowne desired Ahimelech to giue him of such thinges
as he had in store that he and his men might be refreshed and go about the Kinges affaires Then Ahimelech beléeuing that all had bene well betwene the King and Dauid tooke him of the halowed breade bicause he saw his necessitie great and had no common breade vnder his hande Then Dauid desired Ahimelech to lende him eyther speare or sworde for I brought quoth he neyther weapon nor harnesse the Kinges businesse required such haste and by and by he fet out the sworde of Goliah and gaue it to him Nowe for this great kindenesse which Ahimelech had shewed to Dauid Doeg a seruant of King Saules accused him to his Lorde of Treason And being brought before the King with all the Priestes of the Lorde it was obiected agaynst him howe he had conspired with Dauid the Kinges enimie and asked counsell of God for him and ayded him both with vittayle and weapon To the which Ahimelech aunswered and sayde Oh King who is so faythfull among all thy seruantes as Dauid is or had in more honor in all thy house is he not the Kings sonne in lawe and doth whatsoeuer thou commaundest him haue I not at other tymes as well as nowe asked counsell of God for him Let not my Lorde the King impute anye such wickednesse in me or in my fathers house for truely thy seruaunt knewe nothing of all this that thou layest to my charge eyther lesse or more Well quoth the King thou shalt surely die And so was this innocent man put to death with lxxxiiij Priestes mo and the Citie of Nob destroyed Ahijah was a Prophete borne in Silo and chauncing to méete with Ieroboam the sonne of Nebat without the Citie of Ierusalem in the playne fieldes hauing a new cloake vpon his backe he caught the cloake from him and rent it in twelue péeces deliuering ten péeces thereof to Ieroboam saying Thus will the Lorde rent the kingdome out of the handes of Salomon bicause he hath forsaken the Lorde and serued straunge Gods and gyue ten Tribes vnto thée Therefore take héede when thou arte King that thou walke in the wayes of the Lorde thy God for so long as thou kéepest his statutes and holy commaundements so long will the Lorde prosper thée in the kingdome Reade more of this Prophete in the storie of Abia the sonne of Ieroboam The father of king Baasa was called Ahijah of the house of Isachar Aholah and Aholibah were twoo Sisters vnder whose names is set forth the fornication that is to saye the Idolatrye of Samaria and Ierusalem Aholibama was the daughter of Ana and wife to Esau who brought him forth children which became great men in the worlde Aioth the sonne of Gera was the seconde Iudge of the Hebrues a man of great strength and valiant of courage and had equall strength and aptnesse in both hys handes He slewe Eglon king of the Moabites on thys wise when Eglon had long warred on the Iewes and taken from them diuers Cities and kept them in much miserie this Aioth came to him to Iericho bringyng vnto him certaine presentes which lyked him well and desired to speake wyth him priuily which was graunted and all other being commaunded to auoyde Aioth stroke Eglom to the heart twise The last tyme with such puissaunce that the knyfe with the hyltes remayned in the wounde and so leauing him deade departed without suspicion and came vnto his people declaring what he had done who being glad armed them and fell vppon the Moabites and slewe of them ten thousande and braue all the residue out of their countrie And so the Iewes being deliuered by the wisedome and vertue of Aioth after made hym their Iudge and Prince Who gouerned them .lxxx. yeares in peace and died a very olde man in much honor Alexander the sonne of Philip King of Macedonia slewe Darius king of the Persians and Medes and conquered the moste part of all the worlde in lesse than twelue yeares space whereof he became so prowde that God was displeased with him And being visited with sickenesse so sore that he must néedes die he called all his Lordes and Princes before him and departed his kingdome among them So that they after his death were crowned and reygned as Kings euery one seuerally in his owne dominion as was to them appointed He reigned .xij. yeares Alexander the sonne of Noble Antiochus tooke the Citie of Ptolomais and after that mooued warre against Demetrius who to preuent Alexander sent Ambassadours to Ionathas gouernour of the Iewes to haue his friendshippe promising him as many fayre and large offers as he coulde deuise But forasmuch as Ionathas had experience of his deceytfull dealings and howe cruell an enimie he had alwayes bene vnto the Iewes nation he refused the offer of Demetrius and ioyned in league with Alexander knowing him to be a faythfull Prince and euer his friende And so Alexander hauing the Iewes ayde stroke battayle with Demetrius in the which conflict Alexander slewe Demetrius and ouercame all his hoste Nowe when Alexander had conquered the lande and was set in the Trone of his progenitours a mariage was concluded betwéene him and Cleopatra the daughter of Ptolomie King of Egypt which was finished at the Citie of Ptolomias at the which triumph Alexander made Ionathas a Duke and partener of his dominion and after that for his worthinesse gaue him the Citie of Accaron Alexander nowe lying at Antioch and hearing howe the Cilicians had rebelled against him marched towarde them with a great power to suppresse the rebellion And being there occupied with his enimies Ptolomie in the meane season defeated him of his kingdome and toke his daughter Cleopatra gaue hir to Demetrius the sonne of Demetrius in mariage Alexander hearing of this returned home with all his host but Ptolomy being to strōg for him chased Alexander out of his Realme who for succor fled into Araby where the king of that land against al law of arms smote of his heade and sent it to Ptolomie for a present Alexander a Iewe borne and a ruler at Ephesus what time as Demetrius the Siluersmith mooued sedition in the Citie against Paul for the goddesse Diana was in the rage drawne out of the Common Hall and going forwarde beckonned with his hande to haue spoken but till the Towne Clarke had ceased the noyse which lasted two houres he coulde not be hearde And then to pacifie the people more by worldly wisedome than for any respect he had to Religion he sayde Ye men of Ephesus what man is he that knoweth not howe that the Citie of the Ephesians is a worshipper of the great goddesse Diana and of the Image which came from Iupiter Seing then that no man sayeth hére against ye ought to be content and to doe nothing rashely For yée haue brought hyther these men which are neyther robbers of Churches neyther yet despysers of your goddesse Wherefore if Demetrius
and the craftes men which are wyth him haue any matter against any man the lawe is open and there are rulers let them accuse one an other But if ye go about any other thing it may be determined in a lawfull assemble For wée are in ieoperdye to be accused of this dayes vprore forasmuch as there is no cause whereby we may giue a reckoning of thys concourse of people And when he had thus spoken eche man departed Alexander the Coppersmyth forsooke the fayth and became such an enimy vnto the Gospell that he withstoode Paules preaching and did him much displeasure for the which Paul deliuered him vnto Satan that is excommunicated him out of the Church desiring the Lorde to rewarde him as he had deserued Alcimus was a Iewe borne and come of the séede of Aaron who notwithstanding became so wicked a man that he forsooke the lawes of his owne Nation to maintayne the abhominations of the heathen And for the hatred he bare to Machabeus and the Iewes he tooke vnto him a sorte of vnthriftes and vngodly persons and went to Demetrius vnto whome he made agricuous complaint vpon Iudas Machabeus feygning that he had slaine all the Kings friends and driuen him and his companie out of their owne lande wherfore he willed Demetrius to choose out some Noble Captayne to go and auenge the Kings quarrell on Iudas Vppon the which complaint of Alcimus the King sent Bachides against Iudas and made Alcimus the hye Priest who was such an enimie vnto the Iewes as the lyke was not among the Heathen for all his studie was how he might eyther by worde or déede worke their vtter confusion And finally to manifest his great malice towardes his owne Countrey men ▪ and the lawes of God he commanded the walles of the inmost Sanctuary with the Monuments of the Prophetes to be cast downe and destroyed But as this wicked Apostata went about his deuilish purpose the hand of God fell vpon him and smote him with such an incurable Palsie that his mouth was shut vp and so like a miserable wretch he dyed Amalech was the sonne of Eliphas the sonne of Esan borne vnto him of Thymna his Concubine of whom came the kinred of the Amalekites This King when Moses had brought the children of Israel out of Egypt and were come into the wildernesse of Raphidim where they both lacked water and were wearyed with their long iourney woulde not suffer them to passe quietly thorowe his lande but came forth with weapon and waged battell against them In the which battell Iosua guided the hoste of Israel while Moses went to praye And so long as Moses helde vp his handes and prayed so long had Israel the better but when he let them fall Amalech had the better Then Aaron and Hur perceyuing Moses handes to be weary gat them vp to Moses and staide his handes the one on the one side and the other on the other side so long tyll Iosua had discomfited Amalech with all his hoste And for thys crueltie of Amalech God sware vnto Moses that he woulde vtterly put out the remembraunce of Amalech from vnder heauen Which promise he perfourmed in the dayes of King Saule Aman looke Haman Amasa was the sonne of Iether and Abigail Dauids sister was his mother This Amasa what time as Absalom rose against his father Dauid was made Captaine ouer Absaloms hoste and after the death of Absalom Dauid receyued him to fauour swearing he shoulde be Captaine ouer his hoste in the rowme of Ioab which office he did not long enioy for when Seba the sonne of Bichri had begun a new commotion and that Dauid had sent Amasa to gather the men of Iuda togithers and to bring them to him by the thirde day it chaunced Ioab to méete Amasa by the way which was somewhat after the time the King had appointed and saluting him with all gentlenesse he tooke him by the Chinne with one hande to kisse him and with the other hand he smote him vnder the short ribbes wyth his dagger and killed him Amasiah the sonne of Ioas king of Iuda began his reigne at the age of .xxv. yeares in whose beginning he did indifferently well obserue the lawes of God but in the ende he became an Idolater He prepared an hoste of thirtie thousande men to goe against the Edomites and yet to make himselfe the stronger he hyred an hundreth thousande mo out of the ten Tribes of Israel for an hundred Talentes of Siluer But as hée was goyng wyth both the hostes of Iuda and Israel hée was commaunded by the Lordes Prophet to sende the hoste of Israel home againe forasmuch as the Lorde was not with them or else he shoulde not stand before his enimies how then sayd the King shall I doe for the hundred Talents which I haue giuen for them Take no thought for that quoth the Prophet for the Lorde is able to giue thée as much more And so he sent the hoste of Israell home againe who for anger they were dimised fell vpon the Cities of Iuda as they went and did much harme Then Amasias with his owne men set vppon his enimies and slewe ten thousand and discomfited the rest After which victorie whereas he ought to haue giuen all prayse vnto God for the same he fel from God and most vilely dishonored him in worshipping the Idols of the Edomites despising the Prophets admonition sent vnto him frō the Lorde And so persisting in his obstinate minde prowde heart he wrote to Ioas King of Israel commaunding him and his people by a Parable of the Cedar trée and Thystle to be vnder his subiection But Ioas after defiaunce gathered an armie and went against Amasias whose hoste being discomfited Amasiah was taken and brought to Ioas who caryed him to Ierusalem where notwithstanding the gates being opened against him he caused foure hundreth cubites of the walle to be beaten downe and entred into the Citie that way leading Amasiah with him as a prisōner tooke all the treasure of the Temple and of the Kings house caused it to be brought into Samaria Afterwarde being deliuered his owne people slewe him He reigned .xxix. yeares and Azaria his sonne succéeded Ammon the eldest sonne of Dauid had a fayre sister called Thamar with whome he was so farre in loue that he coulde eate no meate that did him good but pyned himselfe away marueylously for hir sake Then Ionadab his fathers brothers sonne a friende and familiar of his and a worldly wise man perceyuing Ammon to be sore chaunged and euery day more and more went to him and sayde Howe happeneth this Ammon that thou being the Kings sonne consumest thy selfe so away and doest not tell me Oh sayde Ammon I am in loue with Thamar my brother Absaloms sister and except I may haue hir companie I shall surely die Now to further this wicked purpose of Ammon
here was a counsayler ready at hande I will tell thée sayde Ionadab what thou shalt doe lay thée downe vpon thy bedde and feigne thy selfe sicke and when Dauid thy father commeth to visite thée desire him to let Thamar thy sister come and dresse thée such meate as thou hast a lust vnto Ammon did so and when Thamar was come and had dressed him meate and brought it into his Chamber he commaunded all to auoyde and neuer rested vntill he had by force gotten his pleasure which done he fell into such an excéeding hatred of Thamar that he coulde not suffer hir to be in his sight but caused his seruaunt to thrust hir out of his house and to bolt the doores after hir For this shamefull incest of Ammon Absalom two yeares after at a banket slewe him Lot had a sonne called Ammon which was borne him of his yongest daughter of him came the Ammonites Amon the sonne of Manasses was .xxij. yeare olde when he began his reigne ouer Iuda and walked not in the wayes of the Lord but gaue himselfe more to wicked Idolatrie and worshipping of stincking Idols than euer his father did and woulde neuer turne vnto god Wherfore at last certaine of his owne men conspired against him and slewe him which conspirators the people of the lande notwithstanding put to death and made Iosiah his sonne King in his steade Amos was an heardeman or shepehearde of a poore Towne called Thieme and one of the twelue Prophetes which God raysed vp to admonishe the Israelites of their wickednesse and Idolatrie and to threaten them with his plagues and punishments if they did not repent Reade of his death in the storie of Amasiah The father of Isai Dauids father was called Amos and there the worde signifieth Strong Amram the sonne of Caath the sonne of Leuy tooke Iochebed his fathers Sister to wife who bare vnto him two sonnes Aaron and Moses and also a daughter called Miriam He liued an hundreth and thirtie eyght yeres Amraphael was King of Sinhar and one of the foure Kings which fought against fiue other Kinges in the valley of Syddin where he and his partie had the victorie Amry was the chiefe Captaine and gouernour of the whole armie of Ela the sonne of Baasa king of Israel And lying at the siege of Gibbethon a Citie of the Philistines the whole hoste there hearing of the death of Ela constituted Amry King in his steade But the residue of the Israelites which abode at home and were not with Amry at the siege made Thebni the sonne of Gineth king So that the people were deuided and in great contention for their King which continued for the space of thrée yeares till Thebni chaunced to dye and then the whole multitude receyued Amry for their King who began his reigne in the .xxxj. yeare of the reigne of Asa king of Iuda and reigned most wickedly of all others before him .xij. yeares and dyed leauing his sonne Achab to succéede him Anah the sonne of Zibeon as he fedde and kept hys fathers Asses in the wildernesse was the first that founde out the monstrous generation of Mules betwéene the Asse and the Mare He had a Sister also called Anah whose daughter Aholibamah was wyfe to Esau the sonne of Isaac Ananias was a certayne man who to be counted one of the Christian religion solde his possession with his Wiues cōsent and notwithstanding kept away part of the price therof and brought the rest and layd it downe at the Apostles féete whose dissembling hypocrisie being reuealed vnto Peter he sayde vnto him Ananias howe is it that Sathan hath filled thyne heart that thou shouldest lye vnto the holy Ghost and kéepe awaye part of the price of the possession Perteyned it not vnto thée onely and after it was solde was it not in thine owne power howe is it that thou hast conceyued this thing in thine heart Thou hast not lyed vnto men but vnto god And when Ananias hearde these wordes he fell downe and dyed Ananias the Disciple of Christ dwelling at Damascus had a vision appeared vnto him saying Ananias arise and go into the stréete which is called Straight and séeke in the house of Iudas for one Saul of Tharsus for beholde he prayeth and hath séene a vision a man named Ananias comming vnto him and putting his hands on him that he might receyue his sight Then sayd Ananias Lorde ▪ I haue hearde by many of this man howe much euill he hath done to thy Saintes at Ierusalem and here he hath aucthoritie of the hye Priestes to binde all that call vpon thy name ▪ Well sayd he go thy wayes for he is a chosen vessell vnto me to beare my name before the Gentyles and Kings and the children of Israel For I will shewe him howe great things he must suffer for my names sake Then Ananias went to Saule and layde his handes on him and sayde Brother Saule the Lord that appeared vnto thée in the way as thou camest hath sent me that thou mightest receyue thy sight and be filled with the holy ghost And so by the handes of Ananias Saule receiued his sight agayne There was another Ananias who being hye Priest commaunded Paule to be smitten on the mouth as he was aunswering for himselfe before the Counsell Andrewe a poore Fisher man ▪ was called with his brother Peter to be an Apostle When Christ demaunded of his Disciples where they might buye breade to satisfie the people that followed him Andrewe made answere and sayde there is a little boye here which hath fiue Barley loaues and two fishes but what is that among so many Andronicus being a man of aucthoritie and in great fauour with Antiochus King of Siria was left in Iewrie and made Lieutenaunt ouer the Iewes vntill the returne of the King who was gone to pacifie a certayne commotion made by the Tharsians and Mallacians And in the meane time being corrupt with bribes rewardes of that vngracious man Menelaus to dispatch the good and godly man Onias whom he so hated out of the way he went to Onias who for his safegarde had taken the benefite of Sanctuarie and with fayre wordes perswaded him to come forth binding himselfe with an othe he should haue no harme And when he sawe that Onias suspected him he fell vpon him incontinently and without any regard of righteousnesse slewe him Whose innocent death so offended the people that they made a grieuous complaint of Andronicus to the King at his comming home who caused that wicked murderer to be stripped out of his purple clothes and led most villanously thorow the Citie to the place where he had committed his vngracious acte and to suffer most shamefull death Andronicus the faythfull Disciple of Christ to whome Paule sendeth commendations on this wise Salute Andronicus and Iunia my Cosins and felowe
who so manfully resisted Antiochus that he was fayne considering the decrease of his people and the strength of the place besieged to offer them peace and to graunt them libertie to liue according to their owne lawes whose couenants being receyued the Iewes came out of the castle of Sion to giue place to Antiochus who notwithstanding his othe when he saw the defence therof commaunded the walles round about to be cast downe and destroyed from thence departed to Antioch where he fought with Philip which was come out of Persia and wanne the Citie out of his handes And lying there Demetrius the sonne of Seleuchus came to Antioch and tooke Antiochus and Lisias and put them both to death Antiochus the sonne of Alexander being but a child was first vnder the gouernance of Emascuel the Arabian and remoued from him to the tuition of one Triphon of whome he was most traiterously murthered Antiochus the sonne of Demetrius for as much as Triphon had bene his fathers vtter enimye made a couenaunt of friendship with Simon the hye Priest and Prince of the Iewes that he might the better ouercome Triphon whome he persecuted and droue to the Citie of Dora lying by the sea side which Citie he besieged with an hundred and twentie thousand footemen and viij thousande horsemen And lying there Simon sent him two thousande chosen men with siluer and golde and much furniture to helpe him Who notwithstanding his bonde of loue he had made with Simon before refused nowe his friendshippe and fell at defiaunce wyth him and all the Iewes and was euer after that their continuall enimie Antipas was a faythfull Martyr of Christ 1. Mac. 12. b. 14. c. Antipator the sonne of Iason first by Ionathas and after by Simon was sent Ambassadour to Rome to renue the olde friendshippe betwéene the Iewes and Romaines ¶ Antipater For the Father or against the Father 3. Esd 4. c. Apame was Daughter to that famous King Bartacus and Concubine to a certayne great King who was of such power and might that all landes stoode in awe of him And where as no man durst presume to lay handes vppon this King yet Apame sitting by his side vpon the right hande tooke of his Crowne from his head and set it vpon hir owne heade and smote the King with hir left hand who in the meane time did nothing but gape and looke vpon hir if she laughed vpon him he laughed if she were angrie then he flattered to winne hir fauour agayne ¶ Apame Expelling or driuing forth Rom. 16. b. Apelles was a faythfull Christen brother and one as it séemeth that had sustayned trouble for the Gospell sake For Saint Paule sending salutacions to the Christians at Rome sayth thus Salute Apelles approoued in Christ ¶ Apelles Expelling or driuing away 1. Mac. 3. a. Appolonius the Gouernour of Siria came against Iudas Machabeus with a great hoste of the heathen and in th ende was slayne Whose sworde pleased Iudas so well that he kept it for a memorie and vsed it for his weapon all the dayes of his life in tyme of warre ¶ Appolonius Vndooing or destroying 2. Mac. 4. a. 5. d. Appolonius the sonne of Thersa Gouerneur of Celosiria and Phinches a man set all vpon tirannie was sent to Ierusalem agaynst the Iewes whome he hated with an armie of twâ—ntie thousande men and commaunded by the King Antiochus to kyll all that were of perfit age and to sell the Women Maydens and Children who at his first comming to the citie made a shewe of peace and laye still till the Sabboth daye And then knowing the Iewes woulde not breake their lawe to make resistance he fell vpon them and did his commission with all extremitie Act. 18. d. Apollos was an eloquent man a Iewe borne at Alexandria and well instructed and had but as yet the first principles of Christes religion which was the Baptime or doctrine of Iohn onely The same being somewhat entred in the way of the Lord began to be feruent in the spiritc and to speake boldly at Ephesus where Aquila and Priscilla chaunced to heare him and perceyuing he was not fully instructed in the preceptes of the Gospell they * This great learned and eloquent maÌ„ disdayned not to bee taught of a poore crafts man. tooke him home with them and expounded vnto him the way of the Lorde more perfitely which was the way to saluation And when he was christened in the name of Iesus and had receyued the holy Ghost he was desirous go into Achaia where at Corinth he did valiantly set forth the Gospell confounding the Iewes with plaine euident Testimonies of Scriptures that Iesus was the same Messias whome the Iewes had so many hundreth yeares looked for Act. 18. cap. Aquila was a certaine Iewe borne in Ponthus lateiy come out of Italie with his wyfe Priscilla to Corinth bicause the Emperour Claudius had commaunded all Iewes to depart from Rome His Craft was to sowe togither skinnes to make Tentes and Pauilions withall Paule who was of the same occupation when he came to Corinth lodged in this mannes house and wrought with him And after a yeare and a halfe departed from Corinth and went togithers to Ephesus where Aquila and Priscilla made their aboade And remayning there behynde Paule who had taken his iourney towards Ierusalem it fortuned Apollos an Alexandrian borne an eloquent man and well learned to come to Ephesus and preached Christ so much as he had learned of him by Iohns Baptime for more he knewe not And when Aquila and Priscilla had hearde his preaching and perceyuing him not to be as yet fullye instructed in the knowledge of Christ tooke him home with them and seuerally taught him more perfitely the mysteries of the Gospell ¶ Aquila an Egle. Gen. 11. d. Aran was the sonne of Terah brother to Nahor and Abraham and father to Lot and the first man that scripture maketh mention of that by the course of nature died before his father ¶ Aran an Hill or hilly Math. 2. d. Archelaus was the sonne of Herode king of the Iewes In whose time Ioseph * This king reigned .ix. yeares ouer the Iewes and finallye was banished into France thorowe his insolencie with Glasira his brother Alexanders wydow whoÌ„ he had maryed Lanquet returned out of Egypt with the chylde Jesus to go into the lande of Israell But when he hearde that Archelaus did reigne in Iewrie in his fathers steade fearing least he had succéeded in his fathers cruelnesse lyke as in hys kingdome durst not go thither but turned aside into the parties of Galilie and dwelt there in a Citie called Nazareth ¶ Archelaus a Prince of the people Archippus was the * Col. 4. d. instructour of the Colossians and admonished by Paule to take diligent héede to the office which was committed vnto him to perfourme it whereof he shoulde yéelde
an account to the Lorde at the last day ¶ Archippus the Chiefe or Maister of Horses Aresna looke Ornan Gen. 14. a. b. Arioch was King of Elasar and one of the foure Kings that fought agaynst Bera King of Sodome and other foure mo in the vale of Siddim and the lesser number ouercame the greater and so tooke all the spoyle of Sodome and Gomorra and went their waies But being pursued by Abraham and his confederates they were all taken and stayne ¶ Arioch Long or talle or fulnesse or the drunkennesse or the lior Daniel â— Arioch was Captayne of Nabuchodonosors Garde and being sent of the King to destroye all the wyse men and Soothsayers in Babilon bicause they could not interprete his dreame Daniel went to Arioch and desired him a little to staye vntill he had obteyned of the King some leysure to shewe vnto him the interpretacion of his dreame Daniels request being graunted and the thing reuealed vnto him by God he after thankes giuen vnto God for the same went to Arioch and sayde destroy not the wyse men of Babilon but bring me before the Kyng and I shall shewe him the interpretacion of his vision Then Arioch brought Daniel before the King in al haste and sayde thus vnto him I haue founde a man among the children of Iuda that were brought captiues that will declare vnto the King the interpretacion of his dreame And so the wise men of Babilon were saued Act. 19. e. 20. 2. 27. a. Coll. 4. b. Aristarcus was a Thessalonian borne and one of Paules companions and in great hasarde of his lyfe with him at Ephesus thorowe the sedition of Demetrius But that ouercome he accompanied Paule into Asia and so forth to Rome where he was his prison fellowe and neuer shrunke from him ¶ Aristarcus The best Prince 2. Mac. 1. b. Aristobolus Kinge Ptolomies Schoolemayster came of the generation of the annoynted Priestes vnto whome the Iewes which dwelt at Ierusalem sent an Epistle exhorting all the Iewes which dwelt in Egypt to giue thankes and prayses vnto God for the death of Antiochus which had bene so cruell vnto them Rom. 16. b. Aristobolous of whome Paule maketh mention in his Epistle ¶ Aristobolus The best Counsayler or the best Counsayle 1. Mac. 12. c. Arius was King of Sparta which people were come of the generation of Abraham as the Iewes were The Spartians came of Abrahams seede wherefore the Iewes called them brethren But in all the warres the Iewes had with the heathen they neuer sought the Spartians helpe more than with letters of Recommendation one from another of brotherlye loue glad of eche others prosperitie Iudith 1. cap. Arphaxat King of the Medes was so myghtie a Prince that he subdued many people vnto his dominion Of Arphaxat the sonne of Sem came the CaldeaÌ„s Lanquet He builded a City called Ecbatane which for strength was thought vnpossible to winne But at last he putting to much confidence in his owne power was subdued of Nabuchodonosor king of the Assirians in the .xij. yeare of his reigne ¶ Arphaxat That which healeth or saueth Gen. 11. b. Arphaxat the sonne of Sem liued foure hundred thirtie eyght yeares 1. Esd 7. cap. * This was a common name to the Kinges of Persia as Pharao was to the Kings of Egypt or Cesar to the Emperours Artaxerses King of Persia licenced Esdras to take his Companions the chyldren of Israell wyth him 3. Esd 8. b. and to depart from Babilon to Ierusalem agayne commaunding all his Officers in all places to ayde Esdras not onely with the Kings treasure but with whatsoeuer was néedefull to him for the reedifying of the Lordes Temple ¶ Artaxerses The light or malediction and curse He that causeth silence Also that maketh haste or speede also the earnestnesse of reioyceyng 3. Esd 2. b. d. Artaxerses King of Persia hauing a sore complaint made vnto him by Belemus Mithridates Tabelius Rathumus Beeltethmus and Semellius the Secretarie with other mo agaynst the Iewes for building of the Temple wrote to them agayne on this wyse I haue red the Epistle which ye sent vnto me therfore I commaunded to make diligent searche and haue founde that thys Citie hath euer resisted Kings that the same people are disobedient and haue caused much warre and that mightie Kings haue reygned in Ierusalem which also haue raysed vp taxes of Celosyria and Phinice wherefore I haue commaunded to forbidde those men that they shall not buylde vp the Citie and héede to be taken that there be no more done in it and that they procéede no further in those wicked workes for so much as it might be occasion of trouble vnto Princes Tit. 3. d. Artemas was one of Paules Disciples and laye with him at the Citye of Nicopole what time as Paule sent to Crete for Titus to come vnto him but not before he did sende Artemas or Tichicus vnto him to tary in his steade least that Crete shoulde be destitute of an ouerféer Pingne solum tibi dona tulit cerealia multa Nec Asaro desunt munera bacche tuae â–ª Regibus hinc prodes multis uinoque paneque Temperat aÌ„brosias cum tura dapes 〈◊〉 2. c. b. Asael was the sonne of Zernia Dauids Sister Hys brethren were Ioab and Abisai This man Asael for hys lightnesse on foote is compared to a Roe bucke Reade of his death in the storie of Abner ¶ Asael God hath wrought Asaph the sonne of Barachia was one of the câ—â—â—â— singers among the Leuites appointed by Dauid in 〈◊〉 house of the Lorde ¶ Asaph Gathering Ashur the father of Thekoa was the sonne of Herron the sonne of Phares the sonne of Iuda His mothers name was Abia he had twoo wyues and by them Chyldren 30 â–ª b. 〈◊〉 7. g. 〈◊〉 1. f. Aser was the sonne of Iacob his mothers name was Silpha His brother of father and mother was Gad. He had foure sonnes and one daughter of whome came many Noble men and Captaynes ¶ Aser Blessednessâ— â–ª 1. 6. c. 1. b. Asyncritus was one of the faythfull Congregatâ—â—â— of Christ in Rome vnto whome among other Paâ—â— sendeth salutacions in his Episitle saying thus salute Asyncritus ¶ Asyncritus Peerelesse or without Comparison Assur was the sonne of Sem. ¶ Lyra writeth vppon Gen .x. That Assur bicause he woulde not rebell agaynst God with Nimroth in the building of the tower of Babel fled out of the lande of Sinhar into a farre Country where he inhabited which Countrey tooke his name of him and was called Assiria and there he builded a Citie which afterwardes was called Niniue ¶ Assur Blessed or Traueyling 3. Reg. 22. f. Asuba was Mother to Iosaphat King of Iuda and 2. Par. 20. g. daughter to Silhi ¶ Asuba For saken 1. Par. 2. c. Asuba Wyfe to Caleb the sonne of
Hesron bare vnto him thrée sonnes Ieser Sobab and Ardon 4. Reg. 11. ca. 2. Par. 22. ca. Athalia was the daughter of Amry and wife to Ioram King of Iuda When Ioram dyed hir sonne Ahaziahu Athalia in the 4. Reg. ca. 8. is called both the daughter of Achab and the daughter of Amrye which sayth Lyra is meÌ„t thus After the death of Amry hir naturall father shee was brought vp with Achab hir brother and so in processe called his daughter or else by immitating hys maners in all kind of Idolatrie succéeded whome she entysed to all wickednesse and after his death she ruled and killed all the reast of the séede of Ioram onely Ioas excepted which was stolne awaye and hyd from hir And when she had ruled the lande most cruelly vj. yeare In the vij yeare Ioas was brought forth by Iehoiada the Priest and proclaymed King She hearing that ranne into the Temple of the Lorde with hir clothes rent crying out treason treason But at the commaundement of Iehoiada the Captaynes and souldiers tooke hir out of the Temple and slue hir ¶ Athalia Time for the Lorde Azaria the sonne * 4 Re. 15. a. b of Amaziahu King of Iuda began his reigne in the xxvij yere of Ieroboam King of Israel was xvj yere old when he was made king And so long as he gaue eare to Zacharias the Prophete and walked vprightly so long did the Lorde prosper him with great victories both of the Philistines and Arabians and made the Ammonites also tributories vnto him He ‡ Azaria is in the same chapter called also Vziah repaired Ierusalem He loued well husbandrye and had great plenty of Cattell At length he became so mightie that in his strength his heart arose to his destruction For in his pryde he went into the Temple of the Lord to burne incense which although he séemed to doe it of a zeale and good intent yet forasmuch as he vsurped the Priests office he was iustlye resisted of Azariahu the Priest and plagued of God who smote him with such a Leprosie that he went out of the Temple a Leper and so remayned all the dayes of his lyfe He reygned .lij. yeares and was buried in a part of the same fielde where his Predecessors lay but not in the same Sepulchres bicause he was a Leper ¶ Azaria Helpe of the Lorde B. BAal the sonne of Reaia was a Prince of the Rubenites and caried away with other his kinred into the lande of Assiria by Thiglath Pilneser King of the Assirians Baanah with his brother Rechab the sonnes of Rimmon were two Captaynes in the hoste of Isboseth King of Israel who when Abner their chiefe Captayne was dead went into the house of Isboseth séeming saith Lyra they had gone to fetch wheate for the King sayth he had great store of wheate which he solde to Merchants a farre of wherefore these two disguysed themselues lyke Merchants that came to buye and so entring into the house they founde where their Lorde and maister lay vpon his bed in the heate of the day fast a sleepe and slue him and tooke his heade and caryed iâ— to Dauid thinking for the same to haue had a great rewarde But for their most shamefull and trayterous acte they were both put to death and their quarters hanged ouer the poole in Hebron Baasa the sonne of Ahia conspired against 〈◊〉 King of Israel and reygned in his steade In the thirde yeare of Asa King of Iuda began Baasa to reygne ouer Israel and walked most wickedlye in all the wayes of Ieroboam whose house and posteritie notwithstanding he vtterly destroyed and left not one aliue for so it was propheried that God woulde stirre him vp one which was this Baasa for that purpose And now for as much as Baasa whome God had exalted euen out of the dust woulde styll mayntaine Ieroboams ydolatrie and cause his people to sinne he sent him worde by the Prophete Iehu that as he had rooted out the whole posteritie of Ieroboam so shoulde his be serued likewise Great warre was betwéene â–ª Baasa and Asa King of Iuda And for to stoppe the passage of Iuda that none shoulde passe out nor in safely Baasa went to builde a strong holde called Rama which he was sayne at length to leaue vnfinished and to lâ—â—se all his â—ost and traueyle to go agaynst Benhadid which had broken couenaunt with him He reygned .xxiiij. yeares and was buried in Thirza which was a place where the King remayned leauing Ela his sonne to succéede him in whose dayes the foresayde Prophecye of the rooting out his posteritie tooke place Bachides was a man of great power in the dominion of Demetrius the sonne of Seleucus And beyng the Kings faythfull friende he sent him with a great host agaynst Iudas Machabeus to reuenge him of the iniurie he had done vnto his people and in the ende slue him After whole death â–ª many of the wicked Iewes turned to Bachides whereof he made some Lordes and rulers of the lande which of enuy vttered the friendes of Iudas brought them into great veration and trouble When Bachides had giuen this ouerthrow to Iudas he sought howe he might kill Ionathas also whom the Iewes had 〈◊〉 in his brothers 〈◊〉 And méeting with Ionathas about the border of Iordan there was a great battell stricken betweene them in the which Bachides lost a thousande of his men After which conflict Bachides by occasion of Alcimus the wicked Priests death departed for that tyme so that Ionathas laye at rest two yeares after tyll a sort of vngodly men conspired against him howe they might bring Bachides vppon hym vnwares which matter being betwéene them and him concluded Bachides returned with a great power but or he came Ionathas had gotten knowledge of the Treason and put certayne of the chiefest Conspirators to death Then when Bachides came and had besieged the Citie of Bethbessen long and sawe he was not able to resist the power of Ionathas he was marueylously displeased with those wicked counsaylers which had caused him to traueyle in vaine and made him ready to depart againe whereof Ionathas hauing knowledge he sent Ambassadors to Bachides to make peace with him to the which he gladly consented and restored to Ionathas all his prisoners which he had taken in the land of Iuda and so returned home and neuer vexed Israel more Balaam the sonne of Beor or Bosor as S. Peter sayth was a couetous Prophet and for lucre sake went to the King of Moab to curse the hoste of Israel which thing God woulde not suffer him to doe but turned hys curse into a blessing Yea he was so farre ouercome with couetousnesse sayth S. Peter that he coulde not sée hys iniquitie when the tame beast speaking in mans voyce rebuked him and forbade his madnesse He caused the Israelites thorowe his counsell to commit
whoredome wyth the daughters of Moab and to worship Baal Peor their false God and was slayne among the Madianites whome Israel sâ—bdâ—ed Balac the sonne of Ziphor King of Moab was so afrayde of the children of Israel which were pitched in the fieldes of Moab all about his countrey that he thought he coulde neuer be able to ouercome them vnlesse they were cursed of God wherefore he sent for Balaam the Prophete promising to promote him to honor and dignitie so that he woulde come and curse his enimies And when the Prophet was come Balac brought him vp to the hye place of Baal where he might sée and discerne the vttermost parts of the Israelites that he myght be sure to curse them all But when the Prophet went about his purpose God woulde not suffer him to curse his people but rather to blesse them Then sayde Balac did not I sende for thée to curse this people and why hast thou blessed them I tolde thée quoth Balaam that I coulde speake nothing but that which the Lord woulde haue me to speake Well sayde Balac I will bring thée where thou shalt sée but a portion of them and not all I praye thée curse that part for my sake But notwithstanding the Prophete blessed them agayne Then sayde Balac neyther curse them nor blesse them at all Well yet quoth Balac I will bring thée once more to an other place peraduenture it shall please God thou mayst curse them there for my sake But when he sawe in no place the Prophet woulde curse the people of God he tooke an anger with him and sayde I sent for thée to curse myne enimies and thou hast blessed them nowe thrée tymes therefore get thée quickly out of my sight for the Lorde hath kept thée backe from promotion and so he departed Balthasar was the sonne of Nabuchodonosor and the last King of Babilon This Prince on a time made a great banket to all his Lordes and great estates in the which he so abused the holye vessels in the Temple of the Lorde which his father had brought from Ierusalem making them common vessels for all his guests to drinke in that God was sore displeased with him And as he sate at his banket praysing his goddes of Golde Siluer Copper Iron Stone and Wood he sawe the Palme of an hande wryte vpon the wall before him which thing so disquieted him that all the ioyntes of his bodye shooke And being in that great anguishe he sent for all the charmers and Coniurers in Babilon to knowe the meaning thereof but none of them all coulde reade it neyther yet tell what it ment Then was the King so sore afrayd that his colour began to chaunge and his body to be sore vexed for the which the Lordes and all the estate present were sore opprest with heauinesse to sée the King in that case Then the olde Quéene his Grandame hearing of all that was happened came vp to the feast and cheared the King bidding him to take no thought for the matter so long as Daniel was in his kingdome sende for him quoth she and he will tell thée what the writing meaneth Then was Daniel sent for And being come he tolde the King that forasmuch as he neyther remembred the fall of his father who for his pryde and hie stomacke was turned from the shape of a man to the shape of a beast for certaine yeares neyther woulde submitte his heart but magnifie himselfe aboue the Lorde of heauen and had abused the vessels of the house of God and set his loue vpon Idols which neyther hearde sawe nor vnderstoode more than vpon God in whose hande consisteth thy breath and all thy wayes therfore had God sent thys hande in token of his great displeasure towardes hym And these be the wordes sayd Daniel to the King which the hande hath written Mane Thetel Phares And this is the meaning Mane God hath numbred thy kingdome and brought it to an ende Thetel Thou art weyed in the Balaunce and art founde to light Phares Thy kingdome is dealt in partes and giuen to the Medes and Perses And the same night was Balthasar slayne and his kingdome remooued to Darius king of Medea whose sister was Balthasars mother Balthemus or Béeltethmus looke Belemus Banaiah or Bananiahu the sonne of Iehoiada was a valiant man and ruler ouer the Cherethites and Pelethites He slewe two strong men in the Countrie of Moab and slewe a Lion in the midst of a pyt in the time of snow He fought also with an Egyptian whose speare was lyke a Weauers beame and slewe him with his owne weapon And for these Actes and such like he gate him a name among the Worthies He was one of Dauids Counsaylers and proclaymed Salomon King at Dauids commaundement He slewe Adoniah at Salomons commaundement also Ioab into whose rowme he was promoted Barnabas called also Ioses was a Leuite borne in the Countrie of Cypers who of a liberall minde solde his lande in Cypers and brought the whole pryce therof and layde it downe at the Apostles féete with whome he was of such credite that when he brought Paule vnto them after his conuersion and declared howe boldly he had done at Damascus in the name of Iesu they receyued him as a brother of whome before they were afrayd This man being full of the holy ghost and faith was sent to Antioch to preach and to stablish them in the fayth of Christ From thence he departed to Tharsus to seeke Saule and brought him to Antioch where they two continued togithers one yeare And bicause of a great dearth which was prophecied to be thoroweout all the worlde the Antiochians made a collection for the poore brethren in Iewrie which they sent by the handes of Barnabas and Paule at whose returne to Antioch agayne they brought a Disciple with them called Iohn Marke After this by the mynde of the holy Ghost they were sent to preach among the Heathen where by the power of God they did woonders and turned many to Christ And being taken at Lystra for Goddes bicause God working in them they had made a lame man to go they rent their clothes and woulde not suffer themselues to be called by that name Finallye when Barnabas and Paule had bene long Companions togither and workers in the Lordes vineyarde they chaunced to fall at variance for one Iohn Marke who had bene their Minister before And bicause Barnabas woulde now in this iourney going to visite their brethren agayne haue had him with them and Paule refused him bicause he forsooke them at Pamphilia the dissencion was so sharpe that the one brake from the other And so Barnabas tooke Marke with him and sayled into Cypers hys owne natyue Countrie Barrabas was a notable robber which for a certayne insurrection he had made and in the same committed murther was cast in prison It was
reasoning the matter Iesus ioyned himselfe personally with them as a wayfayring man desirous to knowe whereof they talked so sadly To whome Cleophas made aunswere and sayde art thou only a straunger in Ierusalem and hast not knowne the thinges which haue chaunced there of late ▪ of what things sayde Iesus ▪ Of one Iesus of Nazareth which was a Prophet mightie in déede and word before ▪ God and all the people and howe the hye Priest and our Rulers deliuered him to be condemned to death and haue crucified him but we trusted that it had bene he that shoulde haue deliuered Israel and as touching all these things to day is euen the thirde day that they were done Then Iesus opened the Scriptures to Cleophas and the other and being knowne of them at the last by breaking of breade they returned to the Apostles at Ierusalem and tolde them all what they had hearde and séene of Iesus by the way to Emaus Clement was one of Paules labour fellowes in the Gospell among the Philippians as Paule himselfe reporteth saying And I beséech the faythfull yokefellow helpe the women which laboured with mée in the Gospell with Clement also and with other my labour fellowes whose names are in the booke of life Crescens what tyme as Paule sent for Timothy was departed from Rome into Galatia for businesse he had there whereof he certifieth Timothy saying Crescens is gone to Galatia and Titus vnto Dalmatia Crispus the chiefe ruler of the Synagoge at Corinth after he had heard Paules preaching beléeued in the Lord he and all his householde and were Christened in the name of Christ Iesu Cornelius was an heathen man dwelling in Cesarea and a Captaine ouer a bande of men which were in Italy This man notwithstanding he was a Gentile borne and in office a man of Armes yet he was a good lyuer and feared God as it well appeared chiefely in two pointes which was in liberally refreshing the poore and néedy and his continuall praying vnto the lord In the which prayer as he was on a time occupyed aboute the ninth houre of the day which was a little before Supper tyme he saw in a vision an Angell of God comming to him and calling him by his name saying Cornelius thy prayers and thine Almes déedes are come vp into remembraunce before God wherefore sende to Ioppa for one Symon whose Sirname is Peter he lodgeth with one Simon a Tanner whose house ioyneth vpon the Sea side and he shall tell thée what thou oughtest to doe Then Cornelius sent for Peter against whose comming he had called togithers all his kinsmen and speciall friends And when Peter was come Cornelius mette him and fell downe at his féete to worship hym which thing Peter would not suffer forasmuch as he was but a man as Cornelius was And so going in with hym he founde a great companie gathered togithers vnto whom he sayde Yée know how that it is an vnlawfull thing for a man that is a Iewe borne to company or come to one that is of an other nacion But God hath shewed me that I shoulde not make any man common or vncleane Therfore came I vnto you without saying nay assoone as I was sent for I aske therefore for what intent haue yée sent for me Then Cornelius sayd Foure dayes ago and euen about this same houre I fasted and at the ninth houre I prayed in my house and behold a man stoode before me in bright clothing and sayde Cornelius thy prayer is heard and thine Almes déeds are had in remembraunce in the sight of God sende therefore to Ioppa and call for Symon whose Sirname is Peter he is lodged in the house of one Symon a Tanner by the Sea side the which assoone as he is come shall speake vnto thée Then sent I for thée immediately and thou hast well done for to come Now therefore are we all here present before God to heare all thinges that are commaunded vnto thée Then Peter preached the worde of God vnto them and whyle he was yet preaching the holy Ghost fell vpon them all so that in the ende Cornelius with all his Company there present were Baptized in the name of Christ Iesu Chore was the sonne of Iezchar the sonne of Caath the sonne of Lénie This Chore of a stoute and prowde heart enuied and detested Moses the true seruant of God and raysed vp a sedicion agaynst him and Aaron hauing with hym Dathan Abiran and On Thrée great Captaynes beside 250. other noble men that tooke his parte which insurrection by the power of man was vnsuppressable But almighty God caused the earth to open and swallow them vp with theyr Wyues Children and all their substaunce ¶ Here is a question to be mooued If all the substaunce of Chore with his wife and children were swallowed vp of the earth with them How can that be true which is written in the tytle of the. 41. Psalme that the children of Chore were eyther the makers or the singers or the setters forth of that godly Psalme Aunswere is made Numeri 26. where it is written that when Chore was swallowed vp of the earth God miraculously preserued certayne of his children of whose ofspring there came very excellent learned and notable wyse men and speciallye these foure Ethan the Ezrachite to wéete that was borne in the town called Ezrachi Heman Calcal Darda which foure so farre excelled all other in wisedome and learning that the wisedome of Salomon was compared to be as great as theirs These foure are called the children of Chore not that they were the naturall children of Chore but that they came of the ofspring of the children of Chore which God had miraculously preserued from the great gulph and gaping of the earth For it is well knowne that Chore liued in Moses time agaynst whome he was the chiefe in stirring vp of rebellion against him Agayne Ethan Heman Calcal and Darda liued and florished in Salomons tyme which was 480. yeres or therabout after that Chore was killed So that these men could not be the naturall children of Chore but are called his children and his sonnes bicause they came of his progenic and ofspring Cirus King of Persia in the first yere of his reigne deliuered the people of Israell out of captiuitie and gaue them libertie to go and builde the Citie of Ierusalem and the Temple of God againe which Nabuchodonosor had destroyed and sent with them all the vessels of golde and siluer pertayning to the house of the Lorde which were in number 5400. And the number of the whole congregation that returned from the captiuitie of Babilon were .xlij. thousande thrée hundreth and thrée score beside their seruantes and Maydens which were 6337. and among them also were 200. singing men and women And of this Cyrus it was prophecied by the Prophet Esaye long before Cyrus was borne that he shoulde deliuer
the children of Israel out of captiuitie Chusan Risathaim was king of Mesopotamia into whose hande God deliuered the Children of Israel bicause they turned from him to serue straunge Gods which King kept them in bondage eyght yeares till at last they crying to the Lorde for helpe God raysed vp Othoniel which deliuered them out of his hands Dalila was the wyfe of Samson who thorowe the perswasions of the Philistines flattered him so long vntill she had got knowledge where all his strength laye that knowne she so dallyed with him that he laying down his heade vpon hir lappe and there falling a sléepe she caused the heare of hys heade to be shauen off and so betrayed him to the Philistines Damaris was a certayne godly woman dwelling at the Citie of Athens who among other Paule conuerted Dan was the sonne of Iacob borne him of Bilha Rachels mayde His brothers name of father and mother was Nephtaly Iacob before his death prophecied of him saying Dan shall iudge his people as one of the Tribes of Israel Dan shall be a serpent by the way and an Adder by the path byting the horse héeles so that his Rider shall fall backewarde O Lorde I haue wayted for thy saluation The generation of the Danites grewe to such a number that the portion which Iosua gaue them was not sufficient for all their Tribe wherefore they went out to séeke them an inheritaunce to dwell in And comming to the quiet Citie of Lais which mystrusted nothing they fell vpon it killed the people and brent the City And in the place therof they builded themselues another Citie and called it Dan. And set vp the Idols therein which they had taken from Micah and worshipped them and so continued in their ydolatrie till the Arke of God was taken 1. Reg. 4. Daniel was an holy Prophet of the Tribe of Iuda who beyng a welfauoured yonge springalde and of good erudition was among other of the children of Israel brought to Babilon and there founde at the Kings charges to learning to profite in the Chaldeys tongue and for the better nourishing and bringing vp of these yong striplings hée appoynted to them for thrée yeares space a portion of his owne meate euery day and of hys owne Wyne which he dranke to thintent that by their good intreatie and learning of his religion they might rather fauor him than the Iewes and to be able to serue him as gouernours in their lande But Daniel being determined in his heart that he woulde not defile himselfe with the Kinges meate and drinke desired his kéeper that he and his thrée companions to wit Ananias Misael and Azarias might not defyle themselues but that he woulde gyue them nothing else but Pulse to eate and water to drinke which thing he was afrayde to doe least when the King shoulde call them before him they might séeme in woorser lyking than the rest of their fellowes and so he to be in daunger of his lyfe Well sayde Daniel prooue thy seruaunts for ten dayes Then the Kéeper whose heart God had mooued to fauour Daniel prooued them ten dayes and when he saw them fatter in fleshe and in better lyking than the other he tooke away their portion of meate and serued them daily with Pulse and water And to these God gaue great knowledge and vnderstanding in all learning and wysedome But to Daniel onely he gaue the gyft of Prophecying and opening of visions and dreames Now when the time was expired that all the children whome the King had so long nourished shoulde be brought before him he founde Daniel and his thrée associates in matters of wisedome and vnderstanding that he requyred of them ten tymes better than all the learned men of his Realme so that the King had Danyel in great estimacion After this Daniel expounded the Kinges dreames and shewed him the true interpretacion and meaning thereof which none of the Chaldeans coulde doe for the which the King rewarded him wyth great gyftes and made him gouernour ouer the whole Prouince of Babilon wherewyth the other Princes and Rulers were sore offended and sought occasion against him concerning the kingdome but Daniel was so faythfull and vpright in all the Kings matters that they confessed and sayde We shall fynde no occasion against this Daniel except it be concerning the lawe of his God Therefore let vs perswade the king to make a decrée that whosoeuer shall aske a peticion of any god or man for thirtie dayes saue only of the King the same to be cast into the denne of Lyons And when the King had consented to this wicked decrée and sealed the wryting Daniel that all men might sée that he woulde neyther consent in heart nor déede for these fewe dayes to anye thing that was contrarye to Gods glorye went home to his house and set open the wyndowe of his Chamber towarde Ierusalem and fell downe vppon hys knées to gyue thanckes and prayse vnto God as hys custome was thrée tymes a daye to doe And thus making his prayers and supplication to his God his aduersaries came vpon him and founde hym a worke wherevpon they went to the king and sayde hast thou not sealed the decrée that whosoeuer shall make request to any God or man within thirtie daies saue to thée O King shal be cast into the denne of Lions True it is quoth the king and it cannot be broken Then sayd they This Daniel one of thy prisoners of Iuda regardeth neyther thée nor yet thy statute but maketh his peticion thrise a day vnto his god When the King heard this he was sore displeased in himselfe and sought by all meanes to haue excused Daniel and when he sawe no intreatie woulde serue nor no way be founde to alter the lawe he suffred Daniel to be cast down to the Lions which were seuen in numbre and were kept fasting that daye from their ordinarie dyet to the intent they shoulde haue deuoured Daniel But God had so stopped the mouthes and furie of the Lyons that they dyd him no harme and least he should perish there for hunger God sent his Prophete Abacucke with meate and drinke to féede hym and also mooued the kings heart to take such care for Daniel that the seuenth day after he went to the denne to sée if he were a lyue or dead and finding hym not perished but whole and sounde he reioyced greatly and caused Daniel to be taken out his accusers with their wyues and children cast downe among the fierce gréedy Lions ▪ who tore them all in péeces before they came at the grounde Thus being deliuered hée afterwarde prophecied of the comming of Christ and of the Empire of Babilon Medea Persia Grecia and the Romaines Reade more of him in the story of Bell and Susanna Darda the sonne of Mahol was one of the foure which came of the ofspring of the children of Chore and so
begun betwéene them Demetrius for a space had great rest The Captaine of Demetrius hoste was Appolonius a great enimie of the Iewes whom Ionathas discomfited at the first conflict betwéene them Upon the which Demetrius perceyuing Ionathas power to be strong was content to be at peace with him and to make all Iewry frée Which being done all the lande was in such quietnesse that Demetrius sent away his hoste all saue a fewe straungers whereat the hoste was displeased Then Triphon who had béene a foretime on Alexandâ—â—s partie perceyuing Demetrius hoste to murmour agaynst hym mooued Antiochus the sonne of Alexander to warre agaynst Demetrius who being nowe in great feare of the men of Antioche with whom he had somewhat to doe sent to Ionathas to haue his ayde who sent hym thrée thousande of such picked men that deliuered Demetrius out of daunger and slue an hundred thousand of the Antiocheans so that the reast were fayne to cast downe their weapons to yéelde them to Demetrius who notwithstanding the great fidelitie of Ionathas and the benefite he had done hym after he was at rest agayne dyd not rewarde him according but most deceytfully dissembled and withdrew himselfe from Ionathas and vexed him and the Iewes very sore After this came Tryphon with all the hoste which Demetrius had put away and fought against Demetrius and put hym to flight and made hym fayne at the last to go into Medea to séeke ayde and helpe where Arsaces King of the lande tooke him and kept him in warde as a prisoner during his life Demetrius This man was a Siluersmyth by his occupasion dwelling at Ephesus which made siluer Shrynes and Tabernacles for Diana the goddesse And forasmuch as Paule by the space of twoo yeares had preached there against Images made with mans hande saying that they were no goddes He least his profite should decay called togithers all such as had aduantage by making Images of Diana and all craftes men of the same occupacion whome he knew woulde fauour his cause and began to saye vnto them on this wyse Maisters yée knowe that by this Craft we haue vauntage moreouer yée sée and heare that not onely at Ephesus but almost thoroweut all Asia this Paule hath perswaded and turned away much people saying That they be no goddes which are made with handes So that not onely this our Craft commeth into perill and to be set at naught But also that the Temple of the great goddesse Diana should â—e despised and hir magnificence destroyed which all Asia and the world woorshippeth With this sedicious Oracion made by Demetrius the people were in such a furie that they cryed out saying Great is Diana of the Ephesians and with that rushed into the common Hall with one assent where they missing of Paule caught two of his companions in the which rage some cryed one thing and some another and were so farre out of order that the most part knowe not the cause of their concourse togithers so that with great difficultie the matter was pacyfied Reade the storie of Alexander the Iewe borne in the same place Demetrius This was a faithfull Christen man hauing for a testimonie thereof a good reporte as well of Paule himselfe as of all other to be an earnest fauourer of the Gospel of Christ Denis or Dionysius was a certayne Senatour whome Paule conuerted at the Citie of Athens and instituted him Bishop thereof ¶ In Fasciculâ—s temporum it is written that this Denis was martyred in Fraunce whereby it may euidentlye be gathered that the Gospel of Christe our Sauiour was preached in Fraunce in the Apostles time or very nye vnto their Tyme Diana was a Goddesse whom the Ephesians most supersticiouslye dyd woorship Reade Demetrius the Siluersmyth and Alexander the Iewe. Diotrephes was so wicked a man and so malicious an enimie vnto the Christian brethren that hée coulde not say well of them nor yet abyde to heare other giue them good report he woulde neyther receyue them himselfe nor suffer those that would but thrust them out of the Church Diues the riche and coueteous Glutton so much delited and gloried in his great abundaunce of treasure fine and costly apparell sumpteous and delicious fare eche day that his whole selicitie and pleasure was onely in pampering vp of hymselfe hauing no compassion were his miserie neuer so great on the poore and néedy as it dyd appeare by Lazarus the Begger lying at his gates and looking for some reléefe of the scraps that fell from his boord But when this glutton was dead and his body with pompe brought to his graue and his soule also in the torments of hell He than lifting vp his eyes and beholding Abraham a great way of and the Begger with him in ioye cryed out to Abraham requesting him that Lazarus might nowe come downe and dip the tip of his finger in water to slake the great heate of his tongue for I am sayth he most gréeuously tormented in this Ardent flame But to this his other most vayne and fantasticall request he made for his brethren to haue them admonished by one that came from the dead Abraham made aunswere and sayde That for so much as he had consumed and spent away the tyme of his life volupteously in the pleasures and delights of the worlde and woulde at no tyme repent he therefore was nowe most iustly condemned to suffer parpetuall payne in the fire of hell Doeg an Edomite borne was King Saules seruaunt and the mayster of them that kept his cattell When Dauid came to Ahimelech the Priest of Nob and had receyued the shewe breade with the sworde of Goliah This Doeg was there present the same day tarying to worship before the Lorde and sawe and hearde all things that was done betwéene them And when he was returned home and had wayted his time when he might best pleasure the King hée vp and accused Ahimelech of all that he had done vnto Dauid And when the King had iudged that good and godlye man to dye this Doeg at the Kings commaundement all other resusing that wicked déede fell vpon Ahimelech with his sworde and slue both him and all the Priestes of the Lorde to the number of 85. Dorcas was a certaine godly woman and a Disciple of Christ dwelling at Ioppa who in hir lyfe time had bene vertuously occupied and specially in the works of mercy relieuing the poore and néedie And whyle Peter was preaching and doing his office at Lydda which was not farre from Ioppa it was hir chaunce to fall sicke and die And when hir friendes had done with wasshing the deade corps and laid it forth in an vpper chamber to he annoynted they sent for Peter to come vnto them who being come they had him vp to the Chamber where the deade Corse lay where the Wydowes came about him wéeping and laying forth the Coates and other garmentes which
she had prepared in hir life time for the poore before him Then Peter put them all forth of the Chamber And being alone knéeled downe and prayed and turning him to the bodie sayde Tabitha aâ—â—se at the which worde she arose and looked vpon 〈◊〉 who then gaue hir his hande and lift hir vp and called the Saints and Wydowes and restored Dorcas vnto them aliue Dositheus was a certayne Noble Captayne with Iudas Machabeus who by the helpe of Sosipater another Captayne defended the Iewes manfullye agaynst Timotheus and slue tenne thousande of his men which were left in a strong holde and after that tooke Timothie himselfe in battell and notwithstanding let him go agayne vppon his promise made vnto them that he would restore al the Iewes home againe which he had in prison thinking that the best and most surest way to saue the liues of their captiue brethren After this it chaunced Dositheus a mightie man on horsebacke to encounter with Gorgias another great Captayne and enimie of the Iewes and tooke him entending to haue caryed him away aliue But an horseman of Thracia fell vpon him and smote off his arme and so Gorgias escaped and fled into Moresa Drusilla was a Iew and wyfe to Felix by whose counsell sayth the Note in Geneuaes Bible he called for Paule and heard him of the fayth in Christ E. EBer was the sonne of Selah of the generation of Sem. He had twoo sonnes the one Peleg in whose dayes the earth was diuided and the other Ioktan This Eber liued before and after he begat Peleg 464. yeares Of Eber came the Ebrues which were afterwarde called Israelites of Israel which was Iacob And Iewes of Iuda bicause of the excellencie of that Tribe Ela the sonne of Baasa began his reigne ouer Israel in the .xxvj. yeare of Asa king of Iuda and walked in all the wicked wayes of his father before him In the seconde yeare of his reigne or there about Zimri his seruant and Captaine of his Charets conspired against him and finding him drunken in the house of Arza the Kings Stewarde he fell vpon him and slue him Elam was the sonne of Sem. Exod. 6. d. Eleazar the sonne of Aaron was constituted hye Priest after the decease of his father and so was the seconde Num. 20. d. Bishop ouer the Iewes He tooke to wyfe one of Iosua 24. g. the daughters of Putuel which bare him a sonne called Phinehes Finally he dyed and was buryed in a hyll that pertayned to Phinehes his sonne which hyll was giuen him in Mount Ephraim ¶ Eleazar the helpe of God. 1. Mac. 6. â— Eleazar the sonne of Saura was a woorthy Captayne with Iudas Machabeus what tyme as Antiochus Eupater came into Iewrie with a mightie strong army both of men and Olephants which beastes being .xxxij. in number were strongly fenced and surely harnessed and well exercised to battell And when the hostes were ioyned togither Eleazar beholding one of the Olephants deckt with royall harnesse and farre excelling all the other beastes he supposed the King himselfe had bene vppon him wherefore he ieoperded himselfe to delyuer hys people and with a good courage ranne to the Olephant in the middest of the hoste slaying all about him as he went and at last came vnto the beast and gat himselfe vnder his féete and smote him in the belly and slue the Olephant The weight of whose deade body crushed Eleazar in péeces and so he dyed 2. Mac. 6. c. d. â— Eleazar was one of the principall Scribes among the Iewes and an aged man of a welfauoured countenance who when that cruell King Antiochus had sent his Commissioners to compell the Iewes to transgresse the lawes of their God was constrayned to gape wyth open mouth and to eate Swynes fleshe but he desiring rather to dye grieuously than to liue with hatred offered himselfe willingly to the torment and spit it out Then they that had the charge of the Kings wicked acte for the olde friendship of the man tooke him aside priuilye and prayed him that he woulde take such fleshe as was lawfull to eate and dissemble as though he had eaten euen of the things appointed by the King euen the fleshe of the sacrifice that in so dooing he might be deliuered from death and that for the olde friendship that was among them he woulde receyue this fauour But he began to consider discretely and as became his age and the excellencie of his ancient yeares and the honor of his gray heares wherevnto he was come and his moste honest conuersation from his childehoode but chiefly the holye lawe made and giuen by God therefore he aunswered them consequently and willed them streyght wayes to sende him to the graue for it becommeth not our age sayde he to dissemble whereby manye yong persons might thinke that Eleazar being 90. yeares olde were nowe gone to another maner of lyfe And so thorowe mine hypocrisie for a little time of a transitorie life they might be deceyued by me and I shoulde procure malediction and reproch to mine olde age For though I were nowe deliuered from the torments of men yet coulde I not escape the hande of the Almightie neyther aliue nor dead Wherfore I will now chaunge this lyfe manfully and will shewe my selfe such as mine age requireth And so will leaue a notable example for such as be yong to die willingly couragiously for the honorable holy lawes and when he had sayde these wordes immediately hée went to torment And as he was readye to giue vp the ghost he sighed and sayde The Lorde that hath the holy knowledge knoweth manifestly that whereas I might haue bene deliuered from death I am scourged and suffer these sore paynes of my bodie but in my minde I suffer them gladly for his religion Thus this man ended his lyfe leauing his death for an example of a noble courage and a memoriall of vertue not onely vnto yoong men but vnto all his nation 1. Reg. 1. b. 2. c. â— Eli was the next Iudge after Sampson that iudged Israel and the hye Priest descended from Aaron He had twoo sonnes the one called Hophni the other Phinehes which were so wicked that euerye man complained on them And bicause that Eli did not punishe them according to their desertes God sent him worde by his Prophete that for as much as he had not ministred due correction vnto his sonnes for their great offences he woulde surely remooue the hye Priests office from his house for euer and stirre him vp a * Meaning Sador who succeded â—biathar and was the figure of christ faithfull Priest which shoulde doe according to his hearts desire And this shall be to thée sayd he a signe and token that shall come vpon thy two sonnes euen in one day they shall both die And so it came to passe for when the Philistines went out to battell agaynst Israel the twoo
the people did not perishe for lacke of water and when the enimies had woon the Citie and besieged Seloum as often as the Iewes came for water the water ranne out of the earth abundantly and they tooke water But the straungers when they came could not finde it This holy man for his libertie of speach in rebuking of the sinne of the Princes the people and for the prophecying of the vengeance of God vpon that countrey and people was cut in twoo péeces with a Sawe and buried vnder an Oke but afterwarde he was translated and buryed by the sepulchre of Kings He was before the comming of Christ 800. yeres Eliote ¶ Esay The health of the Lorde Gen. 25. d. Esau was the eldest sonne of Isaac borne with hys brother Iacob at one birth of their mother Rebecca Iacob Of Esau came the Edomites Esau was called Edom that is red bicause hee sold his birth right for a messe of red pottage was smooth of body and Esau rough and heary who became a great hunter wherefore his father lâ—ued hym the better bicause nowe and then he did eate of his Venison On a time comming from hunting he was so wearie and faynt for hunger that he was almost deade And seing his brother Iacob to hane sod a pot of pottage he prayed him to giue him a fewe thereof to â—ate Sell me nowe thy birthright quoth he and I will. Then Esau estéeming more his belly than the benefite of his birth-right solde it to Iacob for a messe of pottage And when he had filled his belly well he went his waye and passed forth till he came about the age of fortie yeares And 26. g. then he tooke him twoo wiues the one Iudith the daughter of Bery and the other Basmoth the daughter of Elon both which women were disobedient to their father and mother in lawe After this his father being olde and 27. cap. blinde for age he went out to kill some Venison for hys father that he might eate thereof and blesse him before he dyed But when he had dressed it and brought it for his father to eate Iacob had preuented Esau and gotten his blessing from him for the which he hated Iacob and threatened to kyll him wherefore Iacob was sent away 28. a. b. into Mesopotamia partly to auoyde the malice of Esau and partlye to get him a wyfe there bicause his father would not haue him marry with the Cananites Then Esau perceyuing that the daughters of Canaan displeased Isaac he to please his father tooke to wyfe the daughter of Ismael Abrahams sonne And so these two brethren being thus seperated the one from the other in processe became both very rich And in the ende when by the prouidence of God they met togithers agayne God had so altered and chaunged the minde of Esau that he most louingly embraced his brother Iacob ministring to him such kindenesse as though he had neuer borne him any displeasure at all And so in fine departed as louing friendes Iacob towarde Succoth and Esau to Mount Seir his owne possession ¶ Esau Working Gen. 14. c. d. Eschol was brother to Mamre and Aner which thrée were Abrahams confederates and his pertakers in the rescuing of Lot his brother out of the handes of Kedorlaomor ¶ Eschol a Cluster 1. Esd 7. a. 8. cap. Esdras the sonne of Saraia was a notable Scribe in the lawe of Moses and long in captiuitie at Babilon but at last by the licence of Artaxerses he came from Babilon to Ierusalem agayne with the Iewes to repayre the lawe and Citie of God and to teache the people the right waye of the Lorde He gathered and brought in order all the bookes of the lawes of God which were by the Chaldeys scattered and destroyed This mans liuing 9. and. 10. cap was so vpright and holy and so estéemed among the people that when they had offended the Lorde in contracting themselues with the Gentyles at his godlye preaching and counsell they repented and put away theyr straunge Wyues and turned to the Lorde agayne ¶ Esdras an Helper Ester 2. cap. Ester the daughter of Abian a Iewe borne was a goodly yong Damosell And after the death of hir father and mother nourished and brought vp in the house of Mardocheus hir fathers Vncle During which tyme Vasthi for hir disobedience to Ahasuerus the King was deposed from hir Princely state And then to haue another placed in hir roume certaine fayre yong Damosels and Virgins among which Ester was one were taken vp by Commission and brought to the Court and there founde at the Kings charges for the space of .xij. moneths with all maner of sumptuous deckinges to the ende the King might choose one of them whome he fancyed best to be his Quéene And when the time of choosing came he lyked Ester aboue the reast and made hir Quéene in the roume of Vasthi It happened after this a mischiefe to Ester 3. cap. be deuised against the Quéenes nation the Iewes by one in great authority about the King called Haman and being certifyed thereof by Mardocheus hir Vncle she was so sore astonied that she wilt not what to doe for no helpe in that matter was to be had but onely in the King to 4. cap. whom she durst not go bicause he had giuen a commaundement that whosoeuer shoulde presume to come vnto him before they were called shoulde suffer death Wherfore Ester not being called in thirtie dayes before was afrayde of the daunger Neuerthelesse she considering with hir selfe that eyther she must put hir lyfe in hazard or else to suffer the whole Nation of the Iewes to perish cast all feare aside and went to the King And presenting 5. cap. hir selfe before him he put forth his golden Scepter in token of his speciall fauour towards hir demaunding what she woulde haue Nothing quoth she but that it woulde please your Maiestie and Haman to come to the banket which I haue prepared To the which he went and being there demaunded of Ester what thing it was she required Oh quoth she if it shall please your Highnesse to giue me my peticion and to fulfill my request Then let my 7. cap â–ª soueraigne Lorde and Haman come agayne to morrow and I will certifie your Grace of all And on the morrow when the King was come he sayde to Ester Now what is thy request I pray thée saye Then spake Ester and sayde If I thy poore handemayde haue founde so much fauour in thy sight O King to haue my peticion graunted then I most humbly beséech thée to graunt mée my lyfe and the lyues of all my people the Iewes which are not onely solde to be bonde seruauntes for I woulde to God it were so but to bée slayne and vtterlye destroyed all in one daye Who is he sayde the King that dare presume to doe such a déede Oh sayde Ester and if it shall please
your Maiestie to knowe the truth our great enimie and aduersarie that hath conspired our deaths is euen this wicked Haman whom your Grace hath exalted so hye Vpon the which complaynt of Ester the Kinges indignation was kindled so sore agaynst Haman that he was hanged and the Iewes restored for Esters sake Reade the storie of Mardocheus ¶ Ester Hydde 2. Tim. 4. d. Eubolus was one of the faythfull congregation at Rome with Paule when he sent his Epistle to Timothie ¶ Eubolus Wyse or of good Counsell 4. Reg. 25. g. Euilmerodach was Nabuchodonosors sonne And being King after him he deliuered Iehoakim King of Iuda out of prison wherein he had lyen by the space of thirtie yeares and exalted him aboue all the Princes in Babilon assigning him a certayne portion euery daye from his owne table as long as he liued ¶ Euilmerodach Bruising or beating in peeces the fooles bitternesse A foole bitterly bruised or contryte 2. Tim. 1 ▪ a. Eunica was the daughter of Lois and the Mother of Timothie which women both the mother and the daughter are highly commended of Paule for their sinceritie of fayth which he desireth Timothie earnestly to followe ¶ Eunica a good victorie or Conquest Phil. 4. a. Euodias was a certayne faythfull Preacher of Christ to whome Paule sent commendations desiring him and Sintiches to agrée in one true concorde of myndes in promoting the Gospell of Christ ¶ Euodias a good sauour or well smelling Act. 20. b. c. Eutichus was a certaine yoong man which when the Disciples were gathered togithers vpon one of the Sabbothes days as their custome was to breake bread that is to say to celebrate the Lordes supper gat him vp into one of the windowes of an vpper Chamber where were many lightes set bicause it was night to heare Paule preach who continued his preaching so long that the yong man wared sléepy and at the last sléepe came so sore vpon him that he fell out of the wyndow downe to the grounde thrée floores high And when the people ranne to take him vp they founde him deade and brought him into the house when Paule perceyued that he was dead he went downe to the yong man and embraced him and sayde to the Disciples Be ye not troubled with thys chaunce for there is lyfe in him And so Paule went vp agayne and made an ende of his Sermon And in the morning after Paules departing the yoong man was brought vp into the chamber alyue to the great comfort of all them that were there ¶ Eutichus Fortunate Ezechiel propheta Hierosolymam depingit et eius euersionem proedicit Eze. 1. a. Ezechiel the sonne of Buzi the Priest was a Prophete of the countrie Sareta in Siria and of the lyne of Bishops He had many reuelations and visions And by him God shewed many great myracles for in the time of a great scarcitie he by prayer obtayned of God abundance of fishe whereby the people were sufficiently refreshed This storye is drawn out of Mayster Gliots Dictionary with the storie of Esay before Also when the people were oppressed he stoode and made their enimies so abashed with myracles and woonderfull sightes that they ceased of their enterprice Being in the countrie of Chalde he tolde the people of manye thinges done in the Temple of Ierusalem He brought the people out of Chalde to Ierusalem to the reproch of the Infidels He being in Babilon iudged the Trybe of Dan and Gad for that they had wickedly done against the Lord in persecuting them which beléeued on the Lawe And he shewed vnto them a terrible token for Adders deuoured their children and all their cattell At the last he was slaine at Babilon by the Duke of the people who caused him to be drawne with wild horses which bet out his braines bicause he reprooued him of ydolatrie and he was buryed in the fielde Manre in the Mount of Sem and Arphaxad progenitours of Abraham He prophecied of the returne of the children of Israel and also of the comming of Christ He lyued afore the incarnation of Christ 617. yeares ¶ Ezechiel Strength of the Lorde F. FElix was the hie President at Cesarea vnder the Emperor to whom Lisias the hie Captaine sent Paule prisoner to be examined before him And when he had brought Paul forth before his accusers heard his accusation made by one Tartullus an orator Felix beckened to Paul that he should answere for himselfe when he had heard Pauls answere he deferred the examination of the matter vntill another time saying vnto Paules aduersaries that for as much as Lisias the hye Captaine did knowe the whole matter as it stoode he woulde at his comming heare them further And so gaue commaundement vnto his vnder Captayne that he shoulde in the meane season kéepe Paule in warde but yet so that he might be gently ordered and be sometime at libertie that his familiers might fréely repayre vnto him and bring vnto him such things as he lacked It was not long after this or that Felix being returned to Cesarea againe with his wyfe Drucilla a Iewe borne called forth Paule being desirous to haue further knowledge of him as concerning the sect that he professed And as Paul preached vnto him of Righteousnesse of Temperance and of Iudgement to come Felix trembled for feare and sent him away for that tyme saying that at a conuenient leysure he would sende for him agayne This corrupt Magistrate gaped for brybes and rewards to loose Paul and therefore called him the oftener thinking that Paule woulde haue giuen him a péece of money to be deliuered but when he sawe that none woulde come and Portus Festus was sent from Nero the Emperour to succéede hym in his roome then willing rather to shew the Iewes a pleasure than to deliuer Paule left hym in prison bounde Festus Portius by Nero the Emperour was made President in the roume of Felix Which Festus within thrée dayes he came to his Prouince ascended from Cesarea to Ierusalem where the hye Priestes and Elders of the Iewes enformed him of Paule desiring his fauour against him and that he would sende for him to haue the matter pleaded there Whose request if Festus had graunted they were fully bent to haue slayne Paule in the way comming to Ierusalem But Festus made answere that the prisoner shoulde remayne at Cesarea vntil his comming whither sayde he I entende shortly to repayre and if there be any among you that is able to accuse him let them go downe with me and they shall be hearde And so when Festus was come to Cesarea the next day after he sate in iudgement vpon Paule Against whome the Iewes layde many sore matters to his charge which they were not able to prooue so long as Paule aunswered for himselfe Then Festus willing to doe the Iewes a pleasure sayde vnto Paule wylt thou go vp to Ierusalem and
and hored And put their wyne into olde bottels all to rent and torne and shodde themselues with olde clouted shooen and put on their backes olde garments and so sent them forth to Iosua to obtayne peace And when Iosua looked vppon them and behelde their simple state he asked what they were and from whence they came They aunswered from a farre countrey are thy seruauntes come for the name of the Lorde thy God for we haue hearde of hys fame and power and what he did in the lande of Egypt and in all other places till nowe And long haue we trauailed to come hither as ye may sée for this our foode the day we came forth was hote our bottels shooes and garments all newe and nowe are they olde and torne and our breade hored and mouled wherefore we shall desire your fauour and peace Then Iosua beléeuing it had bene so swore vnto the Gibeonites and made a couenaunt of peace with them and let them go Within thrée dayes after it fortuned the Israelites to come to the Citie of Gibeon thinking to haue destroyed it But when they sawe that they were the people which a little before had obtayned peace at their handes woulde not slea them bicause of their othe but went to Iosua and tolde him Then Iosua sent for them and demaunded wherefore they had so deceyued him They aunswered it was tolde vs that God commaunded Moses to giue you this lande and to slea all the inhabitants therof and therfore were we forced to make this prouision for our liues And nowe we be in your hands to dâ—e with vs as shall please you Wâ—ll sayde Iosua for our othe sake ye shall haue your liues But for as much as ye haue so craftilye deceyued vs the Lorde hath determined that ye shall be in bondage vnder Israel all the dayes of your liues and be hewers of woode and water drawers for the congregation and house of God continually And so the Israelites tooke their Cities but saued their lyues After this the Kings of the Amorites hearing how the Gibeonites had made peace with Israel came vpon them and besieged Gibeon which was the greatest Citie in all the kingdome of the Amorites wherevpon the Gibeonites were constrayned to sende to Iosua for his ayde who came from Gilgal with a great power rescued them and tooke the Kings of the Amorites which were fiue in number and hanged them on fiue seuerall trées and destroyed all their people and countries Thus the Gibeonites continued in bondage vnder the Israelites with their liues vntill the time of King Saule who then for a zeale he had to the children of Israel and Iuda slue a great number of them which déede God punished in the dayes of King Dauid at what time he sent an hunger vpon the lande which continued by the space of thrée yeares for when Dauid enquired at the Lorde the cause of that plague aunswere was made him of God that it was for Saule and the house of bloud who had killed the Gibeonites which Gibeonites were none of the séede of Israel but a remnant of the Amorites with whome the children of Israel had made a bonde of peace Then Dauid asking the Gibeonites what he shoulde doe for them and wherewith he shoulde recompence them they sayde we will neyther haue siluer nor golde of Saule nor of his house nor that any man of Israel be killed for our sakes but the man that hath consumed vs and imagined to bring vs to naught him will we destroy Therefore let his seauen sonnes be deliuered vnto vs that we maye hang them vp before the Lorde Then Dauid caused the two sonnes of Rizpa Saules Concubine and the fiue sonnes of Michol whome she bare to Adriel to be deliuered vnto the Gibeonites who tooke and hanged them vp on an hill before the Lorde And thus were the Gibeonites reuenged on Saule Giliad was the sonne of Machir and his chyldren were these Hiezer Helech Asriel Sechem Semida and Hepher Godolia looke Gedalia Golias was a mightie strong Gyant whome the Philistines had brought with them to battell agaynst the hoste of Israel His stature was sixe cubites and a span His helmet vpon his heade was of brasse and the Bootes on his legges of the same His coate of Fence weyed 5000. sicles The shaft of his Speare which he bare in his hande was lyke a Weauers beame And the heade vpon the same weighed 600. sicles of yron This man beyng thus armed came out from the Philistines one bearing his shielde before him and standing betwéene the twoo hostes in a valley he cryed to the hoste of Israel saying Why are ye come to set your battell in aray am not I a Philistine and you the seruauntes of Saule choose you out a man and let him come downe to me And if he be able to fight with me and to kill me then will we be your seruants and if I can ouercome him and kill him then shall ye be our seruants and serue vs Thus came he day by day defying the whole hoste of Israel the space of fortie dayes long wherewith the Israelites were sore afrayde and discomsited and durst not abyde his sight But God who by his secret prouidence had appoynted out a man to match him caused Isai to send his yong son Dauid to the hoste of Israel to sée his brethren howe they did And as he stoode with them and hearde the despytefull wordes of Golias which he spake against the holye hoste of Israel The spirit of God euen at that instant smote such a courage into the hart of Dauid that he slipt away from his brethren vnto the people whome he sawe in great feare and sayde What shall be done to the man that killeth this Philistine and taketh away the shame from Israel and what is this vncircumcised heathen that he shoulde thus reuyle the hoste of the lyuing god Dauid vttering this bolde maner of speach once or twyse he was at the last brought before King Saule to whome he sayde on this wyse Oh King let no mans heart fayle him or be afrayde this daye for I thy seruaunt will go and fight with yonder Philistine Thou art not able to stande in his handes quoth the King for he is a man brought vp all the dayes of his lyfe in feates of warre and thou art yet but a chylde without experience or knowledge thereof Then Dauid to strengthen the weake fayth of the King sayde thus vnto him As thy seruaunt was kéeping his fathers shéepe there came a Lion and a Beare likewyse and tooke a shéepe out of the flocke Then I not fearing the force of these twoo cruell beastes ranne out first after the Lion and tooke the pray out of his mouth and in spite of his bearde I slue him Likewyse I serued the Beare Wherefore I haue no doubt but as the Lorde did ayde me then so wyll he nowe against this bragging Philistine that hath so rayled
to saue Mardocheus and all the Iewes dyd ieoperde hir selfe to go to the King founde the meanes to bring him and Haman to a banket which she had prepared Nowe was Haman so prowde and ioyfull of the Quéenes fauour that hée went home to his house and called all his friendes togither making great boast to them of his glory riches and aucthoritie But chiefelye what speciall fauour Quéene Ester bare vnto him aboue all men in so much she had inuited no man to hir banket with the King saue onely him And to morrow quoth he I must be there againe But yet all this doth not satisfie mée so long as I sée Mardocheus the Iewe sitting at the Kings gate Marry sayde Zares his wyfe let there be a payre of galowes made of 50. cubits hye and speake to morrowe vnto the King that Mardocheus maye be hanged thereon And so Haman following his wyues counsell caused the gallowes to be prepared and on the morowe gat him to the Court and standing there wayting when the King woulde call for him that he might speake to dispatche Mardocheus The King who the night before had looked the Chronicles and founde out the fidelitie of Mardocheus sent for Haman and sayde what shal be done to the man whome the King woulde honour Then Haman thinking the King had gone about to honour none but hym sayde Let the man whom the King intendeth to bring to honour be arayned in such Royall apparell as the King vseth to weare and set vpon the Kinges horse with the Crowne Imperiall vpon his heade and commaunde one of the Kings Princes to cary him about the streates of the Citie with a proclamacion before him saying Thus shall it be done to the man whome the King pleaseth to bring to honour Then sayde the King take the rayment and the horse and go thou to Mardocheus the Iewe which sitteth at my gate and fayle not to doe vnto him all that thou hast sayde Then went Haman about the Kinges commaundement and performed all thinges according to his minde which being done he gat him home with an heauye heart to his wyfe and friends declaring vnto them what things had happened vnto him Then sayde they If Mardocheus be of the séede of the Iewes before whom thou hast begun to fall thou shalt not preuayle agaynst him but shalt surely fall before him And while they were thus talking a messenger came for Haman to go with the King to the banket at the ende of which Banket Ester opened all the wickednesse of Haman before the King who tooke the matter so grieuously that he rose from the boorde and went into the garden in a great anger Then Haman perceyuing a mischiefe towardes hym went and fell downe at the beddes féete or coutche wheron the Quéene sate and besought hir grace for his lyfe And when the King came in againe and founde him with the Quéene he sayde wyll he force the Quéene also before mée in the house which woorde was no sooner gone out of the Kings mouth but Hamans face was couered and so had out and hanged vpon the Gallowes which he had prepared in his owne house for Mardocheus Reade the storye of Ester and of Mardocheus Hanani was a Prophet sent of God to Asa King of Iuda declaring vnto him how greatly he had displeased the Lorde for making a couenaunt with Benhadad King of Siria and for his message doing was cast into prison Reade the storie of Asa Hananiah the sonne of Azur was a false Prophete which prophecied vnto the people of Israel that God woulde breake the yoake of Nabuchadnezar King of Babilon from the necke of all Nacions within the space of two yeares and in token thereof tooke the yoake from the Prophet Ieremies necke and brake it But Ieremie the true Prophet of God reprooued the false prophecie of Hananiah saying That in stéede of the yoake of woodde which he had taken from his necke the Lord woulde put a yoake of yron vpon the necks of all these Nacions that they shoulde serue the King of Babilon and that the false Prophet Hananiah himselfe shoulde dye the same yeare which thinges came truely to passe as Ieremie had spoken Hanon was the sonne of Nahas King of the Amonites vnto whō Dauid most gently sent to comfort hym vpon the death of his father which gentlenesse was most vngentlye and vnthankefully taken of the Lordes and counsaylers of the young King Hanon Who perswaded the yong King that Dauid had not sent to comfort hym vpon the death of his Father But had rather sent a sort of spyes vnder the colour of friendshippe to séeke the meanes howe to destroye his Cities and whole Realme Upon the which false and vnhonest surmise of his wicked counseylers Hanon caused the one halfe of euery mans bearde to be shauen their garments to be cut of harde by the Buttockes and so sent them home agayne to Dauid with much shame and vilany Upon which occasion Dauid became his vtter enimie made such hote warre agaynst hym that in conclusion Hanon was taken and lost his Regall Crowne which Dauid put vpon his owne heade and wore it before Hanons face and caried away all his treasure and Iewels tooke his people whereof some he sawed in two péeces ouer other some he caused Cartes new and sharpe shodde with yron to be dryuen some he tooke and shred their fleshe as Cookes doe pye meate cast other some in whote burning ouens Thus was Hanon rewarded for his ingratitude Hazael was a certayne great man which serued Benhadad King of Siria which Benhadad fortuning to fall sicke sent Hazael to Eliseus the Prophet to knowe whyther he shoulde recouer of his disease or no. And when the Prophet sawe Hazael he coulde not looke hym in the face for shame but cast his heade a syde and wept Then Hazael marueyling at the Prophets behauiour towards him demaunded of Eliseus wherefore he wept I wéepe quoth the Prophet to sée the great euils that thou shalt doe to the Children of Israel Thou shalt brcake downe their strong Cities and set them on fyre and slaye theyr yong men with the sworde and dashe the braynes out of the sucking children and all to rent in péeces the women with Childe Then sayde Hazael doest thou make thy seruaunt a dogge ▪ that I shoulde lacke so much humanitie and pittie to doe these thinges Well sayde the Prophet thou shalt doe as I haue sayde for the Lorde hath shewed me that thou shalt be King of Siria And so Hazael departed home to the King his maister and tolde him that he shoulde recouer for so the Prophet had sayde vnto him But on the next morrowe when Hazael sawe his tyme he tooke a thicke cloth and dipt it in water and spread it so on the Kinges face that he dyed After whose death Hazael raigned in his stéede And being stablished in his Kingdome he made
that had sent Dauid so wyse a sonne to sit in his seate and graunted hym Timber of Cedar Fyrre and other precious woodde so much as he woulde desire Wherefore Salomon to gratifie Hyram agayne sent hym twentye thousande quarters of wheate and twentye Butts of Oyle and gaue him also twentye goodly Cities which Cities Hyram called the lande of Cabul forasmuch as when he sawe them they pleased hym not After this Hyram gaue to Salomon sixe score Talents of Golde and sent him Ships and men which had knowledge of the Sea to go with his Nauye into the countrey of Ophir which Shippes brought vnto Salomon * In the. 2. Par. 8. d. is menciō made of 30. talents mo whiche seeme to haue ben employed for their charges foure hundred and twentye Talents of golde ¶ Hyram The hight of Lyfe 3. Reg. 7. b. Hyram This man was a certayne wydowes sonne dwelling in the Countrie of Tyre and of the Tribe of Nepthaly and dyd so excell in all maner of workemanship that Hyram King of Tyre sent him to Salomon to worke and finishe all things that pertayned to the Temple of the Lorde which Salomon went about to edifie Hobab was the sonne of Raguel whose * Some think that Raguel Iethro Hobab and Keni were all one Kymhi sayeth that Raguel was Iethros father So Hobab was Moses father in lawe companye Num. 10. d. Moses his Father in lawe woulde so fayne haue had into the lande of Canaan that he intreated him on this wise saying We are nowe going to the place which the Lord sayde that he woulde giue vs therefore I pray thée go with vs and we will doe thée good for the Lorde hath promised good vnto Israel Then Hobab made aunswere saying I will not go but I will departe to mine owne Countrey and kindred Nay quoth Moses I pray thée forsake vs not but go with vs and be our guide for thou knowest our comping places in the wildernesse and whatsoeuer goodnesse the Lorde shall shewe vnto vs the same will we she we vnto thée But all this coulde not mooue Hobab but that he woulde depart And so returned home into his owne countrey agayne ¶ Hobab Beloued Iudith 2. cap. Holofernes was the chiefe and most terrible Captaine of all Nabuchodonosors hoste sent of him to subdue all the worlde And comming to the Citie of Bethulia 14. b. where all the Iewes lay in great feare of him and his power he was there by Gods prouision slayne by the handes of an holy woman called Iudith Read hir storie ¶ Holofernes A stoute and valiant Captaine 1. Reg. 1. a. Hophni and Phinehes the twoo sonnes of Ely were the Lordes Priestes and became so wicked that they abused the women that wayted at the doore of the Tabernacle of wytnesse And whereas the law was that 2. c. d e. whenseeuer any man did make any offering the Priests boye should come whyle the fleshe was a séething and not before with a fleshe hooke in his hande hauing thrée téeth which he shoulde thrust into the Panne Kettle or whatsoeuer vessell it were and so much as the flesh hooke brought vp was the Priestes part and no more yet notwithstanding this lawe the Priestes boye woulde come before the fleshe was sodde and require flesh to rost for the Priest and say vnto him that made the offering that his Maister woulde haue no sod fleshe but rawe And if he woulde not giue it him then woulde the boye take it by violence By the which abusing of the Lawe the Lordes offering was had in such contempt among the people that they began to abhorre it Wherefore the Lorde plagued the sonnes of Eli permitting the Philistines 4. c. to slea them both in one day ¶ Hophni a Fyst or as much as one may comprehende betweene his thumbe and two fingers or couering 4. Reg. 15. g. 17. cap. Hosea the sonne of Ela by treason slue Pekah the sonne of Remaliahu King of Israel and possessed hys place and began his reigne in the .xij. yere of Ahas king This was the last King that reigned ouer Israel of Iuda and did euill in the sight of the Lorde but not so euill as other Kings before him He denyed to pay Tribute to the Assirians and sent to the King of Egypt to haue his ayde agaynst them wherefore Salmanasar King of Assiria came against Hosea and besieged him in Samaria thrée yeares and in the ende wanne the Citie destroyed his kingdome and ledde Hosea and all his people captine into Assiria Thus was Israel nowe deliuered into the handes of spoylers for their wickednesse which the Lorde had long suffred ¶ Hosea a Sauiour or health 4. Reg. 22. d. Hulda the wyfe of Sallum was a Prophetesse dwelling in Ierusalem in a place called the house of doctrine To whome Iosia King of Iuda sent certayne messengers to inquire of the Lorde for him and hys people concerning the booke of the Lawe which was founde in the Temple and red before him and when they had done their message the Prophetesse made aunswere saying Go and tell the man that sent you to me Thus sayth the Lorde beholde I will bring euill vpon this place and vpon the inhabiters thereof euen all the wordes of the booke which the King of Iuda hath readde bicause they haue forsaken me and haue burnt incense to other gods to anger me with all the works of their hands My wrath also shall be kindled agaynst this place and shall not be quenched But to the King of Iuda who sent you to inquire of the Lorde so shall ye say vnto him Thus sayth the Lorde God of Israel the wordes that thou hast heard shall come to passe But bicause that thine hart did melt and thou hast humbled thy selfe before the Lorde when thou heardest what I spake agaynst this place and against the inhabiters of the same howe they shoulde be destroyed and accursed and hast rent thy clothes and wept before mée I haue also hearde it sayth the Lorde Beholde therefore I will gather thée vnto thy fathers and thou shalt be put in thy graue in peace and thine eyes shall not sée all the euill that I will bring vpon this place And so the Messengers departed and tolde the King. ¶ Hulda the worlde ▪ or a Weesell Hur came of the Tribe of Iuda and * This is not that Hur which came of the kinrede of Caleb although they came both of the Tribe of Iuda but an other of the same name Lyra vppon 1. Par. 2. c. This Hur was husband to miriam sister to Moses was one of the Exod. 17. d. principall fathers and Rulers vnder Moses He and Aaron 24. d. 31. a. stayed vp the handes of Moses whyle the Chyldren of Israel fought with King Amalech And was also appointed with Aaron afterwarde to heare and determine all matters of controuersie among the people till Moses
came downe from the Mount againe where vnto he was ascended ¶ Hur Libertie whytenesse or a hole Husai the Arachite was ‡ 2. Reg. 15. d. 16. c. a man of great wisedome one of Dauids chiefe Counsaylers his assured friend as it well appeared when he came vnto him being fled from Absalom his sonne with his clothes regt and ashes vpon his head declaring thereby the great sorowe and heauynesse he was in to sée his Lord and mayster in that case of whose comming Dauid was greatly comforted But forasmuch as he thought he shuld do him more pleasure otherwise than to go with him now he said Oh my most deare friend Husai if thou doest go with me now at this tyme thou shalt be but a burthen vnto me But if thou wilt returne into Ierusalem and say vnto Absalom I will be thy seruant O King and serue thée as I haue done thy father thou mayst for my sake destroy the counsell of Achitophell and thereby doe me great pleasure So Husai gat him to Absalom saying God saue the King God saue the King What quoth Absalom is this the kyndenesse thou she west to thy friende Howe chaunceth it that thou wentest not with him Nay sayde Husai but whome the Lorde and this people and all the men of Israel hath chosen his will I be and with hym will I dwell to whome shall I doe seruice but to hys sonne as I serued before thy father so will I serue thée Then when Absalom had retayned Husai to be of his Counsell he sayde vnto him Achitophell hath counsayled thus and thus to doe shall we doe thereafter or no. Husai answered the Counsell that Achitophell hath giuen is not good at this time For sayd he thou knowest thy father and his men howe they be strong and now being chafed in their myndes are euen as a Beare robbed of hir Whelpes in the fielde And also thy father is a man practised in warre and maketh no tarying wyth the people Beholde he lurketh nowe in some Caue or in some other strong place and though some of his men be ouerthrowen at the first brunt it will be sayde that thy people is ouerthrowen and so shall the best men thou hast whose hearts are as the hearts of Lyons shrynke thereat For all Israel knoweth thy father to be a man of great might and his warriours stoute men Therefore my counsell is that all Israel be gathered togither vnto thée from Dan to Béerseba which are in number as the sande of the sea And that thou go to battell in thyne owne person For so shall we come vpon him in one place or other where we shall finde him and fall vpon hym as thicke as the dewe falleth vpon the grounde and of all the men that are with him we shall not leaue him one Moreouer if he be gotten into a towne then shall all the men of Israell bring roapes to that towne or Citie we will drawe it into the riuer vntill there be not one stone founde there This counsell of Husai pleased Absalom and the people better than Achitophels which was euen the Lordes detâ—rmination to destroy the good counsell of Achitophel that the Lorde might bring euill vpon Absalom And so when Husai had done according to Dauids request he caused Sadoch and Abiathar the Priestes to sende Dauid worde of all that was done whereby he escaped ¶ Husai Sense or making haste or holding his peace I. IAbes was so named of his mother bicause she bare him in sorrowe He being more honorable than the reast of his brethren made a condicionall vow vnto God saying If thou wilt blesse me in déede and inlarge my coastes and if thine hande be with me and thou wylt cause me to be deliuered from cuill that I be not hurt Thus farre goeth his request which was graunted Iabyn was the King of Canaan whose Captayne of warre was Sisera Twentie yeares he troubled Israel very sore But at the last he was ouercome of the Israelites and brought to naught There was another King called Iabyn also whome Iosua slue and destroyed his Citie called Hazor as yée shall reade in Iosua Chap. 11. Iacob was the yongest sonne of Isaac and brother to Esau whose byrthright he bought for a mease of pottage and afterwarde by the counsell of Rebecca hys mother got away his blessing And then to auoyde his brothers displeasure he was sent into Mesopotamia to Laban his Mothers brother to get him a Wyfe And chaunceing to come to a place where he was benighted he tooke a stone and layde it vnder his heade and fell a sléeue And in his dreame he sawe a Ladder stande vppon the earth reaching vp to heauen and the Angels of God ascending and descending vpon it and God himselfe standing vpon the Ladder sayde I am the Lorde God of Abraham thy father and the God of Isaac the lande which thou sléepest vpon will I giue to thée and thy seede and thy séede shall be as the dust of the earth thou shalt spreade abroade to the West to the East to the North and to the South And thorowe thée and in thy séede shall all the kinreds of the earth be blessed Behold I am with thée and will be thy kéeper in all places where thou goest and will bring thée agayne into thys lande neyther will I leaue thée vntill I haue made good all that I haue promised Then Iacob awaking out of sléepe sayde Surely the Lorde is in this place and I was not aware Oh how fearefull is this place it is none other but the house of God and the gate of heauen Then Iacob gate him vp earely in the morning and tooke the stone which he slept vpon and set it vp as a pyller to be a remembrance of that vision and poured oyle vpon it and called the place Bethel which before was called Lus. And before his departing he vowed saying If God will be with me and kéepe me in this iourney which I go and will giue me breade to eate and clothes to couer me so that I come againe to my fathers house in safety then shall the Lorde be my God and this stone which I haue set vp an ende shall be Gods house and of all that thou giuest me will I giue the tenth vnto thée And so Iacob going on his iourney came into the East countrey where in beholding the lande he sawe certayne heardemen lying with their flockes of shéepe besyde a Well at the which they commonly vsed to water their shéepe to whom he went demanded whence they were They said of Haran Doe ye not know quoth he one Laban the sonne of Nahor Yea sayde they we knowe him well He is in health And beholde yonder commeth his daughter Rachel to water hir fathers shéepe who was no sooner come but Iacob went to the Well and rolled away the stone from the Welles mouth and
reason of kinred to haue had some succour of them he was not regarded but suffered to perishe in a straunge land no man mourning for him nor putting him into hys graue ¶ Iason He that maketh whole a Phisition Iecksan looke Iocsan 4. Reg. 23. f. Iehoahas the sonne of Iosias was .xxiij. yeare olde when he began to reygne ouer Iuda and had not reygned thrée moneths or that Pharao Necho King of Egipt came and put him downe and set vp his brother in hys steade And put the lande to a tribute of an hundred Talents of Siluer and one of Golde and caryed Iehoahas away into Egypt where he dyed ¶ Iehoahas The possession of the Lorde 4. Reg. 23. g. 24. a. Iehoakym the sonne of Iosias was .xxv. yeares of age when he began to reygne ouer Iuda and dyd that which was euill in the sight of the Lorde His name was chaunged from Eliakim to Iehoakym by Pharao Necho King of Egypt which came and deposed his brother This Kyng dyed in the way as they led him prisoner into Babilon Reade Ieremie 22. e. Iehoahas and made him King in his steade and mersced the lande as before is sayde in Iehoahas For the payment of which money Iehoakym taxed the land and leuyed of euery man according to his habilitie and payde the money to Pharao After this came Nabuchodonosor King of Babilon and besieged Ierusalem to whome Iehoakym yéelded and serued Nabuchodonosor thrée yeares and then rebelled agaynst him into whose hande the Lorde deliuered him so that the King of Babilon tooke him and bounde him in twoo chaynes and caried him and all the vessels of the Lordes house into Babilon This King reigned a .xj. yeares ¶ Iehoakym the Rysing or aduenging of the Lorde * He is called also Iechonias Math. 1. b Iehoachin 4. Reg. 24. b. c. d. was the sonne yof Iehoakm who at the age of xviij yeares began to reigne ouer Iuda and did euill in the sight of the Lorde as his fathers before him He had not reygned thrée moneths or that the King of Babilon came and deposed him making Mathania his fathers brother King in his steade chaunging his name from Mathania to Zedekia and caryed Iehoachym away into Babilon where he remayned in pryson xxxviij yeares after euen vntill the comming of Euilmerodach King of Babilon after Nabuchodonosor hys father who had such a mynde to Iehoachym that he deliuered him out of prison and exalted him aboue all the Princes in Babilon and fedde him at his owne table all the dayes of his lyfe ¶ Iehoachin the Resurrection of the Lorde 4. Reg. 13. a. b. c. Iehoahas the sonne of Iehu began his reygne ouer Israel in the .xxiij. yeare of the reygne of Ioas the sonne of Ahaziahu King of Iuda and walked so wickedly in the sinnes of Ieroboam by worshipping the Calues which he had erected that God deliuered him into the handes of Hazael and his sonne Benhadad Kinges of Siria which destroyed the people of Israel and vexed them so sore that they made the Israelites like threshed dust yet neuerthelesse when Iehoahas humbled himselfe and besought the Lord he hearde him and had such pitie compassion on the misery of Israel that he deliuered him out of the Sirians subiection which had brought him so lowe that they had left him but fiftie horsemen ten Charets and ten thousande footemen He reygned xvij yeares and then dyed and was buryed in Samaria leauing behinde him his sonne Ioas to reigne in his steade ¶ Iehoahas Apprehending possesing or seeyng 4. Reg. 11. ca. Iehoiada was the hye Byshop and Priest in the dayes of Ahaziahu King of Iuda whose daughter he maryed named Iehosabeth He preserued Ioas the yongest sonne of Ahaziahu his father in lawe sixe yeares in the Lordes house and in the seauenth yeare he brought him forth and proclaimed him king And being his gouernour and protectour trayned him vp in all godlynesse and vertue So that so long as Iehoiada liued the King 2. Par. 24. d. walked in all the wayes of the Lorde from the which he swarued after the death of this good Bishop Iehoiada Who liued 130. yeares and for his faythfulnesse towardes God and his people was most honorablye buried in the Citie of Dauid among the Kings ¶ Iehoiada the Knowledge of the Lorde 4. Reg. 11. a. Iehosabeth was the daughter of Ahaziahu King of Iuda and wyfe to Iehoiada the hie Bishop of the Iewes 2. Par. 22. d. And when Atthalia hir Graundmother went about to destroy the Kings séede shée stole awaye Ioas hir yoongest brother from among the Kings sonnes and hid both him and his Nurse in hir owne Chamber with hir husbands consent the space of .vj. yeares and so preserued him that he perished not with the reast of hir brethren ¶ Iehosabeth the fulnesse of the Lorde 4. Reg. 9 ca. Iehu the sonne of Nimsi was annoynted King ouer Israel by Eliseus the Prophet for to destroye the house of Achab his mayster And being commaunded to go about it with spéede he began first with Ioram which lay at Iezrael to be healed of his wounds which the Sirians had giuen him And as Iehu was comming thitherward the watchman espying a company comming toward the Citie tolde the King who then sent out an horseman to méete them and to knowe whether they came peaceably or no. And when the Messenger came to Iehu he sayde The King woulde knowe whether it be peace or no What hast thou to doe with peace quoth Iehu turne thée behinde me and so the messenger turned behynde Iehu and went backe no more and likewyse the second Then the watchman tolde the King that he thought by the dryuing of the Charret it shoulde be Iehu that was comming for he driueth quoth he as he were mad The King hearing that he made him readye to warre and tooke Ahaziahu King of Iuda with him and went toward Iehu and met him in the furlong of Naboth saying is There was a Prophete also called Iehu the sonne of Hanani which prophecied of the destruction of Baasa King of Israel and his posterity Read. 3. Reg. 16. a. b. it peace Iehu or no What peace should it be quoth he so long as the whooredomes of thy mother Iezabel hir witchcrafts are so great and so in the Battell Iehu shot Ioram to the heart with an arrow killed him And fell vpon Ahaziahu and slue him also And so procéeding forth to Iezrael he came thither and found Iezabel looking out at a windowe And as he demaunded of the companye about hir who was on his side and woulde for his sake cast hir downe two or thrée of hir Chamberlaines threw hir out at the windowe and brake hir necke notwithstanding bicause she was a Kings daughter he caused hir to be buryed Then he sent his letters to Samaria 10. cap. commaūding those which had the gouernance of Achabs seauentie sonnes
to kill them all and to bring their heades on the next morrowe to Iezrael And when they for feare had fulfilled his commaundement and brought their heades to him Iehu fell vpon the murtherers and slue them also And in the waye to Samaria he slue the brethren of Ahaziahu euen fortie and two which were going to visite Achabs sonnes Finally he trained all the Priests of Baal into the Temple of Baal and there slue them euery one conuerted the temple to a Iakes house And now when Iehu had left neyther Priest Kinseman nor any that fauoured Achab aliue the Lord for his well dooing made him this promise that his séede shoulde sit on the seate of Israel vntill the fourth generation But notwithstanding that Iehu had thus seuerely punished the vice of Idolatrie in Achabs posteritie yet he himselfe committed the same in worshipping the golden Calues and caused Israel to sinne as other before him had done He reygned .xxviij. yeares ¶ Iehu He himselfe or that which is Iudic. 11. cap. Iephtah was the sonne of Gilead base borne whose brethren which were legittimate thrust him out of their companie and so hated him that they coulde not suffer him to remayne among them wherfore Iephtah departed and fled into the lande of Tob where vnto him resorted all naughtie and light persons Nowe in the meane time that Iephtah was thus a straunger from his brethren the Ammonites made sore warre agaynst the Israelites so that they were in great ieoperdie and feare to be ouercome of them Then the Elders of Gilead considering Iephtah to be a strong and a valiant man went to Tob where he laye to intreate him to be their Captayne against the Ammonites Howe commeth thys quoth Iephtah that ye come to me in the time of your trouble did ye not hate me and * Often tymes those things which men reiect God chooseth to doe greater enterprises by expell me out of my fathers house Therefore sayde they are we turned to thée that thou mayest go with vs and be our heade and ruler But will ye promise nowe quoth Iephtah that when the Lorde shall deliuer the Ammonites into my hande ye will make me then your heade and gouernour They sayde yea And so he went with the Elders who brought him to Mizpa and being there made and confirmed their heade and Ruler he sent his messengers to the King of Ammon demauÌ„ding what cause he had to striue with Israel who answered and sayde Bicause they tooke away my countrie when they came from Egypt which if they will now restore agayne I will cease from warre Then Iephtah sent him worde agayne that Israel tooke not his lande from him but comming from Egypt and passing through the wildernesse euen to the redde Sea they remayned at Cades and sent to Sehon King of the Ammorites to suffer them quietlye to passe thorowe his Countrie And bicause he woulde not shewe them this kyndenesse the Lorde deliuered both him and his land into their hands and shall they dispossesse themselues of that which the Lord hath giuen them Nay not so Looke what people Chamos thy God driueth out that land possesse thou whatsoeuer nation the Lord our God expelleth that will we enioy Art thou better than Balac King of Moab did he not stryue with Israel and fight agaynst them all the whyle they laye in Hesbon and there about 300. yeares and why didst thou not recouer thy lande in all that space Thou doest mée wrong to warre against me for I haue not offended thée and therfore the Lorde be Iudge betwéene thée and me But when Iephtah perceyued the Ammonites not to regarde his words he prepared his armie to set vpon them And before his going made this vowe vnto the Lorde That if he did deliuer the Ammonites into his hande the first thing that met him out of his doores at his returne home againe shoulde be the Lordes and he woulde offer it vp vnto him for a burnt offering And when he had subdued the Ammonites and was comming homewarde to hys house the first thing that met him out at his doores was his owne daughter who for ioye of hir fathers victorie came against him with Timbrels and daunces Then Iephtah séeing his onely chylde come agaynst him with a companie of women after hir he rent his clothes and sayde Alas my daughter thou hast brought me lowe and art one of them that doe trouble mée for I haue opened my mouth vnto the Lorde and cannot go backe To whome she sayde Oh my father if thou hast promysed to the Lorde then forasmuch as the Lord hath auenged thée and giuen thée victorie ouer thine enimies doe with me according to thy promise But yet this one thing I shall desire of thée to spare me for two monthes that I may go downe to the Mountaynes and there with my my fellowes * For it was counted as a shame in Israel to dye without children bewayle my Virginitie Which done she returned to hir father who did with hir according as he had vowed vnto the Lorde After this the Ephraites fell at deâ—iance with Iephtah bicause he had not called them to take his part against the Ammonites and for this matter was a fielde pitched betwéene them and the Gileadites and a great battell foughten in the which the Ephraites were put to flight and séeking to haue escaped ouer Iordan the Gileadites had preuented them and stopped the passage that no Ephraite shoulde escape that way And to knowe who was an Ephraite and who was not the Gileadites vsed this policie if any preased to go euer the water they woulde bidde him say * Schibboleth signifieth the fall of waters or an eare of corne Schybboleth and as many as coulde not say Schibboleth they slue him for by that they knewe he was au Ephraite for the Ephraites coulde not sounde nor say Schibboleth but Sibboleth And so were slaine of the Ephraites that daye two and twentie thousande Iephtah vuled Israel vj. yeares and dyed ¶ Iephtah Opening Iere. 1. 2. Ieremy was the sonne of Helkia whome some thinke to be he that founde out the booke of the lawe and gaue it to Iosia He was borne in a citie called Anathoth Epiphanius wryteth that this Prophet Ieremy was slayne of hys people at a citie in Egipt called â—aphnis in the Countrie of Beniamin and by the commaundement of God began very yong to prophecie that is in the .xiij. yeare of Iosias and continued .xviij. yeares vnder the saide King and thrée monthes vnder Iehoahas and vnder Iehoakym .xi. yeares and thrée monthes vnder Iehoachin and vnder Zedekia .xi. yeares vnto the time they were caried away into Babilon So that the tyme amounteth to aboue fortie yeares beside the time that he prophecied after the captiuitie This storie is drawne out of Geneua in the Argument before the booke of Ieremie the Prophet ¶ Ieremy the Maiestie or highnesse of the Lorde Iudic. 6.
f. Ierobaal is a name which was giuen to Gedeon the sonne of Ioas after he had broken downe the aultar of Baal and cut downe all the Groue about it ¶ Ierobaal That which resisteth anydoll a destroyer of ydols Reade Gedeon Ieroboam was the sonne of * Some saye that Nebat and Semei whome Salomon put to death were one person of whose death Zarnah the mother of Ieroboam put him oft in remembrance Nebat and of the 3. Reg. 11. cap e. f. g. Tribe of Ephraim who being nourished and brought vp of Zarnah his mother in hir wyddowhed after the death of his father became King Salomons seruant and was made ouerséer of Salomons workes for the Tribe of Ephraim and Manasses And on a time as he walked abroade in the fielde alone the Prophet Ahia came to him and sayde that after the death of Salomon he shoulde reygne and be King ouer ten Tribes of Israel which wordes of the Prophet did so animate Ieroboam that he began to murmour against King Salomon his Mayster who therefore sought to kill him but Ieroboam fled into Egypt where he remayned with Sisah King of that Countrie vntill the death of Salomon Then being sent for he returned home againe and had so much fanour of the people that they all forsooke Roboam saue the Tribe of Iuda and Beniamin and made Ieroboam their king Who being surelye stablished in his kingdome began to thinke thus in his heart If this people go vp â–ª and doe sacrifice in the house of the Lorde at Ierusalem as they were woont to doe then shall their harts turne to Roboam and séeke to kill me Wherefore he by the aduise of his Counsell made two goldâ—n Calues and set the one vp at Dan and the other at Bethel perswading the people that they were the Goddes which brought them out of Egipt and therefore it shoulde not néede any more for them to go vp to Ierusalem and worship so farre of but shoulde doe it nearer hande and with lesse traueyle and paine And when he perceyued the people to incline to his purpose he made a Temple to builde hyll Aultars therein for ydolatrie and placed a sorte of ignorant ministers which were not of the sonnes of Leuye in Dan and Bethell to trayne vp the people in worshipping of these Calues And the more to stirre vp the peoples deuotion he commaunded a solemne offering to be made in the honor of these Calues the .xv. day of the eyght Moneth and the same yearely to be obserued in remembrance of this newe kynde of ydolatrie whych in continuaunce was so rooted in Israel that it coulde neuer be cleane extinguished till it had brought al Israel to vtter destruction Nowe as the King was standing beside 13. cap. the Aultar at Bethell doing of sacrifice there came a man of God which cryed out against the Aultar saying O Aultar Aultar Thus sayth the Lorde beholde a chylde shall be borne vnto the house of Dauid Iosia by name and vpon thée shall he offer the Priestes of the hyll Aultars that burne incense vpon thée and they shall burne mens bones vpon thée And this is the token that the Lorde hath spoken it Beholde the Aultar shall rent and the ashes that are vpon it shall fall out The King was so angry with this that he stretched out hys hande agaynst the Prophet commaunding to lay hands on him and by by the Kings hand was dried vp so that he could not pull it to him agayne the Aultar claue a sunder and the ashes fell out as the man of God had spoken The King séeing now Gods iudgement fallen vpon him humbled himselfe to the Prophet by whose intercession to God his hande was restored agayne Great and continuall 2. Par. 13. cap. warre was betwéene this King Roboam King of Iuda but this euer preuayled till Abia the sonne of Roboam reygned and then he lost as much honour and more than he wanne before He reygned twoo and twenty yeares and dyed leauing Nadab his sonne to succéede him Reade more of this King in the storie of Abia King of Iuda and in the storye of Ahiah the Prophet and of Baasa King of Israel 4. Reg. 14. f. g Ieroboam the sonne of Ioas King of Israel began his raygne in the .xv. yeare of Amaziahu King of Iuda and woorshipped the golden Calues which Ieroboam the sonne of Nebat had set vp as other dyd before him He was a great warryour and victorious He restored the coastes of Israel from the entring of Hemath vnto the Sea of the wildernesse according to Ionas Prophecie And was styrred vp of the Lorde to helpe Israel being excéedingly afflicted out of all their trouble He reygned xlj yeares and dyed leauing Zacharias his sonne to succéede him ¶ Ieroboam Increasing the people 3. Reg. 16. g. 19. a. Iesabel the daughter of Ethbaal King of the Sydonites was a wicked woman Shée entised and pricked forwarde Achab hir husbande to all kinde of Idolatry she slue the Prophets of the Lorde and persecuted Elia. She 21. cap. caused Naboth to be stoned to death that hir husbande might inioye his vyneyarde Finally as she laye at Iesrael and hearing of Iehu his comming she trimmed hir 4. Reg. 9. g. selfe in gorgious attire and lay looking out at a window and as he came in at the gate she sayde vnto him Had Zimri peace which slue his maister As who should say Can a Traytour or any that riseth agaynst his superiour haue good successe But for asmuch as this was euen Gods â–ª determinacion that she shoulde be destroyed shée was cast out at the windowe with such violence that she was dashed all to péeces and so betramped and trodden with the féete of horses that when they came to take hir vp to be buried they founde no more of hir saue the scull the féete and the palmes of hir handes And then was the Prophecie of Elia fulfilled which sayde In the fielde of Iesrael shall dogges eate the flesh of Iezabel and the carcasse of Iezabel shall lye as dung vpon the earth so that none shall saye this is Iezabel ¶ Iezabel an Ylande or an babitacion Luk. 2. cap. Iesus the sonne of God was borne of the Virgin Mary in Bethleem a citie of Iuda in the yeare after the Creacion of the worlde 3962. Lanquet whose byrth immediatly was honoured by the glorification of Angels the Agnition of Shepheards the veneracion of the wisemen and the Prophecies of holy Symeon and Anna. And at the age of .xij. yeares was had in admiracion among the Doctours in the Temple at Ierusalem where their parents founde hym and brought him to Narareth but what he dyd from that time foorth tyll he came to the age of thirtie yeares the Euaungelistes make no mention Hée was then Baptised of Iohn in Iordane And to witnesse â— cap. that he was the very Messias sent of God the holy Ghost descended downe from
by Dauids authoritie he fled to the Tabernacle of the Lorde out of the which he woulde not depart but catching holde on the * The holynesse of the place ought not to saue the wilfull murther Exo. 21. b. corners of the Aultar sayde he woulde euen in that place dye Then Salomon hearing thereof commaunded Banaihahu to go and kill him euen there for the bloude of Abner and Amasa which he had shed causelesse And so was Ioab slayne in the Tabernacle and caried out and buried in his owne house in the wildernesse ¶ Ioab willing â–ª or voluntarie Luk. 8. a. 24 a Ioanna the wyfe of Chusa Herodes Stewarde was a godly Woman and ministred vnto Christ of hir substance while he liued And after he had suffered his passion she went with other women to séeke him at hys Sepulchre And being tolde by the Aungels that he was not there returned to the Apostles to bring them tydings of his resurrection which séemed to them but feyned things and therefore beléeued them not ¶ Ioanna the grace of the Lorde or the Lordes gift or the Lordes mercy .6 Isachar onusto cur sim simulatus asello Inque manu signet quid ligo scire capis Finibus exiguis coÌ„tentus ferre lahores Me iuuat et collo non recusare iugum 4. Reg. 13. b. c. d. Ioas the sonne of Iehoahas began his reygne ouer Israel in the .xxxvij. yeare of Ioas King of Iuda and did euil in the sight of the Lord grieuing him with the sinnes of Ieroboam the sonne of Nebab Of the great victorie 2. Par. 25. c. f. g. the Lorde gaue Ioas against Amasiah King of Iuda reade his storie And howe he visited Elizeus the Prophete in his sicknesse reade the last ende of his story also This King reygned .xvi. yeares and dyed leauing Ieroboam his sonne to take his place Iob. 1. cap. Iob was a perfect iust man dwelling in the lande of Hus and one that feared God who gaue vnto him seauen sonnes and thrée daughters and also endued him with great riches His substance was .7000 shéepe .3000 Camels .500 yoake of Oxen 500. she Camels and a very great housholde So that he was one of the moste principall men among all them of the East Countrie He was so carefull ouer his sonnes least in their banketting they had committed some offence or bene vnthankfull to God in their heartes that he dayly woulde sanctifie them and offer for euerye one a burnt offering vnto the Lorde he was a man also replenished with such pacience that Sathan with all his temptacions coulde not mooue him out of the same for when worde was brought him how that the Sabes had taken away his Oxen and slayne his seruants and that the Lorde had consumed all his shéepe with fire and that the Chaldeys had taken away his Camels and howe that all his Children were slaine in their eldest brothers house which the lâ—ynde blewe downe vppon them he made no more a doe but said Naked came I cut of my mothers wombe and naked shall I returne agayne The Lorde gaue and the Lorde hath taken away euen as it hath pleased the Lorde so is it come to 2. cap. passe blessed be the name of the Lorde Also when Satan by the permission of God had plagued Iob with extreme sores euen from the sole of the foote to the crowne of his heade so that he sate vpon the grounde in dust and ashes scraping off the filth of his sores with a potsherde and being also inwardly afflicted with the sharpe temptacion of his wife which tempted him to blaspheme God he tooke all in good woorth reproouing his wife for hir foolishe talking for shall we quoth he receyue good at the hande of God and not receyue euill not so I am as well content to suffer this aduersitie sent of the Lorde as I was to receyue the prosperitie he gaue me before And so Iob continued in his perfitenesse and was at the last Iob. 42. c. d. restored to as manye children as he had before and to double riches He liued an hundred and fortie yeares and sawe his chylders chyldren to the fourth generation before he dyed ¶ Iob Sorrowfull or hated Iochebed was the daughter of Leuy and * She was Amrams fathers sister which kynde of mariage was after in the lawe forbidden Leuit 18. borne in Exod. 6. c. Num. 26. g. Egipt Hir husbandes name was Amram to whom she bare thrée children Aaron Moses and a daughter called Miriam ¶ Iochebed Glorious Iocsan was the sonne ‡ Gen. 25. a. of Abraham begotten of his wife Cetura his twoo children were called the one Seba and the other Dedan ¶ Iocsan Hardnesse or Offence Ioel the sonne of Phatuel was * Ioel. 1. 2. 3. cap. an holy Prophet and prophecied against the Iewes exhorting the Priests ‡ 1. Par. 1. c. to prayer and fasting for the misery that was comming at hande And giuing them warning of the comming and crueltie of their enimies mooued them to turne and conuert And last of all he setteth out the Iudgement of God against the enimies of his people ¶ Ioel willing or beginning Iere. 40. d. Iohanan the sonne of Cariah Prophecied to Gedaliah whom Nabuchodonosor King of Babilon had made gouernour ouer the people that he left at Ierusalem that Ismael the sonne of Nathaniah by the procurement of Baal King of the Ammonites shoulde kill hym which came so to passe in déede as ye shall reade in the storye of Gedaliah After whose death Iohanan with the reast of 41. ca. 42. ca. the Captaynes ouer the Iewes persecuted Ismael and recouered from him all the people which he had caryed awaye and put Ismael to flight Then Iohanan fearing the Chaldeys bicause of the death of Gedaliah consulted with the reast of the Captaynes and agréede to conueigh themselues all the people into Egipt and asked counsell of Ieremie the Prophete who had dwelt quietlye in the lande vnder Gedaliah whither it were best so to doe or no who made them aunswere that if they went into Egipt they shoulde perishe but if they taryed still in the lande God would surely so defende them that the Chaldeys 43. a. shoulde not hurt them yet they of a prowde minde despising the counsell of Ieremie and taking his wordes for lyes ledde the people awaye into Egipt to their vtter destruction Luke 1. cap. Iohn Baptist the sonne of Zacharye was sanctified in the wombe of Elizabeth his mother and ordayned of God to be an abstayner and to go before the Lord in the spirite and power of Helias to prepare his waye and make ready a perfect people vnto him thorowe preaching the amendement of life and baptizing in the water Luk. 3. a. b. c. d of repentaunce And was a man of so great perfection and holinesse of life that the people stoode in a doubt whither that he were
began his raigne ouer Israel after his brother Ahazia in the eyghtene * In the first Chapter of the fourth booke of Kings it is sayd that this man began his reygne in the seconde yeare of Ioram the sonne of Iosaphat whiche is thus to bee vnderstande Iosaphat going to battell agaynst the Sirians made his son Ioram King in the .xvii. yeare of his reygne and in the .xviii. yere which was the seconde yeare of hys sonne thys man began his reygne yeare of Iosaphat King of Iuda and wrought euill in the sight of the Lorde but not like vnto his father for he tooke away the Image of Baal which his father had made neuerthelesse he sacrificed to the golden Calues still which Ieroboam had made The King of Moab was woont yerely to render to the King of Israel an hundred thousand lambs and so many Rammes with the wooll bycause he now refused to pay this tribute to Ioram he warred agaynst him hauing to take his parte Iosaphat the King of Iuda and the King of Edom by whose helpe and chiefelye Eliseus reade the place in his storie he ouercame the Moabites Also the Sirians coulde lye no where but Ioram had knowledge by Eliseus who tolde him of all their secrete lurking places by which meanes Ioram euer saued him selfe Wherefore the King of Siria sent and bèsieged the towne rounde about where the Prophet Eliseus laye And as his seruaunt was going foorth in the morning about his maisters businesse and saw the towne so compassed with enimiâ—s he ranne ‡ 6. cap. in agayne crying Alas maister what shall we doe for the Sirians are come vpon vs Feare not quoth Eliseus for they that be with vs are me than they that be with them And by and by the eyes of his seruaunt were so opened that he saw the mounteynes lye full of horses and fyrie Charrettes to defende his maister And now when the SiriaÌ„s were come to Eliseus and thought themselues most surest of hym they were at his prayer smitten with such blindnesse that they coulde not knowe the Prophete when he spake vnto them saying that that was not the towne where the man laye which they sought but followe mée quoth he and I will bring you to the place where he is and so hée ledde them foorth and brought them into the Citie of Samaria where Ioram laye who séeing now his enimies to be in his daunger sayde to Eliseus Father shall I smite them No sayde he Smite those which thou takest with thine owne swoorde and bowe but rather set bread and water before them that they maye eate and drinke and so departe to their maister Then the King prepared a great refection for the Sirians and filled their bellyes well and sent them home againe for the which gentle intreatie of Ioram the King of Siria neuer troubled hym more After this when Benhadad King of Siria had besieged Samaria so long till women were constrayned to rate their owne children Ioram tooke such displeasure with Eliseus laying the cause vpon him that in his furye he sent to take away his heade Which thing being reuealed to the Prophet he sayde to his friends that were with him in his house Sée yée not how these murtherers sonne hath sent to take awaye my heade Take héede and be circumspect when the Messenger commeth and kéepe him at the dore for the sounde of his Maisters féete is behinde him which was euen so for the Kinges minde altered he followed the Messenger and came to the Prophet himselfe saying This euill is of the Lorde and what more shall I looke for of hym No more sayde the 4. Reg. 7. a. Prophet For to morow this tyme shall a bushell of fine flower be solde for a sicle and twoo bushels of Barley for another sicle in the gate of Samaria which came so to passe the next daye for the great hoste of the Sirians at the sounde of the féete of foure lepers were runne away and had left all their tentes behinde them Finally to fulfill 9. c. f. the worde of the Lorde concerning the destruction of Achabs posteritie Ioram was slayne with an arrowe â—hot of by Iehu and his bodie cast into a platte of ground that was Nabothes the Iesraelite after he had reygned twelue yeares 4. Reg. 8. d. Ioram the sonne of Iosaphat was twoo an thirtie 2. Par. 21. cap. yeare olde when he began to reygne ouer Iuda He maryed King Achabs daughter whose wicked steppes he followed He slue all his owne brethren with diuers of his nobles The Edomites which had béene subiect from Dauids tyme hitherto rebelled nowe agaynst Ioram Also Libna which was a certayne Citie in Iuda giuen to the Leuites Iosua â–ª 21. b. woulde no more be vnder his hande bycause he had forsaken the Lord God of their Fathers The Prophetes letter Finally the Prophet Eliseus to admonishe him of his wickednesse wrote to Ioram on this wise The Lorde sayth bycause thou hast not walked in the wayes of Iosaphat thy father nor in the wayes of Asa thy Graundfather but in the wayes of the Kinges of Israel and hast made Iuda to go a whoring after the house of Achab and hast also slayne thy brethren euen thy fathers house who were better men than thy selfe Therefore with a great plague will the Lorde smite thy folke thy children thy wyues and all thy goodes And thou shalt be diseased in thy bowels which day by daye shall fall out of thy bodie And so the Lord styrred vp agaynst Ioram the Philistines the Arabians with the blacke Moores which wasted his Countrey and caryed awaye his substaunce his wyues and al his sonnes saue Ahaziahu the yoongest and smote him with an incurable disease in his bowels which helde hâ—m two yeares till all his gutts fell out and so died after he had reygned eyght yeares ¶ Ioram the bighnesse of the Lorde Filius accrescens aspectu pulcher Ioseph Faemineo e turri conuitio petâ—â—â—â— Inuideam mihi cotraxit mea uita pudica Quodque manus leuibê° sit mihi proÌ„â—â—â— Gen. 30. d. 37. cap. Ioseph the sonne of Iacob and Rachel was in hys youth of his father aboue all other beloued in so much that he made him a coate of many colours But his brethren hated him bicause his dreames signified vnto them that he should be Lorde ouer them all and they his seruantes And being at the age of .xvij. yeares he was sent to them with victualles where they laye with their shéepe at Dothan who seeing him come a farre of began to deryde and mocke him saying Beholde where the Dreamer commeth and counsayled togithers to kyll him but Ruben the eldest brother woulde not consent to that Wherfore at his comming they stripped him out of his coate and cast him into an emptie pit And as certaine Ismaelites passed by they solde Ioseph to them for twentie pence of siluer and tooke his Coate and dipt it in Goates bloude and had
it home to their father bearing him in hande they had founde it by the waye Then Iacob séeing his sonnes coate cryed out and rent his garments for sorrowe thinking surely that wylde beastes had deuoured and torne Ioseph in péeces But he being safe and sound caried into Egipt was there solde againe 39. cap. to a certayne great Lorde of King Pharaos Court named Putiphar and became so lucky a man with him by Gods prouidence that his Mayster made him chiefe ruler ouer all his house And so continued in great fauour with his Lorde vntill his Maisters wyfe began to cast hir loue vpon him and woulde haue had him to lye with hir Then Ioseph to dysswade hys Mystresse from hir inordinate loue sayde Beholde my Mayster knoweth not what he hath in the house wyth mée but hath committed all thynges hée hath into my handes There is no man greater in this house than I neyther hath he kept anye thing from mée saue onely thée bycause thou art his wife How then can I doe this great wickednesse and so sinne against God And thus he put hir of and shunned hir companie from that day foorth asmuch as he coulde possible doe But one daye as Ioseph entered into the house to doe hys businesse and finding his Mystresse there by chaunce alone she caught him by the cloake to haue him sléepe with hir which he denyed and woulde not consent to hir minde and when he sawe hir so importune vpon him that he could not honestly part from hir he wounde himselfe out of his garment and so departed Then she called to hir men declaring to them that Ioseph woulde haue rauished hir and when I began to crie quoth she he left his garment behinde him for haste and ranne awaye which tale being tolde to Putiphar at his comming home Ioseph was cast in prison where by Gods prouision he founde such fauour with the kéeper that he committed all thinges vnder his hande to doe whatsoeuer he woulde Now in this prison where Ioseph Gen. 40. cap. was laye twoo of King Pharaos officers The one his chiefe Baker and the other his Butler Which two men chaunced to dreame both in one night and telling their dreames to Ioseph he tolde the Butlar that within thâ—ée dayes he shoulde be restored to his office againe but the Baker should be hanged Wherefore he desired the Butler to thinke vpon him to the King when he was restored who notwithstanding forgot Ioseph neuer remembred 41. cap. him till twoo yeares after that Pharao the King chaunced to haue certayne dreames which none could be found to tel him the meaning therof and then the Butler calling Ioseph to remembrance tolde the King al things of him who being sent for and come to the King he opened the dreames declaring to Pharao the seuen plentifull yeres that were to come and the seuen barren hard yeares which shoulde ensue and consume the aboundance of the yeares procéeding Then the King perceyuing Ioseph to be a man endued with wisedome and knowledge made him Regent of his Realme and called him the Sauiour of the worlde for by his polityke prouision Egipt was relieued in the harde and deare yeares and the King greatly enriched At this time was Ioseph about the age of thirtie yeares and tooke to wyfe Asnath the daughter of Putiphar Priest of On and had by hir twoo sonnes Manasses and Ephraim Nowe when the time of dearth was come all landes being sore oppressed with famine sent into Egipt for Corne among the which Iacob sent ten of his sonnes who at their comming before Ioseph 42. cap â–ª their brother and gouernour of Egipt fell downe flat before him Then Ioseph beholding his brethren whome he knew very wel but they not him demaunded straunglye from whencé they came They sayde from the lande of Canaan Then Ioseph remembring his dreames spake roughly to them sayde they were spyes Nay my Lord quoth they we are all one mans sonnes and meane truely Nay nay quoth he your comming is for none other purpose but to spie out the lande where it is moste weakest Truely my Lord quoth they we are no Spies we are twelue brethren the sonnes of one man and the yoongest this daye remayneth with our Father and one no man woteth where he is Then I will prooue you quoth he whither yée meane truely or no let one of you go fetch your yoongest brother hither for by the lyfe of Pharao yée shall not depart till I sée him and so kept them in warde thrée dayes And then considering with himselfe he agréed they shoulde all go home agayne with foode to their Father saue one which shoulde remayne bounde for the reast tyll they had brought their other brother And at their going awaye commaunded euerye mans sacke to be filled with Corne euery mans money to be put into the sackâ—s mouth and so departed leauing Simeon behinde them in pledge for them all Now being Gen. 43. returned againe with Beniamin their yoongest brother they were all had into Iosephs house and most gently entertayned And when Ioseph came in and saw all his brethren he demaunded saying Is your Father the olde man of whome yée tolde mée in good health and yet aliue Yea quoth they thy seruaunt is in good health and mery And is this your yongest brother of whom yée tolde mée God be mercifull vnto thée my sonne quoth he and with that his heart began so to melt that he hasted into his Chamber and wept And comming foorth againe with a cherefull countenaunce he went to dinner with his brethren commaunding ech one to be set downe in order according to their ages whereat his brethren within themselues marueyled And during the time of refection he rewarded euery one from his messe but most of all Beniamin And when he had thus feasted his brethren so long 44. cap. as pleased him the night before their departing he commaunded their sackes to be filled with Corne and euerye mans money put into his sackes mouth as before and his siluer cup into Beniamins sacke And in the morning as they were departed a little out of the Citie a messenger ouertooke them saying Wherefore haue ye rewarded euill for good Is not that the cuppe in the which my Lorde drincketh and in the which he doth Prophecie Yée haue done euill in so dooing The men hearing this were marueylously astonyed denying vtterlye that they neuer thought no such déede against their Lord but when their sackes were searched and the Cup founde Then they rent their clothes and yéelded themselues and returned with the Messenger to the gouernours house agayne and comming before him he looked angerlye on them saying What an vnkinde déede is this yée haue done Knowe yée not that such a man as I can diuine and Prophecie And nowe when the men had made the best excuse they coulde make Ioseph could no longer refrayne Gen. 45. but with wéeping teares sayde to
them all shoulde sée that good lande but Iosua and Caleb After Iosua 1. cap. the death of Moses the Lorde encouraged Iosua to inuade the lande of promise and gaue him commaundement to exercise himselfe continually in reading the booke of the Lawe called Deuteronomie Which he dulye obserued and read it to the people that they thereby might the better learne to looue and feare God and to obey him the Lordes minister â–ª He destroyed the Citie of Iericho onely reseruing Raab and hir housholde He brent the Citie of Hai and hanged the fiue Kings of the Amorites on fiue trées at whose discomfiting it rayned stones from heauen by the which mo were slayne than with the sworde and the Sunne also stoode still in his place and prolonged the day till Iosua had vtterly discomfited his enimies He slue in all first and last .xxxj. Kings and brought the children of Israel into the lande of promission and deuided the lande to the Tribes of Israel He dyed at the age of an hundred and ten yeres in whose steade Iuda was made gouernour of the Lordes armie ¶ Iosua the Lorde Sauiour Gen. 21. a. Isaac was the sonne of Abraham by his wyfe Sara and a figure of Christ for when his father went to 22. cap. * Some say that Isaac was sacrificed of his father in the xiii yeare of his age but Iosephus affirmeth it to be done in the xxv yeare offer him vp in sacrifice and comming to the Aultar and place where he shoulde dye he willingly offered himselfe to death that his father might in him fulfill the Lordes will. But being preserued of God till he came to the age of fortie yeares he then tooke to wyfe Rebecca 25. c. the daughter of Bathuel his fathers brother who being long barren at the last by the pleasure of God brought forth Esau and Iacob at one birth After this there fell 26. cap. such a dearth and famine in his countrie that he departed into the lande of the Philistines where Abimelech was king And as he remayned in Gerar the Lorde appeared to Isaac bidding him to remayne still in that place and not to remooue into Egypt and he would multiply his sede as the Starres of heauen and bring it so to passe that all Nations of the earth shoulde be blessed therein And so Isaac remooued not But for so much as he doubted of the feare of God to be in that place he durst not auouche Rebecca to be his wyfe but sayde she was his sister Reade the storie of Abimelech King of the Philistines for the playner declaration of this matter And now whyle Isaac remayned in the Countrie of Gerar God so encreased him with abundance of cattell and ryches that the Philistynes began to enuie and hate hym and stopped all the Welles which his father Abraham had made that he shoulde haue no commoditie thereby But notwithstanding he digged vp the Welles againe and called them by the same names that his father had giuen them before and became so mightie that Abimelech made a bonde with Isaac who feasted the King and departed friendes Finally with age he became blinde 27. a. and so was deceyued in giuing his blessing to Iacob which he thought to haue first bestowed on Esau but both by the will of God â—eing blessed of their father Isaac he fell sicke and dyed at the age of an hundred and lxxx yeres and was buried in Hebron ¶ Isaac Laughter 2. Reg. 2. c. Isboseth the sonne of King Saul at the age of fortie yeares began his reygne ouer Israel Whose onely 4. cap. staye and vpholder of his Kingdome was Abner after whose death two of his owne Captaynes slue Isboseth by treason in his owne house after he had reygned twoo yeares Reade the storie of Baanah ¶ Isboseth a man of sbame .4 Felix ante alios fratres ego dicor Iuda Non mihi uerba pater inuidiosa dedit Sed me uictorem dixit forteque Leonem Hostes qui superet viribus ecce suos ¶ Of Ismael the sonne of Nathaniah which slue Gedaliah reade the storie of Iohanan and Gedaliah both 2. Reg. 15. d. Ithai was a Gethite borne and bare such loue to Dauid that he left his owne Countrey to come and sée Lyra sayeth that Ithai was the son of Achis king of Geth him and the fashion of his Court and as he continued there and sawe into what daunger Absalom had brought his father Dauid eyther to flie his Realme or to haue lost all he woulde take no part with Absalom but followed Dauid and left him not in this extremitie And when Dauid sawe him he sayd vnto him why commest thou with me Ithai returne I pray thée and bide with the King for thou art a straunger and come but yesterdaye and therefore I woulde be loth to disquiete thée Therefore returne and cary againe thy brethren and the Lorde shall she we thée mercie and truth Nay sayde Ithai as truly as God liueth and my Lorde the King lyueth in what place my Lorde the King shall be whether in lyfe or death euen there also will thy seruant be And so he went forwarde with Dauid and had rule ouer the thirde part of Dauids hoste in the suppression of Absalom ¶ Ithai Strong Gen. 29. d. 37. f. Iuda was the fourth sonne of Iacob Lea who would not consent to the death of Ioseph his brother but gaue counsell to sell him saying What shall it auayle vs my brethren to sley our brother and to kéepe hys bloude secrete let vs sell him to the Ismaâ—lites and not lay our handes vpon him for he is our fleshe and bloude â–ª After this he departed from his brethren to a place called 38. cap. Odollam where he remayned with a friende of hys called Hyra and in processe fell in loue with a mannes daughter called Sua a Canaanite borne and marryed hir who in time brought him forth thrée Sonnes The first Er The seconde Onan and the thirde Sela. The two first one after another he married to a certaine woman called Thamar but for their horrible sinne and wickednesse the Lorde slue them both Then Iuda fearing to marrye the thirde sonne vnto hir least he shoulde dye also sayde to his daughter in lawe remayne a Wydow at thy fathers house till Sela my sonne be growen she did so during which time the daughter of Sua dyed and Iuda became a wydower Nowe when the dayes of mourning were ended he went to a place called Thymnah taking his friende Hyra with him to sée his shéepe shearers Then Thamar hearing thereof and séeing Sela not giuen hir in marriage layde awaye hir Wydowes garment and disguising hir selfe lyke a common harlot went and sate hir downe in an open place by the hye wayes side going to Thymnah And as Iuda passed that way and sawe one sit muffled like an whore went vnto hir and sayde Come I pray thée let
foorth to pray And as Holofernes laye stretched along vpon his bed ouercome with Wyne Iudith stoode by his beddes syde and prayed on this wise O Lorde God of all power strengthen me and haue respect vnto the workes of my handes in this houre that thou mayst set vp thy citie of Ierusalem like as thou hast promised O graunt that by thée I may performe the thing which I haue deuised and so tooke downe his swoorde and holding him fast by the heaire of his head sayde Strengthen mée O Lorde God of Israel in this houre and with that smote off his head and rolled the deade bodye asyde and got hir foorth to hir mayde and put the headde in hir Wallet went foorth togithers as though they had gone as their custome was to praye And so passing by the hoste and comming nyghe to the Citie of Bethulia she called to the watchmen to open the gate for God is with vs quoth she and hath shewed his power in Israel And when the gates were set open the people receyued hir yoong and olde with such ioye as neuer the lyke was séene Then sayde Iudith Oh prayse yée the Lorde and giue thankes vnto our God which hath not taken away his mercy from the house of Israel but hath destroyed our enimies this night by my hande And beholde here his head whome the Lorde hath slayne by mée his minister and returned his handmayde without any reproche of vylanie wherefore giue praise and thanks to our God ▪ whose mercye endureth for euer Nowe take the head and hange it vpon the hyest place of your walles and in the morning when the Sunne appeareth go foorth with your weapons like valiaunt men and make as though yée woulde set vpon your enimies who will then prepare them to Armour But when they shall go to rayse vp their Captayne and finde hym without a heade there will such a fearefulnesse fall vpon them that euery man will séeke to saue himselfe by flying then doe yée followe them without all care for God hath deliuered them into your handes And so the Israelites followed the Assirians which kept no order and siue them downe right And when they had slayne all their enimies and gathered vp the spoyle they gaue the Tent of Holofernes and all that belonged to hym vnto Iudith by whome God had so mightyly wrought their deliueraunce had hir in great honour all the dayes of hir lyfe who at the age of an hundred and fiue yeares dyed and was most honorably buryed in Bethulia beside hir husbande ¶ Iudith he that prayseth or confesseth Gen. 26. g. ¶ Iudith the daughter of Bery an Hethite was wyfe to Esau the sonne of Isaac Act. 1. 7. a. Iulius was an vnder Captaine of the bande of Augustus to whome Paule with other prisoners were committed to be caryed to Rome and of him gentlye intreated ¶ Iulius Downe or downie and full of fine beares K. KEdorlaomor was King of Elam Who with thrée Kings mo that tooke his part fought with the King of Sodome and the King of Gomorra and other thrée on their parties which fiue kings had ben .xij. yeres in subiection vnder him in the valley of Siddim put them to flight and spoiled the cities of Sodome and Gomorra where they founde Lot Abrahams brothers sonne and caried him away with all the goodes of Sodome and Gomorra which goodes with Lot also were recouered againe by Abraham Ketura was Abrahams wyfe who bare vnto hym sixe sonnes L. LAban the sonne of Bethuel called also Nahor Abrahams brother had two daughters the one named Lea and the other Rachel which two he marryed to Iacob his sisters Sonne as in the storie of Iacob is at large set forth Lamech the sonne of Mathuselah came of the generation of Cain and was the first man that tooke him two Wyues whereby the lawfull institution of mariage which is that twoo shoulde be one fleshe was first in him corrupted His twoo wyues were called Ada Zilla By Ada he had twoo sonnes Iubal and Tubal By Zilla one sonne called Tubalcain and a daughter called Noema He siue Cain but not willingly and tolde his wiues saying I haue slaine a man vnto the wounding of my selfe and a yoong man vnto mine owne punishment If Cain shall be auenged seauen folde truely Lamech seauentie times seauen folde When Lamech had liued 182. yeres he begotte a sonne and called his name Noe of whome he prophecied saying This shall comfort vs from the workes and labours of our handes in the earth which the Lord hath cursed He liued 777. yeres and dyed Lazarus was a certaine man dwelling in the towne of Bethania which towne pertayned to him and his sisters called Martha and Marie Magdalene And being sicke on a time his sister Marie sent vnto Iesus saying Oh Lorde beholde he whome thou loouest is sicke At whose request Iesus when he sawe his time tooke his iourney into Iewrie to visite his friende Lazarus who was deade and buried foure dayes before his comming Then Iesus who was not ignorant of that which was done went to his graue wherein they had layde him and sayde Lazarus come forth And forthwithall he came out of his graue bounde hande and foote with his graue clothes vpon him and a napkin bounde about his face who being vntyed came forth of his clothes as whole and as lustie as euer he was in all his lyfe For the which myracle the Iewes sought not onely how they might put Iesus to death but Lazarus also vppon whome the myracle was done bicause that for his sake manye of the Iewes went awaye and beléeued on Iesus After this about a sixe dayes before the feast of Easter came Iesus to Bethania againe where they had prepared him a supper at the which Martha serued him but Lazarus sate at the Table with him as other did Lazarus the poore begger which laye at the great mans gate full of botches and sores euen ready to die for hunger coulde not be relieued with so much as one crum of the scrappes which fell from the rich mannes boorde when he made his earnest peticion for them where as the dogs were fed with great lumpes cantels of good bread yea he found more fauour and gentlenesse with the dogs than with the rich man For where as the rich glutton would refresh the poore begger with nothing of all his delicious and sumptuous fare yet the hungry dogges came and licked his sores But when it chaunced this begger to die he was caried by the Angels into Abrahams bosome And contrarywise the rich man then dying also being sumptuouslye buried was caryed into hell where in his torments he lifted vp his eies saw Abraham a farre of Lazarus in his bosome vnto whom he cryed saying O father Abraham haue mercy vpon me and send Lazarus hither that he may but dip the top
of Israel but forget them and put them cleane out of remembraunce Lornhama not obtayning Mercy S LVCAS EVANGELISTA Acta Apost Cap. 9. SAVLE SAVLE QVID ME PERSEQVERIS DOMINE QVID ME VIS FACERE ET DOMINâ— IHS Collo 4. d. Luke was a Phisition borne in the citie of Antioche 2. Tim. 4. c. and became Saint Pauls Disciple and companion in all Luke liued 84. yeares and was buried at Constautinople his traueyles He wrote the volume of his Gospell as he had learned of Paule and of the other Apostles as he reporteth himselfe in the beginning of the same worke saying As they haue deliuered them to vs which from the beginning saw them with their eyes and were ministers of the thinges that they declared But the volume called the Actes of the Apostles he composed as he had séene the story whereof came euen to Paules tyme being and tarying twoo yeares at Rome where the woorke was finished ¶ Luke his Resurrection M. MAacha the daughter of Thalmar king of Gessur was King Dauids wyfe and mother to Absalom Maacha the daughter of Absalom was wyfe to Roboam and Mother to Abia which Abia his father Roboam ordayned to raigne after hym for the loue that he bare to Maacha his mother aboue all the reast of his wyues â–ª Reade the storye of Asa Machabeus was the thirde sonne of Mathathias and after his fathers death he was made Ruler ouer the Iewes Who in the defence of the holye lawes fought most manfully against Goddes enimies during his lyfe Machir was the sonne of Amiel of Lodebar and a great friende to Miphiboseth the sonne of Ionathas who kept him in his house tyll King Dauid sent for hym to his preferment Manahen the Sonne of Eady besieged Sallum King of Israel in Samaria and slue him whose Kingdome he possessed and began his raygne in the nyne and thirtie yeare of Azariahu King of Iuda And because the Citie of Tiphsah woulde not receyue him as there he destroyed the Citie and all that was within it And for this great wickednesse and tyrannie God styrred vp Phul King of Assiria agaynst him vnto whom Manahen gaue a thousande Talents of siluer to breake vp his warres which money he exacted of his people taking of euerye man of substannce fiftie Sicles He raygned ten yeares leauing Pekahia his sonne to succéede him Manahen which was brought vp of a Childe with Herode and his playsere at the last forsooke him and followed Christ Manasses the sonne of Hezekia was twelue yeare olde when he began his raygne ouer Iuda and wrought much euill before the Lorde For he buylt vp the hye places agayne which his father had destroyed He erected vp Altars for Baal and made Groues as Achab dyd and woorshipped all the hoste of heauen and serued them He offered his children in fire as the maner of the Gentyles was and gaue himselfe to witchcraft and Sorcerye and fauoured Soothsayers and such as vsed familiar spirits He set the Image of the groue in the house where the Lorde sayde he woulde put his name for euer Ouer and beyonde all these euils he shed so much innocent bloude that all Ierusalem was replenished from corner to corner wrought more wickednesse than dyd all the Amorites Wherefore the Lorde gaue hym ouer into the handes of the King of Assiria who tooke Manasses and bounde him with twoo cheynes and caryed him to Babilon Where at the last he so humbled him selfe to the Lorde that he had compassion vpon hym and restored him to his Kingdome agayne Who after that became a good man and put downe all such abhominacions as he before had mayntayned and reygned fiue an fiftie yeres leauing Amon his sonne to succéede Mardocheus the sonne of Iair was a Iew borne dwelling in the Citie of Susan and one of them which were caryed away from Ierusalem with Iechonia King of Iuda by Nabuchodonosor into Babilon This man had a fayre Damosell in his house named Hester his vncles daughter whose Father and Mother being dead he brought vp as his owne daughter so long till at last for hir bewtie fayrenesse she was taken vp by the Kinges commission with other mo had to the Court there to be brought vp at the Kings charges in an house appointed for that purpose the King had called them for And euery day would Mardocheus walke before the womens house to he are and know how Hester dyd what should become of hir whose lotte in processe was to be made Quéene in the steade of Vasthi late deposed And on a time as Mardocheus sate in the Kings gate he heard an ynckling of certaine treason conspired against the Kings owne person by twoo of his pryuie Chamber Bigthan and There 's which treason he caused Hester to open vnto the King and to certifie his grace thereof in his name Vpon whose certification inquirie being made founde true the conspiratours were put to death and the matter Registred in Chronicle for a remembrance of their acte After this bycause Mardocheus would doe no reuerence to Haman both he and the Iewes shoulde all haue béene slayne in one daye Whereof Mardocheus hauing knowledge he rent his clothes and put on mourning apparell and so ranne thorow the Citie of Susan where their destruction was denised Crying out vntill he came to the Kinges gate where he might not be suffered to enter in that araye Then Hester hearing thereof was sore astonished and sent him other rayment to put on But he refusing the rayment declared vnto the messenger the whole effect of Hamans commission and working and tooke him a Copye of the same to giue to Ester charging hir to go vnto the King for the lyues and â—afegarde of hir people For who can tell quoth he whither God hath called hir to the Kingdome for that purpose or no it may be that he hath And therefore if she nowe holde hir peace the Iewes shall haue helpe from some other place and so shall she hir fathers house be vtterly destroyed And so whyle Ester went about the deliueraunce of the Iewes Mardocheus was exalted into the Kings fauour to the great reioysing of all the Iewes whose wealth he sought so long as he lyued Reade the story of Ester and Haman Marie the Virgin and mother of God whose parentes are not expressed in Scripture was affianced to a certaine good man of hir owne stocke and Tribe which was of Iuda named Ioseph And before she came to dwell with him the Angell Gabriel being sent of God came and saluted hir saying Hayle full of grace the Lorde is with thée blessed art thou among women The Virgin séeing the Angel was sore abashed at his words and mused much in hir mynde what salutation that shoulde be Then sayde the Angell feare not Mary for thou hast founde fauour with God for lo
But when Menelaus was come to the King he so craftily handled the matter with flatterie and fayre promises that he both defrauded the King of his money and Iason of his office which when he had obtained returned with an hye stomacke more lyke a cruell tyrant and the wrath of a wylde brute beast than any thing that beséemed a Priest But when the King had knowledge of all his deceyte and falshoode he discharged him agayne putting Lysimachus hys brother in hys roume Then Menelaus being thus thrust out of office wayted hys tyme to be reuenged And when he had spyed the King about his weightie affayres as in the suppression of certayne Kebels leauing Andronicus behinde him to be his Lieutenaunt and supposing then to haue a conuenient tyme he went and stole out of the Temple certayne vessels of golde and gaue them to Andronicus And after he had made him his assured friende he ministred such wicked counsell both to Andronicus and Lysimachus his brother that the one murdred Onias and the other spoiled and robbed the â–ª Temple of god Wherfore the King at his returne againe caused Andronicus to be put to death and the other the people furiouslye fell vpon him and killed him And forsomuch as Menelaus â–ª was greatlye suspected to be the chiefe causer of all this murther a Court was called and many sore complaintes layde against him Then Menelaus perceyuing himselfe in the Kings displeasure and daunger of his lawes went to Ptolomie one of the thrée Ambassadours and with money made him his friende who went to the King and so laboured the matter that he brought Menelaus into such fauour with the King againe that he was quite â–ª discharged from all accusations and his accusers condemned to death Thus thorow couetous Magistrates Menelaus remayned still in authoritie Being nowe more malicious vnto the Iewes his owne nation than euer he was As it appeared afterwarde what time as he ayded Antiochus and was his guyde to the spoyling of the Temple But at the last his falshoode came to a foule ende for Lysias which was Lorde Steward to Antiochus and chiefe Ruler of all his matters so enformed the King of his vngraciousnesse that he commaunded â–ª Menelaus who had done so much mischiefe against the Aultar of God whose fire and ashes were holy to be cast into a tower of fiftie cubites hye heaped vp with ashes and so miserably ended his lyfe Merob was the eldest Daughter of King Saule who promised hir in mariage to Dauid But or the time came that Dauid shoulde enioy hir Saule gaue hir to an other man named Adriel by whome she conceyued and bare him fiue sonnes 4. Reg. 3. cap. Mesa the King of Moab was a great Lord of shéepe And where as the Moabites had of long time payed tribute vnto the Kings of Israel euery yeare one hundred thousand Lambes with so many Rammes or Wethers in the Wooll with their fléece vpon their backes Thys King woulde paye none to Ioram the sonne of Achab for the which Ioram made warre agaynst him and ouercame him ¶ Mesa Health or the water of health or looking vpon the water Iudic. 17. cap. Micah was a certaine man dwelling in Mounte Ephraim whose mother made him an Idoll of siluer which he set vp in the house of his goddes and made an Ephod and consecrated one of his owne sonnes to be his Priestes and so continued vntill it chaunced a yong Leuite to come from Bethleem Iuda to séeke seruice Which Leuite Micah hyred for tenne siluerlings by the yeare two garments and meate and drinke And when he had hyred the Leuite he was glad saying Nowe am I sure that God will looue me séeing I haue a Leuite to my Priest At this time the Tribe of Dan forasmuch 18. cap. as the portion which Iosua gaue them was not sufficient for all their Tribe went to seeke them a place to dwell in And as they were going to the Citie of Lays they came by the house of Micah And being enformed by those men whome they had sent before to spye out the lande howe there was in the house of Micah a grauen and a molten Image they turned in thither and saluted him peaceably but at their departing they tooke hys Idols against the Leuites will perswading him that it was not so good to be a Priest vnto the house of one man as it was to be a Priest vnto a whole Tribe or kinred in Israel and so tooke him away with them also And being gone Micah made a great outcrie and followed after the children of Dan with all the power he coulde make to rescue his goddes but being perswaded to be content and to get him home least a woorse thing did happen he then perceyuing he was not able to make his partie good returned backe againe Reade the Storie of Dan. ¶ Micah who lyke our God or pouertie or the lowlynesse of the Lorde or the Lorde striking Michael the sonne of Israhia ¶ Michael who is 1. Par. 7. â— lyke the Lorde Dan. 10. c. Michael one of the chiefe Princes that was sent to comfort Daniel Iude. Michael the Archaungell which stroue agaynst the Deuill and disputed about the body of Moses Apoc. 12. b. Michael and his Aungels that fought agaynst the Dragon 3. Reg. 22. ca. Micheas the sonne of Imla was a Prophete in This was not that prophete that wrote the booke of prophecies but another of that name the dayes of King Achab and â–ª for bicause he woulde not flatter the King as the foure hundred false Prophetes had done but prophecied plainly of the Kings death he was smitten and cast in prison ¶ Micheas Poore or lowe and base 1. Reg. 18. â— f. g. Michol was the seconde daughter of King Saule whome he gaue to Dauid to be his wyfe that she might be a snare to bring him into the hands of the â–ª Philistines But Michol loued Dauid so well â–ª that he coulde not haue 19. c. his purpose that waye For when he sent men to watche his house and to sley him Michol tolde â–ª Dauid â–ª saying Except thou saue thy selfe this night to morrowe thou wilt be slayne wherefore to saue the lyfe of Dauid she let him downe at a backewindowe and layed an Image in his bedde â–ª with a pillow vnder his heade stuffed with Goates heaire and couered it with a cloth And when the men came into the house in the morning and asked for Dauid Michol sayde he was sicke â–ª The Messengers then thinking to haue caryed hym bedde and all to the King as he had commaunded went into Dauids chamber and when they came there and founde nothing else in the bedde but a blocke they were ashamed and so returned to Saule and tolde hym Thon Michâ—â— being demaunded wherefore she had so derided hym and sent his enimie awaye made hir excuse that if she had not let hym go he woulde haue
wherby he euer after had impediment in his tongue Lanquet sauing in his speache he had an impediment And when he was full fourtie yeare olde it came in his heart to go and visite his brethren the children of Israel whome Pharao vexed without all measure And as he saw an Egiptian smyting an Hebrue he slue the Egiptian and hid him in the sande The next day he went agayne and founde twoo Israelites striuing togithers and demaunded of him that had done the wrong wherefore he smote his fellowe who made thée a Iudge quoth he or a Ruler ouer vs Thinkest thou to kill mée as thou dydst the Egiptian yesterdaye Then Moses perceyuing his fact to be knowne for sooke to be the sonne of the daughter of Pharao and fled into the lande of Madian where he was receyued into the house of Iethro who gaue to him in mariage his daughter Ziphora by whome in processe he had twoo sonnes And when he had continued with Iethro his father in lawe fourtie yeres and kept his shéepe the Lorde appeared to him in the wyldernesse of Synay out of a bushe which séemed to be all on fyre and there gaue hym authoritie to go into Egipt to deliuer his people out of the bondage of Pharao Who at last after dyuers myracles doone by hym in the sight of Pharao for the confirmation of hys Authoritie brought them thorowe the redde Sea and deliuered them quite out of bondage Thus was Moses whome they had before refused both their Deliuerer and Ruler He was a man full of méekenesse he lyued one hundred twentie yeres and was buryed by Angles in the lande of Moab whose Sepulchre was neuer knowne ¶ Moses drawne vp N. NAaman Captayne of the hoste of the King of Siria was a mightie man and honorable in the sight of his Lorde bicause that by him the Lorde had deliuered the Sirians He was also a valiant man and expert in warres but was a Leper Wherefore the King of Siria being enformed that there was a Prophet in Samaria that coulde heale his seruant Naaman of his leprosie sent him to Ioram King of Israel with his letter conteyning this tenor Nowe when this letter is come vnto thée vnderstande that I haue sent thée Naaman my seruaunt that thou mayest heale him of his Leprosie And when the King had redde the letter he rent his clothes saying Am I a God to kill and to giue lyfe that he sendeth to me that I shoulde heale a man of his leprosie Consider I pray you howe he séeketh a quarrell against me The Prophet hearing of this sent to the King to sende Naaman vnto him And when he was come to the house of Elizeus and stoode at the doore the prophet sent him worde and bade him go washe him scauen times in Iordan and he shoulde be whole Then Naaman departed in displesaure saying I thought with my self he will surely come out and stand and call on the name of the Lorde his God and put his hande on the place and heale the leprosie Are not Abana and Pharphar riuers of Damascus better than all the waters of Israel may I not as well washe me in them and be clensed Then one of his seruantes sayde father if the Prophete had commaunded thée to doe a great thing wouldest thou not haue done it how muche rather then when he sayth to thée washe and be cleane And so at his seruantes perswasion he went to Iordan and washed him seauen times as the Prophete had commaunded and being whole he returned to the Prophet and gaue thankes vnto God saying Nowe I knowe that there is no God in all the worlde but in Israel And so making promise he woulde neuer offer sacrifice nor offering to any other God saue vnto the Lorde God of Israel he returned home into his Countrey agayne Nabal was a great riche man but of churlishe nature and frowarde condicion As he lay in Carmel in the time of his shéepe shearing Dauid sent certaine of hys men desiring Nabal to helpe him now in his great necessitie with some of his victuals whatsoeuer he woulde and he woulde requite him at one tyme or other But he not regarding their message made them this churlishe answere againe who is Dauid or who is the sonne of Isai There be many seruants nowe a dayes that breake away from their maisters shall I then take awaye my breade and my water and my fleshe which I haue killed for my shéerers and giue it vnto men whom I know not whence they be And so with this answere the messengers departed Reade the storie of Abigail for the reast of his life Naboth was a certaine rich man and a Iesrahelite borne whose Vineyarde lay ioyning harde by the palace of Achab King of Israel which Vineyarde the King woulde fayne haue bought and giuen him as much for it as the grounde was woorth But Naboth consideryng it was his fathers inheritaunce and that he had no néede to sell it woulde in no wise graunt therevnto Wherefore the King being heauie and sadde went home to hys house and sayde him downe vpon his bed so waywarde that he coulde neyther eate nor drinke Then came Iezabel his wyfe and demaunded why he was so sadde who tolde hir it was for Nabothes Vineyarde which he had denyed him What quoth she doest thou gouerne the kingdome of Israel vp and eate thy meat and set thine heart at rest and I will giue thée the Vineyarde And so she wrote a letter in Achabs name sealed with the kings Signet and sent it to the Elders of the Citie where Naboth dwelt commaunding them to proclayme a fast and ser Naboth among the chiefest of the people and to bring two false witnesses against him which should saye he had blasphéemed God and the King and then to put him to death And so all thinges were done according to the tenor of Iezabels letter and Naboth caryed out of the Citie and stoned Nabuchodonosor was King of Babilon And by the occasion of his great and woonderfull dominion fell into such pryde that he woulde haue hys Image honoured for god But shortlye after he sawe the vision of the falling trée whereby he was warned of hys fall and sodaynly by the power of God transformed and turned into a beastly fury lyuing in the woodes among beastes eating hearbes and grasse for the space of seauen yeares Finally God of his mercy restored hym agayne to his prestyne forme who afterwarde lyued well and commaunded that the very God of heauen shoulde be honoured of all men and whosoeuer refused so to doe shoulde dye Nadab the sonne of Ieroboam began to raygne ouer Israel in the seconde yeare of Asa King of Iuda and walked in all the wicked steppes of his father And in the seconde yeare of his raygne as he was laying siege to a Citie of the Philistins called Gibbethon Eaasa conspired agaynst hym and slue him Taking
agyanst Moses thinking to haue wonne his spurres in reuenging his neighbours quarell But when it came to triall he spedde no better than his neighbour had done before him Onan was the seconde Sonne of Iuda who after the death of Er his eldest brother was maryed to Thamar his brothers wife to styrre vp séede vnto his brother But when he perceyued that the séede shoulde be none of his he practised such wickednesse that the vengeaunce of God fell vpon him and siue hym Onesimus being in seruice with Philemon lyke an vnfaythfull seruaunt robbed his mayster and ranne away from him to Rome Where by hearing of Paule who at that time was in bondes he receyued the Doctrine of the Gospell and serued Paule in Prison and became so faithfull a souldiour of Christ that Paule sent him with Tichicus to the Collossians with his Epistle commending him vnto them on this wise And with Tichicus I haue sent Onesimus a faythfull and beloued brother which is one of you Finallye he sent him home to his mayster agayne beséeching Philemon not to receyue him now as a seruaunt but more than a seruaunt euen as a faythfull brother as his owne sonne whome he had in his bandes begotten to Christ offering himselfe suertye to make good whatsoeuer hurt he had done him in tyme past Onesiphorus was a faythfull godly man a great refresher of suche as were in bondes for the doctrine of Christ as Saint Paule doth testifie of him saying The Lorde giue mercy vnto the householde of Onesiphorus for he oft refreshed mée and was not ashamed of my chayne But when he was at Rome he sought mée out very diligently and founde mée The Lorde graunt vnto him that he may finde mercye with the Lorde at that daye and in howe many thinges he ministered vnto mée at Ephesus thou knowest very well O Tymothy Onias the hye Priest among the Iewes was a man of such godlynesse and holinesse of lyfe that he alwayes sought the honour of the lawes and wealth of the people of god By his prayer that wicked man Heliodorus was restored to his health but notwithstanding all his vertue and goodnesse yet had he enimies For Symon a man voyde of all godlinesse neuer ceased withall slaunderous and euill reportes that he coulde deuise to Seleucus the King to bring him out of fauour which he coulde neuer doe so long as the King lyued But Seleucus being dead Onias was soone put out of office by the false deceyt and meanes of his owne brother Iason and brought in such feare thorow him and Menelaus with other his enimies that he was fayne to take sanctuary Where at the last by the counsell of Menelaus he was without all regarde of righteousnesse most trayterously slayne by the hands of Andronicus whose innocent death was so sore lamented both of the Iewes and also of Antiochus the King himselfe that at his comming home hée rewarded the malefactor according to his dédes Ooliab the sonne of Achisamec of the Tribe of Dan was a Craftes man whome the Lorde had endued with great cunning and appointed him to Moses for one of the chiefe workemen for the finishing of the Temple Oreb and Zeb were two great Captaynes among the Madianites whome the men of Mount Ephraim which had stopped the waters from Bethbarath to Iordane tooke and smote of their heades and sent them to Gedeon on the other side of Iordan Ornan was a certayne Iebusite vnto whome the Lorde commaunded Dauid after he had plagued hym with pestilence to go and reare vp an Aultar in his threshing floure At whose comming Ornan fell downe before hym and sayde Wherefore is my Lorde the King come to his seruaunt I am come quoth he to buye thy threshing floure and to make an Aultar vnto the Lorde that the plague maye cease from the people Ornan Let my Lorde the King take and offer what séemeth him good in his eyes And moreouer here be Oxen for burnt sacrifice and sleades with other instruments for woodde take them all to thée as thine owne Dauid sayde Naye not so but I will buye it for sufficient money for I will not take that which is thine for the Lorde nor offer burnt offerings without cost And so Dauid gaue Ornan for that place Sixe hundred sicles of golde by waight Orpha and Ruth were twoo Damosels of the countrey of Moab which were maryed to the twoo sonnes of Elimelech and Naomy straungers come out of the Lande of Iuda there to dwell Reade the Story of Naomy for the reast Osias the sonne of Micha of the Tribe of Symeon was one of the principall Fathers and Rulers among the Israelites what tyme as Holofernes besieged the Citie of Bethulia This man comforted Achior which had so boldlye magnified praysed the great power and strength of God before Holofernes and tooke him into his house where he made hym a great Supper to the which he called the Elders who altogithers praysed God in him Also when the people came wéeping and crying out ▪ vnto hym to giue ouer the Citie into the handes of the Assirians he sayde vnto them Oh take good hearts vnto you deare brethren and be of good cheare and let vs wayte yet these fiue dayes for mercye of the Lorde peraduenture he shall put away his indignacion and giue glorie vnto his name But if he helpe vs not after these fiue daies be past we shall doe as ye haue sayde which counsell of Osias pleased not Iudith bycause he had set the mercye of God a tyme and appointed hym a daye at his pleasure So that after this Osias remayned in prayer and followed the deuise of Iudith in all things Othoniel was the sonne of Kenes vnto whom Caleb his elder brother gaue Acsah his daughter to wyfe for winning of a certayne Citie called Kariath Sepher This man deliuered the children of Israel from the Captiuitie of Chusan Kisathaim king of Mesopotamia which had oppressed them eyght yeares and Iudged Israel fourtie yeares P. CONVERSIO SAVLI Io. Sadeley sculpt C. M. Cum priuil 1580 F. Pourbus inven Saulus Tharsensis ex itinere diuinitus prostratus Damascum Ananiae in disciplinam tradendus ducitur An. ' ab Ascenss XI II. Illustri ac Generoso D. D. Ottoni Henrico Comiti à Suuartzenberg Et̄ Sa. Cae. M. t is Consiliario supremo ausae Mareschallo Sculptor obser ergó d. d. Pekahia the sonne of Menahen began his reigne ouer Israel in the fiftie yeare of the reigne of Azaria king of Iuda and departed not from the sinnes of Ieroboam but walked therein as his father did before him He had not reygned two yeares or that Pekak his owne Captaine rose against him and slue him in Samaria and reygned in his steade Pekah the sonne of Remaliahin began his reygne ouer Israel in the .lij. yeare of Azaria King of
Iuda This man slue Pekahia his owne Lorde and so vsurped the Crowne He kept the wayes of Ieroboam as his Predecessors did He made warre against Iuda and slue of them in one day sixe hundred thousande and tooke twoo hundred thousande of women sonnes and daughters prisoners and caried them awaye to Samaria purposing to haue kept them in bondage and slauerye all their lyfe long But being admonished by Oded the Prophete he newe arayed them and sent them home agayne After this God stirred vp Thiglah King of Assiria agaynst him which came and dispossessed him of all the lande of Nephtalim and caried away his people Finally Hosea the sonne of Ela conspired against Pekah and slue him after he had reygned twentie yeares and was King after him Peleg was the sonne of Eber of the generation of Sem. His brothers name was Iocktan At the age of thirtie yeares he begot Rew and lyued after that twoo hundred and nyne yeares In this mans dayes was the lande deuided by reason of the diuersitie of language which happened at the buylding of Babell Persis was a man singularlye beloued of S. Paule for his diligence in setting foorth the Gospell as doth appeare by his woordes saying Salute the welbeloued Persis which laboured much in the Lorde Peter otherwise called Symon the sonne of Ionas dwelt in the Citie of Bethsaida and from a Fisher man was called to be an Apostle into whose house Christ vouchedsafe to come and heale his wiues mother of hir feuer Peter was of that audacitie and boldnesse that he went vppon the water which was to great an enterprise for hym to performe without the helpe of Christ his mayster who séeing hym thorowe weakenesse of fayth in daunger of drowning saued him Agayne when Christ dyd shew vnto his Disciples how that he must go to Ierusalem and suffer many things of the Elders and of the Priestes and Scribes and be put to death and the thyrde daye ryse agayne which thing he spake to plucke out of their hearts that false opinion they had of his temporall Kingdome Peter tooke him asyde and began to rebuke hym saying Mayster looke to thy selfe this shall not be vnto thée with whose rashe zeale Christ was so offended that he called him Sathan laying to his charge that he fauoured not the thinges that were of God but of men Also when Peter sawe Christ being transfigured talke with Moses Elias he was so rauished with that sight that he sayde vnto him Lorde here is good being for vs If thou wilt let vs make here thrée Tabernacles One for thée and one for Moses and one for Elias Furthermore when Christ sayde vnto his Disciples the night he knew he shoulde be apprehended that all they shoulde be offended bicause of him Peter trusting to much to his owne strength sayde Though all men be offended bycause of thée yet will not I forsake thée Naye I will suffer death rather than I will denye thée And to performe this promise when Iudas came with a multitude of the hygh Priestes seruaunts with swoordes and staues to take Christ Peter drewe out his swoorde and smote off the eare of one of the hygh Priestes seruauntes For whose foolishe hardynesse Christ rebuked him sharplye and bade him put vp his swoorde Then Peter séeing his mayster ledde awaye and all his fellowes fled and gone woulde not séeme vtterly to forsake his mayster but followed a farre off at length in the darcke as vnknowne entered into the Court of Caiphas And sitting among the ministers warming him by the fyre a wenche came to him and sayde arâ— not thou one of this mannes Disciplâ—s No sayde he Yes but thou arte quoth an other for I dyd sée thée with him in the Garden Peter denyed agayne saying that he dyd not know him Then certayne which stoode by knowing Peter sayde surely thou arte one of them for thy speach doth bewray thée Then began Peter to cursse and banne swearing and denying that euer he knewe hym And immediatelye the Cocke dyd crowe Peter nowe remembring the wordes of Christe which had sayde vnto him that before the Cocke dyd crowe he shoulde denye him thrise was touched with inwarde repentaunce and went out and wept bitterly And after he had lost the presence of his mayster he went to his olde occupasion of fishing agayne And as he with other his companions had laboured all the long night in vayne and were comming to lande Iesus which stoode on the shore asked if they had any meate who not knowing what he was sayde they had none Then cast out your Net quoth he on the right side of the Ship and yée shall spéede and so they cast out their net and were not able to drawe it to lande agayne for the multitude of fishes that were caught in it And as Peter was haling vp the net and heard Iohn say it was Iesus which stoode vpon the shore he left the net and sprange into the Sea to Iesus This is that Peter vppon whose confession Christ when Peter acknowledged him to be the sonne of the liuing God â—yd buylde his Congregacion Finally to stablish Peter in the office of an Apostle Christ commaunded him earnestlye thrée times to féede his shéepe Giuing him also forewarning of his death Phaltiel the sonne of Lays would not séeme to disobey the will of King Saule when of hatered he had taken his daughter Mychol from Dauid and gaue hir to him but thankefully receyued hir and gentlye entertayned Michol so long as the King hir Father lyued who being dead then Dauid required to haue his wyfe Michol agayne And at the daye of hir deliueraunce to Abner to be restored to Dauid he brought hir on the waye and came behinde hir wéeping till they came to a place called Bahurim And there at Abners commaundement he returned home agayne Pharao There be diuers Kinges of this name expressed in Scripture What time as Abraham came into Egipt with Sara his wyfe who was reported to Pharao to be a woman of an excellent bewtie hée tooke hir home to his house and gentlye entertayned the woman without any spot of dishonestie and also entreated Abraham well for hir sake But when he perceyued that God had plagued his house for kéeping the woman from hir husbande he called Abraham vnto him and sayde Why haste thou done this vnto mée Wherefore dyddest thou not tell mée that she was thy wyfe Why saydest thou she is my sister that I shoulde take hir to be my wyfe Nowe therefore beholde thy wyfe take hir and go thy waye and gaue a commaundement that no man shoulde hurt them eyther in person or goodes An other Pharao there was that delyuered Ioseph out of Prison to expounde his dreames And for the excellent wisedome and knowledge that he sawe to be in Ioseph he made hym Ruler and Gouernour of all the lande of Egipt and shewed
brought his daughter into hir Chamber and sayde Be of good chere my daughter the Lorde of heauen giue thée ioy for the heauinesse that thou hast suffered and so went to rest Then in the morning about the Cocke crowing Raguel supposing all things to haue happened to Toby as it did to the other seauen before called vp his men and went and made ready his graue which being done he bade his wyfe sende one of hir Maydens to looke if Toby were dead that he might burye him before day light And when it was tolde him they were both sounde and fast a sléepe he praysed God and caused his men to fill vp the graue agayne and made a great feast to all his neighbours and friendes And gaue to Toby the halfe of all his goodes and made him a sure writing for the other halfe that remayned to be his also after his death And at the daye of their departure deliuered the goodes taking his leaue sayde The holy Angell of the Lord be with you in your iourney and bring you forth safe and sounde that ye may finde all things in good case with your Elders and that mine eyes my sée your Children before I dye and so kissed them and let them go Rathumus with other Officers vnder Artaxerses King of Persia writeth vnto him agaynst the Iewes on this wyse Sir thy seruaunts Rathumus the story writer Sabellius the Scribe with other Iudges of the Court in Celosiria and Phinehes Be it knowne and manifested to our Lorde the King that the Iewes which are come vp from you to vs into the rebellious and wicked Citie beginne to buylde it agayne and the Walles about it and to set vp the Temple a newe Nowe if this citie and the Walles thereof be set vp agayne they shall not onely refuse to giue Tributs and Taxes but also rebell vtterly agaynst the king And for so much as they take this in hande nowe about the Temple we thought it not méete to passe ouer such a thing but to shew it vnto our Lorde the king And to certifie him thereof To the intent that if it might please the King to cause it to be sought in the bookes of old and thou shalt finde such warning written and shalt vnderstande that this Citie hath alwayes béene rebellious and disobedient that it hath subdued Kinges and Cities and that the Iewes which dwelt therein hath euer béene a rebellious obstinate vnfaythfull and fighting people for the which cause this Citie is wasted Wherefore nowe we certifye our Lorde the King that if this Citie be buylded and occupyed agayne and the Walles thereof set vp a newe thou canst haue no passage into Celosiria and Phenices And when Rathumus and the other had receyued the Kinges aunswere they got them to Ierusalem with an hoste of men and made the Iewes cease from their buylding which was not begun agayne vntill the seconde yeare of King Darius Rebecca was the daughter of Bathuel and sister to Laban As she went on a tyme with a pitcher vpon hir heade to the common Well without the Citie to draw water it chaunced Abrahams seruaunt to stande by the Well with ten Camels lying there about And when the Mayde had filled hir pot and set it vpon hir head readye to go awaye the man desired to drinke a little of hir water who foorthwithall set downe hir pot and gaue him drincke And when he had droncken she powred out the reast into the water trough and ran againe to the Well drew water for his Camels vntill they had all droncken their fill Then the man in hope the Lorde had made his iourney prosperous tooke out a Golden earing and twoo bracelets of Golde and gaue them to the Mayde demaunding whose daughter she was I am quoth she the daughter of Bathuel the Sonne of Milca which she bare vnto Nahor Then tell mée I praye thée is there rowme in thy fathers house for vs to lodge in Yea quoth she there is both rowme and lodging and also litter and prouander ynough for your beastes Blessed be God quoth he that hath delt so mercyfullye with my Mayster and hath brought me the right way to my maysters brothers house Then Rebecca hearing him speake of hir fathers brother ranne home and tolde all thinges what the man had sayde And as Laban behelde his sister and sawe the earyngs and bracelets vpon hir handes he ranne out to the man with gentle entertaynement brought him into the house and sawe his Camels drest and prouided for also set meate before him to eate But the man woulde not eate before he had declared the cause wherefore hys mayster had sent him which being done and his request graunted he eate made mery and taryed all night And on the morrow as the man made haste to go his way the Damosell was called foorth to know whither she woulde go with the man or no and being content to go with the man he woulde not tarye but tooke the Mayde and had hir to Isaac his maysters sonne whose wyfe she became And being twentie yeares without a Childe at last she conceyued with twoo and when she felt them striue within hir wombe she made hir mone to God saying Séeing it is so why am I thus with childe God made hir answere saying There are twoo maner of people in thy wombe two Nacions shal be deuided out of thy bowels And the one Nacion shal be mightier than the other And the elder shal be seruaunt to the yoonger And so when hir tyme was come to be delyuered she brought foorth twoo twynnes the one named Esau and the other Iacob Which twoo became mightie men but Rebecca looued Iacob better then Esau and to preferre hym before the other she sayde Heare mée my sonne Iacob I haue hearde thy Father saye to thy brother go and kyll some Venison and make mée meate thereof that I may eate and blesse thée before the Lorde afore I dye Now therefore my Sonne heare my voyce in that which I commaunde thée Get thée to the flocke and bring mée thence two good kyddes that I may make meate of them for thy father such as he loueth and thou shalt bring it hym to eate that he may blesse thée before his death Then sayde Iacob My brother Esau is a rough man and if my father shall happen to féele mée I shall séeme vnto him as I went about to deceyue him and so shall I bring a curse vpon mée not a blessing Well sayde Rebecca vpon mée be thy cursse my sonne onely heare my voyce and go and fetche me them And when he had brought the Kyddes and that she had drest the meate and made it readye she fette out certayne rayment of Esaus and put it vpon Iacob and couered his hands and the smoothe of his necke with Goate shinnes and put the meate in his hande to cary to his Father by which policie of Rebecca Iacob had his brothers
This man in whose fielde thou hast leysed all this whyle is our nyghe Kinsman therefore doe nowe by my counsell This night he wynoweth Barley in the barne washe thy selfe therefore and annoynt thée and put thy rayment vpon thée and get thée to the Barne and kéepe thy selfe close vntill he haue left eating and drincking And when he goeth to sléepe marke the place where he layeth him downe And when he is a sléepe go and lyft vp the clothes softly at his féete and lye thée downe and he shall tell thée what thou shalt doe So when Ruth had doone all thinges according to hir Mother in lawes teaching Boos about midnight waked out of his sléepe and féeling one lye at his féete was afrayde and groping with hys hande he asked who it was I am Ruth quoth she thine handmayde spreade therefore the winge of thy garment ouer thine handemayden for thou arte next of my kinne Nowe blessed arte thou quoth Boos for thou hast shewed more goodnesse in the latter ende than at the beginning inasmuch as thou followedest not yoong men were they poore or riche And nowe my daughter feare not I will doe vnto thée all that thou requyrest For thou arte well knowne to be a woman of vertue Howbeit there is one néerer of kinne to thée than I if he will do the kinsman part vnto hée well let him doe it If he will not then will I. And so in the morning he gaue hir so much corne as she could carye home And shortly after she became his wyfe and in processe brought him foorth a sonne called Obed which was the father of Isai the father of Dauid Reade the story of Boos and Naomy SAdoch the sonne of Ahitob was father to Sallum and Ahimaas and one of the Priestes that gouerned the Arke of God which he caryed out of Ierusalem with Dauid what time as he sled from his sonne Absalom And when Zadock had brought the king ouer the brooke Kidron he desired him to returne againe with the Arke into the citie that from him Abiathar he might haue worde of all things that Absalom and Achitophell determined against hym And so he returned with the Arke to Ierusalem and there remained Dauids faythfull man in all thinges that he had commaunded him And when he had knowledge of Absaloms ouerthrowe he then exhorted all Israel and Iuda to remember the kyndenesse of Dauid their soueraigne Lorde and King who had so many times deliuered them out of the handes of their enimies that now like true faythfull and obedient subiects they woulde fâ—t him home againe restore him to his kingdome By whose godly exhortacion the heartes of all Iuda were bowed to Dauid euen as the heart of one man This Sadoch was euer a faythfull Priest and neuer swarued from Dauid For in the ende when Adoniah tooke vppon him to reygne as King his father Dauid being olde and alyue Zadock consented not vnto him but according to Dauids will and commaundement annoynted Salomon King who afterwarde promoted him into the roume of Abiathar which had the hye Priestes office Sallum the sonne of Iabes conspired against Zacharia and slue him and reygned in his steade In the xxxix yeare of Azaria King of Iuda began Sallum hys reigne ouer Israel and had not reygned one noneth but Menahen rose vp against him and slue him in Samaria and reygned in his steade Salmanasar King of Assiria came in the seuenth yeare of Hosea King of Israel and besieged Samaria and in the thirde yeare which was the ninth yere of Hosea he wanne it and tooke Hosea prisoner and caryed him away into Assiria Salomon the sonne of Bethsabe was ordeyned to reygne after his father Dauid â–ª and annoynted King ouer Israel by Sadock the Priest and Nathan the Prophet Who being stablished in his kingdome began to minister Iustice first vpon Adoniah his brother which had aspired to the Kingdome Secondlye vppon Ioab which had slayne Abner and Amasa and conspired with Adoniah Thirdly vpon Semei which had curssed Dauid his father This King was so dearelye belooued of God that in a dreame he appeared to him and bade him aske whatsoeuer he woulde and he shoulde haue it Then Salomon considering in himselfe that he was but yong and that being called to the office of a King howe harde a thing it was to gouerne the whole multitude of the people well desired of God to giue him an vnderstanding heart to iudge the people and to discerne betwéene good and euill Which thing pleased the Lorde so well that he gaue him not onely a wyse and an vnderstanding heart but also riches and honour wherein he excelled all other Kings that euer were before or after him And that he passed all men in wisedome and vnderstanding doth manifestly appeare by the wyse sentence he gaue vppon the liuing chylde that the two Harlots stroue for before him And also by his thrée thousande Parables and his thousande and fiftie songes wherein were declared such wise and graue sentences that all the worlde hearing thereof came to sée his presence and to heare his wysedome which did so farre excéede the wisedome of Ethan Heman Chalcal and Darda foure of the notablest men then liuing in all the worlde that they fell a woondering and sayde that the great fame that was bruted of hys wisedome and royaltie before they came forth was nothing to be compared with that they had now both heard and séene And as he did excéede all men in wisedome so he did all other in riches For he had .xij. Officers which prouided victualles for his housholde euerye moneth in a yeare And his ordinary expences euery day was thirtye quarters of Manchet floure and sixtie quarters of meale ten stalled Oxen and twentie out of the pasture and an hundred shéepe beside Hartes Buckes wylde Goates Capons and Fowles He had fortie thousande horses and .xij. thousande horsemen to kéepe them The weight of golde that came euery yere out of Ophir to Salomon was sixe hundreth thrée score and sixe talents of golde beside that which Merchantes and other men brought him Whereof he had so great abundance that he made the furniture of the Lordes Temple all of cleane golde Yea there was not so much as a drinking pot in all his owne house but it was of golde And as for Siluer he made it as plentye as stones in the streate But notwithstanding all this his wisedome and riches which God had giuen hym yet at the last he fell to louing of outlandishe women contrary to the lawe of Moses whereof he tooke so many that he had seauen hundreth Quéenes and thrée hundreth Concubines which turned his heart to strange goddes and made him of a wyse king a starcke foole and great Idolater for the which his horrible offence he lost the fauour of god And when hée had raygned fourtie yeares he dyed
13. g. ¶ Simon the Tanner with whom saint Peter hosted many a day Act. 9. g. 10. a. ¶ Simon surnamed Niger which was one of the Prophetes and teachers in the Congregation at Antioche Act. 13. a. ¶ Simon the Cananite surnamed Zelotes and one of the twelue Math. 10. a. Luke 6. c. Sintiches was a certayne Christian brother to whome Paule sent salutacions from Rome exhorting him and Euodias to be of one accorde in the Lorde Sisennes the vnder shirife in Siria and Phenices with other heade Rulers there went to Zorobabel and his Companions the Iewes which were come by Darius licence to builde the house of the Lorde at Ierusalem agayne and demaunded who had giuen them such commaundement And when they saw the Iewes would not cease then he with others sent their letters of complaint to Darius the King to knowe his pleasure And when they had receyued the Kings aunswere Sisennes with all the reast of the Rulers obeyed the Kinges commaundement and helped the Iewes with all diligence to builde the sanctuaire agayne and so the woorke went foorth and prospered Sisach King of Egypt came to Ierusalem in the fift yere of the reigne of Roboam with twelue hundred Charets and thréescore thousande horsemen and people innumerable and spoyled the Temple of the Lorde and the Kings house and tooke away all the treasure in both with the shieldes of gold which Salomon had made and so departed Sisera was the generall Captaine of King Iabyns hoste And trusting in the great strength of his Chariots of yron which were nyne hundred and power of his men he went against the children of Israel thinking to haue cuerrunne them all But God so wrought with the holye Prophetesse Debora and wyth Barach hir Captayne that they destroyed his Chariots with all his host So that Sisera himselfe was fayne to flie on foote And comming by the tent of Heber for there was peace betwéene King Iabin and the house of Heber he turned in And being sore a thirst he desired Iael the wyfe of Heber to giue him some drinke and she brought a bottell of milke and gaue it him to drinke and when he had drunke and was layde downe to take his rest he sayde to Iael Goe I praye thée stande in the Tent doore And when any doth come to enquire of thée if there be any man here say nay And so thinking he had béene safe ynough tooke his rest and fell a sléepe Then Iael with a nayle which shée droue into his heade slue him Soby the sonne of Nahas out of Rabba the Citie of the children of Ammon and Machir the sonne of Ammiel out of Lodebar and Berzelai the Gileadite out of Rogel what time as Dauid lay with his people in the wildernesse of Mahanaim hungrye wearye and thirstye brought vnto him bedding Wheate Barley with all other necessaries to ease and refreshe Dauid and hys men in that time of aduersitie Sostenes of whome saint Paule maketh mention in his first Epistle to the Corinthians first Chapter was the chiefe Ruler of the sinagoge in the Citie of Achaia agaynst whome the Gréekes had such indignation for taking Paules part agaynst the Iewes that they fell vpon him before the Iudges féete where Gallio the Lorde Deputie sate and smote him And Gallio not passing thereof let them alone and woulde not meddle luyth the matter Stachis to whome Paule in his letter of commendations sendeth gréeting saying salute Vrban our helper in Christ and Stachis my beloued Stephana was a faythfull louer of Christ and hys doctryne in whose commendation Paule to the Corinthians wryteth thus Brethren ye knowe the house of Stephana and of Fortunatus and Achaicus howe that they are the first fruites of Achaia And that they haue appoynted themselues to mynister vnto the sayntes I beséech you that ye be obedient vnto such and to all that helpe labour I am glad of the comming of Stephana and Fortunatus and Achaicus for that which was lacking vnto me on your part they haue supplyed For they haue comforted my spirite and yours Looke therefore that ye knowe them that are such Steuen a man full of fayth and of the holy ghost was one of the seauen Deacons chosen in the congregation to make prouision for the poore which did greate woonders and myracles amonge the people Against whome arose certayne of the Sinagoge which were called Libertines Cirenites and of Alexandria Cilisia and Asia which disputed with him And when they could not resist his wisedome and the spirit of God wherewith he spake they accused him of blasphemie agaynst God and Moses and brought him before the Counsell wyth their false witnesses ready which sayde we hearde this fellowe speake blasphemous wordes against this holye place and Lawe saying that Iesus of Nazareth shoulde destroy this place and chaunge the ordinaunces which Moses gaue vs And all the Counsell looked stedfastly vppon him and sawe his face as it had bene the face of an Angell Then Steuen for as much as he was accused to be a denyer of God made an earnest aunswere vnto hys accusation in the ende whereof the Counsell waxed so angry against him that their hearts claue a sunder and gnashed on him with their téeth But he being full of the holy ghost looked stedfastly vp with his eies into heauen and sawe the glorye of God and Iesus standing at the right hande of God and sayde Beholde I sée heauen open and the sonne of man standing on the râ—ght hande of God with the which the people gaue a grâ—at shoute and stopped their eares and ranne vpon him all at once and caryed him out of the Citie to put him to death And as they stoned him he sayde Lord Iesu receyue my spirite And knéeling downe cryed with a lowde voyce Lorde lay not this sinne vnto their charge And so fell a sléepe in the Lorde Susanna the daughter of Helchia was a verye fayre woman giuen to all vertue and godlinesse Hir husbandes name was Ioachim a man of great reputacion among the Iewes In the first yeare that Susanna was maryed there were twoo Iudges made which resorted much to Ioachyms house and all such as had anye thing to doe in the lawe came thither vnto them These twoo Iudges being wicked men were so wounded with the loue of Susanna and burned so in lust with hir that they coulde not tell what to doe But neyther durst tell the other his griefe nor yet for shame vtter their inordinate lust vnto hir And so on a daye when they had sit long in Ioachyms hâ—use about matters of the lawe and wayted for to haue their purpose on Susanna and coulde not they brake vp and went home to dinner And at their returne agayne togithers the one brake to the other their whole mindes and appointed a tyme when they might take hir alone And when they had spyed oute a conuenient tyme that Susanna went into
And when his course came to burne incense euening morning according to the lawe he went into the Temple And as he was in prayer an Angell appeared vnto him saying Feare not Zachary for thy prayer is hearde And thy wyfe Elizabeth shall beare thée a sonne and thou shalt call his name Iohn c. Whereby sayde Zachary shall I knowe this for I am olde and my wyfe olde also I am Gabriel quoth the Aungell which am sent vnto thée to shew thée these glad tydinges And beholde thou shalt be dumme and not able to speake vntill the day that these things be performed And so Zachary remayned speachelesse vntill the tyme came that his wyfe brought him foorth a sonne And when the childe shoulde be circumcised great controuersie was there about his name Some woulde haue him called Zachary some by one name some by an other and his mother woulde haue him called Iohn but to that woulde none agrée bycause there was none of the kinred so named Then they made signes to Zachary how he woulde haue his sonne called And he calling by signes for writing tables wrote therein His name is Iohn Whereat they all marueyled And immediatly the mouth of Zacharye was opened so that he spake and sayde Praysed be the Lorde God of Israel for he hath visited and redéemed his people c. Zacharia the sonne of Ieroboam King of Israel began his raygne in the eyght and thirtie yeare of Azaria King of Iuda and walked in the sinnes of Ieroboam the sonne of Nebat as dyd other before hym Hée had not raygned sixe monthes or that Sallum conspired against him and slue him euen in the face of the people raigned in his steade This Zacharia was the fourth and the last King of the generacion of Iehu which the Lord had promised shoulde sit on his seate after hym when he sayde Thy children vnto the fourth generacion after thée shall sit on the seate of Israel Zarah was one of the twoo twynnes which Thamar bare vnto Iuda at one birth who proffering to come forth before his brother put foorth his hande when the Mydwyfe had knit a redde thréede about it he pluckt in hys hande agayne and than his brother came out first whom they called Phares and than he with the redde thréede about his hande whome they called Zarah Zacharia the sonne of Iehoiada was an holye Prophet And when he sawe Ioas King of Iuda whome his father had trayned from his youth vp in the feare of god with all his people declined from the Lorde to the woorshipping of Idols and woulde not heare the Lordes admonicion sent by his prophets to call them home againe he stoode vp before the people sayde Why transgresse yée the commaundementes of the Lorde surelye it shall not prosper bycause yée haue forsaken the Lorde he also hath forsaken you For the which the King not regarding the kindnesse of Iehoiada his Father commaunded the people to stone him to death in the court of the house of the Lorde And as he suffered his martyrdome he desired the Lorde to reuenge his death and to requyre his bloude at their handes Zachy was a Publican and chiefe receyuer of the Kinges Tribute among them He was a very lowe man of stature And being much desirous to sée Iesus what maner a man he shoulde be made great meanes to sée him And when he sawe the prease so great that he coulde not he ranne before knowing which waye he woulde come and clymed vp into a wilde Figge trée And when Iesus saw him in the trée he sayde Zachy come downe at once for to day I must abyde at thy house And Zachy came downe receyued him ioyfully And shewing foorth the true fruites of repentaunce sayde Beholde Lorde the halfe of my goodes I giue to the poore and if I haue done any man wrong I restore him foure folde To whome Iesus sayde agayne This daye is saluacion come to this house forasmuch as thou art also become the sonne of Abraham Zaruia was Dauids sister Hir thrée Sonnes were Ioab Abisai and Asael Zedekia the fourth sonne of Iosia was one twentie yeare olde when Nabuchodonosor made him King of Iuda in the steade of Ieoacin his brothers sonne And made him take an othe of the Lorde faythfullye and truelye to serue the Chaldeis in token whereof hée chaunged hys name from Mathania to Zedekia This King suffered sinne and wickednesse so much to raygne in his lande as well among the heade rulers and Priestes as among the common sorte that God was forgotten his worde despised and his Prophets misused Wherefore the Lord styrred vp the Chaldeis with whom he had broke his league which came and destroyed the Citie of Ierusalem and the holy Temple of God with fyre as the Prophet Ieremie had sayde and tooke Zedekia the King his army being dispersed abrode in the playne of Iericho and brought him to the King of Babilon who first destroyed both his sonnes before his face and then pulled out the eyes of Zedekia and so caryed him to Babylon bounde with twoo chaynes where he dyed his people remayning in bondage vntill the dayes of Cyrus which was about thrée score and ten yeares Zedekia the sonne of Canaana was one of the false Prophets which deceyued Achab. And when Micheas the true Prophet of God spake agaynst them this Zedekia smote him on the Chéeke saying When went the spirit of the Lorde from mée to speake vnto thée Well sayde Micheas Thou shalt sée in that daye when thou shalt go from Chamber to chamber to hide thée Zelaphead the Sonne of Hepher the sonne of Gilead the Sonne of Machir the Sonne of Manasses the sonne of Ioseph had fiue daughters who forasmuch as their father dyed in the Wildernesse without male issue and was none of those that rebelled agaynst the Lorde in the Congregacion of Chore They requyred of Moses to haue a possession among their fathers brethren least the name of their Father shoulde be vtterlye taken awaye from among his kinred Whose request God alowed and bade Moses giue them a possession among their brethren and to make a law that whosoeuer dyed without a sonne his inheritaunce should turne to his daughter If he haue no daughter to his brethren If he haue no brethren to his Fathers brethren If his father haue no brethren than it shoulde turne to the next of the kinne And also to stabishe their inheritaunce that it should not be remooued thorow mariage into an other Tribe an order was taken that no Tribe shoulde marry with an other Tribe but euery Tribe shoulde mary with whom he lyst among his owne Tribe and kinred And so the daughters of Zelaphead were maryed to their Fathers brothers sonnes which were of the kinred of Manasses the Sonne of Ioseph by which meanes their inheritaunce remayned styll in the Tribe and kinred of their Father Zenas was
first an interpreter of Moses law and afterwarde became an earnest preacher of the Gospell of Christ Of whome Paule writeth to Tite Byshop of Crete that whensoeuer Zenas departed from him he shoulde bring him on his iourney with all diligence and that nothing shoulde be lacking vnto him His wordes to Tite were these Bring Zenas the lawyer and Apollos on their iourney diligently that nothing be lacking to them Zephora was the daughter of Raguel Priest of Madian and wyfe to Moses by whom she conceyued bare him twoo sonnes The one Gerson and the other Eleazer And as she went with Moses hir husbande towarde the lande of Egipt by the waye in hir Inne she tooke a sharpe knyfe and cut awaye the foreskinne of hir sonne and cast it at his féete saying Thou art in déede a bloudye husbande vnto mée she sayde a bloudy husbande bycause of the circumcision Ziba was one of King Saules olde seruauntes after whose death he belonged to Miphiboseth the sonne of Ionathas and had the ouer sight of all his maisters landes which Dauid had restored vnto hym and the gouernaunce also of Mica his Maysters sonne This Ziba intending to deceyue his mayster what tyme as Dauid fled from Absalom his sonne and was a little past the top of Mount Oliuete mette him with a couple of Asses sadled and vpon them twoo hundred loaues and one hundred bunches of Raysins an hundred frayle of dryed Figges and a bottell of Wine And when the King sawe him he sayde What meaneth thou with these Ziba They be quoth he Asses for the Kings householde to ryde on and breade and fruite for the yoong men to eate and Wyne that such as be fayntie in the Wildernesse may drincke Then sayde the King where is thy maister Miphiboseth Ziba sayde beholde he taryeth styll at Ierusalem for he sayde This daye shall the house of Israel restore me the Kingdome of my Father Then sayde Dauid to Ziba Beholde all are thine that pertayned to Miphiboseth Then sayde Ziba I doe homage vnto thée I beséeche thée I maye finde grace in thy sight my Lorde O king Thus Ziba deceyued his mayster got his lande from him But when the King was returned agayne to Ierusalem and perceyued by Miphiboseth that Ziba had wrongfully accused him he commaunded the lande to be diuided betwéene them Zimri was the seruaunt of Ela the sonne of Baasa King of Israel and Captayne of halfe his Charrettes who or his Mayster had raygned full twoo yeares conspired agaynst him and siue hym as he was in Tirzah drincking till he was droncken in the house of Arza Stuwarde of his house in Tirzah And raygned in his steade in the tyme of whose raygne which was but seuen dayes he siue all the house of Baasa leauing neyther kinsman nor friende of his alyue At this tyme had Ela the King an hoste of men lying at the siege of Gibbethon a Citie of the Philistines And when they hearde of the Treason of Zimri and that he raygned in the steade of Ela they with one consent made Amry their Captayne King who then went and besieged Zimri where he laye in the citie of Tirzah And when Zimri saw that the citie must néedes be woonne then he least they shoulde take him a lyue and put hym to a shamefull death brent himselfe and the Kinges house with fyre and so dyed Zorobabel the Sonne of Salathiel withall the Iewes which were delyuered from Babilon by Cyrus returned to Ierusalem where they repayred agayne the Citie and Temple of God and renewed their lawes though they were sometyme hindred and let by their enimies about them FINIS Exed 6. c. d. 24. d. 32. cap. Idolatrie punished Nu. 12. cap. Disobedience punished 20. d. 33. c. ¶ Aaron a Teacher Dani. 14. f. g. Abacuck died sixe hundred yeares before the incarnation of Christ Eliote ¶ Abacuck a Wrastler Abdy 1. cap. ¶ Abdy a Seruant of the Lorde Ieremi 38. b. 39. d. â—indnesse recompensed Gen. 4. a. b. Abel Delbora his sister were born both at one byrth fiftene yeares after Cain Cooper ¶ Abel Vanitie 3. Reg. 15. a. 2. Par. 13. ca. 3. Reg. 14. ca. ¶ Abia Father of the Sea. 4. Reg. 18. a. ¶ Abia The will of the Lorde 1. Reg. 22 â–ª 3. Reg. 2. ¶ Abiathar Father of the Remnant or excellent Father 1. Reg. 25. ca. Eccle. 31. d. 2. Reg. 3. a. ¶ Abigail The Fathers Ioye 1. Par â–ª 2. b. Gen. 20. cap. ¶ Abimelech The Kings Father or a Father of Counsell or the Chiefe King. Iudith 9. cap. 2. Reg. 6. a. 1. Reg. 16. b. 31. a. ¶ Abinadab A Father of a Vowe or of a free minde or Prince 3. Reg. 1. a. 2. d. ¶ Abisag The Fathers Ignorance 1. Par. 2. b. 2. Re. 16. b. â— 21. d. 23 â–ª â— â–ª ¶ Abisai The Fathers Rewarde ¶ Abner The Fathers Candell â—â—â— 11. d. 〈◊〉 â—â—â— the sonne of â—eâ—ah beâ—oâ— ten of hys seconde â—yâ—e â— because of his 〈◊〉 is counted be sore 〈◊〉 â—â—â—aâ— bornâ— of the 〈◊〉 wyfe * 1â— câ—p Abraham â—â—ught the Egiptians 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 13. cap. 16. cap. 17. cap. 21. a. b. 22. cap. 25. cap. Abraham dyed before the incarnatioÌ„ of Christ 1838. yeares ¶ Abraham a Father of a great Multitude 2. Reg. 3. 2. 14. f. 2. Reg. 13. ca. 14. cap. 15. cap â–ª 17. a. b. c. d. 18. a. b. c. d Rebellion neuer escapeth gods punishment ¶ Absalom A Father of Peace or the Fathers Peace or Rewarde Iosua 7. cap. ¶ Acan Troubling 3. Reg 16. g. 18 cap. 21. f. 20. cap. * Here God as he many symes doth dyd punyshe one wicked by another 3. Reg. 21. câ—â— * His repentance was not true but plaine ypocrisie 22. cap. ¶ Achab The Fathers Brother 1. Cor. 16. c. ¶ Achaicus Mourning or sadde Achaz looke Ahaz Iudith 5. cap. Iudit 6. ca. Iudith 14. a. ¶ Achior the Brothers Light. 1. Reg. 21. c. d * Here it is sayde that Dauid feined himselfe mad before Achis and in the. 34 Psalme before Abimelech which twoo were both one maÌ„ for here he is called by his proper name Achis and in the other place by his general name Abimelech * 27. cap. * 29. cap. ¶ Achis Euen so it is Gene. 4. 36. ¶ Ada a Companye or Congregation Gene. 1. ¶ Adam Man Earthly 2. Reg. 3. a. 3. Reg. 1. cap. 3. Reg. 2. d. ◠¶ Adonia the Lorde is the ruler Iudic. 1. a. b. ¶ Adonibesech the Lordes Thunder 4. Reg. 19. g. ¶ Adramelech the Kings Cloake or his greatnesse on power or the greatnesse of Counsell 3. Reg. 12. c. 2. Par. 10. d. ¶ Aduram Their Cloake or their power or greatnesse 1. Reg. 15. ca. ¶ Agag An House or sollour Act. 11. d. 21. c ¶ Agabus A Grashopper Gen. 16. cap. 21. a. b. c. ¶ Agar A Straunger 1. Esd 5. a. ¶ Aggeus Solemne festiuall or wynding and turning himselfe