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.
Then all the people of Judah took Uzziah, when, he, was sixteen years old, —and made him king, instead of his father Amaziah.
He, built Eloth, and restored it to Judah, —after that 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 Uzziah, when he began to reign, and, fifty-two years, reigned he in Jerusalem, -and, the name of his mother, was Jechiliah, of Jerusalem.
4 Uzziah did things that Yahweh considered to be good, like his father Amaziah had done.
And he did that which was right, in the eyes of Yahweh, —according to all that Amaziah his father 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 it came to pass that he set himself to seek God, in the days of Zechariah, who gave understanding in the seeing of God, —and, throughout the days of his seeking Yahweh, God, prospered him.
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.
So he went forth and made war against the Philistines, and brake down the wall of Gath, and the wall of Jabneh, and the wall of Ashdod, —and built cities in 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 who dwelt in Gur-baal, and the Meunim.
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 a present to Uzziah, —and his name went forth as far as the entering in of Egypt, for he shewed exceeding great strength.
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 Uzziah built towers, in Jerusalem, over the corner-gate, and over the valley-gate, and over the angle, —and he 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.
And he built towers in the desert, and digged many wells, for, much cattle, had he, both in the lowland, and in the plain, —husbandmen and vinedressers, in the mountains and in the fruitful field, for, a lover of the soil, was he.
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.
And it came to pass that Uzziah had a force ready to make war, to go forth as a host in company, by the number of their reckoning, under the direction of Jeiel the scribe, and Maaseiah the officer, —under the direction of Hananiah, from among the captains of the king.
12 There were 2,600 leaders of those groups of soldiers.
The whole number of the ancestral chiefs pertaining to the heroes of valour, 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 direction, was the force of a host, three hundred and seven thousand five hundred, ready to make war, with the strength of a force, —for helping the king against an 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 Uzziah prepared for them, for all the host, bucklers and spears and helmets, and coats of mail, and bows, —and yea even sling-stones.
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, inventions invented of the inventor, to be upon the towers and upon the turrets, for throwing with arrows, and with great stones, —so that his name went forth afar, for he was marvellously helped, until that he was 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 became strong, uplifted was his heart, unto ruin, for he acted unfaithfully against Yahweh his God, —and entered into the temple of Yahweh, to burn incense upon the altar of incense.
17 Azariah the [Supreme] Priest and 80 other brave priests followed him into the temple.
Then entered after him, Azariah the priest, —and with him eighty priests of Yahweh, sons of valour;
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 took their stand against Uzziah the king, and said unto him-It is not, for thee, O Uzziah, to burn incense unto Yahweh, but, for the priests, the sons of Aaron, who are hallowed, to burn incense. Go forth out of the sanctuary, for thou hast acted unfaithfully, and, not to thee, for an honour, [shall it be] from Yahweh Elohim.
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.
Then was Uzziah wroth, and, in his hand, was a censer, to burn incense, —and, when he was wroth with the priests, a leprosy, shot forth in his forehead, before the priests, in the house of Yahweh, from off the altar of 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.]
When Azariah the chief priest and all the priests turned towards him, lo! he, was leprous, in his forehead, so they hastened him from thence, —yea, even he himself, hurried to go out, because Yahweh had smitten 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 it came to pass that, Uzziah the king, was a leper until the day of his death, and dwelt in a house apart—a leper, for he was cut off from the house of Yahweh, —and, Jotham his son, was over the house of the king, judging 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.
Now, the rest of the story of Uzziah, first and last, hath Isaiah son of Amoz, the prophet, written.
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 Uzziah slept with his fathers, and they buried him with his fathers in the field of burial that pertained unto the kings, for they said, A leper, he is. And Jotham his son reigned in his stead.
