2 Chronicles 26
1 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.
And all the people of Judah took 'Uzziyahu, who was then sixteen years old, and made him king instead of his father Amazyahu.
He it was that built Eloth, and brought it back to Judah, after the king slept with his fathers.
3 Uzziah ruled in Jerusalem for 52 years. His mother was Jecoliah; she was from Jerusalem.
Sixteen years old was 'Uzziyahu when he became king, and fifty and two years did he reign in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Yecholyah of Jerusalem.
4 Uzziah did things that Yahweh considered to be good, like his father Amaziah had done.
And he did what is right in the eyes of the Lord, in accordance with all that his father Amazyahu had done.
5 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.
And he was [inclined] to seek God in the days of Zecharyahu, who had understanding in the visions of God; and during the time that he sought the Lord, God caused him to prosper.
6 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.
And he went forth and made war against the Philistines, and he broke down the wall of Gath, and the wall of Jabneh, and the wall of Ashdod; and he built cities in [the country of] Ashdod, and among the Philistines.
7 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.
And God helped him against the Philistines, and against the Arabians that dwelt in Gur-ba'al, and the Me'unim.
8 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.
And the 'Ammonites gave presents to 'Uzziyahu: and his name extended even to the entrance of Egypt; for he became exceedingly strong.
9 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.
And 'Uzziyahu built towers in Jerusalem, above the corner-gate, and above the valley-gate, and at the angle, and made them strong.
10 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.
He built also towers in the desert, and hewed out many wells; for he had much cattle, both in the lowlands and in the plain; [also] husbandmen, and vintners in the mountains, and in Carmel; for he loved husbandry.
11 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.
Moreover 'Uzziyah had an army of fighting men, that went out to the host by bands, according to the number of those mustered of them through the hand of Je'iel the scribe and Ma'asseyahu the overseer, under the supervision of Chananyahu, one of the king's captains.
12 There were 2,600 leaders of those groups of soldiers.
The whole number of the chiefs of the family divisions of the mighty men of valor was two thousand and six hundred.
13 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.
And under their supervision was an efficient army, [of] three hundred thousand and seven thousand and five hundred, that made war with mighty power, to help the king against the enemy.
14 Uzziah gave to each soldier a shield, a spear, a helmet, a vest made of iron plates, a bow [and arrows], and a slingshot.
And 'Uzziyahu prepared for them, for all the host, shields, and spears, and helmets, and coats of mail, and bows, and stones for slinging.
15 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.
And he made in Jerusalem artificial contrivances, contrived by a skilful man, to be [stationed] on the towers and upon the ramparts, to shoot off arrows and great stones. And his name extended ever so far abroad; for he was marvelously assisted, till he became strong.
16 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.
But when he was strong, his heart was lifted up to his destruction; and he became unfaithful against the Lord his God, and went into the temple of the Lord to burn incense upon the altar of incense.
17 Azariah the [Supreme] Priest and 80 other brave priests followed him into the temple.
And there went in after him 'Azaryahu the priest, and with him were priests of the Lord, valiant men, [to the number of] eighty;
18 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]!”
And they stood forward against king 'Uzziyahu, and they said unto him, It is not for thee, O 'Uzziyahu, to burn incense unto the Lord, but for the priests the sons of Aaron, who are consecrated to burn incense: go out of the sanctuary; for thou hast trespassed; and it will not be for thy honor from the Lord God.
19 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.
But 'Uzziyahu became wroth, and in his hand was a censer to burn incense: and while he was wroth with the priests, the leprosy even broke out on his forehead before the priests in the house of the Lord, above the altar of the incense.
20 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.]
And when 'Azaryahu the chief priest, with all the priests, turned about toward him, behold, he was leprous on his forehead, and they hurried him away from there: yea, he also made haste to go out, because the Lord had afflicted him.
21 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.
And king 'Uzziyahu was a leper until the day of his death, and dwelt in the leper-house, as a leper; for he was excluded from the house of the Lord: and Jotham his son was over the king's house, [and] judged the people of the land.
22 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.
And the rest of the acts of 'Uzziyahu, the first and the last, did Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amos write.
23 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].
And 'Uzziyahu slept with his fathers, and they buried him with his fathers in the burial-field which belonged to the kings; for they said, He is a leper: and Jotham his son became king in his stead.
