2 Chronicles 25:5-16
Holman Christian Standard Bible
Amaziah’s Campaign against Edom
5 Then Amaziah gathered Judah and assembled them according to ancestral house, according to commanders of thousands, and according to commanders of hundreds. He numbered those 20 years old or more(A) for all Judah and Benjamin. He found there to be 300,000 choice men who could serve in the army, bearing spear and shield.(B) 6 Then for 7,500 pounds[a] of silver he hired 100,000 brave warriors from Israel.
7 However, a man of God(C) came to him and said, “King, do not let Israel’s army go with you, for the Lord is not with Israel—all the Ephraimites. 8 But if you go with them, do it! Be strong for battle! But God will make you stumble before the enemy,(D) for God has the power to help(E) or to make one stumble.”
9 Then Amaziah said to the man of God, “What should I do about the 7,500 pounds[b] of silver I gave to Israel’s division?”
The man of God replied, “The Lord is able to give you much more than this.”
10 So Amaziah released the division that came to him from Ephraim to go home. But they got very angry with Judah and returned home in a fierce rage.
11 Amaziah strengthened his position and led his people to the Valley of Salt. He struck down 10,000 Seirites,[c] 12 and the Judahites captured 10,000 alive. They took them to the top of a cliff where they threw them off, and all of them were dashed to pieces.
13 As for the men of the division that Amaziah sent back so they would not go with him into battle, they raided the cities of Judah from Samaria to Beth-horon, struck down 3,000 of their people, and took a great deal of plunder.
14 After Amaziah came from the attack on the Edomites, he brought the gods of the Seirites[d] and set them up as his gods. He worshiped before them and burned incense to them.(F) 15 So the Lord’s anger was against Amaziah, and He sent a prophet to him, who said, “Why have you sought a people’s gods that could not deliver their own people from your hand?”(G)
16 While he was still speaking to him, the king asked, “Have we made you the king’s counselor? Stop, why should you lose your life?”
So the prophet stopped, but he said, “I know that God intends to destroy you, because you have done this and have not listened to my advice.”
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 2 Chronicles 25:6 Lit 100 talents
- 2 Chronicles 25:9 Lit 100 talents
- 2 Chronicles 25:11 = Edomites
- 2 Chronicles 25:14 = Edomites
2 Chronicles 25:5-16
New Living Translation
5 Then Amaziah organized the army, assigning generals and captains[a] for all Judah and Benjamin. He took a census and found that he had an army of 300,000 select troops, twenty years old and older, all trained in the use of spear and shield. 6 He also paid about 7,500 pounds[b] of silver to hire 100,000 experienced fighting men from Israel.
7 But a man of God came to him and said, “Your Majesty, do not hire troops from Israel, for the Lord is not with Israel. He will not help those people of Ephraim! 8 If you let them go with your troops into battle, you will be defeated by the enemy no matter how well you fight. God will overthrow you, for he has the power to help you or to trip you up.”
9 Amaziah asked the man of God, “But what about all that silver I paid to hire the army of Israel?”
The man of God replied, “The Lord is able to give you much more than this!” 10 So Amaziah discharged the hired troops and sent them back to Ephraim. This made them very angry with Judah, and they returned home in a great rage.
11 Then Amaziah summoned his courage and led his army to the Valley of Salt, where they killed 10,000 Edomite troops from Seir. 12 They captured another 10,000 and took them to the top of a cliff and threw them off, dashing them to pieces on the rocks below.
13 Meanwhile, the hired troops that Amaziah had sent home raided several of the towns of Judah between Samaria and Beth-horon. They killed 3,000 people and carried off great quantities of plunder.
14 When King Amaziah returned from slaughtering the Edomites, he brought with him idols taken from the people of Seir. He set them up as his own gods, bowed down in front of them, and offered sacrifices to them! 15 This made the Lord very angry, and he sent a prophet to ask, “Why do you turn to gods who could not even save their own people from you?”
16 But the king interrupted him and said, “Since when have I made you the king’s counselor? Be quiet now before I have you killed!”
So the prophet stopped with this warning: “I know that God has determined to destroy you because you have done this and have refused to accept my counsel.”
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Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
