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Uzziah’s Reign

26 All the people of Judah took Uzziah,[a] who was sixteen years old, and made him king in his father Amaziah’s place. Uzziah[b] built up Elat and restored it to Judah after King Amaziah[c] had passed away.[d]

Uzziah was sixteen years old when he began to reign, and he reigned for fifty-two years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jecholiah, who was from Jerusalem. He did what the Lord approved, just as his father Amaziah had done.[e] He followed[f] God during the lifetime of[g] Zechariah, who taught him how to honor God. As long as he followed[h] the Lord, God caused him to succeed.[i]

Uzziah attacked[j] the Philistines and broke down the walls of Gath, Jabneh, and Ashdod. He built cities in the region of Ashdod and throughout Philistine territory.[k] God helped him in his campaigns[l] against the Philistines, the Arabs living in Gur Baal, and the Meunites. The Ammonites paid tribute to Uzziah and his fame reached[m] the border of Egypt, for he grew in power.

Uzziah built and fortified towers in Jerusalem at the Corner Gate, Valley Gate, and at the Angle.[n] 10 He built towers in the wilderness and dug many cisterns, for he owned many herds in the foothills[o] and on the plain. He had workers in the fields and vineyards in the hills and in Carmel,[p] for he loved agriculture.[q]

11 Uzziah had an army of skilled warriors trained for battle. They were organized by divisions according to the muster rolls made by Jeiel the scribe and Maaseiah the officer under the authority of Hananiah, a royal official. 12 The total number of family leaders who led warriors was 2,600. 13 They commanded an army of 307,500 skilled and able warriors who were ready to defend[r] the king against his enemies. 14 Uzziah supplied shields, spears, helmets, breastplates, bows, and slingstones for the entire army. 15 In Jerusalem he made war machines carefully designed to shoot arrows and large stones from the towers and corners of the walls. He became very famous, for he received tremendous support and became powerful.[s]

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Footnotes

  1. 2 Chronicles 26:1 tn The parallel account in 2 Kgs 15:1-8 has the variant spelling “Azariah.”
  2. 2 Chronicles 26:2 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Uzziah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  3. 2 Chronicles 26:2 tn Heb “after the king”; the referent (Amaziah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  4. 2 Chronicles 26:2 tn “slept with his fathers.”
  5. 2 Chronicles 26:4 tn Heb “he did what was proper in the eyes of the Lord, according to all which Amaziah his father had done.”
  6. 2 Chronicles 26:5 tn Heb “sought.”
  7. 2 Chronicles 26:5 tn Heb “in the days of.”
  8. 2 Chronicles 26:5 tn Heb “in the days of his seeking.”
  9. 2 Chronicles 26:5 tn Or “prosper.”
  10. 2 Chronicles 26:6 tn Heb “went out and fought.”
  11. 2 Chronicles 26:6 tn Heb “in Ashdod and among the Philistines.”
  12. 2 Chronicles 26:7 tn The words “in his campaigns” are supplied in the translation for clarity and for stylistic reasons.
  13. 2 Chronicles 26:8 tn Heb “and his name went to.”
  14. 2 Chronicles 26:9 tn On the meaning of the Hebrew word מִקְצוֹעַ (miqtsoaʿ), see HALOT 628 s.v. עַ(וֹ)מִקְצֹ. The term probably refers to an “angle” or “corner” somewhere on the eastern wall of Jerusalem.
  15. 2 Chronicles 26:10 sn The foothills (שְׁפֵלָה, shephelah) are the region between the Judean hill country and the Mediterranean coastal plain.
  16. 2 Chronicles 26:10 tn Heb “workers and vinedressers in the hills and in Carmel.” The words “he had” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
  17. 2 Chronicles 26:10 tn Heb “for a lover of the ground he [was].”
  18. 2 Chronicles 26:13 tn Heb “help.”
  19. 2 Chronicles 26:15 tn Heb “and his name went out to a distant place, for he did extraordinarily to be helped until he was strong.”

Judah’s King Uzziah

26 All the people(A) of Judah took Uzziah,[a] who was sixteen years old, and made him king in place of his father Amaziah. After Amaziah the king rested with his ancestors, Uzziah rebuilt Eloth[b](B) and restored it to Judah.

Uzziah was sixteen years old(C) when he became king, and he reigned fifty-two years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jecoliah; she was from Jerusalem. He did what was right in the Lord’s sight just as his father Amaziah had done. He sought God(D) throughout the lifetime of Zechariah, the teacher of the fear[c](E) of God. During the time that he sought the Lord, God gave him success.(F)

Uzziah’s Exploits

Uzziah went out to wage war against the Philistines,(G) and he tore down the wall of Gath, the wall of Jabneh, and the wall of Ashdod. Then he built cities in the vicinity of Ashdod and among the Philistines. God helped him against the Philistines, the Arabs that live in Gur-baal, and the Meunites. The Ammonites[d] paid tribute to Uzziah,(H) and his fame spread as far as the entrance of Egypt, for God made him very powerful. Uzziah built towers in Jerusalem at the Corner Gate,(I) the Valley Gate,(J) and the corner buttress, and he fortified them. 10 Since he had many cattle both in the Judean foothills[e] and the plain, he built towers in the desert and dug many wells.(K) And since he was a lover of the soil, he had farmers and vinedressers in the hills and in the fertile lands.[f]

11 Uzziah had an army equipped for combat that went out to war by division according to their assignments, as recorded by Jeiel the court secretary and Maaseiah the officer under the authority of Hananiah, one of the king’s commanders. 12 The total number of family heads was 2,600 valiant warriors. 13 Under their authority was an army of 307,500 equipped for combat, a powerful force to help the king against the enemy.(L) 14 Uzziah provided the entire army with shields, spears, helmets, armor, bows, and slingstones. 15 He made skillfully designed devices in Jerusalem to shoot arrows and catapult large stones for use on the towers and on the corners. So his fame spread even to distant places, for he was wondrously helped until he became strong.

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Footnotes

  1. 26:1 = Azariah in 2Kg 14:21
  2. 26:2 LXX, Syr, Vg read Elath
  3. 26:5 Some Hb mss, LXX, Syr, Tg, Arabic; other Hb mss, Vg read visions
  4. 26:8 LXX reads Meunites
  5. 26:10 Or the Shephelah
  6. 26:10 Or in Carmel

Uzziah King of Judah(A)(B)

26 Then all the people of Judah(C) took Uzziah,[a] who was sixteen years old, and made him king in place of his father Amaziah. He was the one who rebuilt Elath and restored it to Judah after Amaziah rested with his ancestors.

Uzziah was sixteen years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem fifty-two years. His mother’s name was Jekoliah; she was from Jerusalem. He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, just as his father Amaziah had done. He sought God during the days of Zechariah, who instructed him in the fear[b] of God.(D) As long as he sought the Lord, God gave him success.(E)

He went to war against the Philistines(F) and broke down the walls of Gath, Jabneh and Ashdod.(G) He then rebuilt towns near Ashdod and elsewhere among the Philistines. God helped him against the Philistines and against the Arabs(H) who lived in Gur Baal and against the Meunites.(I) The Ammonites(J) brought tribute to Uzziah, and his fame spread as far as the border of Egypt, because he had become very powerful.

Uzziah built towers in Jerusalem at the Corner Gate,(K) at the Valley Gate(L) and at the angle of the wall, and he fortified them. 10 He also built towers in the wilderness and dug many cisterns, because he had much livestock in the foothills and in the plain. He had people working his fields and vineyards in the hills and in the fertile lands, for he loved the soil.

11 Uzziah had a well-trained army, ready to go out by divisions according to their numbers as mustered by Jeiel the secretary and Maaseiah the officer under the direction of Hananiah, one of the royal officials. 12 The total number of family leaders over the fighting men was 2,600. 13 Under their command was an army of 307,500 men trained for war, a powerful force to support the king against his enemies. 14 Uzziah provided shields, spears, helmets, coats of armor, bows and slingstones for the entire army.(M) 15 In Jerusalem he made devices invented for use on the towers and on the corner defenses so that soldiers could shoot arrows and hurl large stones from the walls. His fame spread far and wide, for he was greatly helped until he became powerful.

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Footnotes

  1. 2 Chronicles 26:1 Also called Azariah
  2. 2 Chronicles 26:5 Many Hebrew manuscripts, Septuagint and Syriac; other Hebrew manuscripts vision