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.

Amasias began to reign when he was twenty and five years old, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem; and his mother's name [was] Joadaen 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 sight of the Lord, 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.

And it came to pass, when the kingdom was established in his hand, that he killed his servants who had slain 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 killed not their sons, according to the covenant of the law of the Lord, as it is written, [and] as the Lord commanded, saying, The fathers shall not die for the children, and the sons shall not die for the fathers, but they shall die each 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.

And Amasias assembled the house of Juda, and appointed them according to the houses of their families for captains of thousands and captains of hundreds in all Juda and Jerusalem: and he numbered them from twenty years old and upwards, and found them three hundred thousand able to go out to war, holding spear and shield.

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

Also he hired of Israel a hundred thousand mighty [men 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!

And there came a man of God to him, saying, O king, let not the host of Israel go with you; for the Lord is not with Israel, [even] 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.”

For if you shall undertake to strengthen [yourself] with these, then the lord shall put you to flight before the enemies: for it is of the Lord both to strengthen and to put to flight.

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 Amasias said to the man of God, But what shall I do [for] the hundred talents which I have given to the army of Israel? And the man of God said, The Lord can give you much more than these.

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.

And Amasias separated from the army that came to him from Ephraim, that they might go away to their place; and they were very angry with Juda, and they returned to their place with great wrath.

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 Amasias strengthened [himself], and took his people, and went to the valley of salt, and struck there the children of Seir ten thousand.

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 children of Juda took ten thousand prisoners, and they carried them to the top of the precipice, and cast them headlong from the top of the precipice, and they were all dashed to 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.

And the men of the host whom Amasias sent back so that they should not go with him to battle, [went] and attacked the cities of Juda, from Samaria to Baethoron; and they struck three thousand among 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.

And it came to pass, after Amasias had returned from striking Idumea, that he brought home the gods of the children of Seir, and set them up for himself as gods, and bowed down before them, and he sacrificed 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?”

And the anger of the Lord came upon Amasias, and he sent him a prophet, and he said to him, Why have you sought the gods of the people, which have not rescued their own people out of your 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 when the prophet was speaking to him, that he said to him, have I made you king's counsellor? take heed lest you be scourged: and the prophet forebore, and said, I know that [God] is disposed against you to destroy you, because you have done this thing, and have not listened 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.

And Amasias king of Juda took counsel, and sent to Joas, son of Joachaz, son of Jeu, king of Israel, saying, Come, and let us look one another 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 Joas king of Israel sent to Amasias king of Juda, saying, The thistle that was in Libanus sent to the cedar that was in Libanus, saying, Give your daughter to my son to wife; but, behold, your wild beasts of the field that are in Libanus shall come: and the wild beasts did come, and trod 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?”

You have said, Behold, I have struck Idumea, and your stout heart exalts you: now stay at home; for why do you implicate yourself in mischief, that you should fall, and Juda with you.

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.

Nevertheless Amasias listened not, for it was of the Lord to deliver him into [the enemy's] hands, because he sought after the gods of the Idumeans.

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

So Joas king of Israel went up; and they saw one another, he and Amasias king of Juda, in Baethsamys, which is of Juda.

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

And Juda was put to flight 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 Joas king of Israel took prisoner Amasias king of Juda, [son] of Joas, son of Joachaz, in Baethsamys, and brought him to Jerusalem; and he pulled down [part] of 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 the silver, and all the vessels that were found in the house of the Lord and with Abdedom, and the treasures of the king's house, and the hostages, and he 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 Amasias the [son] of Joas king of Juda lived after the death of Joas the [son] of Joachaz king of Israel fifteen years.

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

And the rest of the acts of Amasias, the first and the last, Behold! are they not written in the book of the kings of Juda 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.

And at the time when Amasias departed from the Lord, then they formed a conspiracy against him; and he fled from Jerusalem to Lachis: and they sent after him to Lachis, and killed him there.

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

And they took him up on horses, and buried him with his fathers in the city of David.