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SECOND BOOKE OF Ozias rest, in the same side of the wal, and strengthened them. He built towers also in the wildernesse, and digged manie cesternes, because he had much cattel and wel in the champaine, as in the vastirie of the desert: he had also vineyardes & dressers of vines in the mountaynes, and in Carmel: for he was a man geuen to husbandrie. And the host of his warriers, which went forth to battels, was vnder the hand of Iehiel the scribe, & Maasias the doctor, and vnder the hand of Hananias, who was of the kinges dukes. And al the number of the princes by families of valiant men, was two thousand six hundred. And vnder them al the host of three hundred & seuen thousand fiue hundred: which were apt to battels, and fought for the king against the aduersaries. Ozias also prepared for them, that is to say, for al the armie, shildes, and speares, and helmettes, and coates of mayle, and bowes, and slinges to cast stones. And he made in Ierusalem engines of diuerse kind, which he placed in the towers, and in the corners of the walles, to shoote arrowes, and great stones and his name went forth farre, for that our Lord did ayde him, and had strengthned him. But when he was strengthned, his hart was eleuated to his destruction, and he neglected our Lord his God: and entering into the temple of our Lord: he would burne incense vpon the altar of incense. And incontinent Azarias the Priest going in after him, & with him the Priestes of our Lord eightie, most valiant men, they resisted the king, and sayd: It is not thy office Ozias, to burne incense to our Lord, but of the Priestes, that is, of the children of Aaron, which are consecrated to this kind of ministerie: goe out of the Sanctuarie, contemne not: because this thing shal not be reputed to thee for glorie of our Lord God. And Ozias being angrie, and holding in his hand the censar to burne incense, threatned the Priestes. And forthwith there rose a leprosie in his forehead before the Priestes, in the house of our Lord vpon the altar of incense. And, when Azarias the high Priest had beheld him, and al the rest of the Priestes, they saw the leprosie in his forehead, and in hast they thrust him out. Yea and him self being sore afrayd, made hast to goe out, because he felt by and by the plague of our Lord. Ozias therfore the king was a leper vntil the day of his death, and he dwels in a house apart ful of the leprosie, for the which he had bene cast out of the house of our Lord.

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