2 Chronicles 26

Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition

Reign of Uzziah

26 And all the people of Judah took Uzzi′ah, who was sixteen years old, and made him king instead of his father Amazi′ah. ² He built Eloth and restored it to Judah, after the king slept with his fathers. ³ Uzzi′ah was sixteen years old when he began to reign, and he reigned fifty-two years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jecoli′ah of Jerusalem. ⁴ And he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, according to all that his father Amazi′ah had done. ⁵ He set himself to seek God in the days of Zechari′ah, who instructed him in the fear of God; and as long as he sought the Lord, God made him prosper.

⁶ He went out and made war against the Philistines, and broke down the wall of Gath and the wall of Jabneh and the wall of Ashdod; and he built cities in the territory of Ashdod and elsewhere among the Philistines. ⁷ God helped him against the Philistines, and against the Arabs that dwelt in Gurba′al, and against the Me-u′nites. ⁸ The Ammonites paid tribute to Uzzi′ah, and his fame spread even to the border of Egypt, for he became very strong. ⁹ Moreover Uzzi′ah built towers in Jerusalem at the Corner Gate and at the Valley Gate and at the Angle, and fortified them. ¹⁰ And he built towers in the wilderness, and hewed out many cisterns, for he had large herds, both in the Shephe′lah and in the plain, and he had farmers and vinedressers in the hills and in the fertile lands, for he loved the soil. ¹¹ Moreover Uzzi′ah had an army of soldiers, fit for war, in divisions according to the numbers in the muster made by Je-i′el the secretary and Ma-asei′ah the officer, under the direction of Hanani′ah, one of the king’s commanders. ¹² The whole number of the heads of fathers’ houses of mighty men of valor was two thousand six hundred. ¹³ Under their command was an army of three hundred and seven thousand five hundred, who could make war with mighty power, to help the king against the enemy. ¹⁴ And Uzzi′ah prepared for all the army shields, spears, helmets, coats of mail, bows, and stones for slinging. ¹⁵ In Jerusalem he made engines, invented by skilful men, to be on the towers and the corners, to shoot arrows and great stones. And his fame spread far, for he was marvelously helped, till he was strong.

Pride and Apostasy

¹⁶ But when he was strong he grew proud, to his destruction. For he was false to the Lord his God, and entered the temple of the Lord to burn incense on the altar of incense. ¹⁷ But Azari′ah the priest went in after him, with eighty priests of the Lord who were men of valor; ¹⁸ and they withstood King Uzzi′ah, and said to him, “It is not for you, Uzzi′ah, to burn incense to the Lord, but for the priests the sons of Aaron, who are consecrated to burn incense. Go out of the sanctuary; for you have done wrong, and it will bring you no honor from the Lord God.” ¹⁹ Then Uzzi′ah was angry. Now he had a censer in his hand to burn incense, and when he became angry with the priests leprosy broke out on his forehead, in the presence of the priests in the house of the Lord, by the altar of incense. ²⁰ And Azari′ah the chief priest, and all the priests, looked at him, and behold, he was leprous in his forehead! And they thrust him out quickly, and he himself hastened to go out, because the Lord had smitten him. ²¹ And King Uzzi′ah was a leper to the day of his death, and being a leper dwelt in a separate house, for he was excluded from the house of the Lord. And Jotham his son was over the king’s household, governing the people of the land.

²² Now the rest of the acts of Uzzi′ah, from first to last, Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz wrote. ²³ And Uzzi′ah slept with his fathers, and they buried him with his fathers in the burial field which belonged to the kings, for they said, “He is a leper.” And Jotham his son reigned in his stead.