2 Chronicles 25

Revised Geneva Translation

25 Amaziah was twenty-five years old when he began to reign. And he reigned for twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Jehoaddan of Jerusalem.

² And he did uprightly in the Eyes of the LORD, but not with a perfect heart.

³ And when the kingdom was established to him, he killed his servants who had killed the king (his father).

⁴ But he did not kill their children, but did as it is written in the Law, in the Book of Moses where the LORD Commanded, saying, “The fathers shall not die for the children, nor shall the children die for the fathers. But every man shall die for his own sin.”

⁵ And Amaziah assembled Judah and made them captains over thousands, and captains over hundreds, according to the Houses of their fathers throughout all Judah and Benjamin. And he numbered them from twenty years old and above and found three hundred thousand chosen men among them to go forth to the war and to handle spear and shield.

⁶ He also hired a hundred thousand valiant men out of Israel for a hundred talents of silver.

⁷ But a man of God came to him, saying, “O king! Do not let the army of Israel go with you! For the LORD is neither with Israel nor with any of the House of Ephraim.

⁸ “If you must go, then do so. And make yourself strong for the battle. But God shall make you fall before the enemy! For God has power to help and to cast down.”

⁹ And Amaziah said to the man of God, “What shall we do then for the hundred talents which I have given to the army of Israel?” Then the man of God answered, “The LORD is able to give you more than this.”

¹⁰ So, Amaziah divided them. And made the army that had come to him out of Ephraim return to their place. Therefore, their wrath was kindled greatly against Judah; and they returned to their places with great anger.

¹¹ Then Amaziah was encouraged and led forth his people and went to the salt valley and struck ten thousand of the children of Seir.

¹² And the children of Judah took another ten thousand alive and carried them to the top of a rock and cast them down from the top of the rock. And they all burst into pieces.

¹³ But the men of the army whom Amaziah had sent away, so that they could not go with his people to battle, fell upon the cities of Judah, from Samaria to Beth Horon, and struck three thousand of them and took much spoil.

¹⁴ Now, after Amaziah had come from the slaughter of the Edomites, he brought the gods of the children of Seir and set them up to be his gods and worshipped them and burned incense to them.

¹⁵ Therefore, the LORD was angry with Amaziah and sent a Prophet to him, who said to him, “Why have you sought the gods of the people which were not able to deliver their own people out of your hand?”

¹⁶ And as he talked with him, he said to him, “Have we made you the king’s counselor? Cease! Why should we strike you?” And the Prophet ceased, but said, “I know that God has determined to destroy you, because you have done this and have not obeyed my counsel.”

¹⁷ Then Amaziah, king of Judah, took counsel and sent to Joash, the son of Jehoahaz, the son of Jehu, king of Israel, saying, “Come, let us face one another.”

¹⁸ But Joash, king of Israel, sent to Amaziah, king of Judah, saying, “The thistle that is in Lebanon sent to the cedar that is in Lebanon, saying, ‘Give your daughter to my son as a wife.’ And the wild beast that was in Lebanon went and trampled down the thistle.

¹⁹ “You think you have stricken Edom; and your heart lifts you up to brag. Stay at home now. Why do you provoke trouble so that you should fall, and Judah with you?”

²⁰ But Amaziah would not hear. For it was of God, that He might deliver them into his hand because they had sought the gods of Edom.

²¹ So Joash, the king of Israel, went up. And he and Amaziah, king of Judah, faced one another at Bethshemesh (which is in Judah).

²² And Judah was defeated before Israel. And they fled, every man to his tents.

²³ But Joash, the king of Israel, took Amaziah, king of Judah, the son of Joash, the son of Jehoahaz, in Bethshemesh and brought him to Jerusalem and broke down the wall of Jerusalem, from the gate of Ephraim to the corner gate (four hundred cubits).

²⁴ And he took all the gold and the silver and all the vessels that were found in the House of God with Obed Edom, and in the treasures of the king’s house, and also hostages, and returned to Samaria.

²⁵ And Amaziah, the son of Joash, king of Judah, lived for fifteen years after the death of Joash, son of Jehoahaz, king of Israel.

²⁶ Concerning the rest of the acts of Amaziah, first and last, are they not written in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel?

²⁷ Now after the time that Amaziah turned away from the LORD, they worked treason against him in Jerusalem. And when he fled to Lachish, they sent to Lachish after him, and killed him there.

²⁸ And they brought him upon horses and buried him with his fathers in the city of Judah.