Second Book of Kings 14

¹ In the second year of Joash son of Jehoahaz, king of Israel, Amaziah son of Joash became king of Judah.

² He 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 Jehoaddin, of Jerusalem.

³ He did what is pleasing to Yahweh, though not like his ancestor David; he imitated his father Joash in all respects.

⁴ The high places, however, were not abolished, and the people still offered sacrifices and incense on the high places.

⁵ Once the kingdom was firmly under his control, he killed those of his officers who had murdered the king his father.

⁶ But he did not put the murderers’ sons to death, in accordance with what is written in the Book of Moses, where Yahweh has ordered: ‘Fathers must not be put to death for sons, nor sons for fathers; every one must be put to death for his own sin.’

⁷ It was he who defeated the Edomites in the Valley of Salt, ten thousand of them, and who took the Rock by assault; he gave it the name Joktheel, which it bears to this present day.

⁸ Then Amaziah sent messengers to Jehoash son of Jehoahaz son of Jehu, king of Israel, saying, ‘Come and make a trial of strength!’

⁹ Jehoash king of Israel sent word to Amaziah king of Judah, ‘The thistle of Lebanon sent a message to the cedar of Lebanon, “Give my son your daughter in marriage”; but the wild animals of Lebanon trampled down the thistle as they passed.

¹⁰ You have conquered Edom, 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?’

¹¹ But Amaziah would not listen, and Jehoash king of Israel marched to the attack. And at Beth-shemesh, which belongs to Judah, they made their trial of strength, Jehoash and Amaziah king of Judah.

¹² Judah was defeated by Israel, and everyone fled to his tent.

¹³ The king of Judah, Amaziah son of Jehoash, 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.

¹⁴ He took all the gold and silver, and all the furnishings to be found in the Temple of Yahweh and in the treasury of the royal palace, and hostages besides, and then returned to Samaria.

¹⁵ The rest of the history of Jehoash, his entire career, his prowess, how he waged war on Amaziah king of Judah, is not all this recorded in the Book of the Annals of the Kings of Israel?

¹⁶ Then Jehoash slept with his ancestors, and was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel; his son Jeroboam succeeded him.

¹⁷ Amaziah son of Joash, king of Judah, lived for fifteen years after the death of Jehoash son of Jehoahaz, king of Israel.

¹⁸ The rest of the history of Amaziah, is not all this recorded in the Book of the Annals of the Kings of Judah?

¹⁹ A plot having been hatched against him in Jerusalem, he fled to Lachish; but he was followed to Lachish where he was put to death.

²⁰ He was brought back by horse, and buried in Jerusalem with his ancestors in the Citadel of David.

²¹ All the people of Judah chose Uzziah, then sixteen years old, and made him king in succession to his father Amaziah.

²² It was he who rebuilt Elath and recovered it for Judah, after the king had slept with his ancestors.

²³ In the fifteenth year of Amaziah son of Joash, king of Judah, Jeroboam son of Joash became king of Israel in Samaria. He reigned for forty-one years.

²⁴ He did what is displeasing to Yahweh and did not give up any of the sins into which Jeroboam son of Nebat had led Israel.

²⁵ It was he who recovered the territory of Israel from the Pass of Hamath as far as the Sea of the Arabah, in accordance with the word that Yahweh, the God of Israel, had spoken through his servant Jonah[*a] son of Amittai, the prophet from Gath-hepher.

²⁶ For Yahweh had seen how very bitter the affliction of Israel was, with no one, neither fettered nor free, to come to the help of Israel.

²⁷ But Yahweh had resolved not to blot out the name of Israel from under heaven; he rescued them by means of Jeroboam son of Joash.

²⁸ The rest of the history of Jeroboam, his entire career, his prowess, what wars he waged, how he. . . is not all this recorded in the Book of the Annals of the Kings of Israel?

²⁹ Then Jeroboam slept with his ancestors. They buried him in Samaria with the kings of Israel; his son Zechariah succeeded him.