The Second Book of the Kings

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- Chapter 14 -

(2 Chronicles 25:1–4)

After Jehoash had been ruling Israel for almost two years, Joash’s son Amaziah became the king of Judah.

He was twenty-five years old when he started to rule, and he ruled in Jerusalem for twenty-nine years. His mother was Jehoaddin. She was from Jerusalem.

Amaziah did many things that pleased Yahweh, but he did not do as many things that pleased Yahweh as King David had done. He did some of the good things that his father Joash had done.

But, like his father, he did not tear down the other places for worshiping Yahweh. The people continued to burn incense to honor Yahweh in those place instead of in Jerusalem, the place that Yahweh had appointed.

As soon as he was completely in control of his kingdom, he made his servants execute the officials who had murdered his father.

But he did not tell his servants to execute those officials’ children. He obeyed what was written in the laws that God gave to Moses, “Parents must not be executed for the crimes committed by their parents. People must be executed only for the sins that they themselves have committed.”

Amaziah’s soldiers killed ten thousand soldiers of the Edom people group in the Valley of Salt south of the Dead Sea, and they captured the city of Sela and gave it a new name, Joktheel. That is still its name.

Jehoash Defeats Amaziah

(2 Chronicles 25:17–24)

Then Amaziah sent messengers to King Jehoash of Israel, saying, “Come here and let us and our armies fight each other in battle.”

But King Jehoash replied with this parable to King Amaziah: “Once a thornbush growing in the mountains in Lebanon sent a message to a cedar tree, saying, ‘Give your daughter to my son in order that he may marry her.’ But a wild animal in Lebanon passed by the thornbush and trampled it.”

The meaning of what I am saying is that your army has defeated the army of Edom, so now you have become very proud. But you should be content with defeating the people of Edom; you should allow your soldiers to stay at home. If you cause trouble by fighting against us, you will surely cause a disaster to happen to you and to your people.”

But Amaziah refused to pay attention to Jehoash’s message. So Jehoash and Amaziah led their armies to Beth Shemesh in Judah, and it was there that their armies came together to fight each other.

The Israelite army defeated the army of Judah, and all the soldiers of Judah fled and ran back home.

Jehoash’s army also captured King Amaziah there, and they also marched to Jerusalem and tore down the wall that was around the city, from the Ephraim Gate to the Corner Gate. That was a section of wall about 180 meters long.

Jehoash’s soldiers seized all the gold and silver that they found, all the objects that were in the temple, and all the valuable things that were in the palace; they took them to Samaria. They also took to Samaria some prisoners to make sure that Amaziah would cause them no more trouble.

Jeroboam II Succeeds Jehoash in Israel

If you want to know about all the other things that Jehoash did when he was king, including when he and his army fought against the army of King Amaziah of Judah, they are written in the Book of the Events of the Kings of Israel.

Jehoash died, and he was buried in Samaria, where the other kings of Israel had been buried. Then his son Jeroboam became the king.

The Death of Amaziah

(2 Chronicles 25:25–28)

Amaziah, the king of Judah, lived for fifteen more years after Jehoash, the king of Israel, died.

If you want to know more about everything else that Amaziah did, it is written in the Book of the Events of the Kings of Judah.

Some people in Jerusalem plotted against him, so he fled to the city of Lachish. But they followed him there and killed him.

They took his corpse back to Jerusalem and buried it where his ancestors had been buried, in the part of Jerusalem called the city of David.

Azariah Succeeds Amaziah in Judah

(2 Chronicles 26:1–2)

Then all the people of Judah appointed Azariah, whose father was Amaziah, to be their king. He became king when he was sixteen years old.

After Azariah’s father Amaziah died, Azariah’s army captured the city of Elath, and it came under the control of Judah again.

Jeroboam II Reigns in Israel

When Amaziah had been ruling Judah for almost fifteen years, Jeroboam became the king of Israel. He ruled in the city of Samaria for forty-one years.

He did many things that Yahweh said were evil. He did not stop committing the same kind of sins that Jeroboam son of Nebat, had committed, sins that had induced the Israelite people to sin also.

Jeroboam’s soldiers conquered again some of the territory that had previously belonged to Israel, from the city of Hamath in the north to the Dead Sea in the south. That is what Yahweh, the God whom the Israelites worshiped, promised the prophet Jonah son of Amittai, from the city of Gath Hepher, would happen.

That happened because Yahweh saw that the Israelites’ enemies were causing the Israelites to suffer very much. And there was absolutely no one who would help them.

But Yahweh said that he would not destroy Israel completely, so he enabled King Jeroboam to rescue them.

If you want to know more about everything else that Jeroboam did, about how he courageously fought in battle, and about how he enabled the Israelites to capture again the cities of Damascus and Hamath, they are written in the Book of the Events of the Kings of Israel.

Jeroboam died, and was buried where the other kings of Israel were buried, and his son Zechariah became the king.

(2 Chronicles 25:1–4)

In the second year of Joash, son of Joahaz, king of Israel, Amaziah the son of Joash king of Judah began to reign.

He was twenty-five years old when he began to reign; and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jehoaddin of Jerusalem.

He did that which was right in the LORD’s eyes, yet not like David his father. He did according to all that Joash his father had done.

However the high places were not taken away. The people still sacrificed and burned incense in the high places.

As soon as the kingdom was established in his hand, he killed his servants who had slain the king his father,

but the children of the murderers he didn’t put to death, according to that which is written in the book of the law of Moses, as the LORD commanded, saying, “The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, nor the children be put to death for the fathers; but every man shall die for his own sin.”

He killed ten thousand Edomites in the Valley of Salt, and took Sela by war, and called its name Joktheel, to this day.

Jehoash Defeats Amaziah

(2 Chronicles 25:17–24)

Then Amaziah sent messengers to Jehoash, the son of Jehoahaz son of Jehu, king of Israel, saying, “Come, let’s look one another in the face.”

Jehoash the 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.’ Then a wild animal that was in Lebanon passed by, and trampled down the thistle.

You have indeed struck Edom, and your heart has lifted you up. Enjoy the glory of it, and stay at home; for why should you meddle to your harm, that you fall, even you, and Judah with you?”

But Amaziah would not listen. So Jehoash 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.

Judah was defeated by Israel; and each man fled to his tent.

Jehoash king of Israel took Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Jehoash the son of Ahaziah, at Beth Shemesh and came to Jerusalem, then broke down the wall of Jerusalem from the gate of Ephraim to the corner gate, four hundred cubits.(a)

He took all the gold and silver and all the vessels that were found in the LORD’s house and in the treasures of the king’s house, the hostages also, and returned to Samaria.

Jeroboam II Succeeds Jehoash in Israel

Now the rest of the acts of Jehoash which he did, and his might, and how he fought with Amaziah king of Judah, aren’t they written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?

Jehoash slept with his fathers, and was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel; and Jeroboam his son reigned in his place.

The Death of Amaziah

(2 Chronicles 25:25–28)

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

Now the rest of the acts of Amaziah, aren’t they written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?

They made a conspiracy against him in Jerusalem, and he fled to Lachish; but they sent after him to Lachish and killed him there.

They brought him on horses, and he was buried at Jerusalem with his fathers in David’s city.

Azariah Succeeds Amaziah in Judah

(2 Chronicles 26:1–2)

All the people of Judah took Azariah, who was sixteen years old, and made him king in the place of his father Amaziah.

He built Elath and restored it to Judah. After that the king slept with his fathers.

Jeroboam II Reigns in Israel

In the fifteenth year of Amaziah the son of Joash king of Judah, Jeroboam the son of Joash king of Israel began to reign in Samaria for forty-one years.

He did that which was evil in the LORD’s sight. He didn’t depart from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, with which he made Israel to sin.

He restored the border of Israel from the entrance of Hamath to the sea of the Arabah, according to the LORD, the God of Israel’s word, which he spoke by his servant Jonah the son of Amittai, the prophet, who was from Gath Hepher.

For the LORD saw the affliction of Israel, that it was very bitter for all, slave and free; and there was no helper for Israel.

The LORD didn’t say that he would blot out the name of Israel from under the sky; but he saved them by the hand of Jeroboam the son of Joash.

Now the rest of the acts of Jeroboam, and all that he did, and his might, how he fought, and how he recovered Damascus, and Hamath, which had belonged to Judah, for Israel, aren’t they written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?

Jeroboam slept with his fathers, even with the kings of Israel; and Zechariah his son reigned in his place.

Footnotes

(a)14:13 A cubit is the length from the tip of the middle finger to the elbow on a man’s arm, or about 18 inches or 46 centimeters.