Holman Christian Standard Bible (137 page)

20
 But Amaziah would not listen, for this turn of events was from God in order to hand them over to their enemies because they went after the gods of Edom.
21
 So King Jehoash of Israel advanced. He and King Amaziah of Judah faced off at Beth-shemesh in Judah.
22
 Judah was routed before Israel, and each fled to his own tent.
23
 King Jehoash of Israel captured Judah's King Amaziah son of Joash, son of Jehoahaz, at Beth-shemesh. Then Jehoash took him to Jerusalem and broke down 200 yards of Jerusalem's wall from the Ephraim Gate to the Corner Gate.
24
 He took all the gold, silver, all the utensils that were found with Obed-edom in God's temple, the treasures of the king's palace, and the hostages. Then he returned to Samaria.

Amaziah's Death

25
 Judah's King Amaziah son of Joash lived 15 years after the death of Israel's King Jehoash son of Jehoahaz.
26
 The rest of the events of Amaziah's reign, from beginning to end, are written in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel.

27
 From the time Amaziah turned from following the
Lord
, a conspiracy was formed against him in Jerusalem, and he fled to Lachish. However, men were sent after him to Lachish, and they put him to death there.
28
 They carried him back on horses and buried him with his fathers in the city of Judah.

2 Chronicles

Judah's King Uzziah

26
All the people of Judah took Uzziah, who was 16 years old, and made him king in place of his father Amaziah.
2
 He rebuilt Eloth and restored it to Judah after Amaziah the king rested with his fathers.

3
 Uzziah was 16 years old when he became king and reigned 52 years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Jecoliah from Jerusalem.
4
 He did what was right in the
Lord
's sight as his father Amaziah had done.
5
 He sought God throughout the lifetime of Zechariah, the teacher of the
•fear
of God. During the time that he sought the
Lord
, God gave him success. 

Uzziah's Exploits

6
 Uzziah went out to wage war against the Philistines, and he tore down the wall of Gath, the wall of Jabneh, and the wall of Ashdod. Then he built cities in the vicinity of Ashdod and among the Philistines.
7
 God helped him against the Philistines, the Arabs that live in Gur-baal, and the Meunites.
8
 The Ammonites gave Uzziah tribute money, and his fame spread as far as the entrance of Egypt, for God made him very powerful.
9
 Uzziah built towers in Jerusalem at the Corner Gate, the Valley Gate, and the corner buttress, and he fortified them.
10
 Since he had many cattle both in the Judean foothills and the plain, he built towers in the desert and dug many wells. And since he was a lover of the soil, he had farmers and vinedressers in the hills and in the fertile lands. 

11
 Uzziah had an army equipped for combat that went out to war by division according to their assignments, as recorded by Jeiel the court secretary and Maaseiah the officer under the authority of Hananiah, one of the king's commanders.
12
 The total number of heads of families was 2,600 brave warriors.
13
 Under their authority was an army of 307,500 equipped for combat, a powerful force to help the king against the enemy. 
14
 Uzziah provided the entire army with shields, spears, helmets, armor, bows and slingstones.
15
 He made skillfully designed devices in Jerusalem to shoot arrows and catapult large stones for use on the towers and on the corners. So his fame spread even to distant places, for he was marvelously helped until he became strong.

Uzziah's Disease

16
 But when he became strong, he grew arrogant and it led to his own destruction. He acted unfaithfully against the
Lord
his God by going into the
Lord
's sanctuary to burn incense on the incense altar. 
17
 Azariah the priest, along with 80 brave priests of the
Lord
, went in after him.
18
 They took their stand against King Uzziah and said, “Uzziah, you have no right to offer incense to the
Lord
  — only the consecrated priests, the descendants of Aaron, have the right to offer incense. Leave the sanctuary, for you have acted unfaithfully! You will not receive honor from the
Lord
God.”

19
 Uzziah, with a firepan in his hand to offer incense, was enraged. But when he became enraged with the priests, in the presence of the priests in the
Lord
's temple beside the altar of incense, a skin disease broke out on his forehead.
20
 Then Azariah the chief priest and all the priests turned to him and saw that he was diseased on his forehead. They rushed him out of there. He himself also hurried to get out because the
Lord
had afflicted him.
21
 So King Uzziah was diseased to the time of his death. He lived in quarantine with a serious skin disease and was excluded from access to the
Lord
's temple, while his son Jotham was over the king's household governing the people of the land.

22
 Now the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz wrote about the rest of the events of Uzziah's reign, from beginning to end.
23
 Uzziah rested with his fathers, and he was buried with his fathers in the burial ground of the kings' cemetery, for they said, “He has a skin disease.” His son Jotham became king in his place.

2 Chronicles

Judah's King Jotham

27
Jotham was 25 years old when he became king and reigned 16 years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Jerushah daughter of Zadok.
2
 He did what was right in the
Lord
's sight as his father Uzziah had done. In addition, he didn't enter the
Lord
's sanctuary, but the people still behaved corruptly.

3
 Jotham built the Upper Gate of the
Lord
's temple, and he built extensively on the wall of Ophel. 
4
 He also built cities in the hill country of Judah and fortresses and towers in the forests. 
5
 He waged war against the king of the Ammonites. He overpowered the Ammonites, and that year they gave him 7,500 pounds of silver, 50,000 bushels of wheat, and 50,000 bushels of barley. They paid him the same in the second and third years.
6
 So Jotham strengthened himself because he did not waver in obeying the
Lord
his God. 

7
 As for the rest of the events of Jotham's reign, along with all his wars and his ways, note that they are written in the Book of the Kings of Israel and Judah.
8
 He was 25 years old when he became king and reigned 16 years in Jerusalem.
9
 Jotham rested with his fathers and was buried in the city of David. His son Ahaz became king in his place.

2 Chronicles

Judah's King Ahaz

28
Ahaz was 20 years old when he became king and reigned 16 years in Jerusalem. He did not do what was right in the
Lord
's sight like his ancestor David,
2
 for he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel and made cast images of the
•Baals
. 
3
 He burned incense in the Valley of Hinnom and burned his children in the fire, imitating the detestable practices of the nations the
Lord
had dispossessed before the Israelites. 
4
 He sacrificed and burned incense on the
•high
places, on the hills, and under every green tree.

5
 So the
Lord
his God handed Ahaz over to the king of Aram. He attacked him and took many captives to Damascus.

Ahaz was also handed over to the king of Israel, who struck him with great force:
6
 Pekah son of Remaliah killed 120,000 in Judah in one day — all brave men — because they had abandoned the
Lord
God of their ancestors.
7
 An Ephraimite warrior named Zichri killed the king's son Maaseiah, Azrikam governor of the palace, and Elkanah who was second to the king.
8
 Then the Israelites took 200,000 captives from their brothers — women, sons, and daughters. They also took a great deal of plunder from them and brought it to Samaria.

9
 A prophet of the
Lord
named Oded was there. He went out to meet the army that came to Samaria and said to them, “Look, the
Lord
God of your ancestors handed them over to you because of His wrath against Judah, but you slaughtered them in a rage that has reached heaven. 
10
 Now you plan to reduce the people of Judah and Jerusalem, male and female, to slavery. Are you not also
•guilty
before
•Yahweh
your God?
11
 Listen to me and return the captives you took from your brothers, for the
Lord
's burning anger is on you.”

12
 So some men who were leaders of the Ephraimites — Azariah son of Jehohanan, Berechiah son of Meshillemoth, Jehizkiah son of Shallum, and Amasa son of Hadlai — stood in opposition to those coming from the war.
13
 They said to them, “You must not bring the captives here, for you plan to bring guilt on us from the
Lord
to add to our sins and our guilt. For we have much guilt, and burning anger is on Israel.”

14
 The army left the captives and the plunder in the presence of the officers and the congregation.
15
 Then the men who were designated by name took charge of the captives and provided clothes for their naked ones from the plunder. They clothed them, gave them sandals, food and drink, dressed their wounds, and provided donkeys for all the feeble. The Israelites brought them to Jericho, the City of Palms, among their brothers. Then they returned to Samaria.

16
 At that time King Ahaz asked the king of Assyria for help. 
17
 The Edomites came again, attacked Judah, and took captives. 
18
 The Philistines also raided the cities of the Judean foothills and the
•Negev
of Judah and captured Beth-shemesh, Aijalon, Gederoth, Soco and its villages, Timnah and its villages, Gimzo and its villages, and they lived there.
19
 For the
Lord
humbled Judah because of King Ahaz of Judah, who threw off restraint in Judah and was unfaithful to the
Lord
.
20
 Then Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria came against Ahaz; he oppressed him and did not give him support. 
21
 Although Ahaz plundered the
Lord
's temple and the palace of the king and of the rulers and gave the plunder to the king of Assyria, it did not help him.

22
 At the time of his distress, King Ahaz himself became more unfaithful to the
Lord
.
23
 He sacrificed to the gods of Damascus which had defeated him; he said, “Since the gods of the kings of Aram are helping them, I will sacrifice to them so that they will help me.” But they were the downfall of him and of all Israel.

24
 Then Ahaz gathered up the utensils of God's temple, cut them into pieces, shut the doors of the
Lord
's temple, and made himself altars on every street corner in Jerusalem. 
25
 He made high places in every city of Judah to offer incense to other gods, and he provoked the
Lord
, the God of his ancestors.

Ahaz's Death

26
 As for the rest of his deeds and all his ways, from beginning to end, they are written in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel.
27
 Ahaz rested with his fathers and was buried in the city, in Jerusalem, but they did not bring him into the tombs of the kings of Israel. His son Hezekiah became king in his place.

2 Chronicles

Judah's King Hezekiah

29
Hezekiah was 25 years old when he became king and reigned 29 years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Abijah daughter of Zechariah.
2
 He did what was right in the
Lord
's sight just as his ancestor David had done.

3
 In the first year of his reign, in the first month, he opened the doors of the
Lord
's temple and repaired them. 
4
 Then he brought in the priests and Levites and gathered them in the eastern public square. 
5
 He said to them, “Hear me, Levites. Consecrate yourselves now and consecrate the temple of
•Yahweh
, the God of your ancestors. Remove everything impure from the holy place.
6
 For our fathers were unfaithful and did what is evil in the sight of the
Lord
our God. They abandoned Him, turned their faces away from the
Lord
's tabernacle, and turned their backs on Him.
7
 They also closed the doors of the portico, extinguished the lamps, did not burn incense, and did not offer
•burnt
offerings in the holy place of the God of Israel.
8
 Therefore, the wrath of the
Lord
was on Judah and Jerusalem, and He made them an object of terror, horror, and mockery, as you see with your own eyes.
9
 Our fathers fell by the sword, and our sons, our daughters, and our wives are in captivity because of this. 
10
 It is in my heart now to make a covenant with Yahweh, the God of Israel so that His burning anger may turn away from us.
11
 My sons, don't be negligent now, for the
Lord
has chosen you to stand in His presence, to serve Him, and to be His ministers and burners of incense.”