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Amaziah’s Reign over Judah

14 In the second year of the reign of Israel’s King Joash son of Joahaz,[a] Joash’s[b] son Amaziah became king over Judah. He was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned for twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother[c] was Jehoaddan, who was from Jerusalem. He did what the Lord approved,[d] but not like David his ancestor had done. He followed the example of his father Joash.[e] But the high places were not eliminated; the people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense on the high places.

When he had secured control of the kingdom,[f] he executed the servants who had assassinated his father.[g] But he did not execute the sons of the assassins. He obeyed the Lord’s commandment as recorded in the scroll of the law of Moses, “Fathers must not be put to death for what their sons do,[h] and sons must not be put to death for what their fathers do.[i] A man must be put to death only for his own sin.”[j]

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Footnotes

  1. 2 Kings 14:1 sn The name Joahaz is an alternate form of Jehoahaz.
  2. 2 Kings 14:1 sn The referent here is Joash of Judah (see 12:21), not Joash of Israel, mentioned earlier in the verse.
  3. 2 Kings 14:2 tn Heb “the name of his mother.”
  4. 2 Kings 14:3 tn Heb “he did what was proper in the eyes of the Lord.”
  5. 2 Kings 14:3 tn Heb “according to all which Joash his father had done, he did.”
  6. 2 Kings 14:5 tn Heb “when the kingdom was secure in his hand.”
  7. 2 Kings 14:5 tn Heb “he struck down his servants, the ones who had struck down the king, his father.”
  8. 2 Kings 14:6 tn Heb “on account of sons.”
  9. 2 Kings 14:6 tn Heb “on account of fathers.”
  10. 2 Kings 14:6 sn This law is recorded in Deut 24:16.

Amaziah Reigns in Judah

14 (A)In the (B)second year of Joash the son of Joahaz, king of Israel, (C)Amaziah the son of Joash, king of Judah, began to reign. He was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Jehoaddin of Jerusalem. And he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, yet not like David his father. He did in all things as Joash his father had done. (D)But the high places were not removed; (E)the people still sacrificed and made offerings on the high places. And as soon as the royal power was (F)firmly in his hand, he struck down his servants (G)who had struck down the king his father. But he did not put to death the children of the murderers, according to what is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, where the Lord commanded, (H)“Fathers shall not be put to death because of their children, nor shall children be put to death because of their fathers. But each one shall die for his own sin.”

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