n, and ready to go out to the war, a prophet gave him
counsel to dismiss the army of the Israelites, because they were bad
men, and because God foretold that he should be beaten, if he made use
of them as auxiliaries; but that he should overcome his enemies, though
he had but a few soldiers, when it so pleased God. And when the king
grudged at his having already paid the hire of the Israelites, the
prophet exhorted him to do what God would have him, because he should
thereby obtain much wealth from God. So he dismissed them, and said that
he still freely gave them their pay, and went himself with his own army,
and made war with the nations before mentioned; and when he had beaten
them in battle, he slew of them ten thousand, and took as many prisoners
alive, whom he brought to the great rock which is in Arabia, and threw
them down from it headlong. He also brought away a great deal of prey
and vast riches from those nations. But while Amaziah was engaged in
this expedition, those Israelites whom he had hired, and then dismissed,
were very uneasy at it, and taking their dismission for an affront,
[as supposing that this would not have been done to them but out of
contempt,] they fell upon his kingdom, and proceeded to spoil the
country as far as Beth-horon, and took much cattle, and slew three
thousand men.

2. Now upon the victory which Amaziah had gotten, and the great acts he
had done, he was puffed up, and began to overlook God, who had given him
the victory, and proceeded to worship the gods he had brought out of the
country of the Amalekites. So a prophet came to him, and said, that
he wondered how he could esteem these to be gods, who had been of no
advantage to their own people who paid them honors, nor had delivered
them from his hands, but had overlooked the destruction of many of them,
and had suffered themselves to be carried captive, for that they had
been carried to Jerusalem in the same manner as any one might have taken
some of the enemy alive, and led them thither. This reproof provoked
the king to anger, and he commanded the prophet to hold his peace, and
threatened to punish him if he meddled with his conduct. So he replied,
that he should indeed hold his peace; but foretold withal, that God
would not overlook his attempts for innovation. But Amaziah was not
able to contain himself under that prosperity which God had given him,
although he had affronted God thereupon; but in a vein of insolence he
wrot