Amaziah Reigns over Judah

14 ^(A)In the second year of Joash son of Joahaz king of Israel, ^(B)Amaziah the son of Joash king of Judah became king. ² He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Jehoaddin of Jerusalem. ³ He did right in the sight of the Lord, yet not like David his father; he did according to all that Joash his father had done. ⁴ Only ^(C)the high places were not taken away; ^(D)the people still sacrificed and burned incense on the high places. ⁵ Now it came about, as soon as the kingdom was firmly in his hand, that he ^[a](E)killed his servants who had slain the king his father. ⁶ But the sons of the ^[b]slayers he did not put to death, according to what is written in the book of the Law of Moses, as the Lord commanded, saying, “^(F)The fathers shall not be put to death for the sons, nor the sons be put to death for the fathers; but ^(G)each shall be put to death for his own sin.”

⁷ He ^[c]killed of Edom in ^(H)the Valley of Salt 10,000 and took ^(I)Sela by war, and named it ^(J)Joktheel to this day.

^8 (K)Then Amaziah sent messengers to Jehoash, the son of Jehoahaz son of Jehu, king of Israel, saying, “^(L)Come, let us face each other.” ⁹ Jehoash king of Israel sent to Amaziah king of Judah, saying, “^(M)The thorn bush which was in Lebanon sent to the cedar which was in Lebanon, saying, ‘Give your daughter to my son in marriage.’ But there passed by a wild beast that was in Lebanon, and trampled the thorn bush. ^10 (N)You have indeed ^[d]defeated Edom, and ^(O)your heart has ^[e]become proud. Enjoy your glory and stay at home; for why should you provoke trouble so that you, even you, would fall, and Judah with you?”

¹¹ But Amaziah would not listen. So Jehoash king of Israel went up; and he and Amaziah king of Judah faced each other at ^(P)Beth-shemesh, which belongs to Judah. ¹² Judah was defeated ^[f]by Israel, and ^(Q)they fled each to his tent. ¹³ Then Jehoash king of Israel captured Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Jehoash the son of Ahaziah, at Beth-shemesh, and came to Jerusalem and tore down the wall of Jerusalem from ^(R)the Gate of Ephraim to ^(S)the Corner Gate, 400 ^[g]cubits. ^14 (T)He took all the gold and silver and all the utensils which were found in the house of the Lord, and in the treasuries of the king’s house, the hostages also, and returned to Samaria.

Jeroboam II Succeeds Jehoash in Israel

^15 (U)Now the rest of the acts of Jehoash which he did, and his might and how he fought with Amaziah king of Judah, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel? ¹⁶ So Jehoash slept with his fathers and was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel; and Jeroboam his son became king in his place.

Azariah (Uzziah) Succeeds Amaziah in Judah

^17 (V)Amaziah the son of Joash king of Judah lived fifteen years after the death of Jehoash son of Jehoahaz king of Israel. ¹⁸ Now the rest of the acts of Amaziah, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? ¹⁹ They conspired against him in Jerusalem, and he fled to ^(W)Lachish; but they sent after him to Lachish and killed him there. ²⁰ Then they brought him on horses and he was buried at Jerusalem with his fathers in the city of David. ²¹ All the people of Judah took ^[h]Azariah, who was sixteen years old, and made him king in the place of his father Amaziah. ^22 (X)He built Elath and restored it to Judah after the king slept with his fathers.

²³ In the fifteenth year of Amaziah the son of Joash king of Judah, Jeroboam the son of Joash king of Israel became king in Samaria, and reigned forty-one years. ²⁴ He did evil in the sight of the Lord; he did not depart from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which he made Israel sin. ^25 (Y)He restored the border of Israel from ^(Z)the entrance of Hamath as far as ^(AA)the Sea of the Arabah, according to the word of the Lord, the God of Israel, which He spoke ^[i]through His servant ^(AB)Jonah the son of Amittai, the prophet, who was of ^(AC)Gath-hepher. ²⁶ For the ^(AD)Lord saw the affliction of Israel, which was very bitter; for ^(AE)there was neither bond nor free, nor was there any helper for Israel. ²⁷ The ^(AF)Lord did not say that He would blot out the name of Israel from under heaven, but He saved them by the hand of Jeroboam the son of Joash.

Zechariah Reigns over Israel

²⁸ Now the rest of the acts of Jeroboam and all that he did and his might, how he fought and how he recovered for Israel, ^(AG)Damascus and ^(AH)Hamath, which had belonged to Judah, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel? ²⁹ And Jeroboam slept with his fathers, even with the kings of Israel, and Zechariah his son became king in his place.

²¹ “^(A)Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; and ^(B)children will rise up against parents and ^[a]cause them to be put to death. ^22 (C)You will be hated by all because of My name, but ^(D)it is the one who has endured to the end who will be saved.

²³ “But whenever they ^(E)persecute you in ^[b]one city, flee to ^[c]the next; for truly I say to you, you will not finish going through the cities of Israel ^(F)until the Son of Man comes.

The Meaning of Discipleship

²⁴ “^(G)A ^[d]disciple is not above his teacher, nor a slave above his master. ²⁵ It is enough for the disciple that he become like his teacher, and the slave like his master. ^(H)If they have called the head of the house ^[e](I)Beelzebul, how much more will they malign the members of his household!

²⁶ “Therefore do not ^(J)fear them, ^(K)for there is nothing concealed that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. ^27 (L)What I tell you in the darkness, speak in the light; and what you hear whispered in your ear, proclaim ^(M)upon the housetops. ²⁸ Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather ^(N)fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in ^[f](O)hell. ^29 (P)Are not two sparrows sold for a ^[g]cent? And yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. ³⁰ But ^(Q)the very hairs of your head are all numbered. ³¹ So do not fear; ^(R)you are more valuable than many sparrows.

³² “Therefore ^(S)everyone who ^[h]confesses Me before men, I will also confess ^[i]him before My Father who is in heaven. ³³ But ^(T)whoever ^[j]denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven.

³⁴ “^(U)Do not think that I came to ^[k]bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. ³⁵ For I came to ^(V)set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; ³⁶ and ^(W)a man’s enemies will be the members of his household.

³⁷ “^(X)He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. ³⁸ And ^(Y)he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. ^39 (Z)He who has found his ^[l]life will lose it, and he who has lost his ^[m]life for My sake will find it.

The Reward of Service

⁴⁰ “^(AA)He who receives you receives Me, and ^(AB)he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me. ^41 (AC)He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward; and he who receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man’s reward. ⁴² And ^(AD)whoever in the name of a disciple gives to one of these ^[n]little ones even a cup of cold water to drink, truly I say to you, he shall not lose his reward.”