Uzziah King of Judah

15 Uzziah son of Amaziah became king of Judah during Jeroboam’s twenty-seventh year as king of Israel. ² Uzziah was sixteen years old when he became king, and he ruled fifty-two years in Jerusalem. His mother was named Jecoliah, and she was from Jerusalem. ³ He did what the Lord said was right, just as his father Amaziah had done. ⁴ But the places where gods were worshiped were not removed, so the people still made sacrifices and burned incense there.

⁵ The Lord struck Uzziah with a skin disease, which he had until the day he died. So he had to live in a separate house. Jotham, the king’s son, was in charge of the palace, and he governed the people of the land.

⁶ All the other things Uzziah did are written in the book of the history of the kings of Judah. ⁷ Uzziah died and was buried near his ancestors in Jerusalem, and his son Jotham became king in his place.

Zechariah King of Israel

⁸ Zechariah son of Jeroboam was king over Israel in Samaria. He ruled for six months during Uzziah’s^[a] thirty-eighth year as king of Judah. ⁹ Zechariah did what the Lord said was wrong, just as his ancestors had done. Jeroboam son of Nebat had led the people of Israel to sin, and Zechariah did not stop doing the same sins.

¹⁰ Shallum son of Jabesh made plans against Zechariah and killed him in front of the people. Then Shallum became king in his place. ¹¹ The other acts of Zechariah are written in the book of the history of the kings of Israel. ¹² The Lord had told Jehu: “Your sons down to your great-great-grandchildren will be kings of Israel,” and the Lord’s word came true.

Shallum King of Israel

¹³ Shallum son of Jabesh became king during Uzziah’s thirty-ninth year as king of Judah. Shallum ruled for a month in Samaria. ¹⁴ Then Menahem son of Gadi came up from Tirzah to Samaria and attacked Shallum son of Jabesh in Samaria. He killed him and became king in Shallum’s place.

¹⁵ The other acts of Shallum and his secret plans are written in the book of the history of the kings of Israel.

Menahem King of Israel

¹⁶ Menahem started out from Tirzah and attacked Tiphsah, destroying the city and the area nearby. This was because the people had refused to open the city gate for him. He defeated them and ripped open all their pregnant women.

¹⁷ Menahem son of Gadi became king over Israel during Uzziah’s thirty-ninth year as king of Judah. Menahem ruled ten years in Samaria, ¹⁸ and he did what the Lord said was wrong. Jeroboam son of Nebat had led Israel to sin, and all the time Menahem was king, he did not stop doing the same sins.

¹⁹ Pul king of Assyria came to attack the land. Menahem gave him about seventy-four thousand pounds of silver so Pul would support him and make his hold on the kingdom stronger. ²⁰ Menahem taxed Israel to pay about one and one-fourth pounds of silver to each soldier of the king of Assyria. So the king left and did not stay in the land.

²¹ Everything else Menahem did is written in the book of the history of the kings of Israel. ²² Then Menahem died, and his son Pekahiah became king in his place.

Pekahiah King of Israel

²³ Pekahiah son of Menahem became king over Israel in Samaria during Uzziah’s^[b] fiftieth year as king of Judah. Pekahiah ruled two years, ²⁴ and he did what the Lord said was wrong. Jeroboam son of Nebat had led Israel to sin, and Pekahiah did not stop doing the same sins.

²⁵ Pekah son of Remaliah was one of Pekahiah’s captains, and he made plans against Pekahiah. He took fifty men of Gilead with him and killed Pekahiah, as well as Argob and Arieh, in the palace at Samaria. Then Pekah became king in Pekahiah’s place.

²⁶ Everything else Pekahiah did is written in the book of the history of the kings of Israel.

Pekah King of Israel

²⁷ Pekah son of Remaliah became king over Israel in Samaria during Uzziah’s^[c] fifty-second year as king of Judah. Pekah ruled twenty years, ²⁸ and he did what the Lord said was wrong. Jeroboam son of Nebat had led Israel to sin, and Pekah did not stop doing the same sins.

²⁹ Tiglath-Pileser^[d] was king of Assyria. He attacked while Pekah was king of Israel, capturing the cities of Ijon, Abel Beth Maacah, Janoah, Kedesh, and Hazor. He also captured Gilead and Galilee and all the land of Naphtali and carried the people away to Assyria. ³⁰ Then Hoshea son of Elah made plans against Pekah son of Remaliah and attacked and killed him. Then Hoshea became king in Pekah’s place during the twentieth year Jotham son of Uzziah was king.

³¹ Everything else Pekah did is written in the book of the history of the kings of Israel.

Jotham King of Judah

³² Jotham son of Uzziah became king of Judah during the second year Pekah son of Remaliah was king of Israel. ³³ Jotham was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he ruled sixteen years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jerusha daughter of Zadok. ³⁴ Jotham did what the Lord said was right, just as his father Uzziah had done. ³⁵ But the places where gods were worshiped were not removed, and the people still made sacrifices and burned incense there. Jotham rebuilt the Upper Gate of the Temple of the Lord.

³⁶ The other things Jotham did while he was king are written in the book of the history of the kings of Judah. ³⁷ At that time the Lord began to send Rezin king of Aram and Pekah son of Remaliah against Judah. ³⁸ Jotham died and was buried with his ancestors in Jerusalem, the city of David, his ancestor. Then Jotham’s son Ahaz became king in his place.

Uzziah King of Judah

26 Then all the people of Judah made Uzziah^[a] king in place of his father Amaziah. Uzziah was sixteen years old. ² He rebuilt the town of Elath and made it part of Judah again after Amaziah died.

³ Uzziah was sixteen years old when he became king, and he ruled fifty-two years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jecoliah, and she was from Jerusalem. ⁴ He did what the Lord said was right, just as his father Amaziah had done. ⁵ Uzziah obeyed God while Zechariah was alive, because he taught Uzziah how to respect and obey God. And as long as Uzziah obeyed the Lord, God gave him success.

⁶ Uzziah fought a war against the Philistines. He tore down the walls around their towns of Gath, Jabneh, and Ashdod and built new towns near Ashdod and in other places among the Philistines. ⁷ God helped Uzziah fight the Philistines, the Arabs living in Gur Baal, and the Meunites. ⁸ Also, the Ammonites made the payments Uzziah demanded. He was very powerful, so his name became famous all the way to the border of Egypt.

⁹ Uzziah built towers in Jerusalem at the Corner Gate, the Valley Gate, and where the wall turned, and he made them strong. ¹⁰ He also built towers in the desert and dug many wells, because he had many cattle on the western hills and in the plains. He had people who worked his fields and vineyards in the hills and in the fertile lands, because he loved the land.

¹¹ Uzziah had an army of trained soldiers. They were counted and put in groups by Jeiel the royal secretary and Maaseiah the officer. Hananiah, one of the king’s commanders, was their leader. ¹² There were twenty-six hundred leaders over the soldiers. ¹³ They were in charge of an army of three hundred seven thousand five hundred men who fought with great power to help the king against the enemy. ¹⁴ Uzziah gave his army shields, spears, helmets, armor, bows, and stones for their slings. ¹⁵ In Jerusalem Uzziah made cleverly designed devices. These devices on the towers and corners of the city walls were used to shoot arrows and large rocks. So Uzziah became famous in faraway places, because he had much help until he became powerful.

¹⁶ But when Uzziah became powerful, his pride led to his ruin. He was unfaithful to the Lord his God; he went into the Temple of the Lord to burn incense on the altar for incense. ¹⁷ Azariah and eighty other brave priests who served the Lord followed Uzziah into the Temple. ¹⁸ They told him he was wrong and said to him, “You don’t have the right to burn incense to the Lord. Only the priests, Aaron’s descendants, should burn the incense, because they have been made holy. Leave this holy place. You have been unfaithful, and the Lord God will not honor you for this.”

¹⁹ Uzziah was standing beside the altar for incense in the Temple of the Lord, and in his hand was a pan for burning incense. He was very angry with the priests. As he was standing in front of the priests, a skin disease broke out on his forehead. ²⁰ Azariah, the leading priest, and all the other priests looked at him and saw the skin disease on his forehead. So they hurried him out of the Temple. Uzziah also rushed out, because the Lord was punishing him. ²¹ So King Uzziah had the skin disease until the day he died. He had to live in a separate house and could not enter the Temple of the Lord. His son Jotham was in charge of the palace, and he governed the people of the land.

²² The other things Uzziah did as king, from beginning to end, were written down by the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz. ²³ Uzziah died and was buried near his ancestors in a graveyard that belonged to the kings. This was because people said, “He had a skin disease.” And his son Jotham became king in his place.