Amaziah King of Judah(A)(B)

14 In the second year of Jehoash[a] son of Jehoahaz king of Israel, Amaziah son of Joash king of Judah began to reign. He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem twenty-nine years. His mother’s name was Jehoaddan; she was from Jerusalem. He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, but not as his father David had done. In everything he followed the example of his father Joash. The high places,(C) however, were not removed; the people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense there.

After the kingdom was firmly in his grasp, he executed(D) the officials(E) who had murdered his father the king. Yet he did not put the children of the assassins to death, in accordance with what is written in the Book of the Law(F) of Moses where the Lord commanded: “Parents are not to be put to death for their children, nor children put to death for their parents; each will die for their own sin.”[b](G)

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. 2 Kings 14:1 Hebrew Joash, a variant of Jehoash; also in verses 13, 23 and 27
  2. 2 Kings 14:6 Deut. 24:16

22 Hazael king of Aram oppressed(A) Israel throughout the reign of Jehoahaz. 23 But the Lord was gracious to them and had compassion and showed concern for them because of his covenant(B) with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. To this day he has been unwilling to destroy(C) them or banish them from his presence.(D)

24 Hazael king of Aram died, and Ben-Hadad(E) his son succeeded him as king. 25 Then Jehoash son of Jehoahaz recaptured from Ben-Hadad son of Hazael the towns he had taken in battle from his father Jehoahaz. Three times(F) Jehoash defeated him, and so he recovered(G) the Israelite towns.

Read full chapter

Amaziah called the people of Judah together and assigned them according to their families to commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds for all Judah and Benjamin. He then mustered(A) those twenty years old(B) or more and found that there were three hundred thousand men fit for military service,(C) able to handle the spear and shield. He also hired a hundred thousand fighting men from Israel for a hundred talents[a] of silver.

But a man of God came to him and said, “Your Majesty, these troops from Israel(D) must not march with you, for the Lord is not with Israel—not with any of the people of Ephraim. Even if you go and fight courageously in battle, God will overthrow you before the enemy, for God has the power to help or to overthrow.”(E)

Amaziah asked the man of God, “But what about the hundred talents I paid for these Israelite troops?”

The man of God replied, “The Lord can give you much more than that.”(F)

10 So Amaziah dismissed the troops who had come to him from Ephraim and sent them home. They were furious with Judah and left for home in a great rage.(G)

11 Amaziah then marshaled his strength and led his army to the Valley of Salt, where he killed ten thousand men of Seir. 12 The army of Judah also captured ten thousand men alive, took them to the top of a cliff and threw them down so that all were dashed to pieces.(H)

13 Meanwhile the troops that Amaziah had sent back and had not allowed to take part in the war raided towns belonging to Judah from Samaria to Beth Horon. They killed three thousand people and carried off great quantities of plunder.

14 When Amaziah returned from slaughtering the Edomites, he brought back the gods of the people of Seir. He set them up as his own gods,(I) bowed down to them and burned sacrifices to them. 15 The anger of the Lord burned against Amaziah, and he sent a prophet to him, who said, “Why do you consult this people’s gods, which could not save(J) their own people from your hand?”

16 While he was still speaking, the king said to him, “Have we appointed you an adviser to the king? Stop! Why be struck down?”

So the prophet stopped but said, “I know that God has determined to destroy you, because you have done this and have not listened to my counsel.”

17 After Amaziah king of Judah consulted his advisers, he sent this challenge to Jehoash[b] son of Jehoahaz, the son of Jehu, king of Israel: “Come, let us face each other in battle.”

18 But Jehoash king of Israel replied to Amaziah king of Judah: “A thistle(K) in Lebanon sent a message to a cedar in Lebanon, ‘Give your daughter to my son in marriage.’ Then a wild beast in Lebanon came along and trampled the thistle underfoot. 19 You say to yourself that you have defeated Edom, and now you are arrogant and proud. But stay at home! Why ask for trouble and cause your own downfall and that of Judah also?”

20 Amaziah, however, would not listen, for God so worked that he might deliver them into the hands of Jehoash, because they sought the gods of Edom.(L) 21 So Jehoash king of Israel attacked. He and Amaziah king of Judah faced each other at Beth Shemesh in Judah. 22 Judah was routed by Israel, and every man fled to his home. 23 Jehoash king of Israel captured Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Joash, the son of Ahaziah,[c] at Beth Shemesh. Then Jehoash brought him to Jerusalem and broke down the wall of Jerusalem from the Ephraim Gate(M) to the Corner Gate(N)—a section about four hundred cubits[d] long. 24 He took all the gold and silver and all the articles found in the temple of God that had been in the care of Obed-Edom,(O) together with the palace treasures and the hostages, and returned to Samaria.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. 2 Chronicles 25:6 That is, about 3 3/4 tons or about 3.4 metric tons; also in verse 9
  2. 2 Chronicles 25:17 Hebrew Joash, a variant of Jehoash; also in verses 18, 21, 23 and 25
  3. 2 Chronicles 25:23 Hebrew Jehoahaz, a variant of Ahaziah
  4. 2 Chronicles 25:23 That is, about 600 feet or about 180 meters

15 As for the other events of the reign of Jehoash, what he did and his achievements, including his war(A) against Amaziah king of Judah, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Israel? 16 Jehoash rested with his ancestors and was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel. And Jeroboam his son succeeded him as king.

Read full chapter

Jeroboam II King of Israel

23 In the fifteenth year of Amaziah son of Joash king of Judah, Jeroboam(A) son of Jehoash king of Israel became king in Samaria, and he reigned forty-one years. 24 He did evil in the eyes of the Lord and did not turn away from any of the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he had caused Israel to commit.(B)

Read full chapter

Bible Gateway Recommends