Jotham Succeeds Uzziah in Judah

27 (A)Jotham was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned for sixteen years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Jerushah the daughter of Zadok. He did what was right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his father Uzziah had done; (B)however he did not enter the temple of the Lord. But the people continued acting corruptly. He built the upper gate of the house of the Lord, and he built the wall of (C)Ophel extensively. Moreover, he built (D)cities in the hill country of Judah, and he built fortresses and towers on the wooded hills. He fought with the king of the Ammonites and prevailed over them so that during that year the Ammonites gave him [a]a hundred talents of silver, [b]ten thousand kors of wheat, and ten thousand of barley. The Ammonites also paid him this amount in the second year and in the third. (E)So Jotham became powerful because he directed his ways before the Lord his God. (F)Now the rest of the acts of Jotham, all his wars and his ways, behold, they are written in the Book of the Kings of Israel and Judah. He was (G)twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem for sixteen years. And Jotham [c]lay down with his fathers, and they buried him in the city of David; and his son Ahaz became king in his place.

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Footnotes

  1. 2 Chronicles 27:5 About 3.75 tons or 3.4 metric tons
  2. 2 Chronicles 27:5 About 77,000 cubic feet or 2,180 cubic meters
  3. 2 Chronicles 27:9 I.e., died

Jotham rules

27 Jotham was 25 years old when he became king, and he ruled for sixteen years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jerushah; she was Zadok’s daughter. Jotham did what was right in the Lord’s eyes, just as his father Uzziah had done. Unlike Uzziah, Jotham didn’t enter the Lord’s temple. But the people continued their crooked practices. Jotham rebuilt the Upper Gate of the Lord’s temple and did extensive work on the wall of the elevated fortress.[a] He built towns in Judah’s highlands and fortresses and towers in the wooded areas. He fought against the king of the Ammonites and defeated the Ammonites. They paid him one hundred kikkars of silver, ten thousand kors[b] of wheat, and ten thousand kors of barley that year and for the next two years. Jotham was securely established because he maintained a faithful life before the Lord his God. The rest of Jotham’s deeds, including all his wars and accomplishments, are written in the official records of Israel’s and Judah’s kings. He was 25 years old when he became king, and he ruled for sixteen years in Jerusalem. Jotham lay down with his ancestors and was buried in David’s City. His son Ahaz succeeded him as king.

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Footnotes

  1. 2 Chronicles 27:3 Or hillside; Heb uncertain
  2. 2 Chronicles 27:5 One kor is equivalent to a homer and is possibly equal to fifty gallons of grain.