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
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
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
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
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
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
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
vpon hym to raygne in his steade Nahas was King of the Ammonites And as hys predecessours afore tyme had made a claime to the lande of Israel so he now purposing the same went and besieged the Citie of Iabes in Gilead And when the men of Iabes perceyued themselues in great daunger of theyr lyues they desired the King to make a couenaunt with them and they woulde be his seruaunts Then sayde Nahas If yée will suffer mée to thrust out all your right eyes to bring Israel to shame I shal be content to make peace with you Then sayde they Giue vs respite seuen dayes and if none doe come to helpe vs in that space we will come out vnto thée Then Nahas thinking that none burst come to ayde them agaynst him graunted their request Vpon the which they sent messengers into all the coastes of Israel which newes was so heauy tydinges to them that they fell a wéeping And as they were mourning and lamenting their case it chaunced Saule by the prouidence of God to come out of the fielde following the Cattell And beholding the people what a doe they made he demaunded wherefore they mourned And when they had tolde hym the tydinges of the men of Iabes his heart was so mooued by the spirit of God that he tooke out twoo of his Oxen and hewed them in péeces and sent them thorowe all the coasts of Israel saying whosoeuer commeth not foorth after Saule and Samuel so shall his Oxen be serued And the people were stricken in such a feare that they came out to Saule as they had béene but one man to the number of thrée hundred thousande of Israel beside thirtie thousand of the men of Iuda And then Saule sent woorde by the messengers to the men of Iabes that the next morrowe they shoulde haue helpe They being glad of that sent woorde vnto Nahas saying To morow we will come foorth vnto you and yée shall doe vnto vs whatsoeuer pleaseth you And so on the morow Saule came vpon the Ammonites and slue them Nahor when he was nyne an twentie yeares of age begot Terah And lyued after he had begotten him an hundred and twentie yeares Naomy was the wyfe of a certayne man called Elimelech dwelling in the lande of Iuda in a Citie called Bethleem And for bycause of the present dearth which was ouer all the lande of Iuda She went with hir husbande and hir twoo sonnes into the Countrey of Moab to sogeourne Where in processe hir husbande died And hir twoo sonnes being maryed to twoo of the Moabitishe Damosels dyed there also So that Naomy which had dwelt in the lande of Moab ten yeares was left desolate both of hir husbande of hir sonnes Then Naomy hearing how the Lorde had visited hir countrey agayne with plentie retourned from Moab homewardes agayne hir twoo daughters in lawe bringing hir on the waye And when she saw they had gone a good way with hir coueted not to retourne she sayde vnto them Go nowe my Daughters and returne eche of you vnto your mothers house and the Lorde deale as kindlye with you as yée haue delt with the deadde and with mée And the Lorde giue you that yée maye finde rest eyther of you in the house of hir husbande and so kyssed them to haue bid them farewell But when she sawe that they would not depart from hir she sayde vnto them agayne Returne my Daughters I praye you for what cause will yée go with mée Are there any mo children within my wombe to be your husbands Turne agayne therefore I say for I am to olde to haue an husbande And if I dyd take one this night and had all ready borne children woulde yée tary for them tyll they were growne and refrayne from taking husbandes so long Not so my daughters it grieueth mée much for your sakes that the hande of the Lord is gone out agaynst mée Then they wept all togithers and Orpha kyssed hir mother in lawe and returned into hir owne lande agayne but Ruth abode still And so when they came to Bethleem Iuda which was about the beginning of Barley harnest the women which saw Naomy sayde Is not this Naomy Nay sayde she call me not Naomy which is as much to say as bewtyfull but call me Mara that is to saye bitter for the Almightie God hath made mée verye bitter I went out full and the Lorde hath brought mée agayne emptie why then call yée mée Naomy séeing the Lorde hath humbled mée and the Almightie hath brought mée vnto aduersitie And so Naomy remayned in Bethleem Iuda where or it were long God gaue hir a Sonne by the wombe of Ruth hir daughter in lawa who was maryed to Boos a kinsman of Naomyes which Childe being borne the women sayde vnto Naomy Blessed be the Lorde the which hath not left thée without a kinsman to haue a name in Israel and that shall bring thy lyfe agayne and cherishe thyne olde age for thy daughter in lawe which loueth thée hath borne vnto hym and she is better vnto thée than seuen sonnes And Naomy tooke the Childe and layed it in hir lap and became nurse vnto it being glad that a sonne was borne vnto hir in hir olde dayes Nathan the Prophet what tyme as King Dauid was minded to buylde God an house to dwell in was sent of the Lorde to forbid him not to meddle withall for Salomon his sonne shoulde doe it Agayne what tyme as Dauid had committed adultery with Vrias wife Nathan came to hym and sayde There were twoo men in one Citie the one riche and the other poore The riche man had excéeding many shéepe and Oxen but the poore had none at all saue one little Shéepe which hée had bought and nâ—urished vp And it grew vp with him and with his Children also and did eate of hys owne meate and drancke of his owne Cuppe and slept in his bosome And was vnto him as his daughter Nowe there came a straunger vnto the rich man who refused to take of his owne shéepe and Oxen to dresse for the straunger but tooke the poore mans shéepe dressed it for the man that was come to hym Then Dauid was excéeding wroth with the man and sayde As surely as the Lord lyueth he that hath done this is the Childe of death He shall restore the lambe foure folde bycause he dyd it without pittie Then sayde the Prophet thou art the same man thus sayth the Lord God of Israel I annointed thée king ouer Israel and deliuered thée out of the hands of Saule and gaue thée thy Lordes house and his wyues into thy bosome and gaue thée the house of Israel and Iuda and woulde if that had béene to little haue giuen thée much more Wherefore then hast thou despised the commaundement of the lord to do euil in his sight Thou hast kilde Urias the Hethite with the swoorde hast taken his wife to be thy wyfe and
Citie as he came he was honourably receyued according to Alexanders commaundement And being his father in lawe was nothing suspected of treason But Ptolomy meaning nothing else left in euery Citie whereinto he was receyued certayne men of warre to fortifie and kéepe the same And when he had gotten the Dominion of all the Cities vpon the Sea coast he ioyned himselfe in league with Demetrius and tooke his daughter from Alexander and gaue hir to Demetrius Raysing vp a slaunder vppon Alexander howe he went about to kill him And so his malice and vnsaciable couetousnesse being openly knowne he got him to Antioche where he set twoo Crownes vpon his heade the crowne of Egipt and Asia Then Alexander who at that tyme laye in the Countrey of Cilicia hearing of all that his Father in lawe had done returned home and made warre agaynst him But Ptolomy being the stronger chased him into the Countrey of Arabia where the King of that lande smote off his heade and sent it to Ptolomy which pleasure he dyd not long enioye for within thrée dayes after Ptolomy dyed himselfe After whose death his men of warre which he had left in the Cities were all slayne Ptolomy the Sonne of Abobus maryed with the daughter of Symon brother to Machabeus And being made Captayne of the hoste at Iericho he began thorow his great aboundaunce of Golde and Siluer to waxe prowde and hygh minded imagining howe he might destroye Symon his Father in lawe and his sonnes and so to conquere the lande And being in this minde it chaunced Symon as he was going thorow the Cities of Iewrye caryng for them to come downe to Iericho with Mathathias and Iudas his sonnes where this Ptolomy receyued him vnder the coloure of great friendship into a strong Castle of his named Douch and in the same made him a great banket at the which he most trayterouslye slue Symon his Father in lawe with both hys sonnes This done he wrote to Antiochus to sende hym an hoste of men and he would deliuer the lande of Iewry into his hande And further he sent certayne men to Gaza to kyll Iohn the thirde sonne of Symon and wrote to the Captaynes to come vnto hym and he woulde rewarde them with Siluer and Golde But Iohn hauing knowledge of all the treason slue the Messengers which came from Ptolomy and so disappoynted hym of all his purpose Ptolomie surnamed Macron being made a Ruler purposed to doe Iustice vnto the Iewes for the wrongs that had bene done vnto them and went about to behaue himselfe peaceably with them for the which he was accused of his friendes to Eupator and was called oft tymes Traytour bicause he had left Cypres that Philometor had committed vnto him and came to Antiochus Epifanes Therefore séeing that he was no more in estimation he was discouraged and poysoned himselfe and dyed Publius was a certayne man dwelling in the I le called Melite and the chiefest man in all the I le who receyued Paule with all the rest that had escaped the seas very gently and lodged them thrée dayes in his house whose father which lay sicke of an Ague and of a bloudy flyxe Paule healed Putyphar was a great Lord in the lande of Egipt and Stewarde of King Pharaos house He bought Ioseph of the Ismaelites and founde him a lucky man And when he sawe that God did prosper all things vnder his hande he made him Ruler and gouernour of all that he had and God did blesse his house for Iosephs sake But in the ende thorowe the false accusation of his wyfe he cast Ioseph in prison R. RAchel the yongest daughter of Laban the sonne of Nahor was a beawtifull yoong woman and Iacobs wife She being long barren at the last brought forth a sonne and called his name Ioseph And at hir departing from Laban hir father wyth Iacob hir husbande into the lande of Canaan she stole awaye hir fathers Images from him for the which he made no little adooe with Iacob whome he followed and ouertooke at Mount Gilead And when hir father had searched Iacobs tents and could not finde his Idols he came into Rachel his daughters tent who had hyd them in the Camels lytter and sate vpon them And as hir father was rysling about the place where she sate she sayd O my Lorde be not angry that I cannot ryse vp before thée for the custome of women is come vpon me and so the thing was not knowen Finallye Rachel in traueyling of hir seconde sonne whome she called Ben Omy the sonne of my sorrowe she dyed and was buried in the way to Ephrath which is Bethleem where Iacob caused a stone to be set vpon hir graue which was called Rachels graue stone Raguel was a certaine man dwelling at Rages a Citie of the Medes whose sister was wyfe to olde Toby This Raguel had a daughter called Sara which had bene marryed to seauen men one after another which men were all slayne the first night of their marriage by the Deuill Asmodius To this Sara God had appointed yong Tobie which feared God to be hir husbande and made his holy Aungell Raphell to bring him to Rages and so to Raguels house his mothers brother where they were ioyfully receyued And when Raguel had looked vppon yong Toby and behelde him well he sayde vnto his wyfe howe lyke is this yoong man to my sisters sonne And then to knowe who they were he sayde whence be yée my good brethren We be sayde they of the Trybe of Nephtaly and of the captiuitie of Nimue Knowe ye sayde he Tobias our kinseman Yea sayde they we knowe him well and this yong man sayde the Aungell is his sonne With that Raguel bowed himselfe and with wéeping eyes tooke him about the necke and kyssed him and bade his wyfe prepare in all haste for dinner Naye sayde Tobie I will neyther eate nor drinke here this day except thou graunt mée my peticion and promise to giue me thy daughter Sara Then was Raguel sore astonied and began to feare least it shoulde happen vnto him as it did to the other seuen And while he stoode in doubt what aunswere to make the Angell sayd feare not to giue him thy daughter for vnto this man that feareth God belongeth she and to none other I doubt not sayde Raguel but God hath accepted my prayers and teares in his sight and I trust he hath caused you to come vnto me for the same intent that this daughter of mine might be maryed in hir owne kinrede according to the lawe of Moses And nowe doubt thou not my sonne but I will giue hir vnto thée And with that he tooke the right hande of his daughter and gaue hir into the right hande of Toby saying the God of Abraham the God of Isaac and the God of Iacob be with you ioyne you togyther and fulfill hys blessing in you And when the Mariage all was ended Raguel
hande and giuen it to Dauid And moreouer sayth he to Saule the Lorde will deliuer the Israelites into the handes of the Philistines and tomorrow shalt thou and thy Sonnes be with mée And on the next day Saule being ouercome of the Philistynes and his thrée Sonnes slayne for anguishe of heart fell vpon his owne sworde and killed himselfe after he had reygned fortie yeares Sara the daughter of Aram was Abrahams wife And perceyuing that the Lorde had restrayned hir from bearing of children she gaue Abraham leaue to take Agar hir Mayden to wife But when she saw hir selfe despised of hir mayde which had conceyued she began to be so sharpe and quicke with Agar that she made hir runne awaye Neuerthelesse at the humble submission of Agar Sara receyued hir agayne Then Sara passing foorth till she came to the age of foure score and ten yeres it chaunced she hearde the Aungel of the Lorde as she stoode in hir Tent say vnto Abraham that Sara his wyfe should haue a childe which wordes séemed so impossible vnto hir that she laughed within hir selfe and sayde Is it of a surety that I shall beare a sonne Shall I now giue my selfe to lust being olde and my Lord olde also And when she had talked thus to hir selfe the Aungell of the Lorde demaunded of Abraham wherefore his wyfe dyd laugh as though it were quoth he to harde a thing for God to performe his promise Then she being asked the question denyed it for she was afrayde saying that she laughed not And so Sara iudging him faythfull which had promised brought forth a sonne at the time apointed of God and called his name Isaac And when the Childe was borne she sayde God hath made mée a laughing stocke for all that heare will laugh at mée Who woulde haue sayde to Abraham that Sara shoulde haue giuen Children sucke for I haue borne him a sonne in his olde age After this when Sara perceyued Ismael the sonne of Agar as he played with Isaac to be a mocker she sayde vnto Abraham put awaye this bonde mayde hir sonne for the sonne of this bonde woman shall not be eyer with my sonne Isaac Finally when Sara had lyued one hundred and seuen an twentie yeres she dyed in Kiriat Arba Which is also called Hebron And was buryed in the double Caue which Abraham had bought of the sonnes of Heth. Sara the daughter of Raguel had seauen husbands one after an other which men before they had lyen with hir were all slayne of the Deuill Asmodius to the great discomfort and heauinesse of the yoong woman And yet the more to aggreuate hir sorowe hir fathers Maydens when she did correct them for their faults woulde slaunder hir on this wyse saying God let vs neuer sée sonne nor daughter of thée more vpon earth thou kyller of thy husbandes wilt thou kyll vs also as thou hast done them Which woordes were so gricuous to Sara that she got hir vp to an hygh chamber of hir house where she continued thrée dayes and thrée nightes in prayer beséeching God that he woulde vouchsafe to lowse hir out of that rebuke or else to take hir out of y earth For thou knowest O Lorde that I neuer had desire vnto man and that I haue kept my soule cleane from all vncleanlye lust I haue not kept companie with those that passe there time in sporte neyther haue I made my selfe partaker with them that walke in light behauiour neuerthelesse an husbande haue I consented to take not for my pleasure but in thy feare Now peraduenture eyther I haue béene vnwoorthye of them or else were they vnméete for me for thou happily hast kept me for an other husbande And thus making hir prayers to God he hearde hir and sent yong Toby to be hir husband who being ioyned togither in Matrimonie lyued all their dayes an holy lyfe in the feare and lawes of God. Seba the sonne of Bichri assoone as Dauid was restored to his Kingdome agayne begun a new insurrection and got all Israel to followe hym saue onelye the men of Iuda which stacke fast by Dauid and as he came into the Citie of Abell to the which Ioab followed hym the Gouernesse of the citie being a woman of wisedome smote off the heade of Seba and threwe it ouer the Wall to Ioab and so the commocion ceased Sceua was a Iewe borne and the chiefe Priest among the Iewes This man had seauen sonnes who for lucre sake to purchase vnto themselues a great name thereby attempted to cast out euill spirites by inuocation of the name of the Lorde Iesus as Paule dyd saying vnto the man possessed we coniure you in the name of Iesus whome Paule preacheth that ye depart out of the man To whom the spirite aunswered and sayde Iesus I knowe and Paule I knowe but who are yée and as soone as he had spoken these woordes the man in whome the euill spirite was ranne vpon them and got the ouer hande on them In so much that they had much a doe to escape with their lyues and scarce got at the last naked and wounded out of the house And this example of the sonnes of Sceua being bruted abrode among the Iewes and Gentiles many which beléeued came to Paule and confessed their offences And besyde that diuers other which had vsed suche curious craftes of Coniurasions brought their bookes and burned them before all men the price whereof were counted at fiftie thousande Siluerlinges Sela the yoongest sonne of Iuda being growen to perfect age and not giuen to Thamar in mariage according to his Fathers promise was the occasion of Thamars playing the myswoman with Iuda hir Father in lawe Sela the sonne of Arphaxad of the generacion of Sem was the Father of Eber whome he begot when he was thirtie yeares of age and lyued after the birth of Eber foure hundred and thrée yeares Which make in the whole foure hundred and .xxxiij. yeares Sem the eldest Sonne of Noe receyued prayse of his Father bycause he couered his nakednesse as he laye vncouered in his Tent. Sem at the age of an hundred yeares begot Arphaxat twoo yeares after the floud and lyued after fiue hundred yeares .2 Ense meo cecidere uiri dum uindico stuprū Germanae fracto federe quod pepig◠Hinc pater iratus Sijmeoni dira precatus Nostraque posteritas heu masedicta fuit Sennacherib King of Assiria was a mightie prince which séeing that Salmanasar his predycessour had conquered the King of Israel and made them Tributaries thought it good to set vpon the King of Iuda who at that tyme was the godly and most noble Ezechias And when Sennacherib had gotten into his handes all the chiefe Cities of Iuda and Beniamin saue onely Ierusalem he besieged that also with such might and power that Ezechias was fayne to submit himselfe to the mercie of Sennacherib offering him tribute
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
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