2 Chronicles 26:1-15

GOD’S WORD Translation

King Uzziah of Judah^(A)

26 All the people of Judah took Uzziah, who was 16 years old, and made him king in place of his father Amaziah. ²Uzziah rebuilt Elath and returned it to Judah after King Amaziah lay down in death with his ancestors. ³Uzziah was 16 years old when he began to rule, and he ruled for 52 years in Jerusalem. His mother was Jecoliah from Jerusalem. ⁴He did what the Lord considered right, as his father Amaziah had done. ⁵He dedicated his life to serving God in the days of Zechariah, who taught him to fear God. As long as he dedicated his life to serving the Lord, the Lord gave him success.

⁶Uzziah went to wage war against the Philistines. He tore down the walls of Gath, Jabneh, and Ashdod. He built cities near Ashdod and elsewhere among the Philistines. ⁷God helped him when he attacked the Philistines, the Arabs who lived in Gur Baal, and the Meunites. ⁸The Ammonites paid taxes to Uzziah, and his fame spread to the border of Egypt because he became very powerful. ⁹Uzziah built towers in Jerusalem at Corner Wall, Valley Gate, and the Angle, and he reinforced them. ¹⁰He built towers in the desert. He dug many cisterns because he had a lot of herds in the foothills and the plains. He had farmers and vineyard workers in the mountains and the fertile fields because he loved the soil.

¹¹Uzziah had an army of professional soldiers. They were ready to go to war in their companies based on the number organized by the scribe Jeiel and the officer Maaseiah. They were commanded by Hananiah, one of the king’s officials. ¹²The total number of family heads among these warriors was 2,600. ¹³Under them was an army of 307,500 soldiers. They were a powerful force that could support the king against the enemy. ¹⁴For the entire army Uzziah prepared shields, spears, helmets, armor, bows, and stones for slings. ¹⁵In Jerusalem he made machines designed by inventive people. The machines were placed on the towers and corners to shoot arrows and hurl large stones.