2 Chronicles 25
Holman Christian Standard Bible
Judah’s King Amaziah
25 Amaziah(A) became king when he was 25 years old and reigned 29 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 murdered 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 must not die because of children, and children must not 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 house, according to commanders of thousands, and according to commanders of hundreds. He numbered those 20 years old or more(E) for all Judah and Benjamin. He found there to be 300,000 choice men who could serve in the army, bearing spear and shield.(F) 6 Then for 7,500 pounds[b] of silver he hired 100,000 brave 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[c] 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 Valley of Salt. He struck down 10,000 Seirites,[d] 12 and the Judahites captured 10,000 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 3,000 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[e] 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 deliver their own people from your hand?”(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 Joash
17 King Amaziah of Judah took counsel(L) and sent word to Jehoash[f] son of Jehoahaz, son of Jehu, king of Israel, saying, “Come, let us meet face to face.”
18 King Jehoash of Israel sent word to King Amaziah of Judah, saying, “The thistle that was in Lebanon sent a message to the cedar that was in Lebanon, saying, ‘Give your daughter to my son as a wife.’ Then a wild animal that was in Lebanon passed by and trampled the thistle.(M) 19 You have said, ‘Look, I[g] have defeated Edom,’ and you have become overconfident(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 faced off at Beth-shemesh in Judah. 22 Judah was routed before Israel, and each 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 200 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 15 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 fathers in the city of Judah.[k](S)
Footnotes
- 2 Chronicles 25:3 LXX, Syr; MT reads was strong on him; 1Kg 14:4
- 2 Chronicles 25:6 Lit 100 talents
- 2 Chronicles 25:9 Lit 100 talents
- 2 Chronicles 25:11 = Edomites
- 2 Chronicles 25:14 = Edomites
- 2 Chronicles 25:17 Lit Joash
- 2 Chronicles 25:19 Some LXX mss, Old Lat, Tg, Vg; MT reads you
- 2 Chronicles 25:23 = Ahaziah in 2Kg 14:13
- 2 Chronicles 25:23 Lit 400 cubits
- 2 Chronicles 25:23 Some Hb mss; other Hb mss read to Happoneh
- 2 Chronicles 25:28 Some Hb mss read city of David
2 Chronicles 25
Common English Bible
Amaziah rules
25 Amaziah was 25 years old when he became king, and he ruled for 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 eyes but not with all his heart. 3 Once he had secured control over his kingdom, he executed the officials who had assassinated his father the king. 4 However, he didn’t kill their children because of what is written in the Instruction scroll from Moses, where the Lord commanded, Parents shouldn’t be executed because of what their children have done; neither should children be executed because of what their parents have done. Each person should be executed for their own guilty acts.[a]
5 Amaziah gathered the people of Judah, organizing them into family units under captains of thousands and hundreds for all Judah and Benjamin. He summoned everyone 20 years old and older and found that there were three hundred thousand select troops, ready for service and able to handle spears and body-sized shields. 6 He also hired one hundred thousand warriors from Israel for one hundred kikkars of silver.
7 But a man of God confronted him. “King,” he said, “the troops from Israel must not go with you, because the Lord isn’t on the side of Israel or any Ephraimite. 8 Should you go with them anyway, even if you fight fiercely, God will make you stumble before the enemy, because God has the ability to either help or make someone stumble.”
9 Amaziah asked the man of God, “What about the hundred kikkars I paid for the Israelite troops?”
“God can give you much more than that,” the man of God replied.
10 Amaziah released the Ephraimite troops who had joined him so they could go home, but this only infuriated them against Judah, and they left in a rage. 11 Amaziah courageously led his people to the Salt Valley, where they killed ten thousand people from Seir. 12 The Judean forces captured another ten thousand alive, brought them to the top of a cliff, and threw them off so that all were dashed to pieces. 13 Meanwhile, the troops Amaziah had released from fighting alongside him raided cities in Judah from Samaria to Beth-horon, killing three thousand people and carrying off a large amount of loot. 14 When Amaziah returned after defeating the Edomites, he brought the gods of the people of Seir. He set them up as his own gods, bowed down before them, and burned incense to them. 15 As a result, the Lord was angry with Amaziah and sent a prophet to him.
“Why do you seek the gods of this people?” the prophet asked. “They couldn’t even deliver their own people from you!”
16 “Since when do you give me advice?” Amaziah interrupted. “You better quit before you end up dead!”
So the prophet stopped, but not until he said, “I know God plans to destroy you because you’ve done this and because you’ve refused to listen to my advice.”
17 After Judah’s King Amaziah consulted with his advisors, he sent a challenge to Israel’s King Joash, Jehoahaz’s son and Jehu’s grandson. “Come on,” he said, “let’s go head-to-head!”
18 Israel’s King Joash sent the following reply to Judah’s King Amaziah: “Once upon a time, a thistle in Lebanon sent a message to a cedar: ‘Give your daughter to my son as a wife.’ But then a wild beast in Lebanon came along and trampled the thistle. 19 Do you think that because you’ve defeated Edom, you can arrogantly seek even more? Stay home! Why invite disaster when both you and Judah will fall?” 20 But Amaziah wouldn’t listen, because God intended to use this to destroy them since they had sought Edom’s gods. 21 So Israel’s King Joash moved against Judah’s King Amaziah and went head-to-head in battle at Beth-shemesh in Judah. 22 Judah was defeated by Israel, and everyone ran home. 23 At Beth-shemesh, Israel’s King Joash captured Judah’s King Amaziah, Jehoash’s[b] son and Ahaziah’s[c] grandson. Joash brought him to Jerusalem and broke down six hundred feet of the Jerusalem wall from the Ephraim Gate to the Corner Gate. 24 Joash took[d] all the gold and silver, and all the objects he could find in God’s temple in the care of Obed-edom, and in the treasuries of the palace, along with some hostages. Then he returned to Samaria.
25 Judah’s King Amaziah, Jehoash’s son, lived fifteen years after the death of Israel’s King Joash, Jehoahaz’s son. 26 The rest of Amaziah’s deeds, from beginning to end, aren’t they written in the official records of Israel’s and Judah’s kings? 27 From the time Amaziah turned away from the Lord, some people conspired against him in Jerusalem. When Amaziah fled to Lachish, they sent men after him, and they murdered him in Lachish. 28 They carried him back on horses and he was buried with his ancestors in David’s City.[e]
Footnotes
- 2 Chronicles 25:4 Deut 24:16
- 2 Chronicles 25:23 Or Joash (see also 25:25); the king's name is variously spelled in either long Jehoash or short Joash form in 2 Kgs.
- 2 Chronicles 25:23 See 2 Kgs 14:13; MT Jehoahaz.
- 2 Chronicles 25:24 See 2 Kgs 14:14; Heb omits took.
- 2 Chronicles 25:28 LXX; MT Judah
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