2 Chronicles 10-28

Lexham English Bible

Rehoboam’s Debacle

10 Then Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel had come to Shechem to make him king. ² And it happened that when Jeroboam the son of Nebat heard it—now he was in Egypt, where he had fled from the presence of King Solomon—Jeroboam returned from Egypt. ³ And they sent and called him. Then Jeroboam and all Israel went, and they spoke to Rehoboam, saying, ⁴ “Your father made our yoke heavy. Now, therefore, lighten the hard service of your father and his heavy yoke which he put upon us, and we will serve you.” ⁵ And he said to them, “In three days return to me again.” And the people went away.

⁶ Then King Rehoboam took counsel with the elders who had been serving^[a] before Solomon his father when he was alive, saying, “What word do you advise to answer this people?” ⁷ And they said to him, “If you will be good to this people and please them, then speak good words to them. Then they will be your servants forever.”^{[b] 8} But he forsook the advice of the elders that advised him and took counsel of the young men who had grown up with him who were serving^[c] before him. ⁹ And he said to them, “What do you advise that we should say in return to this people, who said to me, ‘Lighten the yoke that your father has put upon us’?” ¹⁰ Then the young men who had grown up with him said to him, “Thus you should say to this people who have said to you, ‘Your father made our yoke heavy, so you yourself should lighten it for us.’ Thus you should say to them, ‘My little finger is thicker than the loins of my father. ¹¹ So now, my father laid upon you a heavy yoke, but I myself will add to the yoke. My father disciplined you with whips, but I myself will do so with scorpions.’”

¹² Then Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam on the third day as the king had spoken, saying, “Return to me on the third day.” ¹³ And the king answered them harshly, and King Rehoboam forsook the advice of the elders. ¹⁴ And he spoke to them according to the advice of the young men, saying, “I will make your yoke heavy, and I myself will add to it. My father disciplined you with whips, but I will do so with scorpions.” ¹⁵ So the king did not listen to the people, for it was a turning of events from God, so that Yahweh might fulfill his word that he had spoken by the hand of Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam son of Nebat. ¹⁶ So all Israel saw that the king would not listen to them, and the people answered the king, saying, “What portion is there for us in David? We have no inheritance in the son of Jesse. Each to your tents, O Israel! Now look to your own house, David!” And all Israel went to their own tents. ¹⁷ But as for the Israelites^[d] who were living in the cities of Judah, Rehoboam ruled over them. ¹⁸ Then King Rehoboam sent Hadoram, who was in charge of^[e] the forced labor, but the Israelites^[f] stoned him with stones, and he died. Then King Rehoboam hastily went up into the chariot to flee to Jerusalem. ¹⁹ So Israel has rebelled against the house of David until this day.

Rehoboam’s Kingdom

11 When Rehoboam came to Jerusalem he assembled the house of Judah and Benjamin, one hundred and eighty thousand chosen warriors,^[g] to fight against Israel to restore the kingdom to Rehoboam. ² But the word of Yahweh came to Shemaiah, the man of God, saying, ³ “Say to Rehoboam, son of Solomon, king of Judah, and to all Israel in Judah and Benjamin, ⁴ ‘Thus says Yahweh: “Do not go up, and do not fight against your brothers. Return, each man to his house, for this matter has come from me.”’” So they obeyed the words of Yahweh and turned back from going against Jeroboam.

⁵ And Rehoboam lived in Jerusalem, and he built cities as strongholds in Judah. ⁶ He built Bethlehem, Etah, Tekoa, ⁷ Beth-Zur, Socoh, Adullam, ⁸ Gath, Mareshah, Ziph, ⁹ Adoraim, Lachish, Azekah, ¹⁰ Zorah, Aijalon, and Hebron, fortified cities that are in Judah and in Benjamin. ¹¹ And he strengthened the fortifications and put commanders in them, along with stores of food, olive oil, and wine. ¹² And in all the cities he put shields and spears, and he greatly strengthened them. So he had Judah and Benjamin.

The Priests and Levites Come to Jerusalem

¹³ Now the priests and the Levites who were throughout all Israel took their stand with him^[h] from all their territories. ¹⁴ For the Levites left their pasturelands and their property and came to Judah and to Jerusalem, for Jeroboam and his sons had rejected them from serving as priests to Yahweh. ¹⁵ And he appointed his own priests for the high places and for the goat idols and for the bull calves that he had made. ¹⁶ Then after them, from all the tribes of Israel, those who set their heart to seek Yahweh, the God of Israel, came to Jerusalem to offer to Yahweh, the God of their ancestors.^{[i] 17} And they strengthened the kingdom of Judah and made Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, secure for three years, for they walked in the way of David and Solomon for three years.

Rehoboam’s Harem and Family

¹⁸ Then Rehoboam took to himself as a wife Mahalath, the daughter^[j] of Yerimot son of David, and of Abihail the daughter of Eliab the son of Jesse. ¹⁹ And she bore to him sons: Jeush, Shemariah, and Zaham. ²⁰ And after her he took Maacah the daughter of Absalom, who bore to him Abijah, Attai, Ziza, and Shelomith. ²¹ And Rehoboam loved Maacah the daughter of Absalom more than all his wives and concubines (for he took eighteen wives and sixty concubines, and he fathered twenty-eight sons and sixty daughters). ²² And Rehoboam appointed Abijah the son of Maacah as chief and crown prince over his brothers, in order to make him king. ²³ And he dealt wisely and distributed some of his sons throughout all the land of Judah and Benjamin, through all the fortified cities, and gave abundant provisions to them and obtained many wives for them.

Shishak of Egypt Invades Jerusalem

12 And when the kingdom of Rehoboam was established and when he was strengthened, he forsook the law of Yahweh, and all Israel with him. ² And it happened that in the fifth year of King Rehoboam (for they had acted unfaithfully against Yahweh), Shishak the king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem ³ with one thousand two hundred chariots and sixty thousand horsemen. And there was no number to the people who came up with him from Egypt—Libyans, Sukkites, and Cushites. ⁴ And he took the fortified cities that belonged to Judah, and he came up to Jerusalem.

⁵ Then Shemaiah the prophet came to Rehoboam and the princes of Judah who had gathered at Jerusalem from before Shishak. And he said to them, “Thus says Yahweh: ‘You yourselves have abandoned me, and I myself have surely abandoned you into the hand of Shishak.’” ⁶ Then the princes of Israel and the king humbled themselves and said, “Yahweh is righteous.” ⁷ And when Yahweh saw that they humbled themselves, the word of Yahweh came to Shemaiah, saying, “They have humbled themselves; I will not destroy. I will give to them some way of escape, that my anger not be poured out against Jerusalem by the hand of Shishak. ⁸ However, they shall be his servants, that they might know my service and the service of the kingdoms of other countries.”

⁹ Then Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem, and he took the treasures out of the house of Yahweh and the treasures out of the king’s house. He took everything. He also took the small shields of gold that Solomon had made. ¹⁰ And King Rehoboam made small shields of bronze in their place and committed them into the hand of the commanders of the guards who were keeping the entrance of the house of the king. ¹¹ And whenever the king went into the house of Yahweh, the guards came and carried them, and then they returned them to the alcove of the guards. ¹² And when he humbled himself, the anger of Yahweh was turned away from him, so that he did not destroy the city completely. Moreover, matters were well in Judah.

The Death of Rehoboam

¹³ So King Rehoboam was strengthened in Jerusalem, and he reigned there. Now, Rehoboam was forty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city where Yahweh had chosen to put his name out of all the tribes of Israel. And the name of his mother was Naamah the Ammonite. ¹⁴ And he did evil, for he did not set his heart to seek Yahweh.

¹⁵ Now the words of Rehoboam from the first to the last, are they not written in the chronicles^[k] of Shemaiah the prophet and Iddo the seer as a record? And there were battles between Rehoboam and Jeroboam all their^[l] days. ¹⁶ And Rehoboam slept with his ancestors,^[m] and he was buried in the city of David, and Abijah his son reigned in his place.

Abijah and Civil War

13 In the eighteenth year of King Jeroboam, Abijah reigned over Judah. ² He reigned for three years in Jerusalem. And the name of his mother was Micaiah the daughter of Uriel from Gibeah.

Now there was war between Abijah and between Jeroboam. ³ And Abijah joined in the battle with an army of four hundred thousand battle-hardened warriors,^[n] chosen men, and Jeroboam put the battle in order against him with eight hundred thousand chosen men, an army of mighty warriors.

⁴ Then Abijah stood up on top of Mount Zemaraim that is in the hill country of Ephraim and said, “Hear me, O Jeroboam and all Israel! ⁵ Do you not all know that Yahweh the God of Israel gave the kingdom to David over Israel forever, to him and to his sons by a covenant of salt? ⁶ But Jeroboam the son of Nebat, a servant of Solomon the son of David, rose up and rebelled against his master, ⁷ and worthless men, sons of wickedness,^[o] were gathered about him and became hostile against Rehoboam the son of Solomon, when Rehoboam was a boy and gentle of heart and was not strong enough to stand before them. ⁸ So now you yourselves are considering that you are strong before the kingdom of Yahweh which is in the hand the sons of David, since you yourselves are a great multitude and you have bull calves of gold that Jeroboam has made for idols. ⁹ Did you not drive out the priests of Yahweh, the sons of Aaron, the Levites? Have you not made for yourselves priests like all the peoples of the lands? All who come to be consecrated for priestly service^[p] with a young bull or seven rams becomes a priest of what is not a god. ¹⁰ But as for us, Yahweh is our God, and we have not forsaken him. The priests serving Yahweh are the sons of Aaron, the Levites, according to their service. ¹¹ They offer burnt offerings to Yahweh every morning^[q] and every evening,^[r] sweet spices of incense, and the rows of bread upon the pure table. And the golden lampstand with its lamps they keep kindled every evening,^[s] for we are keeping the requirement of Yahweh our God, but you yourselves have forsaken him. ¹² And look, God is with us at the head, and his priests have the trumpets for sounding blasts against you, O sons of Israel. Do not fight against Yahweh, the God of your ancestors,^[t] for you will not succeed.”

¹³ Then Jeroboam sent around an ambush to come behind them. So they were in front of Judah, but the ambush was behind them. ¹⁴ When Judah turned, then behold, the battle against them was in front and behind, and they cried to Yahweh, and the priests blew on the trumpets. ¹⁵ Then the men of Judah shouted, and it happened that when the men of Judah were shouting, then God defeated Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah. ¹⁶ And the Israelites^[u] fled from before Judah, and God gave them into their hand. ¹⁷ And Abijah and his people struck a great blow against them, and the dead from Israel that fell were five hundred thousand chosen men. ¹⁸ And the Israelites^[v] were subdued at that time, and the people^[w] of Judah were victorious, for they relied upon Yahweh the God of their ancestors.^[x]

¹⁹ And Abijah pursued after Jeroboam and took cities from him: Bethel with its villages, Jeshanah with its villages, and Ephron with its villages. ²⁰ And Jeroboam did not regain strength again in the days of Abijah. And Yahweh plagued him and he died. ²¹ But Abijah became strong, and he took to himself fourteen wives and fathered twenty-two sons and sixteen daughters. ²² Now the rest of the words of Abijah and his ways and his words are written in the story of the prophet Iddo.

The Reign of Asa in Judah

14 ^[y] And Abijah slept with his ancestors,^[z] and they buried him in the city of David. And Asa his son became king in his place. In his days the land was at rest ten years. ² Asa did that which was good and right in the eyes of Yahweh his God. ³ He removed the foreign altars and high places, broke down the stone pillars, and cut down the Asherahs. ⁴ And he commanded Judah to seek Yahweh, the God of their ancestors,^[aa] and to keep the law and the commandment. ⁵ And he removed the high places and the incense stands from all the cities of Judah, and the kingdom had rest under^[ab] him. ⁶ And he built fortified cities in Judah, for the land was at rest. Under^[ac] him there was no war in those years, for Yahweh had given rest to him. ⁷ And he said to Judah, “Let us build these cities and surround them with walls, towers, gates, and bars while the land is before us, because we have sought Yahweh our God. We have sought and he has given rest to us on every side.” So they built and had success. ⁸ And Asa had an army of three hundred thousand from Judah, bearing shields and spears, and two hundred and eighty thousand from Benjamin who carried shields and drew bows. All of these were mighty warriors of strength.

⁹ Zerah the Cushite came out against them with an army of a thousand thousands and three hundred chariots. And he came to Mareshah. ¹⁰ And Asa went out before him, and a battle was put in order in the valley of Zepah at Mareshah.

¹¹ Then Asa cried out to Yahweh his God. And he said, “O Yahweh, there is none with you to help between the great and the powerless. Help us, O Yahweh our God, for we rely upon you, and in your name we have come against this multitude. O Yahweh, you are our God! Let no man prevail against you!”

¹² So Yahweh defeated the Cushites before Asa and before Judah, and the Cushites fled. ¹³ Then Asa and the army^[ad] with him pursued them to Gerar. And many from the Cushites fell, for they had no deliverance, for they were shattered before Yahweh and before his army. And they carried away much war booty. ¹⁴ And they struck all the cities around Gerar, for the fear of Yahweh was upon them. And they plundered all the cities, for there was much plunder in them. ¹⁵ And they also struck the tents of the herdsmen and carried away many sheep and camels. Then they returned to Jerusalem.

Asa’s Religious Reforms

15 Now Azariah the son of Oded—the Spirit of God came upon him. ² And he went out before Asa and said to him, “Hear me, O Asa and all of Judah and Benjamin! Yahweh is with you while you are with him. And if you will seek him he will be found by you. But if you forsake him he will forsake you. ³ Now Israel has been without the true God many days, and without a teaching priest, and without law, ⁴ but at its trouble he returned to Yahweh, the God of Israel. They sought him, and he was found by them. ⁵ And in those times there was no peace for the one going out and the one coming in, for great tumults were upon all the inhabitants of the lands. ⁶ Nation was crushed by nation, and city was against city, for God threw them into confusion by all sorts of trouble. ⁷ But as for you, be strong and let not your hands be weak, for there is reward for your labor.”

⁸ And when Asa heard these words, the prophecy of Oded the prophet, he took courage and removed the vile idols from all the lands of Judah and Benjamin, and from the cities that he had taken in the hill country of Ephraim, and he repaired the altar of Yahweh that was in front of the portico of Yahweh.

⁹ And he gathered all Judah and Benjamin and those sojourning with them, from Ephraim, Manasseh, and Simeon, for many had deserted to him from Israel when they saw that Yahweh his God was with him. ¹⁰ And they were gathered at Jerusalem in the third month of the fifteenth year of the reign of Asa. ¹¹ And they sacrificed to Yahweh on that day from the war booty they brought back: seven hundred oxen and seven thousand sheep. ¹² And they entered into a covenant to seek Yahweh, the God of their ancestors,^[ae] with all their heart and with all their inmost being,^{[af] 13} but all who will not seek Yahweh the God of Israel should be killed, from young to old, from men to women. ¹⁴ And they took an oath to Yahweh with a great voice, with shouting, with trumpets, and with horns. ¹⁵ And all Judah rejoiced over the oath, for they swore with all their heart. And they sought him with their whole desire, and he was found by them, and Yahweh gave rest to them all around.

¹⁶ And also Maacah, the mother of Asa, the king removed her from being queen, because she had made a repulsive image for Asherah. And Asa cut down her repulsive image, and he crushed and burned it at the Wadi^[ag] Kidron. ¹⁷ But the high places were not removed from Israel. Nevertheless, the heart of Asa was fully devoted all his days. ¹⁸ And he brought the holy objects of his father and his own holy objects into the house of God—silver and gold and vessels. ¹⁹ And there was no war until the thirty-fifth year of the reign of Asa.

The End of Asa’s Reign

16 In the thirty-sixth year of the reign of Asa, Baasha the king of Israel went up against Judah. And he built Ramah in order not to allow anyone to go out or come in to Asa, king of Judah. ² Then Asa brought out silver and gold from the storehouses of the house of Yahweh and the house of the king, and he sent them to Ben-Hadad, king of Aram,^[ah] who lived in Damascus, saying, ³ “There is a covenant between me and you, as there was between my father and your father. Look, I am sending you silver and gold. Go, break your covenant with Baasha, king of Israel, that he might withdraw from me.”

⁴ And Ben-Hadad listened to King Asa, and he sent commanders of his troops that were with him against the cities of Israel. And they struck Ijon, Dan, Abel-Maim, and all the storage cities of Naphtali. ⁵ And it happened that when Baasha heard this, he stopped building Ramah and ceased his work. ⁶ Then King Asa took all of Judah, and they carried away the stones of Ramah and its timber with which Baasha had been building, and he built Geba and Mizpah with them.

⁷ And at that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah and said to him, “On account of your reliance upon the king of Aram,^[ai] and since you did not rely on Yahweh your God, therefore the troops of the king of Aram^[aj] escaped from your hand. ⁸ Were not the Cushites and Libyans a mighty army with very abundant chariots and horsemen? And because of your reliance on Yahweh he gave them into your hand. ⁹ For the eyes of Yahweh roam throughout all the earth to strengthen those whose heart is fully devoted to him. You have been foolish in this, for from now on you will have wars.”

¹⁰ Then Asa was angry with the seer and put him in the prison,^[ak] for he was enraged with him concerning this. And Asa oppressed some of the people at that time.

¹¹ Now behold, the words of Asa from the first to the last, behold, they are written in the scroll of the kings of Judah and Israel. ¹² And in the thirty-ninth year of his reign, he fell severely^[al] ill in his feet. But even in his illness he did not seek Yahweh, but only among the healers. ¹³ And Asa slept with his ancestors.^[am] And he died in the forty-first year of his reign. ¹⁴ And they buried him in his burial site, which had been cut out for him in the city of David. And they laid him on the bier which they had filled with all kinds of spices made by the perfumers as a fragment ointment. And they made a great fire in his honor.

Jehoshaphat Reigns in Judah

17 And Jehoshaphat his son reigned in his place, and he strengthened himself against Israel. ² And he put troops in all the fortified cities of Judah, and put garrisons in the land of Judah and in the cities of Ephraim that Asa his father had taken. ³ And Yahweh was with Jehoshaphat, because he walked in the former ways of David his father and did not seek after the Baals, ⁴ but he sought after the God of his ancestors^[an] and walked in his commandments and not according to the works of Israel. ⁵ So Yahweh established the kingdom in his hand. And all Judah gave tribute to Jehoshaphat, and he had much wealth and honor. ⁶ And his heart was courageous in the ways of Yahweh. Moreover, he removed the high places and the Asherahs from Judah.

⁷ In the third year of his reign he sent his officials, Ben-Hail, Obadiah, Zechariah, Nethanel, and Micaiah, to teach in the cities of Judah; ⁸ and with them the Levites Shemaiah, Nethaniah, Zebadiah, Asahel, Shemiramoth, Jehonathan, Adonijah, Tobijah, and Tob-Adonijah; and with them the priests Elisham and Joram. ⁹ And they taught in Judah, and the scroll of the law of Yahweh was with them when they went around in all the cities of Judah, and they taught the people.

¹⁰ And the fear of Yahweh was upon all the kingdoms of the lands surrounding Judah, and they did not make war against Jehoshaphat. ¹¹ And some of the Philistines brought a gift and silver to Jehoshaphat as tribute. The Arabians also brought him seven thousand seven hundred sheep and seven thousand seven hundred goats.

¹² And Jehoshaphat grew greater and greater,^[ao] and he built fortresses and storage cities in Judah. ¹³ And he had many supplies in the cities of Judah and mighty warriors for battle in Jerusalem. ¹⁴ Now these were their enrollment by the house of their ancestors:^[ap] of Judah, the commanders of thousands: Adnah, the commander, and with him were three hundred thousand mighty armed warriors; ¹⁵ and at his side,^[aq] Jehohanan the commander, and with him were two hundred and eighty thousand; ¹⁶ and at his side,^[ar] Amasiah the son of Zicri, who had made a freewill offering to Yahweh, and with him were two hundred thousand mighty armed warriors. ¹⁷ And from Benjamin: Eliada, a powerful mighty warrior, and with him were two hundred thousand armed with bow and shield; ¹⁸ and at his side,^[as] Jehozabad, and with him were one hundred and eighty thousand armed for war. ¹⁹ These were serving the king, besides those whom the king had placed in the fortified cities throughout all Judah.

Jehoshaphat’s Alliance with Ahab

18 Now Jehoshaphat had much wealth and honor, and he became son-in-law to Ahab. ² And after some years^[at] he went down to Ahab in Samaria. And Ahab slaughtered many sheep and cattle for him and for the people who were with him, and urged him to go up against Ramoth-Gilead. ³ And Ahab the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, “Will you go up with me to Ramoth-Gilead?” And he answered him, “I am as you are, and my people are as your people with you in war.”

⁴ Then Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, “Seek first of all^[au] the word of Yahweh.” ⁵ Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets, four hundred men. And he said to them, “Shall we go to Ramoth-Gilead to battle, or shall we cease?” And they said, “Go up, since God will give it into the hand of the king.” ⁶ Then Jehoshaphat said, “Is there not here another prophet of Yahweh that we might inquire of him?” ⁷ Then the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “There is yet one man by whom to seek Yahweh, but I hate him, because he never prophesies good concerning me, but always^[av] disaster. He is Micaiah the son of Imlah.” Then Jehoshaphat said, “Let not the king say thus.” ⁸ Then the king of Israel called to a eunuch and said, “Quickly bring Micaiah the son of Imlah.”

⁹ Now the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah were each sitting on his throne, clothed in robes. And they were sitting at the threshing floor at the entrance of the gate of Samaria, and all the prophets were prophesying before them. ¹⁰ And Zedekiah the son of Kenaanah made for himself horns of iron, and he said, “Thus says Yahweh: ‘With these you will gore Aram^[aw] to their destruction.’” ¹¹ And all the prophets prophesied thus, saying, “Go up to Ramoth-Gilead and triumph! Yahweh will give it into the hand of the king.”

¹² Then the messenger who went to call Micaiah said to him, “Behold, the words of the prophets are good with one voice to the king. Please let your word be as one with them and speak good.” ¹³ But Micaiah said, “As Yahweh lives, only what my God has said, that will I speak.”

¹⁴ And when he had come to the king, the king said to him, “Micaiah, shall we go to Ramoth-Gilead to war or shall I cease?” And he said, “Go up and triumph! They shall be given into your hand.” ¹⁵ But the king said to him, “How many times shall I make you swear that you speak nothing except the truth in the name of Yahweh?” ¹⁶ Then he said, “I saw all Israel scattered upon the mountains like sheep that had no shepherd. And Yahweh said, ‘These have no masters; let them return to his own house in peace.’” ¹⁷ Then the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Did I not say to you he would not prophesy good concerning me, but only disaster?” ¹⁸ Then Micaiah said, “Therefore hear the word of Yahweh: I saw Yahweh sitting upon his throne with all the host of heaven standing on his right and on his left. ¹⁹ And Yahweh said, ‘Who will entice Ahab the king of Israel that he would go up and fall at Ramoth-Gilead?’ And one said this, and another said that. ²⁰ Then a spirit came forth and stood before Yahweh and said, ‘I will entice him.’ Then Yahweh said to him, ‘By what means?’ ²¹ Then he said, ‘I will go forth and will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.’ And he said, ‘You will entice him and will also succeed. Go out and do so.’ ²² So now, behold, Yahweh has put a spirit of deception into the mouths of these your prophets. Yahweh has spoken disaster against you.”

²³ Then Zedekiah the son of Kenaanah came near and struck Micaiah on the cheek and said, “Which way^[ax] did the Spirit of Yahweh come from me to speak to you?” ²⁴ Then Micaiah said, “Behold, you will see on that day when you go into a private room to hide yourself.” ²⁵ Then the king of Israel said, “Take Micaiah and return him to Amon the commander of the city and to Jehoash the son of the king, ²⁶ and say, ‘Thus says the king: “Put this one into the prison house, and let him eat a meager ration of bread and water^[ay] until I return in peace.”’” ²⁷ And Micaiah said, “If you surely return in peace Yahweh has not spoken with me.” Then he said, “Hear, peoples, all of them!”

The Death of Ahab

²⁸ Then the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah went up to Ramoth-Gilead. ²⁹ And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “I will disguise myself and go into battle, but you, wear your garments.” So the king of Israel disguised himself, and they went to war. ³⁰ Now the king of Aram^[az] had commanded the commanders of his chariots,^[ba] saying, “Do not fight with the small or the great, but only with the king of Israel.” ³¹ And it happened that when the commanders of the chariots^[bb] saw Jehoshaphat, then they said, “It is the king of Israel!” And they turned against him to fight. Then Jehoshaphat cried out and Yahweh helped him. God drove them away from him. ³² And it happened that when the commanders of the chariots^[bc] saw that it was not the king of Israel, they turned back from following him. ³³ Now a certain man drew the bow at random^[bd] and struck the king of Israel between the soldering of his breastplate armor. Then he said to the chariot driver, “Turn around;^[be] get me away from the war camp, for I am wounded.” ³⁴ And the battle went on that day, and the king of Israel was propped up in the chariot facing Aram^[bf] until the evening. And he died at the time of the going down of the sun.

Jehoshaphat’s Reforms

19 Then Jehoshaphat king of Judah returned to his house in peace to Jerusalem. ² And Jehu son of Hanani the seer went out to meet him. And he said to King Jehoshaphat, “Should you be a help to the wicked and love those who hate Yahweh? On account of this, wrath has come against you from Yahweh. ³ Nevertheless some good things have been found in regard to you, for you burned the Asherahs out of the land and set your heart to seek God.”

⁴ And Jehoshaphat lived in Jerusalem and returned and went out among the people from Beersheba to the hill country of Ephraim and brought them back to Yahweh, the God of their ancestors.^{[bg] 5} And he appointed judges in the land and in all the fortified cities of Judah, city by city. ⁶ And he said to the judges, “Consider what you are doing, for you are not judging for a man but for Yahweh. Now he is with you in speaking justice. ⁷ So now, let the fear of Yahweh be upon you all. Be careful what you do,^[bh] for there is neither wickedness nor showing partiality^[bi] and taking bribes with Yahweh our God.”

⁸ Moreover, Jehoshaphat appointed in Jerusalem some of the Levites and the priests and heads of the families^[bj] of Israel as judges and to decide legal disputes for Yahweh. And they sat^[bk] in Jerusalem. ⁹ And he commanded them, saying, “Thus you must do in the fear of Yahweh in faithfulness and with a whole heart. ¹⁰ Any legal dispute that comes before you from your brothers who live in their cities concerning bloodguilt, law, commandment, statutes, and justice, you must warn them, so that they do not incur guilt before Yahweh, and that wrath may not come upon you and your brothers. Thus you must do that you do not incur guilt. ¹¹ And behold, Amariah the chief priest is over you in all matters of the word of Yahweh, and Zebadiah the son of Ishmael, the governor of the house of Judah, in all matters of the king, and the Levites shall be before you as officials. Be strong and do well! May Yahweh be with the upright.”

The Prayer of Jehoshaphat

20 And it happened that afterward, the Moabites,^[bl] the Ammonites,^[bm] and some of the Meunites^[bn] came against Jehoshaphat for war. ² And they came and reported it to Jehoshaphat, saying, “A great multitude from beyond the sea, from Aram,^[bo] is coming against you. Now behold, they are in Hazazon Tamar” (that is, En Gedi). ³ Then Jehoshaphat was afraid and set his face to seek Yahweh. And he called for a fast through all Judah. ⁴ And Judah assembled to seek after Yahweh; even from all the cities of Judah they came to seek Yahweh.

⁵ Then Jehoshaphat stood in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem in the house of Yahweh before the new courtyard. ⁶ And he said, “O Yahweh, God of our ancestors,^[bp] are you not God in heaven? Now you rule in all the kingdoms of the nations, and in your hand are power and might, and there is none who can resist against you. ⁷ O, our God, did you yourself not drive out the inhabitants of this land before your people Israel and give it to the descendants^[bq] of Abraham your friend forever? ⁸ And they lived in it and built for you a sanctuary for your name in it, saying, ⁹ ‘If disaster, a sword, punishment, disease, or famine come upon us, we shall stand before this house and before you—for your name is in this house—and cry out to you out of our trouble, then you will hear and save us.’ ¹⁰ And now, look, the people^[br] of Moab and Ammon and Mount Seir whom you did not allow Israel to come against when they came from Egypt, from whom they turned aside and did not destroy, ¹¹ now behold, they are rewarding us by coming to dispossess us from your possession which you gave us as an inheritance. ¹² O our God, will you not judge them, for there is no power in us before this great multitude that is coming against us. Now we do not know what we shall do, for our eyes are upon you.”

¹³ And all Judah was standing before Yahweh, and also their little children, their wives, and their children. ¹⁴ Then the Spirit of Yahweh came upon Jahaziel, the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, the Levite from the descendants^[bs] of Asaph, in the midst of the assembly. ¹⁵ And he said, “Listen, all Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem and King Jehoshaphat, thus says Yahweh to you: ‘Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed before this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God’s. ¹⁶ Tomorrow go down against them. Behold, they are coming up the ascent of Ziz. And you will find them at the end of the valley facing the desert of Jeruel. ¹⁷ There will be no need for you to fight in this battle. Take your stand! Stand and see the deliverance of Yahweh among you, O Judah and Jerusalem! Do not fear and do not be dismayed. Tomorrow go out before them and Yahweh will be with you.’” ¹⁸ Then Jehoshaphat bowed his face^[bt] down to the ground, and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell before Yahweh to worship Yahweh. ¹⁹ Then the Levites, from the Kohathites^[bu] and from the Korahites^[bv] stood up to praise Yahweh the God of Israel with an exceedingly^[bw] loud voice.

God Delivers Judah and Jerusalem

²⁰ And they rose up early in the morning and went out to the desert of Tekoa. And when they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Hear me, O Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem! Believe in Yahweh your God, and you shall be established! Believe in his prophets, and you shall succeed!” ²¹ And when he had taken counsel with the people, he appointed singers to Yahweh who were giving praise to the splendor of his holiness when they went out before the army. And they said, “Give thanks to Yahweh, for his loyal love is everlasting!”

²² And when^[bx] they began with singing and praise, Yahweh set ambushes against the people^[by] of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir who were coming against Judah. And they were defeated ²³ when the people^[bz] of Ammon and Moab rose up against the inhabitants of Mount Seir to destroy and demolish them. And when the inhabitants of Seir had made an end of them, each helped to destroy his comrade.

²⁴ And Judah came against the watchtower of the wilderness. And they looked at the crowd, and behold, corpses were lying on the ground. There was none who had escaped. ²⁵ When Jehoshaphat came with his people to plunder their booty, they found among them in abundance possessions, corpses, and precious items. And they took plunder for themselves until they could carry no more.^[ca] And they were three days in plundering the booty, for it was abundant. ²⁶ And on the fourth day, they assembled in the Valley of Berakah, for there they blessed Yahweh. Therefore the name of that place is called the Valley of Berakah up to this day. ²⁷ And all the men of Judah and Jerusalem returned, and Jehoshaphat was at their head in returning to Jerusalem with joy, for Yahweh caused them to rejoice over their enemies. ²⁸ And they came to Jerusalem with harps, stringed instruments, and trumpets to the house of Yahweh. ²⁹ And the fear of God came upon all the kingdoms of the earth when they heard that Yahweh had fought against the enemies of Israel. ³⁰ So the kingdom of Jehoshaphat was at rest, since his God gave rest to him all around.

The End of Jehoshaphat’s Reign

³¹ So Jehoshaphat reigned over Judah. He was thirty-five years old when he began to reign. And he reigned twenty-five years in Jerusalem. The name of his mother was Azubah, the daughter of Shilhi. ³² And he walked in the way of his father Asa and did not turn aside from it, to do what was right in the eyes of Yahweh. ³³ Only the high places were not removed. The people still had not yet set their heart on the God of their ancestors.^{[cb] 34} Now the rest of the words of Jehoshaphat, from the first to the last, behold, they are written in the chronicles^[cc] of Jehu the son of Hanani, which are recorded in the scroll of the kings of Israel.

³⁵ And afterward Jehoshaphat the king of Judah joined with Ahaziah the king of Israel, who acted wickedly. ³⁶ He joined with him to build ships to go to Tarshish. And they built the ships in Ezion Geber. ³⁷ Then Eliezer the son of Dodavahu of Mareshah prophesied against Jehoshaphat, saying, “Because of your joining with Ahaziah, Yahweh will break down your works.” And the ships were destroyed and were not able to go to Tarshish.

The Reign of Jehoram

21 And Jehoshaphat slept with his ancestors^[cd] and was buried with his ancestors^[ce] in the city of David, and Jehoram his son reigned in his place. ² Now he had brothers, the sons of Jehoshaphat: Azariah, Jehiel, Zechariah, Azariah, Michael, and Shephatiah. All these were the sons of Jehoshaphat, king of Israel. ³ And their father gave to them many gifts of silver, gold, and valuables, with fortified cities in Judah, but he gave the kingdom to Jehoram, for he was the firstborn. ⁴ When Jehoram ascended to the kingdom of his father, he strengthened himself and murdered all his brothers with the sword, and even some of the princes of Israel.

⁵ Jehoram was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem. ⁶ And he walked in the way of the kings of Israel as the house of Ahab had done, for the daughter of Ahab was his wife. And he did evil in the sight of Yahweh. ⁷ But Yahweh was not willing to destroy the house of David on account of the covenant that he had made^[cf] with David and since he had promised^[cg] to give a lamp to him and to his descendants^[ch] forever.^[ci]

⁸ In his days Edom revolted from under the hand of Judah, and they set up a king of their own. ⁹ Then Jehoram passed over with his commanders and all the chariots with him, and when night came he struck Edom who was all around him and the commanders of his chariots. ¹⁰ So Edom revolted from under the hand of Judah until this day. Then Libnah also revolted at that time from under his hand, because he had forsaken Yahweh, the God of his ancestors.^[cj]

¹¹ Moreover, he made high places in the hill country of Judah, and he enticed the inhabitants of Jerusalem to be unfaithful, and he led Judah astray. ¹² And a letter from Elijah the prophet came to him, saying, “Thus says Yahweh, the God of David your father: ‘Because you have not walked in the ways of Jehoshaphat your father or in the ways of Asa, the king of Judah, ¹³ but have walked in the way of the kings of Israel and have enticed Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to be unfaithful like the unfaithfulness of the house of Ahab, and have also murdered your brothers of the house of your father who were better than you, ¹⁴ behold, Yahweh is inflicting a great plague on your people, your children, your wives, and all your possessions, ¹⁵ and you yourself will be afflicted with great illness, with sickness in your bowels, until your bowels come out on account of the illness, day by day.’”

¹⁶ And Yahweh stirred up the spirit of the Philistines and the Arabs who were near^[ck] the Cushites against Jehoram. ¹⁷ And they came up against Judah and invaded it and carried away all the possessions found in the house of the king, and also his sons and his wives, so that no son was left to him except Jehoahaz his youngest son.

¹⁸ And after all this Yahweh afflicted him in his bowels with an illness for which there was no cure. ¹⁹ And it happened that after many days, at the end of two years,^[cl] his bowels came out because of his illness, and he died in terrible agony. And his people did not make a fire for him like the fire for his ancestors.^{[cm] 20} He was thirty-two years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem. And he departed^[cn] with no one’s regret. And they buried him in the city of David, but not in the burial sites of the kings.

The Reign of Ahaziah

22 And the inhabitants of Jerusalem made Ahaziah his youngest son king in his place, for the band of men who had come with the Arabs to the camp had murdered all the older sons. And Ahaziah the son of Jehoram, the king of Judah, reigned. ² Ahaziah was forty-two^[co] years old when he became king, and he reigned one year in Jerusalem. And the name of his mother was Athaliah, the daughter^[cp] of Omri. ³ He also walked in the ways of the house of Ahab, for his mother was his counselor for doing wickedness. ⁴ And he did evil in the eyes of Yahweh as the house of Ahab had done, for they were his counselors to his destruction after the death of his father. ⁵ He also walked in their counsel and went with Jehoram the son of Ahab, king of Israel, to war against Hazael king of Aram^[cq] at Ramoth-Gilead. And the Arameans wounded Joram. ⁶ And he returned to be healed in Jezreel because of the wounds he had suffered at Ramah, when he made war against Hazael king of Aram.^[cr] And Azariah the son of Jehoram, king of Judah, went down to see Jehoram son of Ahab in Jezreel for he was sick.

⁷ But the downfall of Ahaziah was from God, and intended to come to Joram. And when he came, he went out with Jehoram to Jehu the son of Nimshi, whom Yahweh had anointed to destroy the house of Ahab. ⁸ And it happened that when Jehu was judging the house of Ahab, he found the princes of Judah and the sons of the brothers of Ahaziah who ministered to Ahaziah, and he killed them. ⁹ And he searched for Ahaziah and captured him. And he was hiding in Samaria. And they brought him to Jehu and put him to death. And they buried him, for they said, “He is the descendant^[cs] of Jehoshaphat, who sought Yahweh with his whole heart.” And the house of Ahab had no one to exercise power over the kingdom.

The Reign of Athaliah

¹⁰ Now when Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she arose and murdered all the royal descendants^[ct] of the house of Judah. ¹¹ But Jehosheba the daughter of the king took Joash, the son of Ahaziah, and kidnapped him away from the sons of the king who were to be put to death. And she put him and his nurse in a private bedroom. So Jehosheba the daughter of King Jehoram, the wife of Jehoiada the priest, because she was a sister of Ahaziah, hid him from before Athaliah so that she did not put him to death. ¹² And he was hidden with them in the house of God six years, but Athaliah reigned over the land.

Joash Is Made King

23 And in the seventh year Jehoiada strengthened himself and took with him into a covenant relationship the commanders of hundreds: Azariah the son of Jeroham, Ishmael the son of Jehohanan, Azariah the son of Obed, Maaseiah the son of Adaiah, and Elishaphat the son of Zicri. ² And they went around in Judah and gathered the Levites from all the cities of Judah, and the heads of the families^[cu] of Israel, and they came to Jerusalem. ³ And all the assembly made^[cv] a covenant with the king in the house of God. And he said to them, “Behold, the son of the king shall reign as Yahweh has spoken concerning the sons of David. ⁴ This is the thing that you must do: one third of you priests and Levites coming off duty on the Sabbath^[cw] shall be gatekeepers at the entrances, ⁵ and one third at the house of the king, and one third at the Gate of the Foundation. And all the people shall be in the courtyards of the house of Yahweh. ⁶ Let no one enter into the house of Yahweh except the priests and the ministering Levites. They themselves may enter, for they are holy, but all the people shall keep the requirements of Yahweh. ⁷ And the Levites shall surround the king all around, each with his weapons in his hand. And whoever comes into the house shall be put to death. You shall be with the king when he comes in and when he goes out.”

⁸ And the Levites and all Judah did according to all that Jehoiada the priest commanded. And they each took his men who were coming off duty on the Sabbath^[cx] with the ones going out to duty on the Sabbath,^[cy] for Jehoiada the priest did not dismiss the working groups. ⁹ And Jehoiada the priest gave the spears and small shields that had belonged to King David that were in the house of God to the commanders of hundreds. ¹⁰ And he appointed all the people, each with his weapon in his hand from the south side of the house to the north side of the house around the altar and the house. ¹¹ Then they brought out the son of the king and set upon him the crown and gave him the statute and made him king. And Jehoiada and his sons anointed him and said, “Long live the king!”^[cz]

¹² When Athaliah heard the sound of the people running and praising the king, she came to the people at the house of Yahweh. ¹³ And she looked and, behold, the king was standing by his column at the entrance, and the commanders and trumpeters beside the king, along with all the people of the land, rejoicing and blowing with trumpets, and the singers with the instruments of song leading the praise. And Athaliah tore her garments and cried, “Conspiracy! Conspiracy!” ¹⁴ Then Jehoiada the priest brought out the commanders of the hundreds appointed over the troops, and he said to them, “Bring her out between the ranks, and whoever goes after her shall be put to death with the sword.” For the priest had said, “You must not kill her in the house of Yahweh.” ¹⁵ And they laid hands on her, and she went into the entrance of the Horse Gate of the house of the king, and they killed her there.

¹⁶ And Jehoiada made^[da] a covenant between himself and all the people and the king, that they should be Yahweh’s people. ¹⁷ Then all the people went to the house of Baal and broke it down. And they smashed his altars and his images, and they killed Mattan the priest of Baal before the altars. ¹⁸ And Jehoiada placed appointees at the house of Yahweh under the hand of the Levitical priests whom David had allotted to the house of Yahweh to offer burnt offerings to Yahweh as was written in the law of Moses, with joy and with song, according to the order of David.^{[db] 19} And he set the gatekeepers at the gates of the house of Yahweh so that no person unclean with respect to any matter could enter. ²⁰ And he took the commanders of hundreds, the noblemen, the governors over the people, and all the people of the land, and they brought the king down from the house of Yahweh. And they came through the upper gate to the house of the king, and they set the king upon the throne of the kingdom. ²¹ So all the people of the land rejoiced, and the city was quiet after Athaliah had been killed with the sword.

Joash Repairs the Temple

24 Joash was seven years old when he became king, and he reigned forty years in Jerusalem. And the name of his mother was Zibiah from Beersheba. ² And Joash did what was right in the eyes of Yahweh all the days of Jehoiada the priest. ³ And Jehoiada took two wives for him, and he fathered sons and daughters.

⁴ And afterward it was in the heart of Joash to repair the house of Yahweh. ⁵ So he gathered the priests and the Levites and said to them, “Go out to the cities of Judah and gather money from all Israel to strengthen the house of your God sufficiently year by year. Now you yourselves must hasten to the matter.” But the Levites did not act with haste. ⁶ So the king called Jehoiada the chief, and he said to him, “Why have you not required the Levites to bring from Judah and Jerusalem the tax of Moses, the servant of Yahweh, and of the assembly of Israel for the tent of the testimony?” ⁷ For the sons of the wicked Athaliah had broken into the house of God and had used all the holy vessels of the house of Yahweh for the Baals.

⁸ Then the king commanded, and they made a chest and put it at the gate outside the house of Yahweh. ⁹ And they issued a proclamation^[dc] in Judah and in Jerusalem to bring to Yahweh the tax that Moses the servant of God had levied upon Israel in the wilderness. ¹⁰ And all the princes and all the people rejoiced, and they brought their tax and threw it into the chest until it was finished. ¹¹ And whenever he brought the chest to the appointee of the king by the hand of the Levites, and when they saw that there was much money in it, then the secretary of the king and the officer of the chief priest came and emptied the chest, then they took it and returned it to its place. Thus they did day by day and gathered money in abundance. ¹² And the king and Jehoiada gave it to those who did the work of the service of the house of Yahweh. And they hired stonemasons and skilled craftsmen to restore the house of Yahweh, and also workers in iron and bronze to repair the house of Yahweh. ¹³ So those doing the work labored, and the restoration for the work made progress under their hand. And they restored the house of God to its position and strengthened it. ¹⁴ And when they had finished, they brought the remainder of the money before the king and Jehoiada, and they used it for objects for the house of Yahweh, objects for the service and the burnt offerings, dishes, and objects of gold and silver. And they were offering burnt offerings in the house of Yahweh regularly, all the days of Jehoiada.

¹⁵ And Jehoiada grew old and full of days, and he died; he was one hundred and thirty years old at his death. ¹⁶ And they buried him in the city of David with the kings, for he did good in Israel and with respect to God and his house.

¹⁷ Now after the death of Jehoiada, the princes of Judah came and bowed down to the king. Then the king listened to them. ¹⁸ And they forsook the house of Yahweh, the God of their ancestors^[dd] and served the Asherahs and the idols. And wrath came upon Judah and Jerusalem on account of this guilt. ¹⁹ But he sent prophets among them, to bring them back to Yahweh. And they testified against them, and they did not obey.

²⁰ Then the Spirit of God clothed Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest, and he stood above the people and said to them, “Thus says God: ‘Why are you transgressing the commandments of Yahweh so that you will not succeed? For you have forsaken Yahweh, so he will forsake you.’” ²¹ Then they conspired against him and stoned him with stones at the command of the king in the courtyard of the house of Yahweh. ²² So King Joash did not remember the loyal love that Jehoiada had shown to him, and he killed his son. And as he was dying he said, “May Yahweh see and avenge!”

The Death of Joash

²³ And it happened at the turn of the year that the army of Aram^[de] went up against him, and they came to Judah and Jerusalem and destroyed all the commanders of the people from among the people, and all the war booty they sent to the king of Damascus. ²⁴ Though the army of Aram^[df] came with few men, Yahweh gave a very large army into their hand, for they had forsaken Yahweh, the God of their ancestors.^[dg] And they inflicted punishment on Joash.

²⁵ And when they were going away from him (for they had left him with many wounds), his servants conspired against him on account of the blood of the sons^[dh] of Jehoiada the priest. So they killed him on his bed and he died. And they buried him in the city of David, but they did not bury him at the burial sites of the kings. ²⁶ Now these are the ones who conspired against him: Zabad the son of Shimeath, the Ammonite, and Jehozabad the son of Shimrith, the Moabite. ²⁷ And as for his sons, the many oracles against him, and his repair of the foundation of the house of God, behold, they are written in the story of the scroll of the kings. And Amaziah his son reigned in his place.

The Reign of Amaziah

25 Amaziah was twenty-five years old when he became king. And he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem, and the name of his mother was Jehoaddan from Jerusalem. ² And he did what was right in the eyes of Yahweh, only not with a fully-devoted heart. ³ And it happened that as his reign was strengthened, he killed his servants who had killed his father the king. ⁴ But he did not put their children to death, according to what is written in the law, in the scroll of Moses, where Yahweh commanded, saying, “Fathers shall not be put to death on account of the sons, and the sons shall not be put to death on account of the fathers, but each shall be put to death for his own sin.”

⁵ Then Amaziah assembled the men of Judah and set them by families^[di] under commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds for all Judah and Benjamin. And he counted them from twenty years old and upward, and found them to be three hundred thousand chosen for going out to battle, able with spear and shield. ⁶ And he hired from Israel one hundred thousand strong, mighty warriors for one hundred talents.

⁷ But a man of God came to him, saying, “O king, do not let the army of Israel go with you, for Yahweh is not with Israel, all the Ephraimites. ⁸ But even still, you yourself go, do! Be strong for the battle else God will make you stumble before the enemy! For there is power with God to help and to cause stumbling.” ⁹ And Amaziah said to the man of God, “Now what should I do with the one hundred talents that I have given to the troops of Israel?” And the man of God said, “Yahweh is able to give^[dj] to you more than this.” ¹⁰ Then Amaziah dismissed the troops that came to him from Ephraim to go to their home.^[dk] And they became very angry^[dl] with Judah, and they returned to their home in great anger.^[dm]

¹¹ Then Amaziah strengthened himself, and leading his army, he went to the Valley of Salt. And he struck down ten thousand men^[dn] of Seir. ¹² Now the troops^[do] captured ten thousand others alive, and they brought them to the top of the rock and threw them from the top of the rock. So all of them were smashed to pieces.

¹³ As for the troops^[dp] Amaziah had sent back from going with him to war, they raided the cities of Judah from Samaria to Beth-Horon. And they struck down three thousand of them and plundered much booty.

¹⁴ And it happened that after Amaziah came back from killing the Edomites, he brought the gods of the sons of Seir, and he stood them up to himself as gods and bowed down before them and make smoke offerings for them. ¹⁵ So Yahweh became very angry^[dq] with Amaziah and sent a prophet to him, and he said to him, “Why have you sought the gods of the people who could not deliver their own people from your hand?” ¹⁶ And it happened that while he was speaking to him, he said to him, “Have we appointed you as a counselor to the king? Stop—why should you be killed?”^[dr] So the prophet stopped and said, “I know that God has determined to destroy you, because you have done this and have not listened to my advice.”

¹⁷ Then Amaziah king of Judah took counsel, and he sent to Joash the son of Jehoahaz the son of Jehu, king of Israel, saying, “Come,^[ds] let us face one another.^{[dt] 18} And Joash the king of Israel sent to Amaziah king of Judah, saying, “The thorn bush that is in Lebanon has sent to the cedar which is in Lebanon, saying, ‘Give your daughter to my son as wife.’ But a wild animal of the field that was in Lebanon passed by and trampled the thorn bush. ¹⁹ Look, you say that you have struck Edom, and your heart has lifted you up to boast. Now remain at your home. Why stir up disaster that you fall, you and Judah with you?”

²⁰ But Amaziah did not listen, for it was from God that he might give them into the hand of enemies, because they sought the gods of Edom. ²¹ So Joash the king of Israel went up, and he and Amaziah the king of Judah faced one another^[du] at Beth-Shemesh, which belongs to Judah. ²² And Judah was defeated before Israel, and each man fled to his tent. ²³ And Joash the king of Israel captured Amaziah the king of Judah, the son of Joash, the son of Jehoahaz, at Beth-Shemesh. And they brought him to Jerusalem and broke down the wall of Jerusalem from the Gate of Ephraim to the Corner Gate, four hundred cubits. ²⁴ Then with all the gold and silver, all the objects found in the house of God with Obed-Edom, the storehouses of the house of the king, and the hostages,^[dv] he returned to Samaria.

²⁵ And Amaziah the son of Joash, king of Judah, lived after the death of Joash the son of Jehoahaz, the king of Israel, fifteen years. ²⁶ Now the remainder of the words of Amaziah, from the first to the last, behold, are they not written in the scroll of the kings of Judah and Israel? ²⁷ And from the time that Amaziah turned away from Yahweh, they had plotted a conspiracy against him in Jerusalem. And he fled to Lachish, but they sent after him to Lachish and killed him there. ²⁸ And they carried him on the horses and buried him with his ancestors^[dw] in the city of Judah.

The Reign of Uzziah

26 Then all the people of Judah took Uzziah (now he was sixteen years old) and made him king in the place of his father Amaziah. ² He built Elath and returned it to Judah after the king slept with his ancestors.^{[dx] 3} Uzziah was sixteen years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem fifty-two years. And the name of his mother was Yecoliah of Jerusalem. ⁴ And he did what was right in the eyes of Yahweh, according to all that Amaziah his father had done. ⁵ And he began to seek^[dy] God in the days of Zechariah who was teaching in visions of God. And whenever^[dz] he sought Yahweh God made him have success.

⁶ And he went out and made war against the Philistines, and he broke down the wall of Gath and the wall of Jabneh and the wall of Ashdod, and he built cities in Ashdod and among the Philistines. ⁷ And God helped him against the Philistines and against the Arabs who were living in Gur-Baal and Meunim. ⁸ And the Ammonites gave tribute to Uzziah, and his fame^[ea] went out to the boundary^[eb] of Egypt, for he became very strong.^{[ec] 9} And Uzziah built towers in Jerusalem at the Corner Gate, at the Valley Gate, and at the Angle, and he strengthened them. ¹⁰ And he built towers in the desert and hewed many cisterns, for he had much livestock, both in the Shephelah and on the plain, along with farmers and vinedressers in the hills and in the fertile lands, for he loved the soil. ¹¹ And Uzziah had troops trained and ready for war^[ed] in divisions according to the number of their enrollment at the hand of Jeuel the scribe and Maaseiah the officer, under the hand of Hananiah of the king’s commanders. ¹² The whole number of the heads of the families^[ee] for mighty warriors of strength was two thousand six hundred. ¹³ And under their hand were army troops numbering three hundred and seven thousand five hundred who could make war with power and strength to help the king against an enemy. ¹⁴ And Uzziah prepared small shields, spears, helmets, breastplates, bows, and slingstones for the whole army. ¹⁵ And he made siege machines in Jerusalem designed by skillful men to be set upon the towers and upon the corners to shoot arrows and large slingstones. And his fame^[ef] went out far, for he helped marvelously, for he was strong.

¹⁶ But on account of his strength his heart grew proud unto destruction. And he acted unfaithfully against Yahweh his God and went into the temple of Yahweh to offer an incense offering on the altar. ¹⁷ And Azariah the priest, along with eighty strong priests with him, went in after him. ¹⁸ And they stood against King Uzziah and said to him, “It is not for you, Uzziah, to burn incense to Yahweh, but it is for the priests, the descendants^[eg] of Aaron, who are consecrated to burn incense. Go out of the sanctuary, for you have acted unfaithfully. There will be no honor for you from Yahweh God.” ¹⁹ Then Uzziah, his censer in hand to burn incense, became angry. And when he became angry with the priests, then leprosy appeared on his forehead in front of the priests in the house of Yahweh at the altar of incense. ²⁰ When Azariah the chief priest and all the priests turned to him, behold, he was leprous in the forehead. So they rushed him away from there, and he also hastened to go out, for Yahweh had smitten him. ²¹ So King Uzziah was leprous until the day of his death, and he lived in a separate house as a leper, for he was cut off from the house of Yahweh. And Jotham his son was over the house of the king, judging the people of the land.

²² Now the remainder of the words of Uzziah, from the first to the last, Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, wrote them. ²³ And Uzziah slept with his ancestors,^[eh] and they buried him with his ancestors^[ei] in the burial field which belonged to the kings, because, they said, “He was leprous.” And Jotham his son reigned in his place.

The Reign of Jotham

27 Jotham was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. And the name of his mother was Jerusha the daughter of Zadok. ² And he did what was right in the eyes of Yahweh, according to all that his father Uzziah had done—only he did not go into the temple of Yahweh. But the people still acted corruptly. ³ He built the upper gate of the house of Yahweh, and he did much restoration^[ej] on the wall of Ophel. ⁴ And he built cities in the hill country of Judah, and he built forts and towers in the wooded places. ⁵ Now he fought with the king of the Ammonites^[ek] and prevailed against them. And the Ammonites^[el] gave to him in that year one hundred talents of silver and ten thousand measures of wheat and ten thousand measures of barley. This is what the Ammonites^[em] rendered to him, as well as in the second and third year. ⁶ And Jotham strengthened himself, for he established his ways before Yahweh his God.

⁷ Now the remainder of the words of Jotham and all his wars and his ways, behold, they are written upon the scroll of the kings of Israel and Judah. ⁸ He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. ⁹ And Jotham slept with his ancestors,^[en] and they buried him in the city of David. And his son Ahaz became king in his place.

The Reign of Ahaz

28 Ahaz was twenty years old when he became king, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. And he did not do what is right in the eyes of Yahweh like David his ancestor.^{[eo] 2} But he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel and also made molten idols for the Baals. ³ And he himself burned incense in the valley of Ben-Hinnom and burned his sons in the fire, according to the detestable practices of the nations whom Yahweh drove out before the Israelites. ⁴ And he sacrificed and burned incense at the high places, on the hilltops, and under every flourishing tree.

⁵ Then Yahweh his God gave him into the hand of the king of Aram^[ep] who defeated him and captured many captives from him and brought them to Damascus. Moreover, he was also given into the hand of the king of Israel, and he defeated him by a great attack. ⁶ And Pekah, the son of Remaliah, killed in one day one hundred and twenty thousand in Judah, all men of strength, because they forsook Yahweh the God of their ancestors.^{[eq] 7} And Zikri, a mighty warrior of Ephraim, killed Maaseiah the son of the king, Azrikam the commander of the house, and Elkanah the second to the king. ⁸ And the Israelites captured two hundred thousand of their brothers, women, sons, and daughters. And they also plundered much booty from them and brought the booty to Samaria.

⁹ Now a prophet of Yahweh was there; Oded was his name. And he went out before the army that was coming to Samaria and said to them, “Look, it is on account of the anger of Yahweh, the God of your ancestors,^[er] against Judah that he gave them into your hands, and you killed them in a rage reaching to the heavens. ¹⁰ So now, you yourselves plan to subdue people of Judah and Jerusalem as slaves and female servants for yourselves. Is there not also guilt on your part^[es] against Yahweh your God? ¹¹ So now, listen to me and return the captives of your brothers whom you have taken captive, for the fierce anger of Yahweh is against you.”

¹² Then men from the heads of Ephraim—Azariah the son of Jehohanan, Berekiah the son of Meshillemoth, Hezekiah the son of Shallum, and Amasa the son of Hadlai—stood against those returning from the fight. ¹³ And they said to them, “You shall not bring the captives here, for it is as guilt against Yahweh upon us. You yourselves plan to add to our sins and to our guilt, but our guilt is very great, and there is great anger against Israel.” ¹⁴ So the soldiers left the captives and the plunder before the commanders and all the assembly. ¹⁵ Then the men designated by name arose and took the captives and from the plunder clothed all their nakedness. So they clothed them, gave them sandals, gave them food to eat, gave them water to drink, anointed them, and guided them with the donkeys provided for all those who stumbled, and brought them to Jericho, the city of the palm trees, next to their brothers. Then they returned to Samaria.

¹⁶ At that time King Ahaz sent to the king of Assyria to help him, ¹⁷ since again the Edomites came and struck against Judah and took captives. ¹⁸ And the Philistines sent raids into the cities of the Shephelah and the Negeb of Judah. And they captured Beth-Shemesh, Aijalon, Gederoth, Socoh with its villages, Timnah with its villages, and Gimzo with its villages. And they settled there. ¹⁹ For Yahweh subdued Judah for the sake of Ahaz, king of Israel, for he created disorder in Judah and acted unfaithfully against Yahweh. ²⁰ Then Tiglath-Pileser^[et] the king of Assyria came against him and brought trouble for him, instead of helping him,^{[eu] 21} for Ahaz took a portion from the house of Yahweh and the house of the king and the princes, and he gave it to the king of Assyria, but it was no help to him.

²² And in the time of his distress, King Ahaz continued to act unfaithfully against Yahweh. ²³ He sacrificed to the gods of Damascus that had defeated him and said, “Because the gods of the king of Aram^[ev] helped them, I will sacrifice to them so that they will help me.” But they were a disaster^[ew] to him and to all Israel. ²⁴ Then Ahaz gathered the objects of the house of God, and he cut the objects of the house of God to pieces. And he shut the doors of the house of Yahweh and made for himself altars in every corner of Jerusalem. ²⁵ And in every city^[ex] of Judah he made high places to burn incense to other gods, and he provoked Yahweh, the God of his ancestors,^[ey] to anger.

²⁶ Now the remainder of his words and all his ways, from the first to the last, behold, they are written upon the scroll of the kings of Judah and Israel. ²⁷ And Ahaz slept with his ancestors,^[ez] and they buried him in the city, in Jerusalem, for they did not bring him to the burial site of the kings of Israel. And Hezekiah his son became king in his place.