The Divided Kingdom

And vnder their hande was the armie for warre, three hundreth and seuen thousand, and fiue hundreth that fought valiantly to helpe the King against the enemie.

And Vzziah prepared them throughout all the hoste, shieldes, and speares, and helmets, and brigandines, and bowes, and stones to sling.

He made also very artificial engins in Ierusalem, to be vpon the towres and vpon the corners, to shoote arrowes and great stones: and his name spred farre abroade, because God did helpe him marueilously, till he was mightie.

But when he was strong, his heart was lift vp to his destruction: for he transgressed against the Lord his God, and went into the Temple of the Lord to burne incense vpon the altar of incense.

And Azariah the Priest went in after him, and with him foure score Priests of the Lord, valiant men.

And they withstoode Vzziah the King, and said vnto him, It perteineth not to thee, Vzziah, to burne incense vnto the Lord, but to the Priests the sonnes of Aaron, that are consecrated for to offer incense: goe forth of the Sanctuarie: for thou hast transgressed, and thou shalt haue none honour of the Lord God.

Then Vzziah was wroth, and had incense in his hand to burne it: and while he was wroth with the Priestes, the leprosie rose vp in his forehead before the Priestes in the house of the Lord beside the incense altar.

And when Azariah the chiefe Priest with al the Priestes looked vpon him, behold, he was leprous in his forehead, and they caused him hastily to depart thence: and he was euen compelled to go out, because the Lord had smitten him.

And Vzziah the king was a leper vnto the day of his death, and dwelt as a leper in an house apart, because he was cut off from the house of ye Lord: and Iotham his sonne ruled ouer the Kings house, and iudged the people of the land.

Concerning the rest of the acts of Vzziah, first and last, did Isaiah the Prophet the sonne of Amoz write.

So Vzziah slept with his fathers, and they buryed him with his fathers in the fielde of the burial, which perteined to the kings: for they said, He is a leper. And Iotham his sonne reigned in his steade.

Iotham was fiue and twentie yere olde when he began to reigne, and reigned sixteene yeere in Ierusalem, and his mothers name was Ierushah the daughter of Zadok.

And hee did vprightly in the sight of the Lord according to all that his father Vzziah did, saue that hee entred not into the Temple of the Lord, and the people did yet corrupt their wayes.

He buylt the hie gate of the house of the Lord, and he buylt very much on the wall of the castle.

Moreouer hee buylt cities in the mountaines of Iudah, and in the forests he buylt palaces and towres.

And he fought with the King of the children of Ammon, and preuailed against them. And the children of Ammon gaue him the same yere an hundreth talents of siluer, and ten thousande measures of wheate, and ten thousand of barley: this did the children of Ammon giue him both in the second yeere and the third.

So Iotham became mightie because hee directed his way before the Lord his God.

Concerning the rest of the acts of Iotham, and all his warres and his wayes, loe, they are written in the booke of the Kings of Israel, and Iudah.

He was fiue and twentie yeere olde when he began to reigne, and reigned sixteene yeere in Ierusalem.

And Iotham slept with his fathers, and they buryed him in the citie of Dauid: and Ahaz his sonne reigned in his stead.

Ahaz was twentie yeere old when he began to reigne, and reigned sixteene yeere in Ierusalem, and did not vprightly in the sight of the Lord, like Dauid his father.

But he walked in the wayes of ye Kings of Israel, and made euen molten images for Baalim.

Moreouer he burnt incense in the valley of Ben-hinnom, and burnt his sonnes with fire, after the abominations of the heathen whom the Lord had cast out before the children of Israel.

He sacrificed also and burnt incense in the hie places, and on hilles, and vnder euery greene tree.

Wherefore the Lord his God deliuered him into the hand of the King of the Aramites, and they smote him, and tooke of his, many prisoners, and brought them to Damascus: and he was also deliuered into the hande of the King of Israel, which smote him with a great slaughter.