¹⁶ Now it happened that as he was talking with him, ^[a]the king said to him, “Have we given you to be a royal counselor? Stop! Why should you be struck down?” Then the prophet stopped and said, “I know that God has counseled to destroy you, because you have done this and have not listened to my counsel.”

Amaziah Defeated by Joash of Israel

^17 (A)Then Amaziah king of Judah took counsel and sent to Joash the son of Jehoahaz the son of Jehu, the king of Israel, saying, “Come, let us face each other.” ¹⁸ And Joash the king of Israel sent to Amaziah king of Judah, saying, “^(B)The thorn bush which was in Lebanon sent to the cedar which was in Lebanon, saying, ‘Give your daughter to my son as a wife.’ But a beast of the field that was in Lebanon passed by and trampled the thorn bush. ¹⁹ You said, ‘Behold, you have struck down Edom.’ And ^(C)your heart has lifted you up to boast. Now stay at home; for why should you provoke calamity so that you, even you, would fall and Judah with you?”

²⁰ But Amaziah would not listen, for it was from God, that He might give them into the hand of Joash because they had sought the gods of Edom.