Series of Kings: Azariah (Uzziah) over Judah

15 (A)In the twenty-seventh year of Jeroboam king of Israel, Azariah son of Amaziah king of Judah became king. He was (B)sixteen years old when he became king, and he reigned for fifty-two years in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was [a]Jecoliah of Jerusalem. He did what was right in the sight of the Lord, in accordance with everything that his father Amaziah had done. Only (C)the high places were not eliminated; the people still sacrificed and burned incense on the high places. (D)And the Lord afflicted the king, so that he had leprosy to the day of his death. And he (E)lived in a separate house, [b]while Jotham the king’s son was in charge of the household, judging the people of the land. Now as for the rest of the acts of Azariah and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? And Azariah [c]lay down with his fathers, and they buried him with his fathers in the city of David, and his son Jotham became king in his place.

Zechariah over Israel

(F)In the thirty-eighth year of Azariah king of Judah, Zechariah the son of Jeroboam became king over Israel in Samaria for six months. He did evil in the sight of the Lord, just as his fathers had done; he did not desist from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, into which he misled Israel. 10 Then Shallum the son of Jabesh conspired against him, and (G)struck him in the presence of the people and [d]killed him, and reigned in his place. 11 Now as for the rest of the acts of Zechariah, behold they are written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel. 12 This is (H)the word of the Lord which He spoke to Jehu, saying, “Your sons to the fourth generation shall sit on the throne of Israel.” And so it was.

13 Shallum the son of Jabesh became king in the (I)thirty-ninth year of Uzziah king of Judah, and he reigned for [e]one month in (J)Samaria. 14 Then Menahem the son of Gadi went up from (K)Tirzah and came to Samaria, and struck Shallum son of Jabesh in Samaria, and killed him and became king in his place. 15 Now as for the rest of the acts of Shallum and his conspiracy which he formed, behold, they are written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel. 16 Then Menahem attacked Tiphsah and all who were in it and its borders from Tirzah, because they did not open up to him; so he attacked it and ripped up (L)all its women who were pregnant.

Menahem over Israel

17 In the (M)thirty-ninth year of Azariah king of Judah, Menahem the son of Gadi became king over Israel and reigned for ten years in Samaria. 18 He did evil in the sight of the Lord; for all his days he did not desist from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, into which he misled Israel.

19 (N)Pul, the king of Assyria, came against the land, and Menahem gave Pul a [f]thousand talents of silver so that his hand might be with him to (O)strengthen the [g]kingdom [h]under his rule. 20 Then Menahem collected the money from Israel, from all the [i]mighty men of wealth, from each man fifty shekels of silver to pay the king of Assyria. So the king of Assyria returned and did not stay there in the land. 21 Now as for the rest of the acts of Menahem and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel? 22 And Menahem [j]lay down with his fathers, and his son Pekahiah became king in his place.

Pekahiah over Israel

23 In (P)the fiftieth year of Azariah king of Judah, Pekahiah the son of Menahem became king over Israel in Samaria, and reigned for two years. 24 He did evil in the sight of the Lord; he did not desist from the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, into which he misled Israel. 25 Then Pekah the son of Remaliah, his officer, conspired against him and struck him in Samaria, in (Q)the castle of the king’s house with Argob and Arieh; and with him were fifty men of the Gileadites, and he killed him and became king in his place. 26 Now as for the rest of the acts of Pekahiah and everything that he did, behold, they are written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel.

Pekah over Israel

27 In (R)the fifty-second year of Azariah king of Judah, (S)Pekah the son of Remaliah became king over Israel in Samaria, and he reigned for twenty years. 28 He did evil in the sight of the Lord; he did not desist from the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, into which he misled Israel.

29 In the days of Pekah king of Israel, [k](T)Tiglath-pileser the king of Assyria came and took Ijon, Abel-beth-maacah, Janoah, Kedesh, Hazor, Gilead, and Galilee, all the land of Naphtali; and (U)he led [l]their populations into exile to Assyria. 30 And Hoshea the son of Elah formed a conspiracy against Pekah the son of Remaliah, and struck him and put him to death, and he became king in his place, in the twentieth year of Jotham the son of Uzziah. 31 Now as for the rest of the acts of Pekah and all that he did, behold, they are written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel.

Jotham over Judah

32 In the second year of Pekah the son of Remaliah king of Israel, Jotham the son of [m]Uzziah king of Judah became king. 33 (V)He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned for sixteen years in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was Jerusha the daughter of Zadok. 34 (W)He did what was right in the sight of the Lord; he acted in accordance with everything that his father Uzziah had done. 35 Only (X)the high places were not eliminated; the people still sacrificed and burned incense on the high places. (Y)He built the upper gate of the house of the Lord. 36 Now as for the rest of the acts of Jotham which he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? 37 In those days (Z)the Lord began to send Rezin the king of Aram and Pekah the son of Remaliah against Judah. 38 And Jotham [n]lay down with his fathers, and he was buried with his fathers in the city of his father David; and his son Ahaz became king in his place.

Footnotes

  1. 2 Kings 15:2 In 2 Chr 26:3, Jechiliah
  2. 2 Kings 15:5 Lit and
  3. 2 Kings 15:7 I.e., died
  4. 2 Kings 15:10 Lit struck
  5. 2 Kings 15:13 Lit a month of days
  6. 2 Kings 15:19 About 38 tons or 34 metric tons
  7. 2 Kings 15:19 Or royal power
  8. 2 Kings 15:19 Lit in his hand
  9. 2 Kings 15:20 I.e., landowners
  10. 2 Kings 15:22 I.e., died
  11. 2 Kings 15:29 In 1 Chr 5:6, 26, Tilgath-pilneser
  12. 2 Kings 15:29 Lit them
  13. 2 Kings 15:32 I.e., Azariah
  14. 2 Kings 15:38 I.e., died

15 In the twenty and seventh year of Jeroboam king of Israel began Azariah son of Amaziah king of Judah to reign.

Sixteen years old was he when he began to reign, and he reigned two and fifty years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Jecholiah of Jerusalem.

And he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his father Amaziah had done;

Save that the high places were not removed: the people sacrificed and burnt incense still on the high places.

And the Lord smote the king, so that he was a leper unto the day of his death, and dwelt in a several house. And Jotham the king's son was over the house, judging the people of the land.

And the rest of the acts of Azariah, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?

So Azariah slept with his fathers; and they buried him with his fathers in the city of David: and Jotham his son reigned in his stead.

In the thirty and eighth year of Azariah king of Judah did Zachariah the son of Jeroboam reign over Israel in Samaria six months.

And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, as his fathers had done: he departed not from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin.

10 And Shallum the son of Jabesh conspired against him, and smote him before the people, and slew him, and reigned in his stead.

11 And the rest of the acts of Zachariah, behold, they are written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel.

12 This was the word of the Lord which he spake unto Jehu, saying, Thy sons shall sit on the throne of Israel unto the fourth generation. And so it came to pass.

13 Shallum the son of Jabesh began to reign in the nine and thirtieth year of Uzziah king of Judah; and he reigned a full month in Samaria.

14 For Menahem the son of Gadi went up from Tirzah, and came to Samaria, and smote Shallum the son of Jabesh in Samaria, and slew him, and reigned in his stead.

15 And the rest of the acts of Shallum, and his conspiracy which he made, behold, they are written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel.

16 Then Menahem smote Tiphsah, and all that were therein, and the coasts thereof from Tirzah: because they opened not to him, therefore he smote it; and all the women therein that were with child he ripped up.

17 In the nine and thirtieth year of Azariah king of Judah began Menahem the son of Gadi to reign over Israel, and reigned ten years in Samaria.

18 And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord: he departed not all his days from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin.

19 And Pul the king of Assyria came against the land: and Menahem gave Pul a thousand talents of silver, that his hand might be with him to confirm the kingdom in his hand.

20 And Menahem exacted the money of Israel, even of all the mighty men of wealth, of each man fifty shekels of silver, to give to the king of Assyria. So the king of Assyria turned back, and stayed not there in the land.

21 And the rest of the acts of Menahem, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?

22 And Menahem slept with his fathers; and Pekahiah his son reigned in his stead.

23 In the fiftieth year of Azariah king of Judah Pekahiah the son of Menahem began to reign over Israel in Samaria, and reigned two years.

24 And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord: he departed not from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin.

25 But Pekah the son of Remaliah, a captain of his, conspired against him, and smote him in Samaria, in the palace of the king's house, with Argob and Arieh, and with him fifty men of the Gileadites: and he killed him, and reigned in his room.

26 And the rest of the acts of Pekahiah, and all that he did, behold, they are written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel.

27 In the two and fiftieth year of Azariah king of Judah Pekah the son of Remaliah began to reign over Israel in Samaria, and reigned twenty years.

28 And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord: he departed not from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin.

29 In the days of Pekah king of Israel came Tiglathpileser king of Assyria, and took Ijon, and Abelbethmaachah, and Janoah, and Kedesh, and Hazor, and Gilead, and Galilee, all the land of Naphtali, and carried them captive to Assyria.

30 And Hoshea the son of Elah made a conspiracy against Pekah the son of Remaliah, and smote him, and slew him, and reigned in his stead, in the twentieth year of Jotham the son of Uzziah.

31 And the rest of the acts of Pekah, and all that he did, behold, they are written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel.

32 In the second year of Pekah the son of Remaliah king of Israel began Jotham the son of Uzziah king of Judah to reign.

33 Five and twenty years old was he when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Jerusha, the daughter of Zadok.

34 And he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord: he did according to all that his father Uzziah had done.

35 Howbeit the high places were not removed: the people sacrificed and burned incense still in the high places. He built the higher gate of the house of the Lord.

36 Now the rest of the acts of Jotham, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?

37 In those days the Lord began to send against Judah Rezin the king of Syria, and Pekah the son of Remaliah.

38 And Jotham slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David his father: and Ahaz his son reigned in his stead.

15 1-2 New king of Judah: Azariah

Father’s name: Amaziah, the former king

His age at the beginning of his reign: 16 years old

Length of reign: 52 years, in Jerusalem

Mother’s name: Jecoliah of Jerusalem

Reigning in Israel at that time: King Jeroboam, who had been the king there for 27 years

Azariah was a good king, and he pleased the Lord just as his father Amaziah had. But like his predecessors, he didn’t destroy the shrines on the hills where the people sacrificed and burned incense. Because of this[a] the Lord struck him with leprosy, which lasted until the day of his death; so he lived in a house by himself. And his son Jotham was the acting king. The rest of the history of Azariah is recorded in The Annals of the Kings of Judah. When Azariah died, he was buried with his ancestors in the City of David, and his son Jotham became king.

New king of Israel: Zechariah

Father’s name: Jeroboam

Length of reign: 6 months, in Samaria

Reigning in Judah at that time: King Azariah, who had been the king there for 38 years

But Zechariah was an evil king in the Lord’s sight, just like his ancestors. Like Jeroboam I (the son of Nebat), he encouraged Israel in the sin of worshiping idols. 10 Then Shallum (the son of Jabesh) conspired against him and assassinated him at Ibleam and took the crown himself. 11 The rest of the history of Zechariah’s reign is found in The Annals of the Kings of Israel. 12 (So the Lord’s statement to Jehu came true, that Jehu’s son, grandson, and great-grandson would be kings of Israel.[b])

13 New king of Israel: Shallum

Father’s name: Jabesh

Length of reign: 1 month, in Samaria

Reigning in Judah at that time: King Uzziah, who had been the king there for 39 years

14 One month after Shallum became king, Menahem (the son of Gadi) came to Samaria from Tirzah and assassinated him and took the throne. 15 Additional details about King Shallum and his conspiracy[c] are recorded in The Annals of the Kings of Israel.

16 Menahem destroyed the city of Tappuah and the surrounding countryside, for its citizens refused to accept him as their king; he killed the entire population and ripped open the pregnant women.

17 New king of Israel: Menahem

Length of reign: 10 years, in Samaria

Reigning in Judah at that time: King Azariah, who had been the king there for 39 years

18 But Menahem was an evil king. He worshiped idols, as King Jeroboam I had done so long before, and he led the people of Israel into grievous sin. 19-20 Then King Pul of Assyria invaded the land; but King Menahem bought him off with a gift of $2,000,000, so he turned around and returned home. Menahem extorted the money from the rich, assessing each one $2,000 in the form of a special tax. 21 The rest of the history of King Menahem is written in The Annals of the Kings of Israel. 22 When he died, his son Pekahiah became the new king.

23 New king of Israel: Pekahiah

Father’s name: King Menahem

Length of reign: 2 years, in Samaria

Reigning in Judah at that time: King Azariah, who had been the king there for 50 years

24 But Pekahiah was an evil king, and he continued the idol worship begun by Jeroboam I (son of Nebat) who led Israel down that evil trail.

25 Then Pekah (son of Remaliah), the commanding general of his army, conspired against him with fifty men from Gilead and assassinated him in the palace at Samaria (Argob and Arieh were also slain in the revolt). So Pekah became the new king. 26 The rest of the history of King Pekahiah is recorded in The Annals of the Kings of Israel.

27 New king of Israel: Pekah

Father’s name: Remaliah

Length of reign: 20 years, in Samaria

Reigning in Judah at that time: King Azariah, who had been the king there for 52 years

28 Pekah, too, was an evil king, and he continued in the example of Jeroboam I (son of Nebat), who led all of Israel into the sin of worshiping idols. 29 It was during his reign that King Tiglath-pileser[d] led an attack against Israel. He captured the cities of Ijon, Abel-beth-maacah, Janoah, Kedesh, Hazor, Gilead, Galilee, and all the land of Naphtali; and he took the people away to Assyria as captives. 30 Then Hoshea (the son of Elah) plotted against Pekah and assassinated him; and he took the throne for himself.

New king of Israel: Hoshea

Reigning in Judah at that time: King Jotham (son of Uzziah), who had been the king there for 20 years

31 The rest of the history of Pekah’s reign is recorded in The Annals of the Kings of Israel.

32-33 New king of Judah: Jotham

Father’s name: King Uzziah

His age at the beginning of his reign: 25 years old

Length of reign: 16 years, in Jerusalem

Mother’s name: Jerusha (daughter of Zadok)

Reigning in Israel at that time: King Pekah (son of Remaliah), who had been the king there for 2 years

34-35 Generally speaking, Jotham was a good king. Like his father Uzziah, he followed the Lord. But he didn’t destroy the shrines on the hills where the people sacrificed and burned incense. It was during King Jotham’s reign that the upper gate of the Temple of the Lord was built. 36 The rest of Jotham’s history is written in The Annals of the Kings of Judah. 37 In those days the Lord caused King Rezin of Syria and King Pekah of Israel to attack Judah. 38 When Jotham died he was buried with the other kings of Judah in the royal cemetery, in the City of David section of Jerusalem. Then his son Ahaz became the new king.

Footnotes

  1. 2 Kings 15:5 Because of this, implied.
  2. 2 Kings 15:12 would be kings of Israel, see 10:30.
  3. 2 Kings 15:15 Shallum and his conspiracy, see v. 10.
  4. 2 Kings 15:29 Tiglath-pileser, also called Pul, in v. 19 above.