Passage Resources Hebrew/Greek Your Content
Previous Next
Add parallel Print Page Options Listen to 2 Chronicles 23-25
Close NASB

2 Chronicles 23-25
New American Standard Bible

Jehoiada Sets Joash on the Throne of Judah

23 (A)Now in the seventh year, Jehoiada gathered his courage, and took captains of hundreds: Azariah the son of Jeroham, Ishmael the son of Johanan, Azariah the son of Obed, Maaseiah the son of Adaiah, and Elishaphat the son of Zichri, and they entered into a covenant with him. 2 And they went throughout Judah and gathered the Levites from all the cities of Judah, and the heads of the fathers’ households of (B)Israel, and they came to Jerusalem. 3 Then all the assembly made a covenant with the king in the house of God. And [a]Jehoiada said to them, “Behold, the king’s son shall reign, (C)as the Lord has spoken concerning the sons of David. 4 This is the thing which you shall do: a third of you, of the priests and Levites (D)who come in on the Sabbath, shall be gatekeepers, 5 and a third shall be at the king’s house, and a third at the Gate of the Foundation; and all the people shall be in the courtyards of the house of the Lord. 6 But no one is to enter the house of the Lord except the priests and (E)the ministering Levites; they may enter, for they are holy. And all the people are to keep the command of the Lord. 7 The Levites will surround the king, each man with his weapons in his hand; and whoever enters the house is to be put to death. Therefore be with the king when he comes in and when he goes out.”

8 The Levites and all Judah did according to all that Jehoiada the priest commanded. And each one of them took his men who were to come in on the Sabbath, with those who were to go out on the Sabbath, for Jehoiada the priest did not dismiss any of (F)the divisions. 9 Then Jehoiada the priest gave the captains of hundreds the spears and the shields and quivers which had been King David’s, which were in the house of God. 10 He stationed all the people, each man with his weapon in his hand, from the right [b]side of the house to the left [c]side of the house, by the altar and by the house, around the king. 11 Then they brought out the king’s son and put the crown on him, and gave him (G)the testimony and made him king. And Jehoiada and his sons anointed him and said, “(H)Long live the king!”

Athaliah Murdered

12 When Athaliah heard the noise of the people running and praising the king, she went into the house of the Lord to the people. 13 She looked, and behold, the king was standing by his pillar at the entrance, and the captains and the [d]trumpeters were beside the king. And all the people of the land rejoiced and blew trumpets, the singers with their musical instruments [e]leading the praise. Then Athaliah tore her clothes and said, “Conspiracy! Conspiracy!” 14 And Jehoiada the priest brought out the captains of hundreds who were appointed over the army, and said to them, “Bring her out [f]between the ranks, and whoever follows her is to be put to death with the sword.” For the priest said, “You shall not put her to death in the house of the Lord.” 15 So they [g]seized her, and when she arrived at the entrance of (I)the Horse Gate of the king’s house, they (J)put her to death there.

Reforms Carried Out

16 Then (K)Jehoiada made a covenant between himself and all the people and the king, that they would be the Lord’s people. 17 And all the people went to the house of Baal and tore it down, and they broke in pieces his altars and his images, and (L)killed Mattan the priest of Baal before the altars. 18 Moreover, Jehoiada placed the offices of the house of the Lord under the [h]authority of (M)the Levitical priests, (N)whom David had assigned over the house of the Lord, to offer the burnt offerings of the Lord, as it is written in the Law of Moses—(O)with rejoicing and singing according to the [i]order of David. 19 He stationed (P)the gatekeepers of the house of the Lord, so that no one would enter who was in any way unclean. 20 (Q)He took the captains of hundreds, the nobles, the rulers of the people, and all the people of the land, and brought the king down from the house of the Lord, and went through the upper gate to the king’s house. And they seated the king upon the royal throne. 21 So (R)all of the people of the land rejoiced and the city was at rest. For they had put Athaliah to death with the sword.

Young Joash Influenced by Jehoiada

24 (S)Joash was seven years old when he became king, and he reigned for forty years in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was Zibiah from Beersheba. 2 (T)Joash did what was right in the sight of the Lord all the days of Jehoiada the priest. 3 Jehoiada took two wives for him, and he fathered sons and daughters.

Faithless Priests

4 Now it came about after this that Joash [j]decided (U)to restore the house of the Lord. 5 He gathered the priests and Levites and said to them, “Go out to the cities of Judah and collect money from all (V)Israel to [k]repair the house of your God annually, and you shall [l]do the work quickly.” But the Levites did not act quickly. 6 So the king summoned Jehoiada, the chief priest, and said to him, “Why have you not required the Levites to bring in from Judah and from Jerusalem (W)the [m]contribution of Moses, the servant of the Lord, and the congregation of Israel, (X)for the tent of the testimony?” 7 For (Y)the sons of the wicked Athaliah had broken into the house of God, and even [n]used the holy things of the house of the Lord for the Baals.

Temple Repaired

8 So the king commanded, and (Z)they made a chest and set it outside by the gate of the house of the Lord. 9 (AA)And they made a proclamation in Judah and Jerusalem to bring to the Lord (AB)the [o]contribution commanded by Moses the servant of God on Israel in the wilderness. 10 All the officers and all the people rejoiced, and they brought in their contribution and [p]dropped it into the chest until they had finished. 11 It happened that whenever the chest was brought to the king’s officer by the Levites, and (AC)they saw that the money was substantial, the king’s scribe and the chief priest’s officer would come and empty the chest, and pick it up and return it to its place. They did this daily and collected a large amount of money. 12 The king and Jehoiada gave it to those who did the work of the service of the house of the Lord; and they hired masons and carpenters to restore the house of the Lord, and also workers in iron and bronze to repair the house of the Lord. 13 So the workmen labored, and the repair work progressed in their hands, and they [q]restored the house of God according to its [r]specifications and strengthened it. 14 When they had finished, they brought the rest of the money before the king and Jehoiada; and it was made into utensils for the house of the Lord, utensils for the service and the burnt offerings, and pans and utensils of gold and silver. And they offered burnt offerings in the house of the Lord continually, all the days of Jehoiada.

15 Now Jehoiada [s]reached a good old age and he died; he was 130 years old at his death. 16 And they buried him (AD)in the city of David with the kings, because he had done well in (AE)Israel and [t]for God and His house.

17 But after the death of Jehoiada the officials of Judah came and bowed down to the king, and the king listened to them. 18 And they abandoned (AF)the house of the Lord, the God of their fathers, and (AG)served the [u]Asherim and the idols; so (AH)wrath came upon Judah and Jerusalem for this guilt of theirs. 19 Yet (AI)He sent prophets to them to bring them back to the Lord; and they testified against them, but they would not listen.

Joash Murders Son of Jehoiada

20 (AJ)Then the Spirit of God [v]covered Zechariah, the son of Jehoiada the priest like clothing; and he stood above the people and said to them, “This is what God has said, ‘(AK)Why do you break the commandments of the Lord and do not prosper? (AL)Because you have abandoned the Lord, He has also abandoned you.’” 21 So (AM)they conspired against him, and at the command of the king they stoned him [w]to death in the courtyard of the house of the Lord. 22 So Joash the king did not remember the kindness which Zechariah’s father Jehoiada had shown him, but he murdered his son. And as Zechariah died he said, “May (AN)the Lord see and [x]avenge!”

Aram Invades and Defeats Judah

23 Now it happened at the turn of the year that (AO)the army of the Arameans came up against Joash; and they came to Judah and Jerusalem, destroyed all the officials of the people from among the people, and sent all their spoils to the king of Damascus. 24 Indeed, the army of the Arameans came with a small number of men; yet (AP)the Lord handed a very great army over to them, (AQ)because [y]Judah and Joash had abandoned the Lord, the God of their fathers. So they executed judgment on Joash.

25 (AR)When they left him (for they left him very sick), his own servants conspired against him because of the blood of the [z]son of Jehoiada the priest, and they murdered him on his bed. So he died, and they buried him in the city of David, but they did not bury him in the tombs of the kings. 26 Now these are the men who conspired against him: Zabad the son of Shimeath the Ammonitess, and Jehozabad the son of Shimrith the Moabitess. 27 As to his sons and the many pronouncements against him and (AS)the [aa]rebuilding of the house of God, behold, they are written in the [ab](AT)treatise of the Book of the Kings. Then his son Amaziah became king in his place.

Amaziah Succeeds Joash in Judah

25 (AU)Amaziah was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned for twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Jehoaddan of Jerusalem. 2 He did what was right in the sight of the Lord, (AV)only not wholeheartedly. 3 Now (AW)it came about, as soon as the kingdom was [ac]firmly in his grasp, that he killed his servants who had killed his father the king. 4 However, he did not put their children to death, but did as it is written in the Law in the Book of Moses, which the Lord commanded, saying, “(AX)Fathers shall not be put to death for sons, nor sons be put to death for fathers; but each shall be put to death for his own sin.”

Amaziah Defeats Edomites

5 Moreover, Amaziah assembled Judah and appointed them according to their fathers’ households under commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds throughout Judah and Benjamin; and he [ad]took a census of those (AY)from twenty years old and upward and found them to be (AZ)three hundred thousand choice men, able to go to war and handle spear and shield. 6 He also hired a hundred thousand valiant warriors from Israel for [ae]a hundred talents of silver. 7 But (BA)a man of God came to him saying, “O king, do not let the army of Israel come with you, for the Lord is not with Israel nor with any of the sons of Ephraim. 8 But if you do go, do it, be strong for the battle; yet God will [af]bring you down before the enemy, (BB)for God has the power to help and to [ag]bring down.” 9 Amaziah said to the man of God, “But what are we to do about the [ah]hundred talents which I have given to the troops of Israel?” And the man of God answered, “(BC)The Lord has much more to give you than this.” 10 Then Amaziah [ai]dismissed the troops which came to him from Ephraim, to go home; so their anger burned against Judah, and they returned [aj]home in fierce anger.

11 Now Amaziah gathered his courage and led his people out, and went to (BD)the Valley of Salt, and struck and killed ten thousand of the sons of Seir. 12 The sons of Judah also captured ten thousand alive and brought them to the top of the cliff, and threw them down from the top of the cliff so that they were all dashed to pieces. 13 But the [ak]troops whom Amaziah sent back, those not going with him to battle, raided the cities of Judah from Samaria to Beth-horon, and struck and killed three thousand of them, and plundered a large amount of spoils.

Amaziah Rebuked for Idolatry

14 Now after Amaziah came from slaughtering the Edomites, (BE)he brought the gods of the sons of Seir and set them up as his gods. Then he bowed down before them and burned incense to them. 15 So the anger of the Lord burned against Amaziah, and He sent him a prophet who said to him, “Why have you sought the gods of the people (BF)who have not saved their own people from your hand?” 16 As he was talking with him, [al]the king said to him, “Have we appointed you to be a royal counselor? Stop! Why should [am]you be put to death?” Then the prophet stopped and said, “I know that God has planned to destroy you, because you have done this and have not listened to my counsel.”

Amaziah Defeated by Joash of Israel

17 (BG)Then Amaziah king of Judah took counsel and sent word to Joash the son of Jehoahaz the son of Jehu, the king of Israel, saying, “Come, let’s face each other.” 18 But Joash the king of Israel sent a reply to Amaziah king of Judah, saying, “(BH)The thorn bush that was in Lebanon sent word to the cedar that was in Lebanon, saying, ‘Give your daughter to my son in marriage.’ But a wild beast that was in Lebanon passed by and trampled the thorn bush. 19 You said, ‘Behold, you have [an]defeated Edom.’ And (BI)your heart has lifted you up in boasting. Now stay home; why should you provoke trouble so that you, would fall, you and Judah with you?”

20 But Amaziah would not listen, for it was from God, so that He might hand them over to Joash, because they had sought the gods of Edom. 21 So Joash king of Israel went up, and he and Amaziah king of Judah faced each other at Beth-shemesh, which belonged to Judah. 22 And Judah was defeated [ao]by Israel, and they fled, every man to his tent. 23 Then Joash king of Israel captured Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Joash the son of (BJ)Jehoahaz, at Beth-shemesh, and brought him to Jerusalem and tore down the wall of Jerusalem from the Gate of Ephraim to the Corner Gate, [ap]four hundred cubits. 24 He took all the gold and silver and all the utensils which were found in the house of God with (BK)Obed-edom, and the treasures of the king’s house, the hostages too, and returned to Samaria.

25 (BL)And Amaziah, the son of Joash king of Judah, lived fifteen years after the death of Joash, son of Jehoahaz, king of Israel. 26 Now the rest of the acts of Amaziah, from the first to the last, behold, are they not written in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel? 27 From the time that Amaziah turned away from following the Lord they conspired against him in Jerusalem, and he fled to Lachish; but they sent men after him to Lachish, and they killed him there. 28 Then they brought him on horses and buried him with his fathers in the city of Judah.

Footnotes

  1. 2 Chronicles 23:3 Lit he
  2. 2 Chronicles 23:10 Lit shoulder
  3. 2 Chronicles 23:10 Lit shoulder
  4. 2 Chronicles 23:13 Lit trumpets
  5. 2 Chronicles 23:13 Lit and leading for praising
  6. 2 Chronicles 23:14 Lit from within
  7. 2 Chronicles 23:15 Lit put hands to her
  8. 2 Chronicles 23:18 Lit hand
  9. 2 Chronicles 23:18 Lit hands of
  10. 2 Chronicles 24:4 Lit was with a heart
  11. 2 Chronicles 24:5 Lit strengthen
  12. 2 Chronicles 24:5 Lit hasten to the thing
  13. 2 Chronicles 24:6 Or mandatory offering
  14. 2 Chronicles 24:7 Lit made
  15. 2 Chronicles 24:9 Or mandatory offering
  16. 2 Chronicles 24:10 Lit threw
  17. 2 Chronicles 24:13 Lit set up
  18. 2 Chronicles 24:13 Lit measurement
  19. 2 Chronicles 24:15 Lit became old and satisfied with days
  20. 2 Chronicles 24:16 Lit with
  21. 2 Chronicles 24:18 I.e., wooden symbols of a female deity (Asherah)
  22. 2 Chronicles 24:20 Lit clothed
  23. 2 Chronicles 24:21 Lit with stones
  24. 2 Chronicles 24:22 Lit seek; or require
  25. 2 Chronicles 24:24 Lit they
  26. 2 Chronicles 24:25 As in some ancient versions; MT sons
  27. 2 Chronicles 24:27 Lit founding
  28. 2 Chronicles 24:27 Heb midrash
  29. 2 Chronicles 25:3 Lit firm upon him
  30. 2 Chronicles 25:5 Lit mustered
  31. 2 Chronicles 25:6 About 3.75 tons or 3.4 metric tons
  32. 2 Chronicles 25:8 Lit cause you to stumble
  33. 2 Chronicles 25:8 Lit cause to stumble
  34. 2 Chronicles 25:9 About 3.75 tons or 3.4 metric tons
  35. 2 Chronicles 25:10 Lit separated
  36. 2 Chronicles 25:10 Lit to their own place
  37. 2 Chronicles 25:13 Lit sons of the troops
  38. 2 Chronicles 25:16 Lit he
  39. 2 Chronicles 25:16 Lit they strike and kill you
  40. 2 Chronicles 25:19 Lit struck
  41. 2 Chronicles 25:22 Lit before
  42. 2 Chronicles 25:23 About 600 ft. or 183 m
Listen to 2 Chronicles 23-25
Close NIV

2 Chronicles 23-25
New International Version

23 In the seventh year Jehoiada showed his strength. He made a covenant with the commanders of units of a hundred: Azariah son of Jeroham, Ishmael son of Jehohanan, Azariah son of Obed, Maaseiah son of Adaiah, and Elishaphat son of Zikri. 2 They went throughout Judah and gathered the Levites(A) and the heads of Israelite families from all the towns. When they came to Jerusalem, 3 the whole assembly made a covenant(B) with the king at the temple of God.

Jehoiada said to them, “The king’s son shall reign, as the Lord promised concerning the descendants of David.(C) 4 Now this is what you are to do: A third of you priests and Levites who are going on duty on the Sabbath are to keep watch at the doors, 5 a third of you at the royal palace and a third at the Foundation Gate, and all the others are to be in the courtyards of the temple of the Lord. 6 No one is to enter the temple of the Lord except the priests and Levites on duty; they may enter because they are consecrated, but all the others are to observe(D) the Lord’s command not to enter.[a] 7 The Levites are to station themselves around the king, each with weapon in hand. Anyone who enters the temple is to be put to death. Stay close to the king wherever he goes.”

8 The Levites and all the men of Judah did just as Jehoiada the priest ordered.(E) Each one took his men—those who were going on duty on the Sabbath and those who were going off duty—for Jehoiada the priest had not released any of the divisions.(F) 9 Then he gave the commanders of units of a hundred the spears and the large and small shields that had belonged to King David and that were in the temple of God. 10 He stationed all the men, each with his weapon in his hand, around the king—near the altar and the temple, from the south side to the north side of the temple.

11 Jehoiada and his sons brought out the king’s son and put the crown on him; they presented him with a copy(G) of the covenant and proclaimed him king. They anointed him and shouted, “Long live the king!”

12 When Athaliah heard the noise of the people running and cheering the king, she went to them at the temple of the Lord. 13 She looked, and there was the king,(H) standing by his pillar(I) at the entrance. The officers and the trumpeters were beside the king, and all the people of the land were rejoicing and blowing trumpets, and musicians with their instruments were leading the praises. Then Athaliah tore her robes and shouted, “Treason! Treason!”

14 Jehoiada the priest sent out the commanders of units of a hundred, who were in charge of the troops, and said to them: “Bring her out between the ranks[b] and put to the sword anyone who follows her.” For the priest had said, “Do not put her to death at the temple of the Lord.” 15 So they seized her as she reached the entrance of the Horse Gate(J) on the palace grounds, and there they put her to death.

16 Jehoiada then made a covenant(K) that he, the people and the king[c] would be the Lord’s people. 17 All the people went to the temple of Baal and tore it down. They smashed the altars and idols and killed(L) Mattan the priest of Baal in front of the altars.

18 Then Jehoiada placed the oversight of the temple of the Lord in the hands of the Levitical priests,(M) to whom David had made assignments in the temple,(N) to present the burnt offerings of the Lord as written in the Law of Moses, with rejoicing and singing, as David had ordered. 19 He also stationed gatekeepers(O) at the gates of the Lord’s temple so that no one who was in any way unclean might enter.

20 He took with him the commanders of hundreds, the nobles, the rulers of the people and all the people of the land and brought the king down from the temple of the Lord. They went into the palace through the Upper Gate(P) and seated the king on the royal throne. 21 All the people of the land rejoiced, and the city was calm, because Athaliah had been slain with the sword.(Q)

Joash Repairs the Temple(R)(S)

24 Joash was seven years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem forty years. His mother’s name was Zibiah; she was from Beersheba. 2 Joash did what was right in the eyes of the Lord(T) all the years of Jehoiada the priest. 3 Jehoiada chose two wives for him, and he had sons and daughters.

4 Some time later Joash decided to restore the temple of the Lord. 5 He called together the priests and Levites and said to them, “Go to the towns of Judah and collect the money(U) due annually from all Israel,(V) to repair the temple of your God. Do it now.” But the Levites(W) did not act at once.

6 Therefore the king summoned Jehoiada the chief priest and said to him, “Why haven’t you required the Levites to bring in from Judah and Jerusalem the tax imposed by Moses the servant of the Lord and by the assembly of Israel for the tent of the covenant law?”(X)

7 Now the sons of that wicked woman Athaliah had broken into the temple of God and had used even its sacred objects for the Baals.

8 At the king’s command, a chest was made and placed outside, at the gate of the temple of the Lord. 9 A proclamation was then issued in Judah and Jerusalem that they should bring to the Lord the tax that Moses the servant of God had required of Israel in the wilderness. 10 All the officials and all the people brought their contributions gladly,(Y) dropping them into the chest until it was full. 11 Whenever the chest was brought in by the Levites to the king’s officials and they saw that there was a large amount of money, the royal secretary and the officer of the chief priest would come and empty the chest and carry it back to its place. They did this regularly and collected a great amount of money. 12 The king and Jehoiada gave it to those who carried out the work required for the temple of the Lord. They hired(Z) masons and carpenters to restore the Lord’s temple, and also workers in iron and bronze to repair the temple.

13 The men in charge of the work were diligent, and the repairs progressed under them. They rebuilt the temple of God according to its original design and reinforced it. 14 When they had finished, they brought the rest of the money to the king and Jehoiada, and with it were made articles for the Lord’s temple: articles for the service and for the burnt offerings, and also dishes and other objects of gold and silver. As long as Jehoiada lived, burnt offerings were presented continually in the temple of the Lord.

15 Now Jehoiada was old and full of years, and he died at the age of a hundred and thirty. 16 He was buried with the kings in the City of David, because of the good he had done in Israel for God and his temple.

The Wickedness of Joash

17 After the death of Jehoiada, the officials of Judah came and paid homage to the king, and he listened to them. 18 They abandoned(AA) the temple of the Lord, the God of their ancestors, and worshiped Asherah poles and idols.(AB) Because of their guilt, God’s anger(AC) came on Judah and Jerusalem. 19 Although the Lord sent prophets to the people to bring them back to him, and though they testified against them, they would not listen.(AD)

20 Then the Spirit(AE) of God came on Zechariah(AF) son of Jehoiada the priest. He stood before the people and said, “This is what God says: ‘Why do you disobey the Lord’s commands? You will not prosper.(AG) Because you have forsaken the Lord, he has forsaken(AH) you.’”

21 But they plotted against him, and by order of the king they stoned(AI) him to death(AJ) in the courtyard of the Lord’s temple.(AK) 22 King Joash did not remember the kindness Zechariah’s father Jehoiada had shown him but killed his son, who said as he lay dying, “May the Lord see this and call you to account.”(AL)

23 At the turn of the year,[d] the army of Aram marched against Joash; it invaded Judah and Jerusalem and killed all the leaders of the people.(AM) They sent all the plunder to their king in Damascus. 24 Although the Aramean army had come with only a few men,(AN) the Lord delivered into their hands a much larger army.(AO) Because Judah had forsaken the Lord, the God of their ancestors, judgment was executed on Joash. 25 When the Arameans withdrew, they left Joash severely wounded. His officials conspired against him for murdering the son of Jehoiada the priest, and they killed him in his bed. So he died and was buried(AP) in the City of David, but not in the tombs of the kings.

26 Those who conspired against him were Zabad,[e] son of Shimeath an Ammonite woman, and Jehozabad, son of Shimrith[f](AQ) a Moabite woman.(AR) 27 The account of his sons, the many prophecies about him, and the record of the restoration of the temple of God are written in the annotations on the book of the kings. And Amaziah his son succeeded him as king.

Amaziah King of Judah(AS)(AT)(AU)

25 Amaziah was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem twenty-nine years. His mother’s name was Jehoaddan; she was from Jerusalem. 2 He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, but not wholeheartedly.(AV) 3 After the kingdom was firmly in his control, he executed the officials who had murdered his father the king. 4 Yet he did not put their children to death, but acted in accordance with what is written in the Law, in the Book of Moses,(AW) where the Lord commanded: “Parents shall not be put to death for their children, nor children be put to death for their parents; each will die for their own sin.”[g](AX)

5 Amaziah called the people of Judah together and assigned them according to their families to commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds for all Judah and Benjamin. He then mustered(AY) those twenty years old(AZ) or more and found that there were three hundred thousand men fit for military service,(BA) able to handle the spear and shield. 6 He also hired a hundred thousand fighting men from Israel for a hundred talents[h] of silver.

7 But a man of God came to him and said, “Your Majesty, these troops from Israel(BB) must not march with you, for the Lord is not with Israel—not with any of the people of Ephraim. 8 Even if you go and fight courageously in battle, God will overthrow you before the enemy, for God has the power to help or to overthrow.”(BC)

9 Amaziah asked the man of God, “But what about the hundred talents I paid for these Israelite troops?”

The man of God replied, “The Lord can give you much more than that.”(BD)

10 So Amaziah dismissed the troops who had come to him from Ephraim and sent them home. They were furious with Judah and left for home in a great rage.(BE)

11 Amaziah then marshaled his strength and led his army to the Valley of Salt, where he killed ten thousand men of Seir. 12 The army of Judah also captured ten thousand men alive, took them to the top of a cliff and threw them down so that all were dashed to pieces.(BF)

13 Meanwhile the troops that Amaziah had sent back and had not allowed to take part in the war raided towns belonging to Judah from Samaria to Beth Horon. They killed three thousand people and carried off great quantities of plunder.

14 When Amaziah returned from slaughtering the Edomites, he brought back the gods of the people of Seir. He set them up as his own gods,(BG) bowed down to them and burned sacrifices to them. 15 The anger of the Lord burned against Amaziah, and he sent a prophet to him, who said, “Why do you consult this people’s gods, which could not save(BH) their own people from your hand?”

16 While he was still speaking, the king said to him, “Have we appointed you an adviser to the king? Stop! Why be struck down?”

So the prophet stopped but said, “I know that God has determined to destroy you, because you have done this and have not listened to my counsel.”

17 After Amaziah king of Judah consulted his advisers, he sent this challenge to Jehoash[i] son of Jehoahaz, the son of Jehu, king of Israel: “Come, let us face each other in battle.”

18 But Jehoash king of Israel replied to Amaziah king of Judah: “A thistle(BI) in Lebanon sent a message to a cedar in Lebanon, ‘Give your daughter to my son in marriage.’ Then a wild beast in Lebanon came along and trampled the thistle underfoot. 19 You say to yourself that you have defeated Edom, and now you are arrogant and proud. But stay at home! Why ask for trouble and cause your own downfall and that of Judah also?”

20 Amaziah, however, would not listen, for God so worked that he might deliver them into the hands of Jehoash, because they sought the gods of Edom.(BJ) 21 So Jehoash king of Israel attacked. He and Amaziah king of Judah faced each other at Beth Shemesh in Judah. 22 Judah was routed by Israel, and every man fled to his home. 23 Jehoash king of Israel captured Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Joash, the son of Ahaziah,[j] at Beth Shemesh. Then Jehoash brought him to Jerusalem and broke down the wall of Jerusalem from the Ephraim Gate(BK) to the Corner Gate(BL)—a section about four hundred cubits[k] long. 24 He took all the gold and silver and all the articles found in the temple of God that had been in the care of Obed-Edom,(BM) together with the palace treasures and the hostages, and returned to Samaria.

25 Amaziah son of Joash king of Judah lived for fifteen years after the death of Jehoash son of Jehoahaz king of Israel. 26 As for the other events of Amaziah’s reign, from beginning to end, are they not written in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel? 27 From the time that Amaziah turned away from following the Lord, they conspired against him in Jerusalem and he fled to Lachish(BN), but they sent men after him to Lachish and killed him there. 28 He was brought back by horse and was buried with his ancestors in the City of Judah.[l]

Footnotes

  1. 2 Chronicles 23:6 Or are to stand guard where the Lord has assigned them
  2. 2 Chronicles 23:14 Or out from the precincts
  3. 2 Chronicles 23:16 Or covenant between the Lord and the people and the king that they (see 2 Kings 11:17)
  4. 2 Chronicles 24:23 Probably in the spring
  5. 2 Chronicles 24:26 A variant of Jozabad
  6. 2 Chronicles 24:26 A variant of Shomer
  7. 2 Chronicles 25:4 Deut. 24:16
  8. 2 Chronicles 25:6 That is, about 3 3/4 tons or about 3.4 metric tons; also in verse 9
  9. 2 Chronicles 25:17 Hebrew Joash, a variant of Jehoash; also in verses 18, 21, 23 and 25
  10. 2 Chronicles 25:23 Hebrew Jehoahaz, a variant of Ahaziah
  11. 2 Chronicles 25:23 That is, about 600 feet or about 180 meters
  12. 2 Chronicles 25:28 Most Hebrew manuscripts; some Hebrew manuscripts, Septuagint, Vulgate and Syriac (see also 2 Kings 14:20) David
Next
2 Chronicles 22
2 Chronicles 26
Next
dropdown
New American Standard Bible (NASB)

New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.

New American Standard Bible is made available by The Lockman Foundation
New International Version (NIV)

Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.

July Summer Surge

More on the NIV