Uzziah’s Disease

16 But when he became strong, he grew arrogant,(A) and it led to his own destruction. He acted unfaithfully against the Lord his God by going into the Lord’s sanctuary to burn incense on the incense altar.(B) 17 The priest Azariah,(C) along with eighty brave priests of the Lord, went in after him. 18 They took their stand(D) against King Uzziah and said, “Uzziah, you have no right to offer incense to the Lord(E)—only the consecrated priests, the descendants of Aaron, have the right to offer incense.(F) Leave the sanctuary, for you have acted unfaithfully! You will not receive honor from the Lord God.”

19 Uzziah, with a firepan in his hand to offer incense, was enraged. But when he became enraged with the priests, in the presence of the priests in the Lord’s temple beside the altar of incense, a skin disease(G) broke out on his forehead. 20 Then Azariah the chief priest and all the priests turned to him and saw that he was diseased on his forehead. They rushed him out of there. He himself also hurried to get out because the Lord had afflicted him. 21 So King Uzziah was diseased to the time of his death.(H) He lived in quarantine[a](I) with a serious skin disease and was excluded from access to the Lord’s temple, while his son Jotham was over the king’s household governing the people of the land.

22 Now the prophet Isaiah(J) son of Amoz wrote about the rest of the events of Uzziah’s reign, from beginning to end. 23 Uzziah rested with his ancestors, and he was buried with his ancestors in the burial ground of the kings’ cemetery,(K) for they said, “He has a skin disease.” His son Jotham became king in his place.

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Footnotes

  1. 26:21 Lit in a house of exemption from duty

16 But once he became powerful, his pride destroyed him.[a] He disobeyed[b] the Lord his God. He entered the Lord’s temple to offer incense on the incense altar. 17 Azariah the priest and eighty other brave priests of the Lord followed him in. 18 They confronted[c] King Uzziah and said to him, “It is not proper for you, Uzziah, to offer incense to the Lord. That is the responsibility of the priests, the descendants of Aaron, who are consecrated to offer incense. Leave the sanctuary, for you have disobeyed[d] and the Lord God will not honor you!” 19 Uzziah, who had an incense censer in his hand, became angry. While he was ranting and raving[e] at the priests, a skin disease[f] appeared on his forehead right there in front of the priests in the Lord’s temple near the incense altar. 20 When Azariah the high priest and the other priests looked at him, there was a skin disease on his forehead. They hurried him out of there; even the king[g] himself wanted to leave quickly because the Lord had afflicted him. 21 King Uzziah suffered from a skin disease until the day he died. He lived in separate quarters,[h] afflicted by a skin disease and banned from the Lord’s temple. His son Jotham was in charge of the palace and ruled over the people of the land.

22 The rest of the events of Uzziah’s reign, from start to finish, were recorded by the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz.[i] 23 Uzziah passed away[j] and was buried near his ancestors[k] in a cemetery[l] belonging to the kings. (This was because he had a skin disease.)[m] His son Jotham replaced him as king.

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Footnotes

  1. 2 Chronicles 26:16 tn Heb “his heart was high [i.e., proud] until to destroy.”
  2. 2 Chronicles 26:16 tn Or “was unfaithful to.”
  3. 2 Chronicles 26:18 tn Heb “stood against.”
  4. 2 Chronicles 26:18 tn Or “been unfaithful.”
  5. 2 Chronicles 26:19 tn Heb “angry.”
  6. 2 Chronicles 26:19 tn Traditionally “leprosy,” but this was probably a skin disorder of some type, not leprosy (technically known today as Hansen’s disease). See 2 Kgs 5:1.
  7. 2 Chronicles 26:20 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the king) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  8. 2 Chronicles 26:21 tn The precise meaning of בֵּית הַחָפְשִׁית (bet hakhofshit, “house of [?]”) is uncertain. NASB, NIV, NRSV all have “in a separate house”; NEB has “in his own house…relieved of all duties.” For a discussion of various proposals, see M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 166-67.
  9. 2 Chronicles 26:22 tn Heb “As for the rest of the events of Uzziah, the former and the latter, Isaiah son of Amoz, the prophet, recorded.”
  10. 2 Chronicles 26:23 tn Heb “lay down with his fathers.”
  11. 2 Chronicles 26:23 tn Heb “fathers.”
  12. 2 Chronicles 26:23 tn Heb “a field of burial.”
  13. 2 Chronicles 26:23 tn Heb “for they said, ‘He had a skin disease.’”