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Now therefore let not Hezekiah deceiue you, nor perswade you on this manner, neither yet beleeue him: for no god of any nation or kingdome was able to deliuer his people out of mine hand, & out of the hand of my fathers: how much lesse shall your God deliuer you out of mine hand?

And his seruants spake yet more against the Lord God, and against his seruant Hezekiah.

Neuerthelesse, the people did sacrifice still in the high places, yet vnto the Lord their God only.

For in the eight yeare of his reigne, while he was yet young, hee beganne to seeke after the God of Dauid his father: and in the twelfth yeere hee beganne to purge Iudah and Ierusalem from the high places and the groues, and the carued images, and the molten images.

From the first day of the seuenth moneth, began they to offer burnt offerings vnto the Lord: but the foundation of the temple of the Lord was not yet laid.

Then came the same Sheshbazzar, and laid the foundation of the house of God, which is in Ierusalem. And since that time, euen vntill now, hath it bin in building, & yet it is not finished.

For wee were bondmen, yet our God hath not forsaken vs in our bondage, but hath extended mercie vnto vs in the sight of the kings of Persia, to giue vs a reuiuing to set vp the house of our God, and to repaire the desolations thereof, and to giue vs a wall in Iudah and in Ierusalem.

O Lord God of Israel, thou art righteous, for wee remaine yet escaped, as it is this day: Behold, we are before thee in our trespasses: for wee can not stand before thee, because of this.

And Shechaniah the sonne of Iehiel, one of the sonnes of Elam, answered and said vnto Ezra, Wee haue trespassed against our God, and haue taken strange wiues, of the people of the land: yet now there is hope in Israel concerning this thing.

But if ye turne vnto me, and keepe my commandements, and doe them: though there were of you cast out vnto the vttermost part of the heauen, yet will I gather them from thence, and will bring them vnto the place that I haue chosen, to set my Name there.

And the rulers knew not whither I went, or what I did, neither had I as yet tolde it to the Iewes, nor to the Priests, nor to the nobles, nor to the rulers, nor to the rest that did the worke.

Yet now our flesh is as the flesh of our brethren, our children as their children: and loe, wee bring into bondage our sonnes and our daughters, to bee seruants, and some of our daughters are brought vnto bondage already, neither is it in our power to redeeme them: for other men haue our lands and vineyards.

Now that which was prepared for me daily, was one oxe, and sixe choice sheepe; also foules were prepared for mee, and once in ten dayes, store of all sorts of wine: yet for all this required not I the bread of the gouernour, because the bondage was heauy vpon this people.

Yet they sent vnto me foure times, after this sort; and I answered them after the same maner.

Yet thou, in thy manifold mercies, forsookest them not in the wildernesse: the pillar of the cloude departed not from them by day, to leade them in the way, neither the pillar of fire by night, to shew them light, and the way wherin they should goe.

But after they had rest, they did euill againe before thee: therefore leftest thou them in the hand of their enemies, so that they had the dominion ouer them: yet when they returned and cried vnto thee, thou heardest them from heauen, and many times didst thou deliuer them, according to thy mercies:

And testifiedst against them, that thou mightest bring them againe vnto thy lawe: yet they dealt proudly, and hearkened not vnto thy commaundements, but sinned against thy iudgements, (which if a man doe, he shal liue in them) and withdrew the shoulder, and hardened their necke, and would not heare.

Yet many yeres diddest thou forbeare them, and testifiedst against them by the Spirit in thy Prophets: yet would they not giue eare: therefore gauest thou them into the hand of the people of the lands.

Did not your fathers thus, and did not our God bring all this euill vpon vs, and vpon this citie? yet ye bring more wrath vpon Israel, by profaning the Sabbath.

Did not Solomon king of Israel sinne by these things? yet among many nations was there no king like him, who was beloued of his God, and God made him king ouer all Israel: neuerthelesse, euen him did outlandish women cause to sinne.