Second Book of Chronicles 25

¹ Amaziah was twenty-five years old when he came to the throne and he reigned for twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jehoaddan of Jerusalem.

² He did what is pleasing to Yahweh, though not wholeheartedly.

³ Once the kingdom was firmly under his control, he killed those of his officers who had murdered the king his father.

⁴ But he did not put their sons to death, in obedience to what is written in the Law, in the book of Moses, where Yahweh has ordered, ‘Fathers must not be put to death for sons, nor sons for fathers; each one must be put to death for his own sin’.

⁵ Amaziah called the men of Judah together and organised them in families with commanders of thousands and of hundreds for all Judah and Benjamin. He took a census of those who were twenty years old and upwards, and found there were three hundred thousand of them, eligible and fit for military service, with spear and shield to hand.

⁶ Next, he enrolled one hundred thousand valiant champions from Israel as mercenaries, for a hundred talents of silver.

⁷ A man of God then came to him. ‘O king,’ he said ‘the troops of Israel must not march with you, for Yahweh is not with Israel, nor with anyone from Ephraim.

⁸ For if they come, no matter how brave your conduct in the fight, God will still bring you down before your enemies, for God’s is the power to uphold or to throw down.’

⁹ Amaziah answered the man of God, ‘And what about the hundred talents I have given the Israelite contingent?’ ‘Yahweh can give you far more than that’ the man of God replied.

¹⁰ At this, Amaziah dismissed from his army the troops that had come to him from Ephraim and sent them home; these men were furious with Judah and went home in a great rage.

¹¹ Amaziah decided to lead out his troops and, having reached the Valley of Salt, defeated ten thousand of the sons of Seir.

¹² The men of Judah took ten thousand captives alive and, taking them to the summit of the Rock, threw them off the top; they were all dashed to pieces.

¹³ Then the contingent which Amaziah had dismissed and not allowed to fight with him raided the towns of Judah, from Samaria as far as Beth-horon, beating a force of three thousand strong and capturing great quantities of plunder.

¹⁴ On returning from his defeat of the Edomites, Amaziah brought the gods of the sons of Seir with him; he set these up as gods for himself, bowing down before them and burning incense to them.

¹⁵ The anger of Yahweh blazed out against Amaziah; he sent him a prophet, who said, ‘Why do you resort to this people’s gods, to gods who could not save their own people from your hands?’

¹⁶ He was still speaking when Amaziah interrupted him. ‘Have we appointed you a royal counsellor? If you do not want to be hurt, be quiet!’ The prophet paused; then he said, ‘I know that God has determined to destroy you, since you have behaved like this and have refused to listen to my advice’.

¹⁷ After consulting his advisers, Amaziah king of Judah sent a message to Joash son of Jehoahaz son of Jehu, king of Israel, saying, ‘Come and make a trial of strength!’

¹⁸ Joash king of Israel sent back word to Amaziah king of Judah, ‘The thistle of Lebanon sent a message to the cedar of Lebanon, saying, “Give my son your daughter in marriage”; but the wild animals of Lebanon trampled the thistle down as they passed.

¹⁹ “Look at me, the conqueror of Edom” you say, and now hold your head in the air; boast on, but stay at home. Why challenge disaster, to your own ruin and the ruin of Judah?’

²⁰ But Amaziah would not listen, and this was God’s doing: he intended to hand them over to their enemies for resorting to the gods of Edom.

²¹ And at Beth-shemesh, which belongs to Judah, they made their trial of strength, Joash and Amaziah king of Judah.

²² Judah was defeated by Israel, and everyone fled to his tent.

²³ The king of Judah, Amaziah son of Joash, son of Ahaziah, was taken prisoner at Beth-shemesh by Joash king of Israel who led him off to Jerusalem, where Joash demolished the city wall from the Gate of Ephraim to the Gate of the Corner for a distance of four hundred cubits.

²⁴ He took all the gold and silver, and all the furnishings to be found with Obed-edom in the Temple of God, the treasures of the royal palace, and hostages besides, and then returned to Samaria.

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

²⁶ The rest of the history of Amaziah, from first to last, is not all this recorded in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel?

²⁷ After the time when Amaziah rejected Yahweh, a plot was hatched against him in Jerusalem; he fled to Lachish; but he was followed to Lachish and was put to death there.

²⁸ He was brought back by horse, and buried with his ancestors in the Citadel of David.