2 Chronicles 25
Amaziah’s Reign
25:1 Amaziah was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned for twenty-nine years in Jerusalem.1 His mother was Jehoaddan, who was from Jerusalem.
25:2 He did what the
25:3 When he had secured control of the kingdom,4 he executed the servants who had assassinated his father.5
25:4 However, he did not execute their sons. He obeyed the
25:5 Amaziah assembled the people of Judah10 and assigned them by families to the commanders of units of a thousand and the commanders of units of a hundred for all Judah and Benjamin. He counted those twenty years old and up and discovered there were 300,000 young men of fighting age11 equipped with spears and shields.12 25:6 He hired 100,000 Israelite warriors for a hundred talents13 of silver.
25:7 But a prophet14 visited him and said: “O king, the Israelite troops must not go with you, for the
25:14 When Amaziah returned from defeating the Edomites, he brought back the gods of the people32 of Seir and made them his personal gods.33 He bowed down before them and offered them sacrifices.
25:15 The
25:17 After King Amaziah of Judah consulted with his advisers,40 he sent this message to the king of Israel, Joash son of Jehoahaz, the son of Jehu, “Come, face me on the battlefield.”41 25:18 King Joash of Israel sent this message back to King Amaziah of Judah, “A thorn bush in Lebanon sent this message to a cedar in Lebanon, ‘Give your daughter to my son as a wife.’ Then a wild animal of Lebanon came by and trampled down the thorn bush.42 25:19 You defeated Edom43 and it has gone to your head.44 Gloat over your success,45 but stay in your palace. Why bring calamity on yourself? Why bring down yourself and Judah along with you?”46
25:20 But Amaziah did not heed the warning,47 for God wanted to hand them over to Joash because they followed the gods of Edom.48 25:21 So King Joash of Israel attacked. He and King Amaziah of Judah faced each other on the battlefield49 in Beth Shemesh of Judah. 25:22 Judah was defeated by Israel, and each man ran back home.50 25:23 King Joash of Israel captured King Amaziah of Judah, son of Joash son of Jehoahaz, in Beth Shemesh and brought him to Jerusalem. He broke down the wall of Jerusalem from the Gate of Ephraim to the Corner Gate – a distance of about six hundred feet.51 25:24 He took away all the gold and silver, all the items found in God’s temple that were in the care of Obed-Edom, the riches in the royal palace, and some hostages. Then he went back to Samaria.
25:25 King Amaziah son of Joash of Judah lived for fifteen years after the death of King Joash son of Jehoahaz of Israel.
25:26 The rest of the events of Amaziah’s reign, from start to finish, are recorded in the Scroll of the Kings of Judah and Israel.52
25:27 From the time Amaziah turned from following the