Amaziah Begins Well
25 Amaziah was 25 years old when he became king and reigned 29 years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jehoaddan from Jerusalem. 2 Now he did what was right in the eyes of Adonai, but not wholeheartedly. 3 Once he had the kingdom firmly secured under him, he executed his courtiers who had assassinated his father the king. 4 He did not put their children to death, but acted according to what is written in the Torah, in the book of Moses, which Adonai commanded saying,
“Parents should not die for the children, neither should the children die for the parents, but every person should die for his own sin.”
5 Amaziah gathered together the people of Judah and assigned them according to their clans to officers of thousands and officers of hundreds for all Judah and Benjamin. He mustered those from 20 years old and upward, and found 300,000 chosen men, able to go to war, able to handle spear and shield. 6 He also hired 100,000 valiant warriors from Israel for a hundred talents of silver.
7 But a man of God came to him saying, “O king, do not let the army of Israel go with you, for Adonai is not with Israel—not with any of the children of Ephraim. 8 For if you go and fight courageously in battle, God will overthrow you before the enemy, for God has power to help and to bring down.”
9 But Amaziah said to the man of God, “And what is to be done about the 100 talents that I have given to the Israelite troops?”
The man of God answered, “Adonai is able to give you much more than that.”
10 So, Amaziah dismissed the troops who had come to him from Ephraim to go back to their homes. Their anger burned greatly against Judah and they returned home in a rage.
11 Amaziah then took courage and leading his army, marched to the Valley of Salt. He struck down 10,000 men of Seir. 12 The army of Judah also captured 10,000 alive, and brought them to the top of the cliff. They threw them down from the top of the cliff and everyone fell to their death.
13 Meanwhile the troops that Amaziah had sent back and not allowed to go with him to battle raided the cities of Judah from Samaria to Beth-Horon. They struck down 3,000 of them and took considerable spoils.
Idolatry and Defiance
14 Now after Amaziah returned from slaughtering the Edomites, he had the gods of the men of Seir brought and installed as his gods. He prostrated himself before them and burned incense to them. 15 The anger of Adonai burned against Amaziah, and He sent a prophet to him, who said to him, “Why have you sought after the gods of the people who could not deliver their own people from your hand?”
16 But while he was still speaking to him, the king said to him, “Have we appointed you a counselor to the king? Stop! Why should you be struck down?”
So the prophet stopped after he said, “Now I know that God has determined to destroy you, because you have acted this way and have not listened to my counsel.”
17 Then Amaziah king of Judah took counsel and sent this message to Joash son of Jehoahaz son of Jehu, king of Israel saying, “Come, let us meet face to face.”
18 Joash king of Israel replied to Amaziah king of Judah saying: “The thorn bush in Lebanon sent a message to the cedar in Lebanon saying, ‘Give your daughter to my son in marriage.’ Then a wild beast of Lebanon passed by and trambled the thorn bush. 19 You say, ‘Behold, I have defeated Edom.’ So now your heart has become arrogant and proud. Stay home! Why ask for trouble and cause your own downfall and that of Judah with you?”
20 However, Amaziah would not listen, for it was from God in order that He might deliver them into the hand of Joash because they had sought the gods of Edom. 21 So King Joash of Israel attacked. He and King Amaziah of Judah confronted one another at Beth-shemesh, which belonged to Judah. 22 Then Judah was routed before Israel, and every man fled to his tent. 23 King Joash of Israel captured King Amaziah of Judah—son of Joash, son of Jehoahaz—in Beth-shemesh. Then Joash brought him to Jerusalem and broke down the wall of Jerusalem from the Ephraim gate to the Corner Gate, 400 cubits. 24 He took all the gold and silver and all the vessels that were found in the House of God with Obed-edom, together with the treasuries of the king’s palace and the hostages, and returned to Samaria.
25 Amaziah the son of King Joash of Judah lived 15 years after the death of Joash son of Jehoahaz king of Israel. 26 Now the rest of the acts of Amaziah, the first and the last, behold, are they not written in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel? 27 From the time that Amaziah turned away from following Adonai, they conspired against him in Jerusalem, so he fled to Lachish. But they sent men after him to Lachish and put him to death there. 28 Then they brought him back on horses and buried him with his fathers in the city of Judah.
