< 2 Chronicles 25 >
1 When twenty and five years old did Amazyahu become king, and twenty and nine years did he reign in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Yeho'addan of Jerusalem.
Amaziah was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he was ruling in Jerusalem for twenty-nine years; his mother's name was Jehoaddan of Jerusalem.
2 And he did what is right in the eyes of the Lord, yet not with an entire heart.
He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, but his heart was not completely true to the Lord.
3 And it came to pass, when the kingdom was firmly established to him, that he slew his servants that had killed the king his father.
Now when he became strong in the kingdom, he put to death those men who had taken the life of the king his father.
4 But their children he put not to death; but [did] as it is written in the law in the book of Moses, that the Lord had commanded, saying, The fathers shall not die for the children, nor shall the children die for the fathers, but every man shall die for his own sin.
But he did not put their children to death, for he kept the orders of the Lord recorded in the book of the law of Moses, saying, The fathers are not to be put to death for their children or the children for their fathers, but a man is to be put to death for the sin which he himself has done.
5 And Amazyahu gathered Judah together, and stationed them after the family divisions, after the captains over the thousands, and after the captains over the hundreds, of all Judah and Benjamin; and he numbered them from twenty years old and upward, and found them [to be] three hundred thousand chosen men, able to go forth to the army, that could handle spear and shield.
Then Amaziah got all Judah together and put them in order by their families, even all Judah and Benjamin, under captains of thousands and captains of hundreds: and he had those of twenty years old and over numbered, and they came to three hundred thousand of the best fighting-men, trained for war and in the use of the spear and the body-cover.
6 He hired also out of Israel one hundred thousand mighty men of valor for one hundred talents of silver.
And for a hundred talents of silver, he got a hundred thousand fighting-men from Israel.
7 But a man of God came unto him, saying, O king, let not the army of Israel go with thee; for the Lord is not with Israel, [with] all the children of Ephraim.
But a man of God came to him, saying, O king, let not the army of Israel go with you; for the Lord is not with Israel, that is, the children of Ephraim.
8 But if thou wilt go, [and be ever so] active [and] strong for the battle: God will cause thee to stumble before the enemy; for there is power with God to help, and to cause to stumble.
But go yourself, and be strong in war; God will not let you go down before those who are fighting against you; for God has power to give help or to send you down before your attackers.
9 Then said Amazyahu to the man of God, But what is it to be done for the hundred talents which I have given to the band of Israel? And the man of God said, The Lord hath [enough in his power] to give thee much more than this.
Then Amaziah said to the man of God, But what is to be done about the hundred talents which I have given for the armed band of Israel? And the man of God in answer said, God is able to give you much more than this.
10 Then did Amazyahu separate them, [to wit, ] the band that was come to him out of Ephraim, that they might go to their place: wherefore their anger was greatly kindled against Judah, and they returned to their home in burning anger.
So Amaziah, separating the armed band which had come to him from Ephraim, sent them back again; which made them very angry with Judah, and they went back burning with wrath.
11 And Amazyahu strengthened himself, and led forth his people, and went to the Valley of Salt, and smote of the children of Se'ir ten thousand [men].
Then Amaziah took heart, and went out at the head of his people and came to the Valley of Salt, where he put to death ten thousand of the children of Seir;
12 And ten thousand did the children of Judah take captive 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 crushed.
And ten thousand more the children of Israel took living, and made them go up to the top of the rock, pushing them down from the top of the rock so that their bodies were broken by the fall.
13 But the men of the band whom Amazyahu had sent back, that they should not go with him to battle, spread themselves about in the cities of Judah, from Samaria even unto Beth-choron, and smote of them three thousand [persons], and plundered much spoil.
But the men of the band which Amaziah sent back and did not take with him to the fight, made attacks on the towns of Judah from Samaria to Beth-horon, putting to death three thousand of their people and taking away a great store of their goods.
14 And it came to pass, after Amazyahu was come home from smiting the Edomites, that he brought the gods of the children of Se'ir, and set them up unto himself as gods, and before them he used to prostrate himself and unto them he used to burn incense.
Now when Amaziah came back from the destruction of the Edomites, he took the gods of the children of Seir and made them his gods, worshipping them and burning offerings before them.
15 Wherefore the anger of the Lord was kindled against Amazyahu, and he sent unto him a prophet, who said unto him, Why hast thou sought after the gods of the people, that have not delivered their own people out of thy hand?
And so the wrath of the Lord was moved against Amaziah, and he sent a prophet to him, who said, Why have you gone after the gods of the people who have not given their people salvation from your hands?
16 And it came to pass, as he was speaking unto him, that he said unto him, Have we ever appointed thee as a counsellor to the king? forbear this: why shouldst thou be smitten? Then did the prophet forbear; and he said, I know that God hath resolved to destroy thee, because thou hast done this, and hast not hearkened unto my counsel.
But while he was talking to him the king said to him, Have we made you one of the king's government? say no more, or it will be the cause of your death. Then the prophet gave up protesting, and said, It is clear to me that God's purpose is your destruction, because you have done this and have not given ear to my words.
17 Then held Amazyahu the king of Judah a council, and sent to Joash, the son of Jehoachaz, the son of Jehu, the king of Israel, saying, Come, let us look one another in the face.
Then Amaziah, king of Judah, acting on the suggestion of his servants, sent to Joash, the son of Jehoahaz, the son of Jehu, king of Israel, saying, Come, let us have a meeting face to face.
18 And Joash the king of Israel sent to Amazyahu the king of Judah, saying, The thorn-bush that was in the Lebanon sent to the cedar that was in the Lebanon, saying, Give thy daughter to my son for wife. And there passed along the wild beasts that were in the Lebanon, and trod down the thorn-bush.
And Joash, king of Israel, sent to Amaziah, king of Judah, saying, The thorn-tree in Lebanon sent to the cedar in Lebanon, saying, Give your daughter to my son for a wife: and a beast from the woodland in Lebanon went by, crushing the thorn under his feet.
19 Thou hast thought, Lo, thou hast smitten Edom; and thy heart hath lifted thee up to acquire much glory: now stay in thy house; why wilt thou meddle with misfortune, that thou mayest fall, thou, and Judah with thee?
You say, See, I have overcome Edom; and your heart is lifted up with pride: now keep in your country; why do you make causes of trouble, putting yourself, and Judah with you, in danger of downfall?
20 But Amazyahu would not hear; for it was [ordained] by God, in order to deliver them into the hand [of Joash]; because they had sought after the gods of Edom.
But Amaziah gave no attention; and this was the purpose of God, so that he might give them up into the hands of Joash, because they had gone after the gods of Edom.
21 Thereupon did Joash the king of Israel go up: and they looked one another in the face, he and Amazyahu the king of Judah, at Beth-shemesh, which belongeth to Judah.
And so Joash, king of Israel, went up; and he and Amaziah, king of Judah, came face to face at Beth-shemesh in Judah.
22 And Judah was defeated before Israel, and they fled every man to his tents.
And Judah was overcome before Israel, and they went in flight, every man to his tent.
23 And Joash the king of Israel caught Amazyahu the king of Judah, the son of Joash, the son of Jehoachaz, at Beth-shemesh; and he brought him to Jerusalem, and made a breach in the wall of Jerusalem, from the gate of Ephraim unto the corner-gate, four hundred cubits.
And Joash, king of Israel, made Amaziah, king of Judah, the son of Joash, the son of Jehoahaz, prisoner at Beth-shemesh, and took him to Jerusalem; and he had the wall of Jerusalem pulled down from the doorway of Ephraim to the doorway in the angle, four hundred cubits.
24 And [taking] all the gold and the silver, and all the vessels that were found in the house of God with 'Obed-edom, and the treasures of the king's house, and the children of the chiefs as hostages, he returned to Samaria.
And he took all the gold and silver and all the vessels which were in the house of the Lord, under the care of Obed-edom, and all the wealth from the king's house, as well as those whose lives would be the price of broken faith, and went back to Samaria.
25 And Amazyahu the son of Joash the king of Judah lived after the death of Joash the son of Jehoachaz the king of Israel fifteen years.
Amaziah, son of Joash, king of Judah, went on living for fifteen years after the death of Joash, the son of Jehoahaz, king of Israel.
26 And the rest of the acts of Amazyahu the first and the last, behold, they are fully written in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel.
Now the rest of the acts of Amaziah, first and last, are they not recorded in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel?
27 Now from the time that Amazyahu departed from following the Lord, they raised a conspiracy against him in Jerusalem: wherefore he fled to Lachish; but they sent after him to Lachish, and slew him there.
Now from the time when Amaziah gave up worshipping the Lord, they made secret designs against him in Jerusalem; and he went in flight to Lachish: but they sent to Lachish after him and put him to death there.
28 And they carried him on horses, and buried him with his fathers in the city of Judah.
And they took his body on horseback and put it into the earth with his fathers in the town of David.