2 Chronicles 25
Christian Standard Bible
Judah’s King Amaziah
25 Amaziah(A) became king when he was twenty-five years old, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jehoaddan; she was from Jerusalem. 2 He did what was right in the Lord’s sight but not wholeheartedly.(B)
3 As soon as the kingdom was firmly in his grasp,[a] he executed his servants who had killed his father the king. 4 However, he did not put their children to death, because—as it is written in the Law, in the book of Moses,(C) where the Lord commanded—“Fathers are not to die because of children, and children are not to die because of fathers, but each one will die for his own sin.”(D)
Amaziah’s Campaign against Edom
5 Then Amaziah gathered Judah and assembled them according to ancestral families,[b] according to commanders of thousands, and according to commanders of hundreds. He numbered those twenty years old or more(E) for all Judah and Benjamin. He found there to be three hundred thousand fit young men who could serve in the army, bearing spear and shield.(F) 6 Then for 7,500 pounds[c] of silver he hired one hundred thousand valiant warriors from Israel.
7 However, a man of God(G) came to him and said, “King, do not let Israel’s army go with you, for the Lord is not with Israel—all the Ephraimites. 8 But if you go with them, do it! Be strong for battle! But God will make you stumble before the enemy,(H) for God has the power to help(I) or to make one stumble.”
9 Then Amaziah said to the man of God, “What should I do about the 7,500 pounds of silver I gave to Israel’s division?”
The man of God replied, “The Lord is able to give you much more than this.”
10 So Amaziah released the division that came to him from Ephraim to go home. But they got very angry with Judah and returned home in a fierce rage.
11 Amaziah strengthened his position and led his people to the Salt Valley. He struck down ten thousand Seirites,[d] 12 and the Judahites captured ten thousand alive. They took them to the top of a cliff where they threw them off, and all of them were dashed to pieces.
13 As for the men of the division that Amaziah sent back so they would not go with him into battle, they raided the cities of Judah from Samaria to Beth-horon, struck down three thousand of their people, and took a great deal of plunder.
14 After Amaziah came from the attack on the Edomites, he brought the gods of the Seirites and set them up as his gods. He worshiped before them and burned incense to them.(J) 15 So the Lord’s anger was against Amaziah, and he sent a prophet to him, who said, “Why have you sought a people’s gods that could not rescue their own people from you?” (K)
16 While he was still speaking to him, the king asked, “Have we made you the king’s counselor? Stop, why should you lose your life?”
So the prophet stopped, but he said, “I know that God intends to destroy you, because you have done this and have not listened to my advice.”
Amaziah’s War with Israel’s King Jehoash
17 King Amaziah of Judah took counsel(L) and sent word to Jehoash[e] son of Jehoahaz, son of Jehu, king of Israel, and challenged him: “Come, let’s meet face to face.”
18 King Jehoash of Israel sent word to King Amaziah of Judah, saying, “The thistle in Lebanon sent a message to the cedar in Lebanon, saying, ‘Give your daughter to my son as a wife.’ Then a wild animal in Lebanon passed by and trampled the thistle.(M) 19 You have said, ‘Look, I[f] have defeated Edom,’ and you have become overconfident[g](N) that you will get glory. Now stay at home. Why stir up such trouble so that you fall and Judah with you?”
20 But Amaziah would not listen, for this turn of events was from God in order to hand them over to their enemies because they went after the gods of Edom. 21 So King Jehoash of Israel advanced. He and King Amaziah of Judah met face to face at Beth-shemesh that belonged to Judah. 22 Judah was routed before Israel, and each man fled to his own tent. 23 King Jehoash of Israel captured Judah’s King Amaziah son of Joash, son of Jehoahaz,[h](O) at Beth-shemesh. Then Jehoash took him to Jerusalem and broke down two hundred yards[i] of Jerusalem’s wall from the Ephraim Gate to the Corner Gate.[j](P) 24 He took all the gold, silver, all the utensils that were found with Obed-edom(Q) in God’s temple, the treasures of the king’s palace, and the hostages. Then he returned to Samaria.
Amaziah’s Death
25 Judah’s King Amaziah(R) son of Joash lived fifteen years after the death of Israel’s King Jehoash son of Jehoahaz. 26 The rest of the events of Amaziah’s reign, from beginning to end, are written in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel.
27 From the time Amaziah turned from following the Lord, a conspiracy was formed against him in Jerusalem, and he fled to Lachish. However, men were sent after him to Lachish, and they put him to death there. 28 They carried him back on horses and buried him with his ancestors in the city of Judah.[k](S)
Footnotes
- 25:3 LXX, Syr; MT reads was strong on him; 1Kg 14:4
- 25:5 Lit house of fathers
- 25:6 Lit 100 talents, also in v. 9
- 25:11 = Edomites, also in v. 14
- 25:17 Lit Joash
- 25:19 Some LXX mss, Old Lat, Tg, Vg; MT reads you
- 25:19 Lit and your heart has lifted you
- 25:23 = Ahaziah in 2Kg 14:13
- 25:23 Lit 400 cubits
- 25:23 Some Hb mss; other Hb mss read to Happoneh
- 25:28 Some Hb mss read city of David
2 Chronicles 25
New American Standard Bible
Amaziah Succeeds Joash in Judah
25 (A)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, (B)only not wholeheartedly. 3 Now (C)it came about, as soon as the kingdom was [a]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, “(D)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 [b]took a census of those (E)from twenty years old and upward and found them to be (F)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 [c]a hundred talents of silver. 7 But (G)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 [d]bring you down before the enemy, (H)for God has the power to help and to [e]bring down.” 9 Amaziah said to the man of God, “But what are we to do about the [f]hundred talents which I have given to the troops of Israel?” And the man of God answered, “(I)The Lord has much more to give you than this.” 10 Then Amaziah [g]dismissed the troops which came to him from Ephraim, to go home; so their anger burned against Judah, and they returned [h]home in fierce anger.
11 Now Amaziah gathered his courage and led his people out, and went to (J)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 [i]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, (K)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 (L)who have not saved their own people from your hand?” 16 As he was talking with him, [j]the king said to him, “Have we appointed you to be a royal counselor? Stop! Why should [k]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 (M)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, “(N)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 [l]defeated Edom.’ And (O)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 [m]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 (P)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, [n]four hundred cubits. 24 He took all the gold and silver and all the utensils which were found in the house of God with (Q)Obed-edom, and the treasures of the king’s house, the hostages too, and returned to Samaria.
25 (R)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
- 2 Chronicles 25:3 Lit firm upon him
- 2 Chronicles 25:5 Lit mustered
- 2 Chronicles 25:6 About 3.75 tons or 3.4 metric tons
- 2 Chronicles 25:8 Lit cause you to stumble
- 2 Chronicles 25:8 Lit cause to stumble
- 2 Chronicles 25:9 About 3.75 tons or 3.4 metric tons
- 2 Chronicles 25:10 Lit separated
- 2 Chronicles 25:10 Lit to their own place
- 2 Chronicles 25:13 Lit sons of the troops
- 2 Chronicles 25:16 Lit he
- 2 Chronicles 25:16 Lit they strike and kill you
- 2 Chronicles 25:19 Lit struck
- 2 Chronicles 25:22 Lit before
- 2 Chronicles 25:23 About 600 ft. or 183 m
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