26 And all the people of Judah took ^[a]Uzziah, who was sixteen years old, and made him king in the room of his father Amaziah. ² He built Eloth, and restored it to Judah, after that the king slept with his fathers. ³ Sixteen years old was Uzziah when he began to reign; and he reigned fifty and two years in Jerusalem: and his mother’s name was Jechiliah, of Jerusalem. ⁴ And he did that which was right in the eyes of Jehovah, according to all that his father Amaziah had done. ⁵ And he set himself to seek God in the days of Zechariah, who ^[b]had understanding in ^[c]the vision of God: and as long as he sought Jehovah, God made him to prosper.

⁶ And he went forth and warred against the Philistines, and brake down the wall of Gath, and the wall of Jabneh, and the wall of Ashdod; and he built cities in the country of Ashdod, and among the Philistines. ⁷ And God helped him against the Philistines, and against the Arabians that dwelt in Gur-baal, and the Meunim. ⁸ And the Ammonites gave tribute to Uzziah: and his name spread abroad even to the entrance of Egypt; for he waxed exceeding strong. ⁹ Moreover Uzziah built towers in Jerusalem at the corner gate, and at the valley gate, and at the turning of the wall, and fortified them. ¹⁰ And he built towers in the wilderness, and hewed out many cisterns, for he had much cattle; in the lowland also, and in the ^[d]plain: and he had husbandmen and vinedressers in the mountains and in ^[e]the fruitful fields; for he loved husbandry. ¹¹ Moreover Uzziah had an army of fighting men, that went out to war by bands, according to the number of their reckoning made by Jeiel the scribe and Maaseiah the officer, under the hand of Hananiah, one of the king’s captains. ¹² The whole number of the heads of fathers’ houses, even the mighty men of valor, was two thousand and six hundred. ¹³ And under their hand was ^[f]an army, three hundred thousand and seven thousand and five hundred, that made war with mighty power, to help the king against the enemy. ¹⁴ And Uzziah prepared for them, even for all the host, shields, and spears, and helmets, and coats of mail, and bows, and stones for slinging. ¹⁵ And he made in Jerusalem engines, invented by skilful men, to be on the towers and upon the ^[g]battlements, wherewith to shoot arrows and great stones. And his name spread far abroad; for he was marvellously helped, till he was strong.

¹⁶ But when he was strong, his heart was lifted up, ^[h]so that he did corruptly, and he trespassed against Jehovah his God; for he went into the temple of Jehovah to burn incense upon the altar of incense. ¹⁷ And Azariah the priest went in after him, and with him fourscore priests of Jehovah, that were valiant men: ¹⁸ and they withstood Uzziah the king, and said unto him, It pertaineth not unto thee, Uzziah, to burn incense unto Jehovah, but to the priests the sons of Aaron, that are consecrated to burn incense: go out of the sanctuary; for thou hast trespassed; neither shall it be for thine honor from Jehovah God. ¹⁹ Then Uzziah was wroth; and he had a censer in his hand to burn incense; and while he was wroth with the priests, the leprosy ^[i]brake forth in his forehead before the priests in the house of Jehovah, beside the altar of incense. ²⁰ And Azariah the chief priest, and all the priests, looked upon him, and, behold, he was leprous in his forehead, and they thrust him out quickly from thence; yea, himself hasted also to go out, because Jehovah had smitten him. ²¹ And Uzziah the king was a leper unto the day of his death, and dwelt in a ^[j]separate house, being a leper; for he was cut off from the house of Jehovah: and Jotham his son was over the king’s house, judging the people of the land. ²² Now the rest of the acts of Uzziah, first and last, did Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, write. ²³ So Uzziah slept with his fathers; and they buried him with his fathers in the field of burial which belonged to the kings; for they said, He is a leper: and Jotham his son reigned in his stead.

27 Jotham was twenty and five years old when he began to reign; and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem: and his mother’s name was Jerushah the daughter of Zadok. ² And he did that which was right in the eyes of Jehovah, according to all that his father Uzziah had done: howbeit he entered not into the temple of Jehovah. And the people did yet corruptly. ³ He built the upper gate of the house of Jehovah, and on the wall of Ophel he built much. ⁴ Moreover he built cities in the hill-country of Judah, and in the forests he built castles and towers. ⁵ He fought also with the king of the children of Ammon, and prevailed against them. And the children of Ammon gave him the same year a hundred talents of silver, and ten thousand ^[k]measures of wheat, and ten thousand of barley. So much did the children of Ammon render unto him, in the second year also, and in the third. ⁶ So Jotham became mighty, because he ordered his ways before Jehovah his God. ⁷ Now the rest of the acts of Jotham, and all his wars, and his ways, behold, they are written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah. ⁸ He was five and twenty years old when he began to reign, and reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. ⁹ And Jotham slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city of David: and Ahaz his son reigned in his stead.

28 Ahaz was twenty years old when he began to reign; and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem: and he did not that which was right in the eyes of Jehovah, like David his father; ² but he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, and made also molten images for the Baalim. ³ Moreover he burnt incense in the valley of the son of Hinnom, and burnt his children in the fire, according to the abominations of the nations whom Jehovah cast out before the children of Israel. ⁴ And he sacrificed and burnt incense in the high places, and on the hills, and under every green tree.

⁵ Wherefore Jehovah his God delivered him into the hand of the king of Syria; and they smote him, and carried away of his a great multitude of captives, and brought them to Damascus. And he was also delivered into the hand of the king of Israel, who smote him with a great slaughter. ⁶ For Pekah the son of Remaliah slew in Judah a hundred and twenty thousand in one day, all of them valiant men; because they had forsaken Jehovah, the God of their fathers. ⁷ And Zichri, a mighty man of Ephraim, slew Maaseiah the king’s son, and Azrikam the ruler of the house, and Elkanah that was ^[l]next to the king. ⁸ And the children of Israel carried away captive of their brethren two hundred thousand, women, sons, and daughters, and took also away much spoil from them, and brought the spoil to Samaria. ⁹ But a prophet of Jehovah was there, whose name was Oded: and he went out to meet the host that came to Samaria, and said unto them, Behold, because Jehovah, the God of your fathers, was wroth with Judah, he hath delivered them into your hand, and ye have slain them in a rage which hath reached up unto heaven. ¹⁰ And now ye purpose to keep under the children of Judah and Jerusalem for bondmen and bondwomen unto you: but are there not even with you ^[m]trespasses of your own against Jehovah your God? ¹¹ Now hear me therefore, and send back the captives, that ye have taken captive of your brethren; for the fierce wrath of Jehovah is upon you. ¹² Then certain of the heads of the children of Ephraim, Azariah the son of Johanan, Berechiah the son of Meshillemoth, and Jehizkiah the son of Shallum, and Amasa the son of Hadlai, stood up against them that came from the war, ¹³ and said unto them, Ye shall not bring in the captives hither: for ye purpose that which will bring upon us ^[n]a trespass against Jehovah, to add unto our sins and to our ^[o]trespass; for our ^[p]trespass is great, and there is fierce wrath against Israel. ¹⁴ So the armed men left the captives and the spoil before the princes and all the assembly. ¹⁵ And the men that have been mentioned by name rose up, and took the captives, and with the spoil clothed all that were naked among them, and arrayed them, and shod them, and gave them to eat and to drink, and anointed them, and carried all the feeble of them upon asses, and brought them to Jericho, the city of palm-trees, unto their brethren: then they returned to Samaria.

¹⁶ At that time did king Ahaz send unto the ^[q]kings of Assyria to help him. ¹⁷ For again the Edomites had come and smitten Judah, and carried away ^[r]captives. ¹⁸ The Philistines also had invaded the cities of the lowland, and of the South of Judah, and had taken Beth-shemesh, and Aijalon, and Gederoth, and Soco with the ^[s]towns thereof, and Timnah with the ^[t]towns thereof, Gimzo also and the ^[u]towns thereof: and they dwelt there. ¹⁹ For Jehovah brought Judah low because of Ahaz king of Israel; for he had ^[v]dealt wantonly in Judah, and trespassed sore against Jehovah. ²⁰ And Tilgath-pilneser king of Assyria came ^[w]unto him, and distressed him, but ^[x]strengthened him not. ²¹ For Ahaz took away a portion out of the house of Jehovah, and out of the house of the king and of the princes, and gave it unto the king of Assyria: but it helped him not.

²² And in the time ^[y]of his distress did he trespass yet more against Jehovah, this same king Ahaz. ²³ For he sacrificed unto the gods of ^[z]Damascus, which smote him; and he said, Because the gods of the kings of Syria helped them, therefore will I sacrifice to them, that they may help me. But they were the ruin of him, and of all Israel. ²⁴ And Ahaz gathered together the vessels of the house of God, and cut in pieces the vessels of the house of God, and shut up the doors of the house of Jehovah; and he made him altars in every corner of Jerusalem. ²⁵ And in every city of Judah he made high places to burn incense unto other gods, and provoked to anger Jehovah, the God of his fathers. ²⁶ Now the rest of his acts, and all his ways, first and last, behold, they are written in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel. ²⁷ And Ahaz slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city, even in Jerusalem; for they brought him not into the sepulchres of the kings of Israel: and Hezekiah his son reigned in his stead.

32 After these things, and this faithfulness, Sennacherib king of Assyria came, and entered into Judah, and encamped against the fortified cities, and thought ^[a]to win them for himself. ² And when Hezekiah saw that Sennacherib was come, and that ^[b]he was purposed to fight against Jerusalem, ³ he took counsel with his princes and his mighty men to stop the waters of the fountains which were without the city; and they helped him. ⁴ So there was gathered much people together, and they stopped all the fountains, and the brook that flowed through the midst of the land, saying, Why should the kings of Assyria come, and find much water? ⁵ And he took courage, and built up all the wall that was broken down, and ^[c]raised it up to the towers, and ^[d]the other wall without, and strengthened Millo in the city of David, and made weapons and shields in abundance. ⁶ And he set captains of war over the people, and gathered them together to him in the broad place at the gate of the city, and spake comfortably to them, saying, ⁷ Be strong and of good courage, be not afraid nor dismayed for the king of Assyria, nor for all the multitude that is with him; for ^[e]there is a greater with us than with him: ⁸ with him is an arm of flesh; but with us is Jehovah our God to help us, and to fight our battles. And the people rested themselves upon the words of Hezekiah king of Judah.

⁹ After this did Sennacherib king of Assyria send his servants to Jerusalem (now he was before Lachish, and all his power with him), unto Hezekiah king of Judah, and unto all Judah that were at Jerusalem, saying, ¹⁰ Thus saith Sennacherib king of Assyria, Whereon do ye trust, that ye abide ^[f]the siege in Jerusalem? ¹¹ Doth not Hezekiah persuade you, to give you over to die by famine and by thirst, saying, Jehovah our God will deliver us out of the hand of the king of Assyria? ¹² Hath not the same Hezekiah taken away his high places and his altars, and commanded Judah and Jerusalem, saying, Ye shall worship before one altar, and upon it shall ye burn incense? ¹³ Know ye not what I and my fathers have done unto all the peoples of the lands? Were the gods of the nations of the lands in any wise able to deliver their land out of my hand? ¹⁴ Who was there among all the gods of those nations which my fathers ^[g]utterly destroyed, that could deliver his people out of my hand, that your God should be able to deliver you out of my hand? ¹⁵ Now therefore let not Hezekiah deceive you, nor persuade you after this manner, neither believe ye him; for no god of any nation or kingdom was able to deliver his people out of my hand, and out of the hand of my fathers: how much less shall your ^[h]God deliver you out of my hand? ¹⁶ And his servants spake yet more against Jehovah God, and against his servant Hezekiah. ¹⁷ He wrote also ^[i]letters, to rail on Jehovah, the God of Israel, and to speak against him, saying, As the gods of the nations of the lands, which have not delivered their people out of my hand, so shall not the God of Hezekiah deliver his people out of my hand. ¹⁸ And they cried with a loud voice in the Jews’ language unto the people of Jerusalem that were on the wall, to affright them, and to trouble them; that they might take the city. ¹⁹ And they spake of the God of Jerusalem, as of the gods of the peoples of the earth, which are the work of men’s hands.

²⁰ And Hezekiah the king, and Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz, prayed because of this, and cried to heaven. ²¹ And Jehovah sent an angel, who cut off all the mighty men of valor, and the leaders and captains, in the camp of the king of Assyria. So he returned with shame of face to his own land. And when he was come into the house of his god, they that came forth from his own bowels ^[j]slew him there with the sword. ²² Thus Jehovah saved Hezekiah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem from the hand of Sennacherib the king of Assyria, and from the hand of all others, and guided them on every side. ²³ And many brought gifts unto Jehovah to Jerusalem, and precious things to Hezekiah king of Judah; so that he was exalted in the sight of all nations from thenceforth.

²⁴ In those days Hezekiah was sick even unto death: and he prayed unto Jehovah; and he spake unto him, and gave him a ^[k]sign. ²⁵ But Hezekiah rendered not again according to the benefit done unto him; for his heart was lifted up: therefore there was wrath upon him, and upon Judah and Jerusalem. ²⁶ Notwithstanding Hezekiah humbled himself for ^[l]the pride of his heart, both he and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the wrath of Jehovah came not upon them in the days of Hezekiah.

²⁷ And Hezekiah had exceeding much riches and honor: and he provided him treasuries for silver, and for gold, and for precious stones, and for spices, and for shields, and for all manner of goodly vessels; ²⁸ store-houses also for the increase of grain and new wine and oil; and stalls for all manner of beasts, and flocks in folds. ²⁹ Moreover he provided him cities, and possessions of flocks and herds in abundance; for God had given him very much substance. ³⁰ This same Hezekiah also stopped the upper spring of the waters of Gihon, and brought them straight down on the west side of the city of David. And Hezekiah prospered in all his works. ³¹ Howbeit in the business of the ^[m]ambassadors of the princes of Babylon, who sent unto him to inquire of the wonder that was done in the land, God left him, to try him, that he might know all that was in his heart.

³² Now the rest of the acts of Hezekiah, and his good deeds, behold, they are written in the vision of Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz, in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel. ³³ And Hezekiah slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the ascent of the sepulchres of the sons of David: and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem did him honor at his death. And Manasseh his son reigned in his stead.