Joash Assassinated

²³ At the end of the year ^(A)the army of the Syrians came up against Joash. They came to Judah and Jerusalem and destroyed all the princes of the people from among the people and sent all their spoil to the king of Damascus. ²⁴ Though the army of the Syrians had come with few men, ^(B)the Lord delivered into their hand a very great army, ^(C)because Judah^[a] had forsaken the Lord, the God of their fathers. Thus they ^(D)executed judgment on Joash.

²⁵ When they had departed from him, leaving him ^(E)severely wounded, ^(F)his servants conspired against him because of the blood of ^(G)the son^[b] of Jehoiada the priest, and killed him on his bed. So he died, and they buried him in the city of David, ^(H)but they did not bury him in the tombs of the kings. ²⁶ Those who conspired against him were Zabad the son of Shimeath the Ammonite, and Jehozabad the son of Shimrith the Moabite. ²⁷ Accounts of his sons and of the many oracles against him and of ^(I)the rebuilding^[c] of the house of God are written in the ^(J)Story^[d] of the Book of the Kings. And Amaziah his son reigned in his place.

Amaziah Reigns in Judah

25 ^(K)Amaziah was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Jehoaddan of Jerusalem. ² And he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, ^(L)yet not with a whole heart. ³ And as soon as the royal power was firmly his, he killed his servants who had struck down the king his father. ⁴ But he did not put their children to death, according to what is written in the Law, in the Book of Moses, where the Lord commanded, ^(M)“Fathers shall not die because of their children, nor children die because of their fathers, but each one shall die for his own sin.”

Amaziah's Victories

⁵ Then Amaziah assembled the men of Judah and set them by fathers' houses under commanders of thousands and of hundreds for all Judah and Benjamin. He mustered those ^(N)twenty years old and upward, and found that they were ^(O)300,000 choice men, fit for war, ^(P)able to handle spear and shield. ⁶ He hired also 100,000 mighty men of valor from Israel for 100 talents^[e] of silver. ⁷ But ^(Q)a man of God came to him and said, “O king, do not let the army of Israel go with you, for the Lord is not with Israel, with all these Ephraimites. ⁸ But go, act, be strong for the battle. Why should you suppose that God will cast you down before the enemy? ^(R)For God has power to help or to cast down.” ⁹ And Amaziah said to the man of God, “But what shall we do about the hundred talents that I have given to the army of Israel?” The man of God answered, “The Lord is able to give you much more than this.” ¹⁰ Then Amaziah discharged the army that had come to him from Ephraim to go home again. And they became very angry with Judah and returned home in fierce anger. ¹¹ But Amaziah took courage and led out his people and went to the ^(S)Valley of Salt and struck down ^(T)10,000 men of Seir. ¹² The men of Judah captured another 10,000 alive and took them to the top of a rock and threw them down from the top of the rock, and they were all dashed to pieces. ¹³ But the men of the army whom Amaziah sent back, not letting them go with him to battle, raided the cities of Judah, ^(U)from Samaria to Beth-horon, and struck down 3,000 people in them and took much spoil.

Amaziah's Idolatry

¹⁴ After Amaziah came from striking down the Edomites, ^(V)he brought the gods ^(W)of the men of Seir and set them up as his gods and worshiped them, making offerings to them. ¹⁵ Therefore the Lord was angry with Amaziah and sent to him a prophet, who said to him, “Why have you sought the gods of a people ^(X)who did not deliver their own people from your hand?” ¹⁶ But as he was speaking, the king said to him, “Have we made you a royal counselor? Stop! Why should you be struck down?” So the prophet stopped, but said, “I know that ^(Y)God has determined to destroy you, because you have done this and have not listened to my counsel.”