2 Kings 15

1 In the twenty-seventh year of Jeroboam king of Israel, Azariah son of Amaziah, king of Judah, has reigned;

After Jeroboam had been ruling Israel for almost twenty-seven years, Uzziah, the son of King Amaziah of Judah, began to rule.

2 he was a son of sixteen years in his reigning, and he has reigned fifty-two years in Jerusalem, and the name of his mother [is] Jecholiah of Jerusalem,

He was 16 years old when he started to rule, and he ruled in Jerusalem for 52 years. His mother was Jecoliah, from Jerusalem.

3 and he does that which [is] right in the eyes of YHWH, according to all that his father Amaziah did,

He did things that Yahweh was pleased with, like his father Amaziah had done.

4 only, the high places have not been removed—the people are still sacrificing and making incense in high places.

But, the places at the pagan shrines where they worshiped Yahweh were not destroyed, and the people continued to burn incense [to honor Yahweh] at those places [instead of in Jerusalem, the place that Yahweh had appointed].

5 And YHWH strikes the king, and he is a leper to the day of his death, and he dwells in a separate house, and Jotham son of the king [is] over the house, judging the people of the land.

Yahweh caused Uzziah to become a leper, and he was a leper for the rest of his life. [He was not allowed to live in the palace]. He lived alone in a house, and his son Jotham ruled the country.

6 And the rest of the matters of Azariah and all that he did, are they not written on the scroll of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah?

[If you want to know about] everything else that Uzziah did, it is written [RHQ] in the scroll called ‘The History of the Kings of Judah’.

7 And Azariah lies with his fathers, and they bury him with his fathers in the city of David, and his son Jotham reigns in his stead.

Uzziah died [EUP], and they buried him in [the part of Jerusalem called] ‘The City of David’, where his ancestors had been buried. Then his son Jotham officially became the king.

8 In the thirty-eighth year of Azariah king of Judah, Zechariah son of Jeroboam has reigned over Israel in Samaria, six months,

After Uzziah had been ruling Judah for almost thirty-eight years, Zechariah, the son of Jeroboam, became the king of Israel. He ruled in Samaria [city] for [only] six months.

9 and he does evil in the eyes of YHWH as his fathers did; he has not turned aside from the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat that he caused Israel to sin.

He did many things that Yahweh considered to be evil, like his ancestors had done. He committed the same kind of sins that Jeroboam had committed, sins which led the Israeli people to sin.

10 And Shallum son of Jabesh conspires against him, and strikes him before the people, and puts him to death, and reigns in his stead.

Then Shallum, the son of Jabesh, made plans to assassinate Zechariah. He killed him at Ibleam [town], and then he became the king.

11 And the rest of the matters of Zechariah, behold, they are written on the scroll of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel.

Everything else that Zechariah did is written in the scroll called ‘The History of the Kings of Israel’.

12 It [is] the word of YHWH that He spoke to Jehu, saying, “Sons of the fourth [generation] sit on the throne of Israel for you”; and it is so.

When Zechariah died, [that ended the dynasty of King Jehu]. That fulfilled what Yahweh said to King Jehu would happen: “Your son and grandson and great-grandson and great-great-grandson will all be kings of Israel.”

13 Shallum son of Jabesh has reigned in the thirty-ninth year of Uzziah king of Judah, and he reigns a month of days in Samaria;

Shallum, the son of Jabesh, became the king of Israel after King Uzziah had been ruling Judah for almost thirty-nine years. But Shallum ruled in Samaria for [only] one month.

14 and Menahem son of Gadi goes up from Tirzah and comes to Samaria, and strikes Shallum son of Jabesh in Samaria, and puts him to death, and reigns in his stead.

Then Menahem, the son of Gadi, went up from Tirzah [city] to Samaria and assassinated Shallum. Then Menahem became the king of Israel.

15 And the rest of the matters of Shallum and his conspiracy that he made, behold, they are written on the scroll of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel.

Everything else that Shallum did, including his killing King Zechariah, is written in the scroll called ‘The History of the Kings of Israel’.

16 Then Menahem strikes Tiphsah, and all who [are] in it, and its borders from Tirzah, for it did not open [to him], and he strikes [it], [and] he has ripped up all its pregnant women.

While Menahem was ruling in Samaria, he completely destroyed Tappuah [village south of Samaria] and killed all the people who lived there and in the surrounding territory. He did that because the people in that city refused to surrender to him. [With his sword] he even ripped open the bellies of pregnant women.

17 In the thirty-ninth year of Azariah king of Judah, Menahem son of Gadi has reigned over Israel in Samaria, ten years.

When King Azariah had been ruling Judah for almost thirty-nine years, Menahem, the son of Gadi, became the king of Israel. He ruled in Samaria for ten years.

18 And he does evil in the eyes of YHWH; he has not turned aside from the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat that he caused Israel to sin, all his days.

He did many things that Yahweh considered to be evil. He committed the same kinds of sins that King Jeroboam had committed, sins that led the people of Israel to sin. He continued to commit those sins for the rest of his life.

19 Pul king of Asshur has come against the land, and Menahem gives one thousand talents of silver to Pul, for his hand being with him to strengthen the kingdom in his hand.

Then King Tiglath-Pileser of Assyria came [with his army] to attack Israel. So Menahem gave him (thirty-eight tons/35,000 kg.) of silver in order that Tiglath-Pileser would help Menahem to continue to be king and rule his country more strongly.

20 And Menahem brings out the silver [from] Israel, [from] all the mighty men of wealth, to give to the king of Asshur, fifty shekels of silver for each one, and the king of Asshur turns back and has not stayed there in the land.

Menahem obtained that money from the rich men in Israel. He compelled each of them to contribute 50 pieces of silver. So Tiglath-Pileser [took that money and] went back home.

21 And the rest of the matters of Menahem and all that he did, are they not written on the scroll of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?

[If you want to know more about] everything that Menahem did, it is written [RHQ] in the scroll called ‘The History of the Kings of Israel’.

22 And Menahem lies with his fathers, and his son Pekahiah reigns in his stead.

Menahem died [EUP] and was buried, and his son Pekahiah became the king of Israel.

23 In the fiftieth year of Azariah king of Judah, Pekahiah son of Menahem has reigned over Israel in Samaria, two years,

When King Uzziah had been ruling Judah for almost 50 years, Menahem’s son Pekahiah became the king of Israel. He ruled in Samaria for [only] two years.

24 and he does evil in the eyes of YHWH; he has not turned aside from the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat that he caused Israel to sin.

He did many things that Yahweh considered to be evil. He committed the same kind of sins that King Jeroboam had committed, sins which led the people of Israel to sin.

25 And Pekah son of Remaliah, his captain, conspires against him, and strikes him in Samaria, in the high place of the house of the king with Argob and Arieh; and fifty men of the sons of the Gileadites [were] with him, and he puts him to death, and reigns in his stead.

Then one of Pekahiah’s army commanders whose name was Pekah, the son of Remaliah, planned with 50 men from [the] Gilead [region] to kill Pekahiah. They assassinated him in a fortified place in the king’s palace in Samaria. Then Pekah became the king.

26 And the rest of the matters of Pekahiah and all that he did, behold, they are written on the scroll of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel.

Everything else that Pekahiah did is written in the scroll called ‘The History of the Kings of Israel’.

27 In the fifty-second year of Azariah king of Judah, Pekah son of Remaliah has reigned over Israel in Samaria, twenty years,

When King Uzziah had been ruling Judah for almost 52 years, Pekah, the son of Remaliah, became the king of Israel. He ruled in Samaria for 20 years.

28 and he does evil in the eyes of YHWH, he has not turned aside from the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat that he caused Israel to sin.

He also did many things that Yahweh considered to be evil. He committed the same kind of sins that King Jeroboam had committed, sins that led the people of Israel to sin.

29 In the days of Pekah king of Israel, Tiglath-Pileser king of Asshur has come, and takes Ijon, and Abel-Beth-Maachah, and Janoah, and Kedesh, and Hazor, and Gilead, and Galilee, all the land of Naphtali, and removes them to Asshur.

While Pekah was the king, Tiglath-Pileser, the king of Assyria, came [with his army] and captured [the cities of] Ijon, Abel-Beth-Maacah, Janoah, Kedesh, Hazor, and the regions of Gilead, Galilee, and Naphtali. His army forced the Israeli people to leave their country and go to live in Assyria.

30 And Hoshea son of Elah makes a conspiracy against Pekah son of Remaliah, and strikes him, and puts him to death, and reigns in his stead, in the twentieth year of Jotham son of Uzziah.

Then Hoshea, the son of Elah, plotted to kill Pekah. He assassinated him when Uzziah’s son Jotham had been ruling Judah for almost 20 years. Then Hoshea became the king of Israel.

31 And the rest of the matters of Pekah and all that he did, behold, they are written on the scroll of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel.

Everything else that Pekah did is written in the scroll called ‘The History of the Kings of Israel’.

32 In the second year of Pekah son of Remaliah, king of Israel, Jotham son of Uzziah, king of Judah, has reigned.

When Pekah had been ruling Israel for almost two years, Uzziah’s son Jotham began to rule Judah.

33 He was a son of twenty-five years in his reigning, and he has reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem, and the name of his mother [is] Jerusha daughter of Zadok,

He was 25 years old when he started to rule, and he ruled from Jerusalem for 16 years. His mother was Jerusha, the daughter of Zadok.

34 and he does that which [is] right in the eyes of YHWH; he has done according to all that his father Uzziah did.

He did many things that pleased Yahweh, like his father Uzziah had done.

35 Only, the high places have not been removed—the people are still sacrificing and making incense in high places; he has built the high gate of the house of YHWH.

But he did not destroy the places on the tops of hills where the people worshiped [Yahweh], and the people continued to burn incense there [to honor Yahweh]. Jotham’s workers built the Upper Gate of the temple.

36 And the rest of the matters of Jotham and all that he did, are they not written on the scroll of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah?

[If you want to know more about] everything else that Jotham did, it is written [RHQ] in the scroll called ‘The History of the Kings of Judah’.

37 In those days YHWH has begun to send Rezin king of Amram and Pekah son of Remaliah against Judah.

It was during the time that Jotham was the king that Yahweh sent King Rezin of Syria and King Pekah of Israel [with their armies] to attack Judah.

38 And Jotham lies with his fathers, and is buried with his fathers in the city of his father David, and his son Ahaz reigns in his stead.

Jotham died [EUP] and was buried where his ancestors had been buried in [the part of Jerusalem called] ‘The City of David’. Then his son Ahaz became the king of Judah.