The Reign of Uzziah

26 Then all the people of Judah took Uzziah (now he was sixteen years old) and made him king in the place of his father Amaziah. ² He built Elath and returned it to Judah after the king slept with his ancestors.^{[a] 3} Uzziah was sixteen years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem fifty-two years. And the name of his mother was Yecoliah of Jerusalem. ⁴ And he did what was right in the eyes of Yahweh, according to all that Amaziah his father had done. ⁵ And he began to seek^[b] God in the days of Zechariah who was teaching in visions of God. And whenever^[c] he sought Yahweh God made him have success.

⁶ And he went out and made war against the Philistines, and he broke down the wall of Gath and the wall of Jabneh and the wall of Ashdod, and he built cities in Ashdod and among the Philistines. ⁷ And God helped him against the Philistines and against the Arabs who were living in Gur-Baal and Meunim. ⁸ And the Ammonites gave tribute to Uzziah, and his fame^[d] went out to the boundary^[e] of Egypt, for he became very strong.^{[f] 9} And Uzziah built towers in Jerusalem at the Corner Gate, at the Valley Gate, and at the Angle, and he strengthened them. ¹⁰ And he built towers in the desert and hewed many cisterns, for he had much livestock, both in the Shephelah and on the plain, along with farmers and vinedressers in the hills and in the fertile lands, for he loved the soil. ¹¹ And Uzziah had troops trained and ready for war^[g] in divisions according to the number of their enrollment at the hand of Jeuel the scribe and Maaseiah the officer, under the hand of Hananiah of the king’s commanders. ¹² The whole number of the heads of the families^[h] for mighty warriors of strength was two thousand six hundred. ¹³ And under their hand were army troops numbering three hundred and seven thousand five hundred who could make war with power and strength to help the king against an enemy. ¹⁴ And Uzziah prepared small shields, spears, helmets, breastplates, bows, and slingstones for the whole army. ¹⁵ And he made siege machines in Jerusalem designed by skillful men to be set upon the towers and upon the corners to shoot arrows and large slingstones. And his fame^[i] went out far, for he helped marvelously, for he was strong.