2 Chronicles 26
1 Then all the people of Iudah tooke Vzziah, which was sixteene yeere olde, and made him King in the steade of his father Amaziah.
After King Amaziah died, all the people of Judah appointed his son Uzziah, who then was 16 years old, as their king. [One of the things that happened] while he was the king [was that] his men captured Elath [town on the Gulf of Aqaba] and rebuilt it.
2 He buylt Eloth, and restored it to Iudah after that the King slept with his fathers.
3 Sixteene yeere olde was Vzziah, when he began to reigne, and he reigned two and fiftie yere in Ierusalem, and his mothers name was Iecoliah of Ierusalem.
Uzziah ruled in Jerusalem for 52 years. His mother was Jecoliah; she was from Jerusalem.
4 And hee did vprightly in the sight of the Lord, according to al that his father Amaziah did.
Uzziah did things that Yahweh considered to be good, like his father Amaziah had done.
5 And he sought God in the dayes of Zechariah (which vnderstoode the visions of God) and when as he sought the Lord, God made him to prosper.
He tried to please God while [the priest] Zechariah was living, because Zechariah taught him to revere God. As long as Uzziah tried to please God, God enabled him to be successful.
6 For he went forth and fought against the Philistims and brake downe the wall of Gath, and the wall of Iabneh, and the wall of Ashdod, and built cities in Ashdod, and among the Philistims.
Uzziah and his army started to fight against the army of Philistia. They tore down the walls of Gath, Jabneh, and Ashdod [cities]. Then they rebuilt the towns near Ashdod and in other places in Philistia.
7 And God helped him against ye Philistims, and against the Arabians that dwelt in Gur-baal and Hammeunim.
God helped them to fight the army of Philistia and the Arabs who lived in [the town of] Gur-Baal and the descendants of Meun who had come to that area from Edom.
8 And the Ammonites gaue gifts to Vzziah, and his name spred to the entring in of Egypt: for he did most valiantly.
Even the Ammon [people-group] paid taxes to Uzziah each year. So Uzziah became famous as far as the border of Egypt, because he had become very powerful.
9 Moreouer Uzziah buylt towres in Ierusalem at the corner gate, and at the valley gate, and at the turning, and made them strong.
Uzziah’s [workers] built watchtowers in Jerusalem at the Corner Gate, at the Valley Gate, and at the place where the wall turns, and they placed weapons in them.
10 And he built towres in the wildernesse, and digged many cisternes: for he had much cattell both in the valleyes and playnes, plowmen, and dressers of vines in the mountaines, and in Carmel: for he loued husbandrie.
They also built watchtowers in the desert and dug many wells. They did that [to provide water] for a lot of the king’s cattle that were in the foothills and in the plains. Uzziah liked farming, so he also stationed workers [to take care of] his fields and vineyards in the hills and in the fertile areas.
11 Vzziah had also an hoste of fighting men that went out to warre by bandes, according to the count of their nomber vnder the hande of Ieiel the Scribe, and Maaseiah the ruler, and vnder the hand of Hananiah, one of the Kings captaines.
Uzziah’s army was trained for fighting battles. They were in groups that were always ready to go into battle. Jeiel, the king’s secretary, and Maaseiah, one of the army officers, counted the men and placed them in groups. Hananiah, one of the king’s officials, was their commander.
12 The whole nomber of the chiefe of the families of the valiant men were two thousande and sixe hundreth.
There were 2,600 leaders of those groups of soldiers.
13 And vnder their hande was the armie for warre, three hundreth and seuen thousand, and fiue hundreth that fought valiantly to helpe the King against the enemie.
In the groups that those leaders commanded there were a total of 307,500 well-trained soldiers. It was a very powerful army which was ready to help the king fight against his enemies.
14 And Vzziah prepared them throughout all the hoste, shieldes, and speares, and helmets, and brigandines, and bowes, and stones to sling.
Uzziah gave to each soldier a shield, a spear, a helmet, a vest made of iron plates, a bow [and arrows], and a slingshot.
15 He made also very artificial engins in Ierusalem, to be vpon the towres and vpon the corners, to shoote arrowes and great stones: and his name spred farre abroade, because God did helpe him marueilously, till he was mightie.
In Jerusalem his skilled workers made machines to put on the watchtowers and on the corners [of the walls], to shoot arrows and to hurl large stones. He became very famous even in distant places, because God helped him very much and enabled him to become very powerful.
16 But when he was strong, his heart was lift vp to his destruction: for he transgressed against the Lord his God, and went into the Temple of the Lord to burne incense vpon the altar of incense.
But because Uzziah was very powerful, he became very proud, and that led to his being punished. He disobeyed what Yahweh his God had commanded. He went into the temple to burn incense on the altar [where God had said that only the priests should burn] incense.
17 And Azariah the Priest went in after him, and with him foure score Priests of the Lord, valiant men.
Azariah the [Supreme] Priest and 80 other brave priests followed him into the temple.
18 And they withstoode Vzziah the King, and said vnto him, It perteineth not to thee, Vzziah, to burne incense vnto the Lord, but to the Priests the sonnes of Aaron, that are consecrated for to offer incense: goe forth of the Sanctuarie: for thou hast transgressed, and thou shalt haue none honour of the Lord God.
They rebuked him and said to him, “Uzziah, it is not right for you to burn incense to [honor] Yahweh. That duty is only for the priests, those who are descendants of Aaron [our first Supreme Priest]! You must leave [immediately], because you have disobeyed Yahweh our God, and he will not honor you [for what you have done]!”
19 Then Vzziah was wroth, and had incense in his hand to burne it: and while he was wroth with the Priestes, the leprosie rose vp in his forehead before the Priestes in the house of the Lord beside the incense altar.
Uzziah had in his hand a pan for burning incense. He became very angry with the priests, but suddenly there was leprosy on his forehead.
20 And when Azariah the chiefe Priest with al the Priestes looked vpon him, behold, he was leprous in his forehead, and they caused him hastily to depart thence: and he was euen compelled to go out, because the Lord had smitten him.
When Azariah the [Supreme] Priest and all the other priests [who were there] looked at him, they saw the leprosy on his forehead, so they quickly took him outside. And truly the king was eager to leave the temple, because he knew that it was Yahweh who had caused him to have that leprosy, [and he did not want it to become worse.]
21 And Vzziah the king was a leper vnto the day of his death, and dwelt as a leper in an house apart, because he was cut off from the house of ye Lord: and Iotham his sonne ruled ouer the Kings house, and iudged the people of the land.
King Uzziah had leprosy until he died. And because he had leprosy, he lived in a house that was not near other houses, and he was not allowed to enter [the courtyard of] the temple. His son Jotham supervised the palace and ruled the people of Judah.
22 Concerning the rest of the acts of Vzziah, first and last, did Isaiah the Prophet the sonne of Amoz write.
A record of all the other things that Uzziah did while he was the king [of Judah] was written by the prophet Isaiah, the son of Amoz.
23 So Vzziah slept with his fathers, and they buryed him with his fathers in the fielde of the burial, which perteined to the kings: for they said, He is a leper. And Iotham his sonne reigned in his steade.
Because Uzziah was a leper, [when he died, ] they would not bury him in the tombs where the other kings were buried. Instead, he was buried in a nearby cemetery that the kings owned. Then his son Jotham became the king [of Judah].
