Chronological

Azariah Becomes King of Judah

15 Amaziah’s son Azariah began reigning during the twenty-seventh year of the reign of^[a] Jeroboam, king of Israel. ² He was sixteen years old when he began to reign, and he reigned 52 years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jecoliah; she was^[b] from Jerusalem. ³ He did what the Lord considered to be right, just as his father Amaziah had done in everything, ⁴ except that the high places were never removed, and the people kept on sacrificing and burning incense on the high places.

⁵ The Lord struck the king so that he was afflicted with leprosy until the day he died. He lived in a separate house while his son Jotham managed the household and ruled^[c] the people who lived in the land. ⁶ Now the rest of Azariah’s activities, including everything he did, are recorded in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah, are they not? ⁷ Later, Azariah died, as had^[d] his ancestors, and they buried him with his ancestors in the City of David. His son Jotham then reigned in his place.

Zachariah’s Reign over Israel

⁸ During the thirty-eighth year of the reign of^[e] Azariah, king of Judah, Jeroboam’s son Zachariah began a six-month reign in Samaria. ⁹ He did what the Lord considered to be evil, just as his ancestors had done. He never abandoned the sins of Nebat’s son Jeroboam, who caused Israel to sin. ¹⁰ So Jabesh’s son Shallum conspired against him and attacked him in full view of the people, killed him, and reigned in his place. ¹¹ The rest of Zachariah’s activities are recorded in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel.

Shallum’s Reign over Israel

¹² This is what the Lord told Jehu: “Your children will sit on Israel’s throne for the next four generations.”^[f] And that is what happened:^{[g] 13} Jabesh’s son Shallum began his reign in the thirty-ninth year of the reign of Uzziah,^[h] king of Judah. He reigned a full month^[i] in Samaria, ¹⁴ then Gadi’s son Menahem approached Samaria from Tirzah and attacked Jabesh’s son Shallum, executed him, and reigned in his place. ¹⁵ The rest of Shallum’s activities, including the conspiracy that he carried out, are recorded in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel, are they not?

Menahem’s Reign over Israel

¹⁶ At another time, Menahem attacked Tiphsah and all of its inhabitants, including its coastlands from Tirzah, because they would not open the city gate for him. After defeating them, he ripped open all of their pregnant women. ¹⁷ In the thirty-ninth year of the reign of^[j] Azariah, king of Judah, Gadi’s son Menahem began a ten-year reign over Israel from Samaria. ¹⁸ He did what the Lord considered to be evil by never abandoning the sins of Nebat’s son Jeroboam, who caused Israel to sin, as long as he lived.

¹⁹ Later on, King Pul of Aram attacked the land, and Menahem paid Pul 1,000 silver talents^[k] so Pul^[l] would join forces with Menahem^[m] to secure his hold on the kingdom. ²⁰ Menahem exacted the money from all of Israel’s powerful and wealthy men, 50 shekels^[n] from each, to pay the king of Aram. As a result, the king of Aram retreated and did not remain there in the land. ²¹ The rest of Menahem’s activities, including everything that he did, are recorded in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel, are they not? ²² Then Menahem died, as did^[o] his ancestors, and his son Pekahiah reigned in his place.

Pekahiah’s Reign over Israel

²³ Menahem’s son Pekahiah became king over Israel for two years during the fiftieth year of the reign of^[p] King Azariah of Judah. ²⁴ He did what the Lord considered to be evil. Just as Nebat’s son Jeroboam had led Israel into sin, so also Pekahiah did not stop doing the same thing. ²⁵ Then Remaliah’s son Pekah, Pekahiah’s^[q] officer, conspired against him with Argob and Arieh. Accompanied by 50 Gileadite men, Pekah attacked Pekahiah inside the palace of the king’s compound^[r] in Samaria, executed him, and reigned as king in his place. ²⁶ The rest of Pekahiah’s activities, including everything he did, are written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel.

Pekah’s Reign over Israel

²⁷ Remaliah’s son Pekah began a 20-year reign as Israel’s king during the fifty-second year of King Azariah of Judah. ²⁸ He did what the Lord considered to be evil by never abandoning the sins of Nebat’s son Jeroboam, by which he caused Israel to sin. ²⁹ During the lifetime of King Pekah of Israel, King Tiglath-pileser of Assyria attacked. He captured the cities of Ijon, Abel Beth Maacah, Janoah, Kedesh, and Hazor. He also captured Gilead, Galilee, and the entire territory of Naphtali, and carried its people off to Assyria. ³⁰ So during the twentieth year of the reign of^[s] Uzziah’s son Jotham, Elah’s son Hoshea conspired against Remaliah’s son Pekah, attacked him, executed him, and became king in his place. ³¹ The rest of Pekah’s activities, including everything that he accomplished, are written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel.

Jotham’s Reign over Judah

³² Uzziah’s son Jotham became king over Judah during the second year of the reign of^[t] Remaliah’s son Pekah, king of Israel. ³³ He was 25 years old when he became king. He reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. Zadok’s daughter Jerusha was his mother. ³⁴ He did what the Lord considered to be right, following everything his father Uzziah had done, ³⁵ except the high places were not torn down, and the people still sacrificed and burned incense on the high places. But he rebuilt the upper gate of the Lord’s Temple. ³⁶ The rest of Jotham’s activities, including everything that he accomplished, are recorded in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah, are they not?

³⁷ Right about that time, the Lord began to send King Rezin of Aram and Remaliah’s son Pekah against Judah. ³⁸ Meanwhile, Jotham died, as did^[u] his ancestors, and was buried with them^[v] in the City of David, his ancestor. Then Jotham’s son Ahaz reigned in his place.

Uzziah Succeeds Amaziah^(A)

26 All the people of Judah made Uzziah king in place of his father Amaziah. Uzziah was sixteen years old at the time. ² He rebuilt Eloth and restored it to Judah after King Amaziah^[a] had been laid to rest^[b] with his ancestors. ³ Uzziah was sixteen years old when he became king, and he reigned for 52 years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jecholiah. She was from Jerusalem. ⁴ He practiced what the Lord considered to be right, following the example set by his father Amaziah’s accomplishments. ⁵ Uzziah^[c] kept on seeking God during the lifetime of Zechariah, who taught him how to fear God, and as long as he sought the Lord, God made him prosperous.

Uzziah’s Initial Successes

⁶ One time Uzziah^[d] went out and battled the Philistines. He tore down the walls of Gath, Jabneh, and Ashdod, and built cities in the Ashdod area among the Philistines. ⁷ God helped Uzziah^[e] defeat the Philistines, the Arabians who lived in Gur-baal, and the Meunites. ⁸ The Ammonites paid tribute to Uzziah, and his reputation extended as far as the border with Egypt as he became stronger and stronger. ⁹ Uzziah also built towers in Jerusalem, at the Corner Gate, at the Valley Gate, and at the Angle^[f] and fortified them. ¹⁰ He also built watchtowers in the wilderness and had many cisterns hewed out, since he also possessed large herds, both in the Shephelah^[g] and in the midland plains. He had many farmers and vinedressers throughout the hills and fertile lands because he loved farming.^[h]

¹¹ Uzziah kept a standing army, equipped for battle, garrisoned in divisions according to an organizational structure devised by his royal secretary Jeiel and his officer Maaseiah, who reported to Hananiah, one of the king’s commanders. ¹² The number of senior leaders of the ancestral houses of his elite forces numbered 2,600. ¹³ Uzziah^[i] commanded an army of 307,500 who could fight formidably on behalf of the king against any enemy. ¹⁴ In addition, Uzziah equipped the entire army with shields, spears, helmets, body armor, bows, and stones for use in slings. ¹⁵ He also had various siege engines built by skilled designers and placed them on the towers and on the corner ramparts that could fire arrows and very large stones. His reputation spread far and wide, and he was marvelously assisted until he grew very strong.

Uzziah’s Arrogance and Apostasy^(B)

¹⁶ But after he had become strong, in his arrogance he acted corruptly and became unfaithful to the Lord his God, and he dared to enter the Lord’s Temple to burn incense on the incense altar. ¹⁷ Azariah the priest ran after him, along with 80 of the Lord’s valiant priests, ¹⁸ and they opposed King Uzziah. “Uzziah, it’s not for you to burn incense to the Lord,” they told him, “but for the priests to do, Aaron’s descendants who are consecrated to burn incense. Leave the sanctuary now, because you have been unfaithful and won’t receive any honor from the Lord God.”

¹⁹ Uzziah flew into a rage while he held in his hand a censer to burn incense. As he got angry at the priests, leprosy broke out all over his forehead right in front of the priests beside the incense altar in the Lord’s Temple. ²⁰ So Azariah the chief priest and all the priests stared at Uzziah, who was infected with leprosy in his forehead! They all rushed at him and hurried him out of the Temple. Uzziah^[j] was in a hurry to get out anyway, because the Lord had struck him.

²¹ King Uzziah remained a leper until the day he died. Because he was a leper, he lived in a separate residence and remained disqualified to enter the Lord’s Temple. His son Jotham served in the royal palace, judging the people of the land. ²² Now the rest of Uzziah’s accomplishments, from first to last, have been recorded by Amoz’s son Isaiah the prophet. ²³ Uzziah died, as had his ancestors, and they buried him alongside his ancestors in a grave in a field that belonged to the kings, because they said, “He was a leper.” Uzziah’s^[k] son Jotham became king to replace him.