2 Chronicles 25
English Standard Version
Amaziah Reigns in Judah
25 (A)Amaziah was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Jehoaddan of Jerusalem. 2 And he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, (B)yet not with a whole heart. 3 And as soon as the royal power was firmly his, he killed his servants who had struck down the king his father. 4 But he did not put their children to death, according to what is written in the Law, in the Book of Moses, where the Lord commanded, (C)“Fathers shall not die because of their children, nor children die because of their fathers, but each one shall die for his own sin.”
Amaziah's Victories
5 Then Amaziah assembled the men of Judah and set them by fathers' houses under commanders of thousands and of hundreds for all Judah and Benjamin. He mustered those (D)twenty years old and upward, and found that they were (E)300,000 choice men, fit for war, (F)able to handle spear and shield. 6 He hired also 100,000 mighty men of valor from Israel for 100 talents[a] of silver. 7 But (G)a man of God came to him and said, “O king, do not let the army of Israel go with you, for the Lord is not with Israel, with all these Ephraimites. 8 But go, act, be strong for the battle. Why should you suppose that God will cast you down before the enemy? (H)For God has power to help or to cast down.” 9 And Amaziah said to the man of God, “But what shall we do about the hundred talents that I have given to the army of Israel?” The man of God answered, “The Lord is able to give you much more than this.” 10 Then Amaziah discharged the army that had come to him from Ephraim to go home again. And they became very angry with Judah and returned home in fierce anger. 11 But Amaziah took courage and led out his people and went to the (I)Valley of Salt and struck down (J)10,000 men of Seir. 12 The men of Judah captured another 10,000 alive and took them to the top of a rock and threw them down from the top of the rock, and they were all dashed to pieces. 13 But the men of the army whom Amaziah sent back, not letting them go with him to battle, raided the cities of Judah, (K)from Samaria to Beth-horon, and struck down 3,000 people in them and took much spoil.
Amaziah's Idolatry
14 After Amaziah came from striking down the Edomites, (L)he brought the gods (M)of the men of Seir and set them up as his gods and worshiped them, making offerings to them. 15 Therefore the Lord was angry with Amaziah and sent to him a prophet, who said to him, “Why have you sought the gods of a people (N)who did not deliver their own people from your hand?” 16 But as he was speaking, the king said to him, “Have we made you a royal counselor? Stop! Why should you be struck down?” So the prophet stopped, but said, “I know that (O)God has determined to destroy you, because you have done this and have not listened to my counsel.”
Israel Defeats Amaziah
17 (P)Then Amaziah king of Judah took counsel and sent to Joash the son of Jehoahaz, son of Jehu, king of Israel, saying, “Come, let us look one another in the face.” 18 And Joash the king of Israel sent word to Amaziah king of Judah, (Q)“A thistle on Lebanon sent to a cedar on Lebanon, saying, ‘Give your daughter to my son for a wife,’ and a wild beast of Lebanon passed by and trampled down the thistle. 19 You say, ‘See, I[b] have struck down Edom,’ and (R)your heart has lifted you up in boastfulness. But now stay at home. Why should you provoke trouble so that you fall, you and Judah with you?”
20 But Amaziah would not listen, for it was of God, in order that he might give them into the hand of their enemies, (S)because they had sought the gods of Edom. 21 So Joash king of Israel went up, and he and Amaziah king of Judah faced one another in battle at Beth-shemesh, which belongs to Judah. 22 And Judah was defeated by Israel, and every man fled to his home. 23 And Joash king of Israel captured Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Joash, son of (T)Ahaziah, at Beth-shemesh, and brought him to Jerusalem and broke down the wall of Jerusalem for 400 cubits,[c] from (U)the Ephraim Gate to the Corner Gate. 24 And he seized all the gold and silver, and all the vessels that were found in the house of God, in the care of (V)Obed-edom. He seized also the treasuries of the king's house, also hostages, and he returned to Samaria.
25 (W)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 deeds of Amaziah, from first to last, are they not written in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel? 27 From the time when he turned away from the Lord they made a conspiracy against him in Jerusalem, and he fled to Lachish. But they sent after him to Lachish and put him to death there. 28 And they brought him upon horses, and he was buried with his fathers in the city of David.[d]
Footnotes
- 2 Chronicles 25:6 A talent was about 75 pounds or 34 kilograms
- 2 Chronicles 25:19 Hebrew you
- 2 Chronicles 25:23 A cubit was about 18 inches or 45 centimeters
- 2 Chronicles 25:28 Hebrew of Judah
2 Chronicles 25
Contemporary English Version
King Amaziah of Judah
(2 Kings 14.1-6)
25 Amaziah was 25 years old when he became king, and he ruled 29 years from Jerusalem, the hometown of his mother Jehoaddin.[a]
2 Even though Amaziah obeyed the Lord by doing right, he refused to be completely faithful. 3 For example, as soon as he had control of Judah, he arrested and killed the officers who had murdered his father. 4 (A) But the children of those officers were not killed; the Lord had commanded in the Law of Moses that only the people who sinned were to be punished.[b]
Edom Is Defeated
(2 Kings 14.7)
5 Amaziah sent a message to the tribes of Judah and Benjamin and called together all the men who were 20 years old and older. Three hundred thousand men went to Jerusalem, all of them ready for battle and able to fight with spears and shields. Amaziah grouped these soldiers according to their clans and put them under the command of his army officers. 6 Amaziah also paid about 3.4 tons of silver to hire 100,000 soldiers from Israel.
7 One of God's prophets said, “Your Majesty, don't let these Israelite soldiers march into battle with you. The Lord has refused to help anyone from the northern kingdom of Israel, 8 and so he will let your enemies defeat you, even if you fight hard. He is the one who brings both victory and defeat.”
9 Amaziah replied, “What am I supposed to do about all the silver I paid those troops?”
“The Lord will give you back even more than you paid,” the prophet answered.
10 Amaziah ordered the troops from Israel to go home, but when they left, they were furious with the people of Judah.
11 After Amaziah got his courage back, he led his troops to Salt Valley, where he killed 10,000 Edomite soldiers in battle. 12 He captured 10,000 more soldiers and dragged them to the top of a high cliff. Then he pushed them over the side, and they all were killed on the rocks below.
13 Meanwhile, the Israelite troops that Amaziah had sent home, raided the towns in Judah between Samaria and Beth-Horon. They killed 3,000 people and carried off their possessions.
14 After Amaziah had defeated the Edomite army, he returned to Jerusalem. He took with him the idols of the Edomite gods and set them up. Then he bowed down and offered them sacrifices. 15 This made the Lord very angry, and he sent a prophet to ask Amaziah, “Why would you worship these foreign gods that couldn't even save their own people from your attack?”
16 But before the prophet finished speaking, Amaziah interrupted and said, “You're not one of my advisors! Don't say another word, or I'll have you killed.”
The prophet stopped. But then he added, “First you sinned and now you've ignored my warning. It's clear that God has decided to punish you!”
Israel Defeats Judah
(2 Kings 14.8-14)
17 King Amaziah of Judah talked with his officials, then sent a message to King Jehoash[c] of Israel: “Come out and face me in battle!”
18 Jehoash sent back a reply that said:
Once upon a time, a small thornbush in Lebanon arranged the marriage between his son and the daughter of a large cedar tree. But a wild animal came along and trampled the small bush.
19 Amaziah, you think you're so powerful because you defeated Edom. But stay at home and do your celebrating. If you cause any trouble, both you and your kingdom of Judah will be destroyed.
20 God made Amaziah stubborn because he was planning to punish him for worshiping the Edomite gods. Amaziah refused to listen to Jehoash's warning, 21 so Jehoash led his army to the town of Beth-Shemesh in Judah to attack Amaziah and his troops. 22 During the battle, Judah's army was crushed. Every soldier from Judah ran back home, 23 and Jehoash captured Amaziah.
Jehoash took Amaziah with him when he went to attack Jerusalem. Jehoash broke down the city wall from Ephraim Gate to Corner Gate, a section nearly 200 meters long. 24 He carried away the gold, the silver, and all the valuable furnishings from God's temple where the descendants of Obed-Edom stood guard. He robbed the king's treasury, took hostages, then returned to Samaria.
Amaziah Is Killed
(2 Kings 14.15-20)
25 Amaziah lived 15 years after Jehoash died. 26 Everything else Amaziah did while he was king is written in The History of the Kings of Judah and Israel.
27 As soon as Amaziah started disobeying the Lord, some people in Jerusalem plotted against Amaziah. He was able to escape to the town of Lachish, but another group of people caught him and killed him there. 28 His body was taken to Jerusalem on horseback and buried beside his ancestors.
2 Cronache 25
La Nuova Diodati
25 Amatsiah aveva venticinque anni, quando iniziò a regnare, e regnò ventinove anni a Gerusalemme. Sua madre si chiamava Jehoaddan, di Gerusalemme.
2 Egli fece ciò che è giusto agli occhi dell'Eterno ma non di tutto cuore.
3 Ora, quando ebbe consolidato il suo regno, egli uccise i suoi servi che avevano assassinato il re, suo padre.
4 Tuttavia non mise a morte i loro figli, ma fece come è scritto nella legge nel libro di Mosè, a cui l'Eterno comandò, dicendo: «I padri non saranno messi a morte per colpa dei figli, né i figli saranno messi a morte per colpa dei padri, ma ognuno sarà messo a morte per il proprio peccato».
5 Inoltre Amatsiah radunò quelli di Giuda e costituí su di loro capi di migliaia e capi di centinaia, secondo le loro case paterne, per tutto Giuda e Beniamino, fece quindi il censimento di quelli dai vent'anni in su e trovò che erano trecentomila uomini scelti, atti alla guerra e capaci di maneggiare la lancia e lo scudo.
6 Assoldò pure centomila uomini d'Israele, forti e valorosi, per cento talenti, d'argento.
7 Ma un uomo di DIO venne a lui e gli disse: «O re, l'esercito d'Israele non venga con te, perché l'Eterno non è con Israele, né con alcuno dei figli di Efraim!
8 Ma se vuoi andare, va' pure; anche se sarai valoroso in battaglia, DIO ti farà cadere davanti al nemico, perché DIO ha il potere di soccorrere e di far cadere».
9 Amatsiah allora disse all'uomo di DIO: «Ma che farò dei cento talenti che ho dato all'esercito d'Israele?». L'uomo di DIO rispose: «L'Eterno può darti molto piú di questo».
10 Allora Amatsiah congedò l'esercito che era venuto a lui da Efraim, perché tornasse a casa sua; ma la loro ira si accese grandemente contro Giuda e tornarono a casa fortemente adirati.
11 Amatsiah quindi, fattosi animo, si mise alla testa del suo popolo, andò nella valle del Sale e uccise diecimila uomini di Seir.
12 I figli di Giuda ne catturarono vivi altri diecimila e, condottili in cima alla rupe, li precipitarono giú dall'alto della rupe; e tutti si sfracellarono.
13 Ma gli uomini dell'esercito, che Amatsiah aveva licenziato perché non andassero con lui a combattere, piombarono sulle città di Giuda, da Samaria, fino a Beth-Horon, uccidendo tremila abitanti e portando via un grande bottino.
14 Dopo essere tornato dalla strage degli Edomiti, Amatsiah, si fece portare gli dèi dei figli di Seir, li stabilí come suoi dèi, si prostrò davanti a loro e offerse loro incenso.
15 Per questo l'ira dell'Eterno si accese contro Amatsiah e gli mandò un profeta per dirgli: «Perché hai cercato gli dèi di questo popolo, che non sono stati capaci di liberare il loro popolo dalla tua mano?».
16 Mentre stava ancora parlando a lui il re gli disse «Ti abbiamo forse fatto consigliere del re? Smettila! Perché vorresti essere ucciso?». Allora il profeta smise, ma disse: «Io so che DIO ha deciso di distruggerti, perché hai fatto questo e non hai dato ascolto al mio consiglio».
17 Allora Amatsiah, re di Giuda, dopo essersi consigliato, mandò a dire a Joas, figlio di Jehoahaz, figlio di Jehu, re d'Israele: «Vieni, affrontiamoci l'un l'altro in battaglia».
18 Ma Joas, re d'Israele, mandò a dire ad Amatsiah, re di Giuda: «La spina del Libano mandò a dire al cedro del Libano: "Da' tua figlia in moglie a mio figlio". Ma una bestia selvaggia del Libano passò e calpestò la spina.
19 Tu hai detto: "Ecco, ho sconfitto Edom, e il tuo cuore ti ha inorgoglito fino a farti vantare. Resta a casa tua. Perché vorresti provocare una sciagura, mandando in rovina te e Giuda con te?».
20 Amatsiah però non gli diede ascolto; la cosa infatti veniva da DIO affinché fossero dati in mano del nemico, perché avevano cercato gli dèi di Edom.
21 Cosí Joas, re d'Israele, salí contro Giuda; e lui e Amatsiah, re di Giuda, si affrontarono l'un l'altro a Beth-Scemesh che apparteneva a Giuda.
22 Giuda fu sconfitto da Israele, e ognuno fuggí alla propria tenda.
23 Joas, re d'Israele, a Beth-Scemesh catturò Amatsiah, re di Giuda, figlio di Joas, figlio di Jehoahaz; lo condusse a Gerusalemme e fece una breccia di quattrocento cubiti, nelle mura di Gerusalemme, dalla porta di Efraim alla porta dell'Angolo.
24 Prese tutto l'oro e l'argento e tutti gli oggetti che si trovavano nella casa di DIO, affidati a Obed-Edom, i tesori del palazzo reale e alcuni ostaggi, e poi ritornò in Samaria.
25 Amatsiah, figlio di Joas, re di Giuda, visse ancora quindici anni dopo la morte di Joas, figlio di Jehoahaz, re d'Israele.
26 Il resto delle gesta di Amatsiah, dalle prime alle ultime, non si trova forse scritto nel libro dei re di Giuda e d'Israele?
27 Dopo che Amatsiah si era allontanato dall'Eterno, fu ordita contro di lui una congiura a Gerusalemme; egli fuggì a Lakish, ma lo fecero inseguire fino a Lakish e là lo uccisero.
28 Lo caricarono quindi su dei cavalli e lo seppellirono con i suoi padri nella città di Giuda.
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