Judah’s King Amaziah

14 In(A) the second year of Israel’s King Jehoash[a](B) son of Jehoahaz,[b] Amaziah(C) son of Joash became king of Judah. He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jehoaddan;[c] she was from Jerusalem. He did what was right in the Lord’s sight, but not like his ancestor David. He did everything his father Joash had done.(D) Yet the high places were not taken away, and the people continued sacrificing and burning incense on the high places.(E)

As soon as the kingdom was firmly in his grasp, Amaziah killed his servants who had killed his father the king.(F) However, he did not put the children of the killers to death, as it is written in the book of the law of Moses where the Lord commanded, “Fathers are not to be put to death because of children, and children are not to be put to death because of fathers; instead, each one will be put to death for his own sin.”(G)

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Footnotes

  1. 14:1 Lit Joash, also in vv. 23,27
  2. 14:1 Lit Joahaz
  3. 14:2 Alt Hb tradition, some Hb mss, Syr, Tg, Vg, 2Ch 25:1; other Hb mss, LXX read Jehoaddin

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, at the age of 25. He reigned 29 years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jehoaddin; she was[b] from Jerusalem.

He practiced what the Lord considered to be right, but not like his ancestor David did. He acted as his father Joash had done, except that the high places were not abolished. The people continued to offer sacrifices and to burn incense on the high places. Later on, as soon as he was in firm control of his kingdom, he executed the servants who had murdered his father the king, 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]

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Footnotes

  1. 2 Kings 14:1 The Heb. lacks the reign of
  2. 2 Kings 14:2 The Heb. lacks she was
  3. 2 Kings 14:6 Cf. Deut 24:16