Amaziah Becomes King of Judah

14 Amaziah, son of Judah’s King Joash, became king during the second year of the reign of^[a] Joash, son of King Joahaz of Israel, ² at the age of 25. He reigned 29 years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jehoaddin; she was^[b] from Jerusalem.

³ He practiced what the Lord considered to be right, but not like his ancestor David did. He acted as his father Joash had done, ⁴ except that the high places were not abolished. The people continued to offer sacrifices and to burn incense on the high places. ⁵ Later on, as soon as he was in firm control of his kingdom, he executed the servants who had murdered his father the king, ⁶ but he did not execute the children of the murderers, in keeping with what is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, as the Lord had commanded: “Fathers must not be put to death because of their children’s sin; nor are children to die because of their fathers’ sin, for each person is to be put to death for his own sin.”^[c]