2Chronicles:19-27
Seeker Overlay ON
*
And Jehoshaphat the king of Judah returned to his house in peace to Jerusalem .
*
And Jehu the son of Hanani the seer went out to meet him ,
and said to king Jehoshaphat ,
Shouldest thou help the ungodly ,
and love them that hate the LORD ?
therefore is wrath upon thee from before the LORD .
*
Nevertheless there are good things found in thee ,
in that thou hast taken away the groves out of the land ,
and hast prepared thine heart to seek God .
*
And Jehoshaphat dwelt at Jerusalem :
and he went out again through the people from Beersheba to mount Ephraim ,
and brought them back unto the LORD God of their fathers .
*
And he set judges in the land throughout all the fenced cities of Judah ,
city by city ,
*
And said to the judges ,
Take heed what ye do :
for ye judge not for man ,
but for the LORD ,
who is with you in the judgment .
*
Wherefore now let the fear of the LORD be upon you ;
take heed and do it :
for there is no iniquity with the LORD our God ,
nor respect of persons ,
nor taking of gifts .
*
Moreover in Jerusalem did Jehoshaphat set of the Levites ,
and of the priests ,
and of the chief of the fathers of Israel ,
for the judgment of the LORD ,
and for controversies ,
when they returned to Jerusalem .
*
And he charged them ,
saying ,
Thus shall ye do in the fear of the LORD ,
faithfully ,
and with a perfect heart .
*
And what cause soever shall come to you of your brethren that dwell in their cities ,
between blood and blood ,
between law and commandment ,
statutes and judgments ,
ye shall even warn them that they trespass not against the LORD ,
and so wrath come upon you ,
and upon your brethren :
this do ,
and ye shall not trespass .
*
And ,
behold ,
Amariah the chief priest is over you in all matters of the LORD ;
and Zebadiah the son of Ishmael ,
the ruler of the house of Judah ,
for all the king '
s matters :
also the Levites shall be officers before you .
Deal courageously ,
and the LORD shall be with the good .
*
It came to pass after this also ,
that the children of Moab ,
and the children of Ammon ,
and with them other beside the Ammonites ,
came against Jehoshaphat to battle .
*
Then there came some that told Jehoshaphat ,
saying ,
There cometh a great multitude against thee from beyond the sea on this side Syria ;
and ,
behold ,
they be in Hazazontamar ,
which is Engedi .
*
And Jehoshaphat feared ,
and set himself to seek the LORD ,
and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah .
*
And Judah gathered themselves together ,
to ask help of the LORD :
even out of all the cities of Judah they came to seek the LORD .
*
And Jehoshaphat stood in the congregation of Judah and Jerusalem ,
in the house of the LORD ,
before the new court ,
*
And said ,
O LORD God of our fathers ,
art not thou God in heaven ?
and rulest not thou over all the kingdoms of the heathen ?
and in thine hand is there not power and might ,
so that none is able to withstand thee ?
*
Art not thou our God ,
who didst drive out the inhabitants of this land before thy people Israel ,
and gavest it to the seed of Abraham thy friend for ever ?
*
And they dwelt therein ,
and have built thee a sanctuary therein for thy name ,
saying ,
*
If ,
when evil cometh upon us ,
as the sword ,
judgment ,
or pestilence ,
or famine ,
we stand before this house ,
and in thy presence , (
for thy name is in this house ,)
and cry unto thee in our affliction ,
then thou wilt hear and help .
*
And now ,
behold ,
the children of Ammon and Moab and mount Seir ,
whom thou wouldest not let Israel invade ,
when they came out of the land of Egypt ,
but they turned from them ,
and destroyed them not ;
*
Behold ,
I say ,
how they reward us ,
to come to cast us out of thy possession ,
which thou hast given us to inherit .
*
O our God ,
wilt thou not judge them ?
for we have no might against this great company that cometh against us ;
neither know we what to do :
but our eyes are upon thee .
*
And all Judah stood before the LORD ,
with their little ones ,
their wives ,
and their children .
*
Then upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah ,
the son of Benaiah ,
the son of Jeiel ,
the son of Mattaniah ,
a Levite of the sons of Asaph ,
came the Spirit of the LORD in the midst of the congregation ;
*
And he said ,
Hearken ye ,
all Judah ,
and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem ,
and thou king Jehoshaphat ,
Thus saith the LORD unto you ,
Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude ;
for the battle is not yours ,
but God '
s .
*
To morrow go ye down against them :
behold ,
they come up by the cliff of Ziz ;
and ye shall find them at the end of the brook ,
before the wilderness of Jeruel .
*
Ye shall not need to fight in this battle :
set yourselves ,
stand ye still ,
and see the salvation of the LORD with you ,
O Judah and Jerusalem :
fear not ,
nor be dismayed ;
to morrow go out against them :
for the LORD will be with you .
*
And Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground :
and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell before the LORD ,
worshipping the LORD .
*
And the Levites ,
of the children of the Kohathites ,
and of the children of the Korhites ,
stood up to praise the LORD God of Israel with a loud voice on high .
*
And they rose early in the morning ,
and went forth into the wilderness of Tekoa :
and as they went forth ,
Jehoshaphat stood and said ,
Hear me ,
O Judah ,
and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem ;
Believe in the LORD your God ,
so shall ye be established ;
believe his prophets ,
so shall ye prosper .
*
And when he had consulted with the people ,
he appointed singers unto the LORD ,
and that should praise the beauty of holiness ,
as they went out before the army ,
and to say ,
Praise the LORD ;
for his mercy endureth for ever .
*
And when they began to sing and to praise ,
the LORD set ambushments against the children of Ammon ,
Moab ,
and mount Seir ,
which were come against Judah ;
and they were smitten .
*
For the children of Ammon and Moab stood up against the inhabitants of mount Seir ,
utterly to slay and destroy them :
and when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir ,
every one helped to destroy another .
*
And when Judah came toward the watch tower in the wilderness ,
they looked unto the multitude ,
and ,
behold ,
they were dead bodies fallen to the earth ,
and none escaped .
*
And when Jehoshaphat and his people came to take away the spoil of them ,
they found among them in abundance both riches with the dead bodies ,
and precious jewels ,
which they stripped off for themselves ,
more than they could carry away :
and they were three days in gathering of the spoil ,
it was so much .
*
And on the fourth day they assembled themselves in the valley of Berachah ;
for there they blessed the LORD :
therefore the name of the same place was called ,
The valley of Berachah ,
unto this day .
*
Then they returned ,
every man of Judah and Jerusalem ,
and Jehoshaphat in the forefront of them ,
to go again to Jerusalem with joy ;
for the LORD had made them to rejoice over their enemies .
*
And they came to Jerusalem with psalteries and harps and trumpets unto the house of the LORD .
*
And the fear of God was on all the kingdoms of those countries ,
when they had heard that the LORD fought against the enemies of Israel .
*
So the realm of Jehoshaphat was quiet :
for his God gave him rest round about .
*
And Jehoshaphat reigned over Judah :
he was thirty and five years old when he began to reign ,
and he reigned twenty and five years in Jerusalem .
And his mother '
s name was Azubah the daughter of Shilhi .
*
And he walked in the way of Asa his father ,
and departed not from it ,
doing that which was right in the sight of the LORD .
*
Howbeit the high places were not taken away :
for as yet the people had not prepared their hearts unto the God of their fathers .
*
Now the rest of the acts of Jehoshaphat ,
first and last ,
behold ,
they are written in the book of Jehu the son of Hanani ,
who is mentioned in the book of the kings of Israel .
*
And after this did Jehoshaphat king of Judah join himself with Ahaziah king of Israel ,
who did very wickedly :
*
And he joined himself with him to make ships to go to Tarshish :
and they made the ships in Eziongeber .
*
Then Eliezer the son of Dodavah of Mareshah prophesied against Jehoshaphat ,
saying ,
Because thou hast joined thyself with Ahaziah ,
the LORD hath broken thy works .
And the ships were broken ,
that they were not able to go to Tarshish .
*
Now Jehoshaphat slept with his fathers ,
and was buried with his fathers in the city of David .
And Jehoram his son reigned in his stead .
*
And he had brethren the sons of Jehoshaphat ,
Azariah ,
and Jehiel ,
and Zechariah ,
and Azariah ,
and Michael ,
and Shephatiah :
all these were the sons of Jehoshaphat king of Israel .
*
And their father gave them great gifts of silver ,
and of gold ,
and of precious things ,
with fenced cities in Judah :
but the kingdom gave he to Jehoram ;
because he was the firstborn .
*
Now when Jehoram was risen up to the kingdom of his father ,
he strengthened himself ,
and slew all his brethren with the sword ,
and divers also of the princes of Israel .
*
Jehoram was thirty and two years old when he began to reign ,
and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem .
*
And he walked in the way of the kings of Israel ,
like as did the house of Ahab :
for he had the daughter of Ahab to wife :
and he wrought that which was evil in the eyes of the LORD .
*
Howbeit the LORD would not destroy the house of David ,
because of the covenant that he had made with David ,
and as he promised to give a light to him and to his sons for ever .
*
In his days the Edomites revolted from under the dominion of Judah ,
and made themselves a king .
*
Then Jehoram went forth with his princes ,
and all his chariots with him :
and he rose up by night ,
and smote the Edomites which compassed him in ,
and the captains of the chariots .
*
So the Edomites revolted from under the hand of Judah unto this day .
The same time also did Libnah revolt from under his hand ;
because he had forsaken the LORD God of his fathers .
*
Moreover he made high places in the mountains of Judah ,
and caused the inhabitants of Jerusalem to commit fornication ,
and compelled Judah thereto .
*
And there came a writing to him from Elijah the prophet ,
saying ,
Thus saith the LORD God of David thy father ,
Because thou hast not walked in the ways of Jehoshaphat thy father ,
nor in the ways of Asa king of Judah ,
*
But hast walked in the way of the kings of Israel ,
and hast made Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to go a whoring ,
like to the whoredoms of the house of Ahab ,
and also hast slain thy brethren of thy father '
s house ,
which were better than thyself :
*
Behold ,
with a great plague will the LORD smite thy people ,
and thy children ,
and thy wives ,
and all thy goods :
*
And thou shalt have great sickness by disease of thy bowels ,
until thy bowels fall out by reason of the sickness day by day .
*
Moreover the LORD stirred up against Jehoram the spirit of the Philistines ,
and of the Arabians ,
that were near the Ethiopians :
*
And they came up into Judah ,
and brake into it ,
and carried away all the substance that was found in the king '
s house ,
and his sons also ,
and his wives ;
so that there was never a son left him ,
save Jehoahaz ,
the youngest of his sons .
*
And after all this the LORD smote him in his bowels with an incurable disease .
*
And it came to pass ,
that in process of time ,
after the end of two years ,
his bowels fell out by reason of his sickness :
so he died of sore diseases .
And his people made no burning for him ,
like the burning of his fathers .
*
Thirty and two years old was he when he began to reign ,
and he reigned in Jerusalem eight years ,
and departed without being desired .
Howbeit they buried him in the city of David ,
but not in the sepulchres of the kings .
*
And the inhabitants of Jerusalem made Ahaziah his youngest son king in his stead :
for the band of men that came with the Arabians to the camp had slain all the eldest .
So Ahaziah the son of Jehoram king of Judah reigned .
*
Forty and two years old was Ahaziah when he began to reign ,
and he reigned one year in Jerusalem .
His mother '
s name also was Athaliah the daughter of Omri .
*
He also walked in the ways of the house of Ahab :
for his mother was his counsellor to do wickedly .
*
Wherefore he did evil in the sight of the LORD like the house of Ahab :
for they were his counsellors after the death of his father to his destruction .
*
He walked also after their counsel ,
and went with Jehoram the son of Ahab king of Israel to war against Hazael king of Syria at Ramothgilead :
and the Syrians smote Joram .
*
And he returned to be healed in Jezreel because of the wounds which were given him at Ramah ,
when he fought with Hazael king of Syria .
And Azariah the son of Jehoram king of Judah went down to see Jehoram the son of Ahab at Jezreel ,
because he was sick .
*
And the destruction of Ahaziah was of God by coming to Joram :
for when he was come ,
he went out with Jehoram against Jehu the son of Nimshi ,
whom the LORD had anointed to cut off the house of Ahab .
*
And it came to pass ,
that ,
when Jehu was executing judgment upon the house of Ahab ,
and found the princes of Judah ,
and the sons of the brethren of Ahaziah ,
that ministered to Ahaziah ,
he slew them .
*
And he sought Ahaziah :
and they caught him , (
for he was hid in Samaria ,)
and brought him to Jehu :
and when they had slain him ,
they buried him :
Because ,
said they ,
he is the son of Jehoshaphat ,
who sought the LORD with all his heart .
So the house of Ahaziah had no power to keep still the kingdom .
*
But when Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead ,
she arose and destroyed all the seed royal of the house of Judah .
*
But Jehoshabeath ,
the daughter of the king ,
took Joash the son of Ahaziah ,
and stole him from among the king '
s sons that were slain ,
and put him and his nurse in a bedchamber .
So Jehoshabeath ,
the daughter of king Jehoram ,
the wife of Jehoiada the priest , (
for she was the sister of Ahaziah ,)
hid him from Athaliah ,
so that she slew him not .
*
And he was with them hid in the house of God six years :
and Athaliah reigned over the land .
*
And in the seventh year Jehoiada strengthened himself ,
and took the captains of hundreds ,
Azariah the son of Jeroham ,
and Ishmael the son of Jehohanan ,
and Azariah the son of Obed ,
and Maaseiah the son of Adaiah ,
and Elishaphat the son of Zichri ,
into covenant with him .
*
And they went about in Judah ,
and gathered the Levites out of all the cities of Judah ,
and the chief of the fathers of Israel ,
and they came to Jerusalem .
*
And all the congregation made a covenant with the king in the house of God .
And he said unto them ,
Behold ,
the king '
s son shall reign ,
as the LORD hath said of the sons of David .
*
This is the thing that ye shall do ;
A third part of you entering on the sabbath ,
of the priests and of the Levites ,
shall be porters of the doors ;
*
And a third part shall be at the king '
s house ;
and a third part at the gate of the foundation :
and all the people shall be in the courts of the house of the LORD .
*
But let none come into the house of the LORD ,
save the priests ,
and they that minister of the Levites ;
they shall go in ,
for they are holy :
but all the people shall keep the watch of the LORD .
*
And the Levites shall compass the king round about ,
every man with his weapons in his hand ;
and whosoever else cometh into the house ,
he shall be put to death :
but be ye with the king when he cometh in ,
and when he goeth out .
*
So the Levites and all Judah did according to all things that Jehoiada the priest had commanded ,
and took every man his men that were to come in on the sabbath ,
with them that were to go out on the sabbath :
for Jehoiada the priest dismissed not the courses .
*
Moreover Jehoiada the priest delivered to the captains of hundreds spears ,
and bucklers ,
and shields ,
that had been king David '
s ,
which were in the house of God .
*
And he set all the people ,
every man having his weapon in his hand ,
from the right side of the temple to the left side of the temple ,
along by the altar and the temple ,
by the king round about .
*
Then they brought out the king '
s son ,
and put upon him the crown ,
and gave him the testimony ,
and made him king .
And Jehoiada and his sons anointed him ,
and said ,
God save the king .
*
Now when Athaliah heard the noise of the people running and praising the king ,
she came to the people into the house of the LORD :
*
And she looked ,
and ,
behold ,
the king stood at his pillar at the entering in ,
and the princes and the trumpets by the king :
and all the people of the land rejoiced ,
and sounded with trumpets ,
also the singers with instruments of musick ,
and such as taught to sing praise .
Then Athaliah rent her clothes ,
and said ,
Treason ,
Treason .
*
Then Jehoiada the priest brought out the captains of hundreds that were set over the host ,
and said unto them ,
Have her forth of the ranges :
and whoso followeth her ,
let him be slain with the sword .
For the priest said ,
Slay her not in the house of the LORD .
*
So they laid hands on her ;
and when she was come to the entering of the horse gate by the king '
s house ,
they slew her there .
*
And Jehoiada made a covenant between him ,
and between all the people ,
and between the king ,
that they should be the LORD '
S people .
*
Then all the people went to the house of Baal ,
and brake it down ,
and brake his altars and his images in pieces ,
and slew Mattan the priest of Baal before the altars .
*
Also Jehoiada appointed the offices of the house of the LORD by the hand of the priests the Levites ,
whom David had distributed in the house of the LORD ,
to offer the burnt offerings of the LORD ,
as it is written in the law of Moses ,
with rejoicing and with singing ,
as it was ordained by David .
*
And he set the porters at the gates of the house of the LORD ,
that none which was unclean in any thing should enter in .
*
And he took the captains of hundreds ,
and the nobles ,
and the governors of the people ,
and all the people of the land ,
and brought down the king from the house of the LORD :
and they came through the high gate into the king '
s house ,
and set the king upon the throne of the kingdom .
*
And all the people of the land rejoiced :
and the city was quiet ,
after that they had slain Athaliah with the sword .
*
Joash was seven years old when he began to reign ,
and he reigned forty years in Jerusalem .
His mother '
s name also was Zibiah of Beersheba .
*
And Joash did that which was right in the sight of the LORD all the days of Jehoiada the priest .
*
And Jehoiada took for him two wives ;
and he begat sons and daughters .
*
And it came to pass after this ,
that Joash was minded to repair the house of the LORD .
*
And he gathered together the priests and the Levites ,
and said to them ,
Go out unto the cities of Judah ,
and gather of all Israel money to repair the house of your God from year to year ,
and see that ye hasten the matter .
Howbeit the Levites hastened it not .
*
And the king called for Jehoiada the chief ,
and said unto him ,
Why hast thou not required of the Levites to bring in out of Judah and out of Jerusalem the collection ,
according to the commandment of Moses the servant of the LORD ,
and of the congregation of Israel ,
for the tabernacle of witness ?
*
For the sons of Athaliah ,
that wicked woman ,
had broken up the house of God ;
and also all the dedicated things of the house of the LORD did they bestow upon Baalim .
*
And at the king '
s commandment they made a chest ,
and set it without at the gate of the house of the LORD .
*
And they made a proclamation through Judah and Jerusalem ,
to bring in to the LORD the collection that Moses the servant of God laid upon Israel in the wilderness .
*
And all the princes and all the people rejoiced ,
and brought in ,
and cast into the chest ,
until they had made an end .
*
Now it came to pass ,
that at what time the chest was brought unto the king '
s office by the hand of the Levites ,
and when they saw that there was much money ,
the king '
s scribe and the high priest '
s officer came and emptied the chest ,
and took it ,
and carried it to his place again .
Thus they did day by day ,
and gathered money in abundance .
*
And the king and Jehoiada gave it to such as did the work of the service of the house of the LORD ,
and hired masons and carpenters to repair the house of the LORD ,
and also such as wrought iron and brass to mend the house of the LORD .
*
So the workmen wrought ,
and the work was perfected by them ,
and they set the house of God in his state ,
and strengthened it .
*
And when they had finished it ,
they brought the rest of the money before the king and Jehoiada ,
whereof were made vessels for the house of the LORD ,
even vessels to minister ,
and to offer withal ,
and spoons ,
and vessels of gold and silver .
And they offered burnt offerings in the house of the LORD continually all the days of Jehoiada .
*
But Jehoiada waxed old ,
and was full of days when he died ;
an hundred and thirty years old was he when he died .
*
And they buried him in the city of David among the kings ,
because he had done good in Israel ,
both toward God ,
and toward his house .
*
Now after the death of Jehoiada came the princes of Judah ,
and made obeisance to the king .
Then the king hearkened unto them .
*
And they left the house of the LORD God of their fathers ,
and served groves and idols :
and wrath came upon Judah and Jerusalem for this their trespass .
*
Yet he sent prophets to them ,
to bring them again unto the LORD ;
and they testified against them :
but they would not give ear .
*
And the Spirit of God came upon Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest ,
which stood above the people ,
and said unto them ,
Thus saith God ,
Why transgress ye the commandments of the LORD ,
that ye cannot prosper ?
because ye have forsaken the LORD ,
he hath also forsaken you .
*
And they conspired against him ,
and stoned him with stones at the commandment of the king in the court of the house of the LORD .
*
Thus Joash the king remembered not the kindness which Jehoiada his father had done to him ,
but slew his son .
And when he died ,
he said ,
The LORD look upon it ,
and require it .
*
And it came to pass at the end of the year ,
that the host of Syria came up against him :
and they came to Judah and Jerusalem ,
and destroyed all the princes of the people from among the people ,
and sent all the spoil of them unto the king of Damascus .
*
For the army of the Syrians came with a small company of men ,
and the LORD delivered a very great host into their hand ,
because they had forsaken the LORD God of their fathers .
So they executed judgment against Joash .
*
And when they were departed from him , (
for they left him in great diseases ,)
his own servants conspired against him for the blood of the sons of Jehoiada the priest ,
and slew him on his bed ,
and he died :
and they buried him in the city of David ,
but they buried him not in the sepulchres of the kings .
*
And these are they that conspired against him ;
Zabad the son of Shimeath an Ammonitess ,
and Jehozabad the son of Shimrith a Moabitess .
*
Now concerning his sons ,
and the greatness of the burdens laid upon him ,
and the repairing of the house of God ,
behold ,
they are written in the story of the book of the kings .
And Amaziah his son reigned in his stead .
*
Amaziah was twenty and five years old when he began to reign ,
and he reigned twenty and nine years in Jerusalem .
And his mother '
s name was Jehoaddan of Jerusalem .
*
And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD ,
but not with a perfect heart .
*
Now it came to pass ,
when the kingdom was established to him ,
that he slew his servants that had killed the king his father .
*
But he slew not their children ,
but did as it is written in the law in the book of Moses ,
where the LORD 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 .
*
Moreover Amaziah gathered Judah together ,
and made them captains over thousands ,
and captains over hundreds ,
according to the houses of their fathers ,
throughout all Judah and Benjamin :
and he numbered them from twenty years old and above ,
and found them three hundred thousand choice men ,
able to go forth to war ,
that could handle spear and shield .
*
He hired also an hundred thousand mighty men of valour out of Israel for an hundred talents of silver .
*
But there came a man of God to him ,
saying ,
O king ,
let not the army of Israel go with thee ;
for the LORD is not with Israel ,
to wit ,
with all the children of Ephraim .
*
But if thou wilt go ,
do it ,
be strong for the battle :
God shall make thee fall before the enemy :
for God hath power to help ,
and to cast down .
*
And 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 ?
And the man of God answered ,
The LORD is able to give thee much more than this .
*
Then Amaziah separated them ,
to wit ,
the army that was come to him out of Ephraim ,
to go home again :
wherefore their anger was greatly kindled against Judah ,
and they returned home in great anger .
*
And Amaziah strengthened himself ,
and led forth his people ,
and went to the valley of salt ,
and smote of the children of Seir ten thousand .
*
And other ten thousand left alive did the children of Judah carry away captive ,
and brought them unto the top of the rock ,
and cast them down from the top of the rock ,
that they all were broken in pieces .
*
But the soldiers of the army which Amaziah sent back ,
that they should not go with him to battle ,
fell upon the cities of Judah ,
from Samaria even unto Bethhoron ,
and smote three thousand of them ,
and took much spoil .
*
Now it came to pass ,
after that Amaziah was 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 unto them .
*
Wherefore the anger of the LORD was kindled against Amaziah ,
and he sent unto him a prophet ,
which said unto him ,
Why hast thou sought after the gods of the people ,
which could not deliver their own people out of thine hand ?
*
And it came to pass ,
as he talked with him ,
that the king said unto him ,
Art thou made of the king '
s counsel ?
forbear ;
why shouldest thou be smitten ?
Then the prophet forbare ,
and said ,
I know that God hath determined to destroy thee ,
because thou hast done this ,
and hast not hearkened unto my counsel .
*
Then Amaziah king of Judah took advice ,
and sent to Joash ,
the son of Jehoahaz ,
the son of Jehu ,
king of Israel ,
saying ,
Come ,
let us see one another in the face .
*
And 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 thy daughter to my son to wife :
and there passed by a wild beast that was in Lebanon ,
and trode down the thistle .
*
Thou sayest ,
Lo ,
thou hast smitten the Edomites ;
and thine heart lifteth thee up to boast :
abide now at home ;
why shouldest thou meddle to thine hurt ,
that thou shouldest fall ,
even thou ,
and Judah with thee ?
*
But Amaziah would not hear ;
for it came of God ,
that he might deliver them into the hand of their enemies ,
because they sought after the gods of Edom .
*
So Joash the king of Israel went up ;
and they saw one another in the face ,
both he and Amaziah king of Judah ,
at Bethshemesh ,
which belongeth to Judah .
*
And Judah was put to the worse before Israel ,
and they fled every man to his tent .
*
And Joash the king of Israel took Amaziah king of Judah ,
the son of Joash ,
the son of Jehoahaz ,
at Bethshemesh ,
and brought him to Jerusalem ,
and brake down the wall of Jerusalem from the gate of Ephraim to the corner gate ,
four hundred cubits .
*
And he took all the gold and the silver ,
and all the vessels that were found in the house of God with Obededom ,
and the treasures of the king '
s house ,
the hostages also ,
and returned to Samaria .
*
And Amaziah the son of Joash king of Judah lived after the death of Joash son of Jehoahaz king of Israel fifteen years .
*
Now the rest of the acts of Amaziah ,
first and last ,
behold ,
are they not written in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel ?
*
Now after the time that Amaziah did turn away from following the LORD they made a conspiracy against him in Jerusalem ;
and he fled to Lachish :
but they sent to Lachish after him ,
and slew him there .
*
And they brought him upon horses ,
and buried him with his fathers in the city of Judah .
*
Then all the people of Judah took Uzziah ,
who was sixteen years old ,
and made him king in the room of his father Amaziah .
*
He built Eloth ,
and restored it to Judah ,
after that the king slept with his fathers .
*
Sixteen years old was Uzziah when he began to reign ,
and he reigned fifty and two years in Jerusalem .
His mother '
s name also was Jecoliah of Jerusalem .
*
And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD ,
according to all that his father Amaziah did .
*
And he sought God in the days of Zechariah ,
who had understanding in the visions of God :
and as long as he sought the LORD ,
God made him to prosper .
*
And he went forth and warred against the Philistines ,
and brake down the wall of Gath ,
and the wall of Jabneh ,
and the wall of Ashdod ,
and built cities about Ashdod ,
and among the Philistines .
*
And God helped him against the Philistines ,
and against the Arabians that dwelt in Gurbaal ,
and the Mehunims .
*
And the Ammonites gave gifts to Uzziah :
and his name spread abroad even to the entering in of Egypt ;
for he strengthened himself exceedingly .
*
Moreover Uzziah built towers in Jerusalem at the corner gate ,
and at the valley gate ,
and at the turning of the wall ,
and fortified them .
*
Also he built towers in the desert ,
and digged many wells :
for he had much cattle ,
both in the low country ,
and in the plains :
husbandmen also ,
and vine dressers in the mountains ,
and in Carmel :
for he loved husbandry .
*
Moreover Uzziah had an host of fighting men ,
that went out to war by bands ,
according to the number of their account by the hand of Jeiel the scribe and Maaseiah the ruler ,
under the hand of Hananiah ,
one of the king '
s captains .
*
The whole number of the chief of the fathers of the mighty men of valour were two thousand and six hundred .
*
And under their hand was an army ,
three hundred thousand and seven thousand and five hundred ,
that made war with mighty power ,
to help the king against the enemy .
*
And Uzziah prepared for them throughout all the host shields ,
and spears ,
and helmets ,
and habergeons ,
and bows ,
and slings to cast stones .
*
And he made in Jerusalem engines ,
invented by cunning men ,
to be on the towers and upon the bulwarks ,
to shoot arrows and great stones withal .
And his name spread far abroad ;
for he was marvellously helped ,
till he was strong .
*
But when he was strong ,
his heart was lifted up to his destruction :
for he transgressed against the LORD his God ,
and went into the temple of the LORD to burn incense upon the altar of incense .
*
And Azariah the priest went in after him ,
and with him fourscore priests of the LORD ,
that were valiant men :
*
And they withstood Uzziah the king ,
and said unto him ,
It appertaineth not unto thee ,
Uzziah ,
to burn incense unto the LORD ,
but to the priests the sons of Aaron ,
that are consecrated to burn incense :
go out of the sanctuary ;
for thou hast trespassed ;
neither shall it be for thine honour from the LORD God .
*
Then Uzziah was wroth ,
and had a censer in his hand to burn incense :
and while he was wroth with the priests ,
the leprosy even rose up in his forehead before the priests in the house of the LORD ,
from beside the incense altar .
*
And Azariah the chief priest ,
and all the priests ,
looked upon him ,
and ,
behold ,
he was leprous in his forehead ,
and they thrust him out from thence ;
yea ,
himself hasted also to go out ,
because the LORD had smitten him .
*
And Uzziah the king was a leper unto the day of his death ,
and dwelt in a several house ,
being a leper ;
for he was cut off from the house of the LORD :
and Jotham his son was over the king '
s house ,
judging the people of the land .
*
Now the rest of the acts of Uzziah ,
first and last ,
did Isaiah the prophet ,
the son of Amoz ,
write .
*
So Uzziah slept with his fathers ,
and they buried him with his fathers in the field of the burial which belonged to the kings ;
for they said ,
He is a leper :
and Jotham his son reigned in his stead .
*
Jotham was twenty and five years old when he began to reign ,
and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem .
His mother '
s name also was Jerushah ,
the daughter of Zadok .
*
And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD ,
according to all that his father Uzziah did :
howbeit he entered not into the temple of the LORD .
And the people did yet corruptly .
*
He built the high gate of the house of the LORD ,
and on the wall of Ophel he built much .
*
Moreover he built cities in the mountains of Judah ,
and in the forests he built castles and towers .
*
He fought also with the king of the Ammonites ,
and prevailed against them .
And the children of Ammon gave him the same year an hundred talents of silver ,
and ten thousand measures of wheat ,
and ten thousand of barley .
So much did the children of Ammon pay unto him ,
both the second year ,
and the third .
*
So Jotham became mighty ,
because he prepared his ways before the LORD his God .
*
Now the rest of the acts of Jotham ,
and all his wars ,
and his ways ,
lo ,
they are written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah .
*
He was five and twenty years old when he began to reign ,
and reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem .
*
And Jotham slept with his fathers ,
and they buried him in the city of David :
and Ahaz his son reigned in his stead .
*
Ahaz was twenty years old when he began to reign ,
and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem :
but he did not that which was right in the sight of the LORD ,
like David his father :