Amaziah Reigns over Judah

14 In the second year of Joash the son of Jehoahaz, king of Israel, Amaziah the son of Joash king of Judah became king. ² He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jehoaddin of Jerusalem. ³ He did right in the sight of the Lord, though not like David his father (ancestor). He acted in accordance with everything that his father Joash had done. ⁴ However, the high places were not removed; the people were still sacrificing and burning incense on the high places. ⁵ As soon as the kingdom was firmly in Amaziah’s hand, he executed his servants who had killed his father the king.^{(A) 6} But he did not put the sons of the murderers to death, in compliance with what is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, in which the Lord commanded, saying, “The fathers shall not be put to death for the sons, nor shall the sons be put to death for the fathers; but each shall be put to death [only] for his own sin.”^(B)

⁷ Amaziah killed 10,000 [men] of Edom in the Valley of Salt, and took ^[a]Sela (rock) by war, and renamed it Joktheel, to this day.

⁸ Then Amaziah sent messengers to ^[b]Jehoash (Joash) the son of Jehoahaz, the son of Jehu, king of Israel, saying, “Come, let us face each other [in combat].” ⁹ Jehoash the king of Israel sent word to Amaziah king of Judah, saying, “The [little] thorn-bush in Lebanon sent word to the [tall] cedar in Lebanon, saying, ‘Give your daughter to my son as wife.’ But a wild beast that was in Lebanon passed by and trampled the thorn-bush. ¹⁰ You have indeed defeated Edom, and your heart has lifted you up [in pride]. Enjoy your glory but stay at home; for why should you plunge into misery so that you, even you, would fall [at my hand], and Judah with you?”

¹¹ But Amaziah would not listen. So Jehoash king of Israel went up; and he and Amaziah king of Judah faced each other [in combat] at Beth-shemesh, which belongs to Judah. ¹² Judah was defeated by Israel, and every man fled to his tent. ¹³ Then Jehoash king of Israel captured Amaziah the king of Judah, the son of Jehoash (Joash), the son of Ahaziah, at Beth-shemesh, and came to Jerusalem and broke through the wall of Jerusalem from the Gate of Ephraim to the Corner Gate, 400 cubits (600 feet). ¹⁴ He seized all the gold and silver and all the utensils found in the house (temple) of the Lord and in the treasuries of the king’s house, as well as hostages, and returned to Samaria.

Jeroboam II Succeeds Jehoash (Joash) in Israel

¹⁵ Now the rest of the acts of Jehoash which he did, and his might and how he fought with Amaziah the king of Judah, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel? ¹⁶ Jehoash slept with his fathers [in death] and was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel. His son Jeroboam [II] became king in his place.

Azariah (Uzziah) Succeeds Amaziah in Judah

¹⁷ Amaziah the son of Joash king of Judah lived for fifteen years after the death of Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz king of Israel. ¹⁸ The rest of the acts of Amaziah, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? ¹⁹ Now a conspiracy was formed against him in Jerusalem, and Amaziah fled [south] to Lachish; but they sent [men] after him to Lachish and killed him there. ²⁰ Then they carried him on horses and he was buried at Jerusalem with his fathers in the City of David. ²¹ And all the people of Judah took Azariah, who was [only] sixteen years old, and made him king in place of his father Amaziah. ²² He built ^[c]Elath and restored it to Judah after the king [his father Amaziah] slept with his fathers [in death].

²³ In the fifteenth year of Amaziah the son of Joash king of Judah, Jeroboam [II] the son of Joash (Jehoash) king of Israel became king in Samaria, and reigned forty-one years. ²⁴ He did evil in the sight of the Lord; he did not turn from all the [idolatrous] sins of Jeroboam [I] the son of Nebat, who made Israel sin. ²⁵ Jeroboam restored Israel’s border from the ^[d]entrance of Hamath to the Sea of the Arabah (Dead Sea), in accordance with the word of the Lord, the God of Israel, which He spoke through His servant Jonah the son of Amittai, the prophet who was from Gath-hepher. ²⁶ For the Lord saw the affliction (suffering) of Israel as very bitter; there was no one left, bond or free, nor any helper for Israel. ²⁷ But the Lord had not said that He would blot out the name of Israel from under the heavens, so He saved them by the hand of Jeroboam [II] the son of Joash [king of Israel].

Zechariah Reigns over Israel

²⁸ The rest of the acts of Jeroboam [II], all that he did, his might, how he fought, and how he recovered Damascus and Hamath for Israel, which had belonged to Judah, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel? ²⁹ Jeroboam [II] slept with his fathers [in death], even with the kings of Israel. Zechariah his son became king in his place.

Amaziah Succeeds Joash in Judah

25 Amaziah was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned for twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jehoaddan of Jerusalem. ² He did right in the sight of the Lord, yet not wholeheartedly. ³ When his kingdom was firmly established, he killed his servants who had struck down his father the king. ⁴ But he did not kill their children; for he did as it is written in the Law, in the Book of Moses, where the Lord commanded, “The fathers shall not die for the children, nor the children die for the fathers, but each shall be put to death for his own sin.”

Amaziah Defeats Edomites

⁵ Amaziah assembled [the men of] Judah and appointed them in accordance with their fathers’ (ancestors’) households under commanders of thousands and of hundreds throughout Judah and Benjamin. He numbered them from twenty years old and above and found there to be 300,000 choice men fit for war and able to handle spear and shield. ⁶ He also hired 100,000 brave warriors from Israel for a hundred talents of silver. ⁷ But a man of God came to him, saying, “O king, do not let this army of Israel go with you, for the Lord is not with Israel nor with any of the sons of ^[a]Ephraim. ⁸ But if you do go [in spite of this warning], be strong and courageous for battle; yet God will cause you to stumble and fall before the enemy, for God has power to help and to cause people to stumble.” ⁹ Amaziah said to the man of God, “But what shall we do about the hundred talents which I gave to the troops of Israel?” The man of God answered, “The Lord is able to give you much more than this.” ¹⁰ So Amaziah dismissed the troops that came to him from Ephraim, to go home. So their anger was kindled and burned greatly against Judah, and they returned home in the heat of anger.

¹¹ Now Amaziah took courage and led his people out to the Valley of Salt, and he struck down 10,000 of the men of Seir (Edom). ¹² The sons of Judah also captured 10,000 alive and brought them to the top of the cliff. They threw them down from the top of the cliff and they were all crushed to pieces. ¹³ But the troops whom Amaziah sent back, those not allowed to go with him to battle, attacked and raided the cities of Judah, from Samaria to Beth-horon, and struck down 3,000 men and took a large amount of spoil.

Amaziah Rebuked for Idolatry

¹⁴ After Amaziah came back from the slaughter of the Edomites, he brought the gods of the sons of Seir, and set them up to be his gods, bowed 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 ^[b]desired the gods of the people who did not save their own people from your hand?” ¹⁶ As he was talking, the king said to him, “Have we made you the king’s counselor? Stop! Why should you be put to death?” Then the prophet stopped and said, “I know that God has decided to destroy you because you have done this and have ignored my advice.”

Amaziah Defeated by Joash of Israel

¹⁷ Then Amaziah king of Judah took counsel and sent word to Joash the son of Jehoahaz the son of Jehu, king of Israel, saying, “Come [to battle], let us face each other.”^{(A) 18} Then Joash king of Israel sent word to Amaziah king of Judah, saying, “The [little] thorn bush in Lebanon sent word to the [great] cedar in Lebanon, saying, ‘Give your daughter to my son in marriage.’ But a wild beast in Lebanon passed by and trampled down the thorn bush. ¹⁹ You say, ‘See, I have struck down and defeated Edom.’ Your heart lifts you up to boast [about your victory]. Now stay at home; why should you meddle and court disaster so that you, even you, will fall and Judah with you?”

²⁰ But Amaziah would not listen, for it was from God, so that He might hand Judah over to Joash because they had desired the gods of Edom. ²¹ So Joash king of Israel went up; and he and Amaziah king of Judah faced one another at Beth-shemesh, which belonged to Judah. ²² And Judah was defeated 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 Jehoahaz (Ahaziah), at Beth-shemesh, and brought him to Jerusalem and broke down the wall of Jerusalem from the Ephraim Gate to the Corner Gate, 400 ^[c]cubits. ²⁴ He took all the gold and silver and all the utensils which were found in the house of God with [the doorkeeper] Obed-edom, and the treasures of the king’s house (palace), and the hostages, and returned to Samaria.

²⁵ And Amaziah the son of Joash king of Judah lived fifteen years after the death of Joash the son of Jehoahaz king of Israel. ²⁶ Now the rest of the acts of Amaziah, from the first to the last, are they not written in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel? ²⁷ Now 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 killed him there. ²⁸ Then they brought him on horses and buried him with his fathers in the City of [David in] Judah.