2 Chronicles 25

¹ Amaziah was twenty-five years old when he began to reign; and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jehoaddan of Jerusalem. ² He did that which was right in Yahweh’s eyes, but not with a perfect heart.

³ Now when the kingdom was established to him, he killed his servants who had killed the king his father. ⁴ But he didn’t put their children to death, but did according to that which is written in the law in the book of Moses, as Yahweh commanded, saying, “The fathers shall not die for the children, neither shall the children die for the fathers; but every man shall die for his own sin.”

⁵ Moreover Amaziah gathered Judah together, and ordered them according to their fathers’ houses, under captains of thousands and captains of hundreds, for all Judah and Benjamin; and he numbered them from twenty years old and upward, and found them three hundred thousand chosen men, able to go forth to war, who could handle spear and shield. ⁶ He hired also one hundred thousand mighty men of valor out of Israel for one hundred talents of silver.

⁷ A man of God came to him, saying, “O king, don’t let the army of Israel go with you; for Yahweh is not with Israel, to wit, with all the children of Ephraim. ⁸ But if you will go, do valiantly; be strong for the battle. God will cast you down before the enemy; for God has power to help, and to cast down.”

⁹ Amaziah said to the man of God, “But what shall we do for the hundred talents which I have given to the army of Israel?” The man of God answered, “Yahweh is able to give you much more than this.”

¹⁰ Then Amaziah separated them, to wit, the army that had come to him out of Ephraim, to go home again; therefore their anger was greatly kindled against Judah, and they returned home in fierce anger.

¹¹ Amaziah took courage, and led forth his people, and went to the Valley of Salt, and struck of the children of Seir ten thousand. ¹² The children of Judah carried away ten thousand alive, and brought them to the top of the rock, and cast them down from the top of the rock, so that they were all broken in pieces.

¹³ But the men of the army which Amaziah sent back, that they should not go with him to battle, fell on the cities of Judah, from Samaria even to Beth Horon, and struck of them three thousand, and took much plunder.

¹⁴ Now it came to pass, after Amaziah had come from the slaughter of the Edomites, that he brought the gods of the children of Seir, and set them up to be his gods, and bowed down himself before them, and burned incense to them. ¹⁵ Therefore Yahweh’s anger was kindled against Amaziah, and he sent to him a prophet, who said to him, “Why have you sought after the gods of the people, which have not delivered their own people out of your hand?”

¹⁶ As he talked with him, the king said to him, “Have we made you of the king’s counsel? Forbear. Why should you be struck?” Then the prophet forbare, and said, “I know that God has determined to destroy you, because you have done this, and have not listened to my counsel.”

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

¹⁸ 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 to wife.’ There passed by a wild animal that was in Lebanon, and trod down the thistle. ¹⁹ You say, ‘Behold, you have struck Edom;’ and your heart lifts you up to boast. Stay now at home; why should you meddle to your hurt, that you should fall, even you, and Judah with you?”

²⁰ But Amaziah wouldn’t listen; for it was of God, that he might deliver them into the hand of their enemies, because they had sought after the gods of Edom. ²¹ So Joash king of Israel went up; and he and Amaziah king of Judah looked one another in the face at Beth Shemesh, which belongs to Judah. ²² Judah was defeated by Israel; and they fled every man to his tent.

²³ Joash king of Israel took Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Joash the son of Jehoahaz, at Beth Shemesh, and brought him to Jerusalem, and broke down the wall of Jerusalem from the gate of Ephraim to the corner gate, four hundred cubits. ²⁴ He took all the gold and silver, and all the vessels that were found in God’s house with Obed-Edom, and the treasures of the king’s house, the hostages also, and returned to Samaria.

²⁵ Amaziah the son of Joash king of Judah lived fifteen years after the death of Joash son of Jehoahaz king of Israel. ²⁶ Now the rest of the acts of Amaziah, first and last, aren’t they written in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel? ²⁷ Now from the time that Amaziah turned away from following Yahweh, they made a conspiracy against him in Jerusalem; and he fled to Lachish. But they sent after him to Lachish, and killed him there. ²⁸ They brought him on horses, and buried him with his fathers in the city of Judah.