2 Chronicles 25

Modern

Literal

Amaziah Reigns in Judah

¹Amaziah was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem twenty-nine years. His mother’s name was Jehoaddan; she was from Jerusalem.

¹Amaziah was a son of twenty-five years when he became king, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. And the name of his mother was Jehoaddan of Jerusalem.

²And he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, but not wholeheartedly.

²And he did right in the eyes of YHWH, but not with a perfect heart.

³As soon as the kingdom was firmly in his grasp, Amaziah executed the servants who had murdered his father the king.

³And it came to pass, when the kingdom was strong for him, that he killed his servants who had struck his father the king.

⁴Yet he did not put their sons to death, but acted according to what is written in the Law, in the Book of Moses, where the LORD commanded: “Fathers must not be put to death for their children, and children must not be put to death for their fathers; each is to die for his own sin.”^a

⁴And their sons he did not kill, but did as it is written in the Law, in the Book of Moses, where YHWH commanded, saying: “Fathers shall not be put to death for their sons, and sons shall not be put to death for their fathers, but each man shall die for his own sin.”

Amaziah’s Victories

⁵Then Amaziah gathered the people of Judah and assigned them according to their families to commanders of thousands and of hundreds. And he numbered those twenty years of age or older throughout Judah and Benjamin and found 300,000 chosen men able to serve in the army, bearing the spear and shield.

⁵And Amaziah gathered together Judah, and he appointed them according to the house of the fathers captains of the thousands and captains of the hundreds throughout all Judah and Benjamin. And he numbered them from twenty years and above, and he found them three hundred thousand chosen ones going forth to the host, holding spear and shield.

⁶He also hired 100,000 mighty men of valor from Israel for a hundred talents of silver.^a

⁶And He hired from Israel a hundred thousand mighty men of valor for a hundred talents of silver.

⁷But 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—not with any of the Ephraimites.

⁷And a man of God came to him, saying, “O king, do not let the host of Israel go with you, for YHWH is not with Israel or any of the sons of Ephraim.

⁸Even if you go and fight bravely in battle, God will overthrow you before the enemy, for God has power to help and power to overthrow.”

⁸But if you are going, do it—be strong in the battle; God shall make you fall before the enemy, for unto God is power to help and to cause to stumble.”

⁹Amaziah asked the man of God, “What should I do about the hundred talents I have given to the troops of Israel?”

And the man of God replied, “The LORD is able to give you much more than this.”

⁹And Amaziah said to the man of God, “And what to do about the hundred talents that I have given to the troops of Israel?” And the man of God answered, “YHWH is able to give more to you than this.”

¹⁰So Amaziah dismissed the troops who had come to him from Ephraim and sent them home. And they were furious with Judah and returned home in great anger.

¹⁰And Amaziah separated the troops that had come to him from Ephraim to go back to their own place. And their anger was kindled greatly against Judah, and they returned to their place in the heat of anger.

¹¹Amaziah, however, summoned his strength and led his troops to the Valley of Salt, where he struck down 10,000 men of Seir,

¹¹And Amaziah strengthened himself and led forth his people, and he went to the Valley of Salt and he struck down ten thousand of the sons of Seir.

¹²and the army of Judah also captured 10,000 men alive. They took them to the top of a cliff and threw them down so that all were dashed to pieces.

¹²And the sons of Judah took captive alive ten thousand, and they brought them to the top of the rock, and they cast them down from the top of the rock, and all of them were dashed to pieces.

¹³Meanwhile the troops that Amaziah had dismissed from battle raided the cities of Judah, from Samaria to Beth-horon. They struck down 3,000 people and carried off a great deal of plunder.

¹³And the sons of the troop that Amaziah had sent back so that they would not go with him to the battle—they raided the cities of Judah from Samaria to Beth-horon, and they struck down in them three thousand, and they plundered much spoil.

Amaziah Rebuked for Idolatry

¹⁴When Amaziah returned from the slaughter of the Edomites, he brought back the gods of the Seirites, set them up as his own gods, bowed before them, and burned sacrifices to them.

¹⁴And it came to pass, after Amaziah came from the striking of the Edomites, that he brought the gods of the sons of Seir and set them up as his gods, and he bowed down before them and he burned incense to them.

¹⁵Therefore the anger of the LORD burned against Amaziah, and He sent him a prophet, who said, “Why have you sought this people’s gods, which could not deliver them from your hand?”

¹⁵And the anger of YHWH burned against Amaziah, and He sent to him a prophet, and he said to him, “Why have you sought the gods of the people, which could not deliver their own people from your hand?”

¹⁶While he was still speaking, the king asked, “Have we made you the counselor to the king? Stop! Why be struck down?”

So the prophet stopped, but he said, “I know that God has determined to destroy you, because you have done this and have not heeded my advice.”

¹⁶And it came to pass, in his speaking to him, that he said to him, “Have we appointed you to counsel the king? Cease you! Why should they strike you down?” And the prophet ceased and said, “I know that God has counseled to destroy you, because you have done this and have not heeded my counsel.”

Jehoash Defeats Amaziah

¹⁷Then Amaziah king of Judah took counsel and sent word to the king of Israel Jehoash^a son of Jehoahaz, the son of Jehu. “Come, let us meet face to face,” he said.

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

¹⁸But Jehoash king of Israel replied to Amaziah king of Judah: “A thistle in Lebanon sent a message to a cedar in Lebanon, saying, ‘Give your daughter to my son in marriage.’ Then a wild beast in Lebanon came along and trampled the thistle.

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

¹⁹You have said, ‘Look, I have defeated Edom,’ and your heart has become proud and boastful. Now stay at home. Why should you stir up trouble so that you fall—you and Judah with you?”

¹⁹You say, ‘Behold, you have struck down Edom!’ And your heart has lifted you to boast. Now dwell in your house; why should you stir up trouble, that you should fall—you and Judah with you?”

²⁰But Amaziah would not listen, for this had come from God in order to deliver them into the hand of Jehoash, because they had sought the gods of Edom.

²⁰And Amaziah would not listen, for it was from God, that He might give them into the hand because they sought the gods of Edom.

²¹So Jehoash king of Israel advanced, and he and Amaziah king of Judah faced each other at Beth-shemesh in Judah.

²¹And Joash king of Israel went out, and they looked one another in the faces—he and Amaziah king of Judah—at Beth-shemesh, which is unto Judah.

²²And Judah was routed before Israel, and every man fled to his own home.

²²And Judah was defeated by Israel, and each man fled to his tent.

²³There at Beth-shemesh, Jehoash king of Israel captured Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Joash, the son of Jehoahaz.^a

Then Jehoash brought him to Jerusalem and broke down the wall of Jerusalem from the Ephraim Gate to the Corner Gate—a section of four hundred cubits.^b

²³And Joash king of Israel captured Amaziah king of Judah, son of Joash, son of Jehoahaz, in Beth-shemesh. And he brought him to Jerusalem and broke down the wall of Jerusalem, from the Gate of Ephraim to the Gate of the Corner—four hundred cubits.

²⁴He took all the gold and silver and all the articles found in the house of God with Obed-edom and in the treasuries of the royal palace, as well as some hostages. Then he returned to Samaria.

²⁴And all the gold and the silver, and all the articles that were found in the house of God with Obed-edom, and the treasures of the house of the king, and the sons of the hostages, he returned to Samaria.

The Death of Amaziah

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

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

²⁶As for the rest of the acts of Amaziah, from beginning to end, are they not written in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel?

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

²⁷From the time that Amaziah turned from following the LORD, a conspiracy was formed against him in Jerusalem, and he fled to Lachish. But men were sent after him to Lachish, and they killed him there.

²⁷And after the time that Amaziah turned away from following YHWH, they made a conspiracy against him in Jerusalem, and he fled to Lachish. And they sent after him to Lachish, and they killed him there.

²⁸They carried him back on horses and buried him with his fathers in the City of Judah.^a

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