Uzziah King of Judah^(A)

26 Then all the people of Judah made Uzziah [^Calso called Azariah] 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 [^Llay down/^Tslept with his fathers/ancestors].

³ Uzziah was sixteen years old when he became king, and he ·ruled [reigned] 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 [^Lwas pleasing/proper in the eyes/sight of the Lord], just as his father Amaziah had done [^Cin the beginning]. ⁵ Uzziah ·obeyed [sought] God while Zechariah was alive, because he taught Uzziah how to ·respect and obey [fear] God [Prov. 1:7]. And as long as Uzziah ·obeyed [sought] the Lord, God ·gave him success [made him prosper].

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 [^Lagainst] the Philistines, the Arabs living in Gur Baal, and the Meunites. ⁸ Also, the Ammonites ·made the payments Uzziah demanded [paid tribute to Uzziah]. He was very powerful, so his ·name became famous all the way [fame spread/extended] to the border of Egypt.

⁹ Uzziah built towers in Jerusalem at the Corner Gate, the Valley Gate, and ·where the wall turned [at the angle of the wall], and he ·made them strong [fortified them]. ¹⁰ He also built towers in the ·desert [wilderness] and dug many ·wells [cisterns], because he had many cattle ·on the western hills [^Lin the Shephelah] and in the plains. He had people who worked his fields and vineyards in the hills and in ·the fertile lands [or Carmel], because he loved the ·land [soil].

¹¹ Uzziah had an army of trained soldiers. They were counted and put in ·groups [divisions; units] by Jeiel the ·royal secretary [scribe] and Maaseiah the ·officer [official]. Hananiah, one of the king’s ·commanders [officers], ·was their leader [directed them]. ¹² There were twenty-six hundred ·leaders [family/clan heads] over the soldiers. ¹³ They ·were in charge of [commanded] an army of three hundred seven thousand five hundred men who ·fought with great power [or were a powerful force] 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 [expertly; carefully] designed ·devices [machines]. These ·devices [machines] 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 [was marvelously/tremendously helped to become] powerful.

Uzziah’s Downfall^(B)

¹⁶ But when Uzziah became powerful, his pride led to his ·ruin [downfall]. He was unfaithful to the Lord his God; he went into the ·Temple [^Lhouse] of the Lord to burn incense on the altar for incense [^Cwhich only priests should do]. ¹⁷ Azariah and eighty other brave priests who served the Lord followed Uzziah into the ·Temple [^Lhouse]. ¹⁸ They ·told him he was wrong [confronted the king] and said to him, “·You don’t have the right [It is not for you, Uzziah,] to burn incense to the Lord. Only the priests, Aaron’s descendants, should burn the incense, because they have been ·made holy [consecrated; set apart]. ·Leave this holy place [Get out of the sanctuary]. You have ·been unfaithful [sinned; disobeyed], and the Lord God will not honor you for this.”

¹⁹ Uzziah was standing beside the altar for incense in the ·Temple [^Lhouse] of the Lord, and in his hand was a ·pan for burning incense [censer]. He was ·very angry [furious] with the priests. As he was standing in front of the priests, ·a skin disease [^Tleprosy; ^Cthe term does not refer to modern leprosy (Hansen’s disease), but to various skin disorders; Lev. 13:2] broke out on his forehead. ²⁰ Azariah, the leading priest, and all the other priests looked at him and saw the ·skin disease [^Tleprosy] on his forehead. So they hurried him out of the ·Temple [^Lhouse]. Uzziah also rushed to get out, because the Lord ·was punishing [had struck/afflicted] him. ²¹ So King Uzziah had ·the skin disease [^Tleprosy] until the day he died. He had to live in a separate house and could not enter the ·Temple [^Lhouse] of the Lord. His son Jotham was in charge of the ·palace [^Lhouse], and he ·governed [ruled over; judged] the people of the land.

²² The ·other things Uzziah did as king [rest of the events/acts/history of Uzziah’s reign], from ·beginning to end [first to last], were written down by the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz. ²³ Uzziah ·died [^Llay down/^Tslept with his fathers/ancestors] and was buried near his ·ancestors [fathers] in a ·graveyard [burial field] that belonged to the kings. This was because people said, “He ·had a skin disease [^Twas a leper; v. 19].” And his son Jotham became king in his place.