2 Chronicles 25

1 Amaziah [was] a son of twenty-five years [when] he has reigned, and he has reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem, and the name of his mother [is] Jehoaddan of Jerusalem,

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.

2 and he does that which is right in the eyes of YHWH—only, not with a perfect heart.

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

3 And it comes to pass, when the kingdom has been strong on him, that he slays his servants, those striking his father the king,

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

4 and he has not put their sons to death, but [did] as is written in the Law, in the Scroll of Moses, whom YHWH commanded, saying, “Fathers do not die for sons, and sons do not die for fathers, but they each die for his own sin.”

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.”

5 And Amaziah gathers Judah and appoints them according to the house of the fathers, for heads of the thousands and for heads of the hundreds, for all Judah and Benjamin; and he inspects them from a son of twenty years and upward, and finds them [to be] three hundred thousand chosen ones, going forth to the host, holding spear and buckler.

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.

6 And he hires out of Israel one hundred thousand mighty men of valor, with one hundred talents of silver;

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

7 and a man of God has come to him, saying, “O king, the host of Israel does not go with you; for YHWH is not with Israel—all the sons of Ephraim;

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!

8 but if you are going, do [it], be strong for battle, God causes you to stumble before an enemy, for there is power in God to help, and to cause to stumble.”

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.”

9 And Amaziah says to the man of God, “But what to do about the hundred talents that I have given to the troop of Israel?” And the man of God says, “YHWH has more to give to you than this.”

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.

10 And Amaziah separates them, of the troop that has come to him from Ephraim, to go to their own place; and their anger burns mightily against Judah, and they return to their place in the heat of anger.

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

11 And Amaziah has strengthened himself, and leads his people, and goes to the Valley of Salt, and strikes ten thousand of the sons of Seir.

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.

12 And the sons of Judah have taken captive ten thousand alive, and they bring them to the top of the rock, and cast them from the top of the rock, and all of them have been broken.

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

13 And the sons of the troop that Amaziah has sent back from going with him to battle—they rush against cities of Judah, from Samaria even to Beth-Horon, and strike three thousand of them, and seize much prey.

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.

14 And it comes to pass after the coming in of Amaziah from striking the Edomites, that he brings in the gods of the sons of Seir, and establishes them for gods for himself, and bows himself before them, and he makes incense to them.

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.

15 And the anger of YHWH burns against Amaziah, and He sends a prophet to him, and he says to him, “Why have you sought the gods of the people that have not delivered their people out of your hand?”

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?”

16 And it comes to pass, in his speaking to him, that he says to him, “Have we appointed you for a counselor to the king? For you [must] cease; why do they strike you?” And the prophet ceases and says, “I have known that God has counseled to destroy you, because you have done this and have not listened to my counsel.”

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.”

17 And Amaziah king of Judah takes counsel, and sends to Joash son of Jehoahaz, son of Jehu, king of Israel, saying,

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.

18 “Come, we look one another in the face.” And Joash king of Israel sends to Amaziah king of Judah, saying, “The thorn that [is] in Lebanon has sent to the cedar that [is] in Lebanon, saying, Give your daughter to my son for a wife; and a beast of the field that [is] in Lebanon passes by and treads down the thorn.

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.

19 You have said, Behold, I have struck Edom; and your heart has lifted you up to boast; now, abide in your house, why do you stir yourself up in evil, that you have fallen, you and Judah with you?”

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?”

20 And Amaziah has not listened, for it [is] from God in order to give them into [their] hand, because they have sought the gods of Edom;

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.

21 and Joash king of Israel goes up, and they look one another in the face, he and Amaziah king of Judah, in Beth-Shemesh, that [is] Judah’s,

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

22 and Judah is struck before Israel, and they flee—each to his tents.

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

23 And Joash king of Israel has caught Amaziah king of Judah, son of Joash, son of Jehoahaz, in Beth-Shemesh, and brings him to Jerusalem, and breaks down in the wall of Jerusalem from the Gate of Ephraim to the Corner Gate—four hundred cubits,

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.

24 and [takes] all the gold, and the silver, and all the vessels that are found in the house of God with Obed-Edom, and the treasures of the house of the king, and the sons of the pledges, and turns back to Samaria.

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.

25 And Amaziah son of Joash, king of Judah, lives after the death of Joash son of Jehoahaz, king of Israel, fifteen years;

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

26 and the rest of the matters of Amaziah, the first and the last, behold, are they not written on the scrolls of the kings of Judah and Israel?

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

27 And from the time that Amaziah has turned aside from after YHWH—they make a conspiracy against him in Jerusalem, and he flees to Lachish, and they send after him to Lachish, and put him to death there,

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.

28 and lift him up on the horses, and bury him with his fathers in the city of Judah.

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