Edom Denies Israel Passage

¹⁴ Moses sent messengers from Kadesh^(A) to the king of Edom,^(B) saying:

¹⁸ But Edom^(M) answered:

¹⁹ The Israelites replied:

²⁰ Again they answered:

Then Edom^(R) came out against them with a large and powerful army. ²¹ Since Edom refused to let them go through their territory,^(S) Israel turned away from them.^(T)

¹³ And David became famous^(A) after he returned from striking down eighteen thousand Edomites^[a] in the Valley of Salt.^(B)

¹⁴ He put garrisons throughout Edom, and all the Edomites^(C) became subject to David.^(D) The Lord gave David victory^(E) wherever he went.^(F)

⁵ Amaziah called the people of Judah together and assigned them according to their families to commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds for all Judah and Benjamin. He then mustered^(A) those twenty years old^(B) or more and found that there were three hundred thousand men fit for military service,^(C) able to handle the spear and shield. ⁶ He also hired a hundred thousand fighting men from Israel for a hundred talents^[a] of silver.

⁷ But a man of God came to him and said, “Your Majesty, these troops from Israel^(D) must not march with you, for the Lord is not with Israel—not with any of the people of Ephraim. ⁸ Even if you go and fight courageously in battle, God will overthrow you before the enemy, for God has the power to help or to overthrow.”^(E)

⁹ Amaziah asked the man of God, “But what about the hundred talents I paid for these Israelite troops?”

The man of God replied, “The Lord can give you much more than that.”^(F)

¹⁰ So Amaziah dismissed the troops who had come to him from Ephraim and sent them home. They were furious with Judah and left for home in a great rage.^(G)

¹¹ Amaziah then marshaled his strength and led his army to the Valley of Salt, where he killed ten thousand men of Seir. ¹² The army of Judah also captured ten thousand men alive, took them to the top of a cliff and threw them down so that all were dashed to pieces.^(H)

¹³ Meanwhile the troops that Amaziah had sent back and had not allowed to take part in the war raided towns belonging to Judah from Samaria to Beth Horon. They killed three thousand people and carried off great quantities of plunder.

¹⁴ When Amaziah returned from slaughtering the Edomites, he brought back the gods of the people of Seir. He set them up as his own gods,^(I) bowed down to them and burned sacrifices to them. ¹⁵ The anger of the Lord burned against Amaziah, and he sent a prophet to him, who said, “Why do you consult this people’s gods, which could not save^(J) their own people from your hand?”

¹⁶ While he was still speaking, the king said to him, “Have we appointed you an adviser to the king? Stop! Why be struck down?”

So the prophet stopped but said, “I know that God has determined to destroy you, because you have done this and have not listened to my counsel.”

Ahaz King of Judah^(A)

16 In the seventeenth year of Pekah son of Remaliah, Ahaz^(B) son of Jotham king of Judah began to reign. ² Ahaz was twenty years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem sixteen years. Unlike David his father, he did not do what was right^(C) in the eyes of the Lord his God. ³ He followed the ways of the kings of Israel^(D) and even sacrificed his son^(E) in the fire, engaging in the detestable^(F) practices of the nations the Lord had driven out before the Israelites. ⁴ He offered sacrifices and burned incense^(G) at the high places, on the hilltops and under every spreading tree.^(H)

⁵ Then Rezin^(I) king of Aram and Pekah son of Remaliah king of Israel marched up to fight against Jerusalem and besieged Ahaz, but they could not overpower him. ⁶ At that time, Rezin^(J) king of Aram recovered Elath^(K) for Aram by driving out the people of Judah. Edomites then moved into Elath and have lived there to this day.