2 Chronicles 27

1 Joatham was five and twenty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem: the name of his mother was Jerusa the daughter of Sadoc.

Jotham was 25 years old when he became the king of Judah. He ruled from Jerusalem for 16 years. His mother was Jerushah, the daughter of [the priest] Zadok.

2 And he did that which was right before the Lord, according to all that Ozias his father had done, only that he entered not into the temple of the Lord, and the people still transgressed.

Jotham did many things that pleased Yahweh like his father Uzziah did. He obeyed Yahweh and did things that are right. He did many things that his father Uzziah had done, but he did not burn incense in the temple, like his father had done. However, the people of Judah continued to sin against Yahweh.

3 He built the high gate of the house of the Lord, and on the wall of Ophel he built much.

Jotham’s [workers] rebuilt the Upper Gate of the temple, and they did a lot of work to repair the wall near Ophel [Hill].

4 Moreover he built cities in the mountains of Juda, and castles and towers in the forests.

They built towns in the hills of Judah, and they built forts and defense towers in the forests.

5 Ho fought against the king of the children of Ammon, and overcame them, and the children of Ammon gave him at that time a hundred talents of silver, and ten thousand measures of wheat, and as many measures of barley: so much did the children of Ammon give him in the second and third year.

During the time that Jotham was the king of Judah, his army attacked and defeated the army of the Ammon people-group. Then, every year during the next three years, he required the Anmon people-group to pay to him four tons of silver, 60,000 bushels of wheat, and 60,000 bushels of barley.

6 And Joatham was strengthened, because he had his way directed before the Lord his God.

Jotham faithfully obeyed Yahweh his God, and as a result he became a very powerful king.

7 Now the rest of the acts of Joatham, and all his wars, and his works, are written in the book of the kings of Israel and Juda.

A record of everything else that Jotham did during the time that he was the king, including the wars that his army fought, is written in the scroll called ‘[the History of] the Kings of Israel and Judah’.

8 He was five and twenty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem.

After Jotham had ruled Judah for 16 years, he died when he was 41 years old.

9 And Joatham slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city of David: and Achaz his son reigned in his stead.

He was buried in Jerusalem, and his son Ahaz became the king [of Judah].