Joash Becomes King

24 Joash was seven years old when he became king. And he ruled forty years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Zibiah of Beersheba. ² Joash did what was right in the eyes of the Lord all the days of Jehoiada the religious leader. ³ Jehoiada took two wives for him, and he became the father of sons and daughters.

⁴ After this Joash decided to do the work that was needed on the Lord’s house. ⁵ He gathered the religious leaders and Levites, and said to them, “Go out to the cities of Judah. And gather money from all Israel to pay for the work needed to be done on the house of your God from year to year. Be quick about it.” But the Levites did not hurry. ⁶ So the king called for Jehoiada the head religious leader, and said to him, “Why have you not made the Levites bring in from Judah and Jerusalem the tax set by Moses the Lord’s servant? All the people of Israel were to pay taxes for the tent of the Law.” ⁷ For the sons of that sinful woman Athaliah had broken into the house of God. They even used the holy things of the Lord’s house for the false gods of Baal.

⁸ So the king had them make a box and set it outside by the gate of the Lord’s house. ⁹ And they made it known in Judah and Jerusalem that the tax set by God’s servant Moses on Israel in the desert must be brought to the Lord. ¹⁰ Then all the leaders and all the people were filled with joy. They brought in their taxes and put the money into the box until they had finished. ¹¹ The Levites would bring the box in to the king’s helper. And when they saw that there was much money, the king’s writer and the head religious leader’s helper would come and empty the box. They would take out the money and return the box to its place. They did this each day, and gathered much money. ¹² The king and Jehoiada gave it to those who watched over the work being done on the Lord’s house. They paid those who worked with stone and wood and iron and brass, for the work done on the Lord’s house. ¹³ So the workmen worked hard doing what needed to be done. The house of God was like new again, just as it was planned. They made it strong. ¹⁴ When they had finished, they brought the rest of the money to the king and Jehoiada. From it were made the objects used in the Lord’s house. These things were made for the worship and the burnt gifts. Then dishes and pots of gold and silver were made. And they gave burnt gifts in the house of the Lord all the time, all the days of Jehoiada.

¹⁵ When Jehoiada had lived a long time, he died. He died when he was 130 years old. ¹⁶ They buried him in the city of David among the kings, because he had done well in Israel, and to God and His house. ¹⁷ But after the death of Jehoiada, the leaders of Judah came and bowed down in front of the king. And the king listened to them. ¹⁸ They left the house of the Lord the God of their fathers, and worshiped the false gods of Asherah and the objects made to look like them. So anger came upon Judah and Jerusalem because of their sin. ¹⁹ Yet God sent men who speak for God to bring them back to the Lord. These men of God spoke against them, but they would not listen. ²⁰ Then the Spirit of God came upon Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the religious leader. He stood where he could be seen by the people and said to them, “God says, ‘Why do you sin against the Laws of the Lord, and bring trouble on yourselves? Because you have left the Lord, He has left you.’” ²¹ So they made plans against him. At the king’s word, they killed Zechariah with stones in the open space of the Lord’s house. ²² So Joash the king did not remember the kindness his father Jehoiada had shown him, but he killed his son. And when Zechariah was dying, he said, “May the Lord see and punish!”

The Death of Joash

²³ At the end of the year the army of the Syrians came up against Joash. They came to Judah and Jerusalem, and destroyed all the leaders of the people. And they sent all they had taken in battle to the king of Damascus. ²⁴ The army of the Syrians came with a small number of men. But the Lord let them win against a very large army. Because the people of Judah and Jerusalem had turned away from the Lord, the God of their fathers. So the Syrians were used to punish Joash. ²⁵ When they had left Joash, leaving him very sick, his own servants made plans against him because of the blood of the son of Jehoiada the religious leader. And they killed him on his bed. So he died, and they buried him in the city of David. But they did not bury him in the graves of the kings. ²⁶ The men who made plans against Joash were Zabad the son of Shimeath the Ammonitess, and Jehozabad the son of Shimrith the Moabitess. ²⁷ Now the story of his sons, and the words spoken by wise men against him, and the work done on the house of God, are written in the Book of the Kings. His son Amaziah became king in his place.

Amaziah Rules Judah

25 Amaziah was twenty-five years old when he became king. And he ruled for twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jehoaddan of Jerusalem. ² Amaziah did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, but not with a whole heart. ³ As soon as the nation was under his rule, he killed his servants who had killed his father the king. ⁴ But he did not kill their children. He did what is written in the Law in the book of Moses. The Lord had said in this Law, “Fathers must not be put to death for the children. And children must not be put to death for the fathers. Each must be put to death for his own sin.” ^(A)

The War against Edom

⁵ Then Amaziah gathered the men of Judah together. He put them, by their fathers’ houses, under the rule of captains of thousands and of hundreds for all Judah and Benjamin. He numbered those who were twenty years old and older. And he found that they were 300,000 chosen men, able to go to war and fight with spear and battle-covering. ⁶ He also asked for the help of 100,000 powerful soldiers from Israel and paid them with silver weighing as much as 100 men. ⁷ But a man of God came to him and said, “O king, do not let the army of Israel go with you. For the Lord is not with Israel. He is not with all these sons of Ephraim. ⁸ But if you think that in this way you will be strong in war, God will destroy you in front of those who fight you. For God has power to help and to destroy.” ⁹ Amaziah said to the man of God, “But what should I do about the silver weighing as much as 100 men, which I have given to the army of Israel?” The man of God answered, “The Lord has much more to give you than this.” ¹⁰ Then Amaziah sent the army home which had come to him from Ephraim. These hired soldiers were angry at the people of Judah. As they returned home they were very angry.

¹¹ Now Amaziah made himself strong of heart, and he led his people to the Valley of Salt and killed 10,000 men of Seir. ¹² The men of Judah also took 10,000 men alive. They brought them to the top of a high rock and threw them down from it, so they were all crushed to pieces. ¹³ But the soldiers from Israel whom Amaziah had sent back from going with him to battle came and fought against the cities of Judah. They fought cities from Samaria to Beth-horon, and killed 3,000 people living in them. And they took many things which had belonged to the people in these cities.

¹⁴ After Amaziah came from killing the Edomites, he brought the gods of the men of Seir. He set them up as his gods. He bowed down in front of them, and burned special perfume to them. ¹⁵ Then the Lord was angry with Amaziah and sent a man who speaks for God to him, saying, “Why have you worshiped the gods of the people? These gods have not saved their own people from your hand.” ¹⁶ But as he was speaking the king said to him, “Have we chosen you to give words of wisdom to the king? Stop! Or I will have you put to death.” So the man who spoke for God stopped, but said, “I know that God has planned to destroy you because you have done this. And you have not listened to what I have said.”

Israel Wins over Judah

¹⁷ Then King Amaziah of Judah spoke with his wise men, and sent word to Joash the son of Jehoahaz the son of Jehu, the king of Israel, saying, “Come, let us face each other.” ¹⁸ King Joash of Israel sent an answer to King Amaziah of Judah, saying, “The thorn bush in Lebanon sent word to the cedar in Lebanon, saying, ‘Give your daughter to my son for a wife.’ But a wild animal of Lebanon passed by and crushed the thorn bush under its feet. ¹⁹ You say, ‘See, I have destroyed Edom.’ And your heart has become proud by what you say. Now stay at home. Why should you bring trouble so you will fall, and Judah with you?” ²⁰ But Amaziah would not listen. God had planned that He would give Judah into the hand of Joash because Judah had worshiped the gods of Edom. ²¹ So King Joash of Israel met King Amaziah of Judah in battle at Beth-shemesh of Judah. ²² And Judah lost the battle to Israel. Each man ran away to his home. ²³ King Joash of Israel took King Amaziah of Judah, the son of Joash, son of Jehoahaz, at Beth-shemesh, and brought him to Jerusalem. He tore down the wall of Jerusalem from the Gate of Ephraim to the Corner Gate, as much wall as 200 long steps. ²⁴ And he took all the gold and silver, and all the objects found in the house of God with Obed-edom. He took the riches of the king’s house, and people also, and returned to Samaria.

The Death of Amaziah

²⁵ Amaziah, the son of King Joash of Judah, lived fifteen years after the death of Joash, the son of King Jehoahaz of Israel. ²⁶ Now the rest of the acts of Amaziah, from first to last, are written in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel. ²⁷ After Amaziah turned away from the Lord, they made plans against him in Jerusalem, and he ran away to Lachish. But they sent men after him to Lachish, and killed him there. ²⁸ Then they brought him on horses and buried him with his fathers in the city of Judah.

Uzziah Rules Judah

26 Then all the people took Uzziah, who was sixteen years old, and made him king in the place of his father Amaziah. ² He built Eloth and returned it to Judah after the king died. ³ Uzziah was sixteen years old when he became king. And he ruled fifty-two years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jechiliah of Jerusalem. ⁴ Uzziah did what was right in the eyes of the Lord. He did all that his father Amaziah had done. ⁵ He kept on looking to God in the days of Zechariah, who had special wisdom from God and taught him in the things of God. And as long as he looked to the Lord, God made things go well for him.

⁶ Uzziah went out and made war against the Philistines. He broke down the wall of Gath and the wall of Jabneh and the wall of Ashdod. And he built cities in the land of Ashdod and among the Philistines. ⁷ God helped him against the Philistines, and against the Arabians who lived in Gur-baal, and against the Meunites. ⁸ The Ammonites paid taxes to Uzziah. And his name was known as far as the land of Egypt, for he became very strong. ⁹ Uzziah built towers in Jerusalem at the Corner Gate, at the Valley Gate, and at the place where the walls joined. And he made them strong. ¹⁰ He built towers in the desert and dug many wells. For he had many animals, both in the valley and in the plain. He also had farmers and vine-keepers in the hill country and in the good growing fields, for he loved farming. ¹¹ And Uzziah had an army ready for battle. It was divided by the number of names written down by Jeiel the writer and Maaseiah the captain, led by Hananiah, one of the king’s leaders. ¹² The whole number of the leaders of the family groups of powerful soldiers was 2,600. ¹³ Under their leading was an army of 307,500, who could fight with great power, to help the king against those who hated them. ¹⁴ Uzziah had battle-coverings, spears, head-coverings, strong battle-clothes, bows, and slings using arrows and large stones made for all the army. ¹⁵ In Jerusalem he made large objects of war, planned by able men, to be on the towers and the corners. They were for shooting arrows and big stones. So Uzziah’s name became known in far away places. For he was helped by God in a very special way until he was strong.

Uzziah Is Punished because of His Pride

¹⁶ But when he became strong, Uzziah’s heart was so proud that his actions were sinful. He was not faithful to the Lord his God, for he went into the Lord’s house to burn special perfume on the altar of special perfume. ¹⁷ Then Azariah the religious leader went in after him, with eighty religious leaders of the Lord who were men strong in heart. ¹⁸ They went against King Uzziah and said to him, “It is not for you, Uzziah, to burn special perfume to the Lord. It should be done by the religious leaders, the sons of Aaron, who are set apart to burn special perfume. Get out of the holy place, for you have not been faithful. You will have no honor from the Lord God.” ¹⁹ Then Uzziah was angry, and he had a dish in his hand for burning special perfume. While he was angry with the religious leaders, a bad skin disease broke out on his forehead in front of the religious leaders in the Lord’s house, beside the altar of special perfume. ²⁰ Azariah the head religious leader and all the religious leaders looked at him and saw that he had a bad skin disease on his forehead. So they were quick to get him out of there, and he himself left in a hurry because the Lord had punished him. ²¹ King Uzziah had the bad skin disease to the day of his death. He lived in a separate house, suffering with the skin disease, for he was cut off from the house of the Lord. And his son Jotham was over the king’s house, ruling the people of the land. ²² Now the rest of the acts of Uzziah, first to last, were written by the man of God Isaiah, the son of Amoz. ²³ Uzziah died, and they buried him with his fathers in the field of the grave which belonged to the kings. For they said, “He has a bad skin disease.” And Jotham his son became king in his place.