2 Chronicles 25

1 Amaziah was twenty-five when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem for twenty-nine years. His mother's name was Jehoaddan and she came from Jerusalem.

Amaziah was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Jehoaddan, of Jerusalem.

2 He did what was right in the Lord's sight but not with complete commitment.

And he did that which was right in the eyes of Jehovah, but not with a perfect heart.

3 After he had made sure his rule was secure, he executed the officers who had murdered his father the king.

Now it came to pass, when the kingdom was established to him, that he killed his servants who had killed the king his father.

4 However, he did not kill their sons, as is written in the Law, in the book of Moses, where the Lord commanded: “Fathers must not be executed for their children, and children must not be executed for their fathers. Everyone is to die for their own sin.”

But he did not put their sons to death, but did according to that which is written in the law in the book of Moses, as Jehovah commanded, saying, The fathers shall not die for the sons, neither shall the sons die for the fathers, but every man shall die for his own sin.

5 Then Amaziah called up the people of Judah for military service, and assigned them by families to commanders of thousands and of hundreds. He also took a census of those twenty years of age and older throughout Judah and Benjamin, and found there was 300,000 first-rate fighting men who could use spear and shield.

Moreover Amaziah gathered Judah together, and appointed them according to their fathers' houses, for heads of thousands and heads of hundreds, even all Judah and Benjamin. And he numbered them from twenty years old and upward, and found them three hundred thousand chosen men, able to go forth to war, who could handle spear and shield.

6 He also hired 100,000 battle-ready fighting men from Israel for a hundred talents of silver.

He also hired a hundred thousand mighty men of valor out of Israel for a hundred talents of silver.

7 But a man of God came to him and said, “Your Majesty, don't let this army of Israel join you, for the Lord is not with Israel, with these sons of Ephraim!

But there came a man of God to him, saying, O king, let not the army of Israel go with thee. For Jehovah is not with Israel, namely, with all the sons of Ephraim.

8 Even if you fight bravely, God will let you stumble and fall before the enemy, for God has the power to help you or let you fall.”

But if thou are going, do it. Be strong for the battle, because God will cast thee down before the enemy, for God has power to help, and to cast down.

9 Amaziah asked the man of God, “But what about the hundred talents of silver I paid the army of Israel?” “The Lord can give you much more than that!” replied the man of God.

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, Jehovah is able to give thee much more than this.

10 So Amaziah dismissed the army he'd hired from Ephraim and sent them home. They became very angry with Judah, and returned home furious.

Then Amaziah separated them, namely, the army that came to him out of Ephraim, to go home again. Therefore their anger was greatly kindled against Judah, and they returned home in fierce anger.

11 Amaziah then bravely led his army to the Valley of Salt, where they attacked the Edomite army from Seir, and killed ten thousand of them.

And Amaziah took courage, and led forth his people, and went to the Valley of Salt, and smote ten thousand of the sons of Seir.

12 The army of Judah also captured another ten thousand, took them to the top of a cliff and threw them off, killing them all.

And the sons of Judah carried away ten thousand alive, and brought them to the top of the rock, and cast them down from the top of the rock, so that they all were broken in pieces.

13 But the men of the army Amaziah sent home, refusing to let them go with him to battle, raided the towns of Judah, from Samaria to Beth-horon They killed 3,000 of their inhabitants and took a great deal of plunder.

But the men of the army whom Amaziah sent back, that they should not go with him to battle, fell upon the cities of Judah, from Samaria even to Beth-horon, and smote three thousand of them, and took much spoil.

14 When Amaziah returned from killing the Edomites, he brought back the gods of the people of Seir and set them up as his own gods, worshiped them, and offered sacrifices to them.

Now it came to pass, after Amaziah came from the slaughter of the Edomites, that he brought the gods of the sons of Seir, and set them up to be his gods, and bowed down himself before them, and burned incense to them.

15 The Lord became angry with Amaziah and he sent a prophet to him, who said to him, “Why would you worship the gods of a people who couldn't even save their own people from you?”

Therefore the anger of Jehovah was kindled against Amaziah. And he sent a prophet to him, who said to him, Why have thou sought after the gods of the people, which have not delivered their own people out of thy hand?

16 But while he was still speaking, the king said to him, “Have we made you a counselor to the king? Stop right now! Do you want to be struck down?” So the prophet stopped, but said, “I know that God has decided to destroy you, because you have acted like this and have refused to listen to my advice.”

And it came to pass, as he talked with him, that the king said to him, Have we made thee of the king's counsel? Cease. Why should thou be smitten? Then the prophet ceased, and said, I know that God has determined to destroy thee, because thou have done this, and have not hearkened to my counsel.

17 Then Amaziah, king of Judah, took advice from his counselors and sent a message to the king of Israel, Jehoash, son of Jehoahaz, son of Jehu. “Come and face me in battle,” he challenged.

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 look each other in the face.

18 Joash, king of Israel, replied to Amaziah, king of Judah, “A thistle on Lebanon sent a message to a cedar on Lebanon, saying, ‘Give your daughter to my son for a wife,’ but a wild animal of Lebanon passed by and trampled down the thistle.

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 trampled down the thistle.

19 You're telling yourself how great you are for defeating Edom, boasting about it. But just stay at home. Why should you stir up trouble that will bring you down, and Judah with you?”

Thou say, Lo, I have smitten Edom. And thy heart lifts thee up to boast. Remain now at home. Why should thou meddle to thy hurt, that thou should fall, even thou, and Judah with thee?

20 But Amaziah didn't listen, for God was going to hand him over to his enemies because he had chosen to worship the gods of Edom.

But Amaziah would not hear, for it was of God, that he might deliver them into the hand of their enemies, because they had sought after the gods of Edom.

21 So Joash king of Israel prepared for battle. He and Amaziah, king of Judah, faced one another at Beth-shemesh in Judah.

So Joash king of Israel went up. And he and Amaziah king of Judah looked each other in the face at Beth-shemesh, which belongs to Judah.

22 Judah was defeated by Israel—they all ran away home.

And Judah was put to the worse before Israel, and they fled every man to his tent.

23 Joash, king of Israel, captured Amaziah, king of Judah, son of Joash, son of Ahaziah, at Beth-shemesh. He took him to Jerusalem, and demolished the wall of Jerusalem for 400 cubits, from the Ephraim Gate to the Corner Gate.

And Joash king of Israel took Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Joash the son of Jehoahaz, at Beth-shemesh, and brought him to Jerusalem, and broke down the wall of Jerusalem from the gate of Ephraim to the corner gate, four hundred cubits.

24 He carried away all the gold and silver, and all the articles found in God's Temple that had been looked after by Obed-edom and in the treasuries of the king's palace, as well as some hostages, and then returned to Samaria.

And he took all the gold and silver, and all the vessels that were found in the house of God with Obed-edom, and the treasures of the king's house, also the hostages, and returned to Samaria.

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

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

26 The rest of what Amaziah did, from beginning to end, is written down in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel.

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?

27 After Amaziah gave up following the Lord, a plot was hatched against him in Jerusalem, and he fled to Lachish. But the plotters sent men to Lachish to hunt him down, and they killed him there.

Now from the time that Amaziah turned away from following Jehovah they made a conspiracy against him in Jerusalem, and he fled to Lachish. But they sent after him to Lachish, and killed him there.

28 They brought him back by horse and buried him with his fathers in the city of Judah.

And they brought him upon horses, and buried him with his fathers in the city of Judah.