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.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

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

Pride and Apostasy

16 But when he had become strong he grew proud, to his destruction. For he acted unfaithfully toward the Lord his God and entered the temple of the Lord to make offering on the altar of incense.(A) 17 But the priest Azariah went in after him, with eighty priests of the Lord who were men of valor;(B) 18 they withstood King Uzziah and said to him, “It is not for you, Uzziah, to make offering to the Lord, but for the priests the descendants of Aaron, who are consecrated to make offering. Go out of the sanctuary, for you have acted unfaithfully, and it will bring you no honor from the Lord God.”(C) 19 Then Uzziah was enraged. Now he had a censer in his hand to make offering, and when he became enraged with the priests a defiling disease broke out on his forehead, in the presence of the priests in the house of the Lord, by the altar of incense.(D) 20 When the chief priest Azariah, and all the priests, looked at him, he was diseased on his forehead. They hurried him out, and he himself hurried to get out, because the Lord had struck him. 21 King Uzziah had a defiling disease to the day of his death, and being diseased lived in a separate house, for he was excluded from the house of the Lord. His son Jotham was in charge of the palace of the king, governing the people of the land.(E)

22 Now the rest of the acts of Uzziah, from first to last, the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz wrote.(F) 23 Uzziah slept with his ancestors; they buried him near his ancestors in the burial field that belonged to the kings, for they said, “He had a defiling disease.” His son Jotham succeeded him.(G)

Read full chapter