commanded
that it should be read to the people, and caused the people to renew the
holy covenant with God. This is the book of the Law now extant.

When [3] _Shishak_ came out of _Egypt_ and spoil'd the temple, and brought
_Judah_ into subjection to the monarchy of _Egypt_, (which was in the fifth
year of _Rehoboam_) the _Jews_ continued under great troubles for about
twenty years; being _without the true God, and without a teaching Priest,
and without Law: and in those times there was no peace to him that went
out, nor to him that came in, but great vexations were upon all the
inhabitants of the countries, and nation was destroyed of nation, and city
of city, for God did vex them with all adversity_. But [4] when _Shishak_
was dead, and _Egypt_ fell into troubles, _Judah_ had quiet ten years; and
in that time _Asa_ built fenced cities in _Judah_, and got up an army of
580000 men, with which, in the 15th year of his reign, he met and overcame
_Zerah_ the _Ethiopian_, who had conquered _Egypt_ and _Lybia_, and
_Troglodytica_, and came out with an army of 1000000 _Lybians_ and
_Ethiopians_, to recover the countries conquered by _Sesac_. And after this
victory [5] _Asa_ dethroned his mother for idolatry, and he renewed the
Altar, and brought new vessels of gold and silver into the Temple; and he
and the people entered into a new covenant to seek the Lord God of their
fathers, upon pain of death to those who worshiped other Gods; and his son
_Jehosaphat_ took away the high places, and in the third year of his reign
sent some of his Princes, and of the Priests and Levites, to teach in the
cities of _Judah_: and they had the book of the Law with them, and went
about throughout all the cities of _Judah_, and taught the people. This is
that book of the Law which was afterwards lost in the reign of _Manasses_,
and found again in the reign of _Josiah_, and therefore it was written
before the third year of _Jehosaphat_.

The same book of the Law was preserved and handed down to posterity by the
_Samaritans_, and therefore was received by the ten Tribes before their
captivity. For [6] when the ten Tribes were captivated, a Priest or the
captivity was sent back to _Bethel_, by order of the King of _Assyria_, to
instruct the new inhabitants of _Samaria_, in _the manner of the God of the
land_; and the _Samaritans_ had the _Pentateuch_ from this Priest, as
containing the law or _manner of the God of the land_, which he was to
teach t