2tn Heb “he did what was proper in the eyes of the Lord.”

3tn Heb “a complete heart.”

4tn Heb “when the kingdom was secure upon him.”

5tn Heb “he killed his servants, the ones who had struck down the king, his father.”

6tn Heb “as it is written in the scroll of the law of Moses which the Lord commanded, saying.”

7tn Heb “on account of sons.”

8tn Heb “on account of fathers.”

9sn This law is recorded in Deut 24:16.

10tn Heb “Judah.” The words “the people of” are supplied in the translation for clarity. The Hebrew text uses the name “Judah” by metonymy here for the people of Judah.

11tn Heb “young men going out to war.”

12tn Heb “holding a spear and a shield.”

13tn The Hebrew word כִּכַּר (kikar, “circle”) refers generally to something that is round. When used of metals it can refer to a disk-shaped weight made of the metal or, by extension, to a standard unit of weight. According to the older (Babylonian) standard the “talent” weighed 130 lbs. (58.9 kg), but later this was lowered to 108.3 lbs. (49.1 kg). More recent research suggests the “light” standard talent was 67.3 lbs. (30.6 kg). Using this as the standard for calculation, the weight of the silver was 6,730 lbs. (3,060 kg).

14tn Heb “man of God.”

15tn Heb “Israel, all the sons of Ephraim.”

16tn Heb “cause you to stumble.”

17tn Heb “to cause to stumble.”

18tn Heb “said to the man of God.”

19tn Heb “man of God.”

20tn Heb “and Amaziah separated them, the troops who came to him from Ephraim, to go to their place.”

21tn Heb “and Amaziah strengthened himself and led his people and went to the Valley of Salt.”

22tn Or “struck down.”

23tn Heb “sons of Seir.”

24tn Heb “sons.”

25tn Heb “and threw them from the top of the cliff.”

26tn Heb “all of them.”

27tn Heb “smashed in pieces.”

28tn Heb “had sent back from going with him to the battle.”

29tn Heb “stripped.”

30map For location see Map2-B1; Map4-D3; Map5-E2; Map6-A4; Map7-C1.

31tn Heb “struck down.”

32tn Heb “sons.”

33tn Heb “caused them to stand for him as gods.”

34tn Heb “seeking,” perhaps in the sense of “consulting [an oracle from].”

35tn Heb “the gods of the people.”

36tn Heb “hand.”

37tn Heb “he”; the referent (Amaziah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

38tn Heb “Stop yourself! Why should they strike you down?”

39tn The verb יָעַץ (ya’ats, “has decided”) is from the same root as יוֹעֵץ (yo’ets, “counselor”) in v. 16 and עֵצָה (’etsah, “advice”) later in v. 16. The wordplay highlights the appropriate nature of the divine punishment. Amaziah rejected the counsel of God’s prophet; now he would be the victim of God’s “counsel.”

40tn The words “with his advisers” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

41tn Heb “let us look at each other [in the] face.” The expression refers here not to a visit but to meeting in battle. See v. 21.

42sn The thorn bush in the allegory is Judah. Amaziah’s success had deceived him into thinking he was on the same level as the major powers in the area (symbolized by the cedar). In reality he was not capable of withstanding an attack by a real military power such as Israel (symbolized by the wild animal).

43tn Heb “you say [to yourself], ‘look, you have defeated Edom.’”

44tn Heb “and your heart is lifted up.”

45tn Heb “to glorify.”

46tn Heb “Why get involved in calamity and fall, you and Judah with you?”

47tn Heb “did not listen.”

48tn Heb “because it was from God in order to give them into the hand because they sought the gods of Edom.”

49tn Heb “looked at each other [in the] face.” See the note on the expression “Come on, face me on the battlefield” in v. 17.

50tn Heb “and Judah was struck down before Israel and they fled, each to his tent.”

51tn Heb “400 cubits.” Assuming a cubit of 18 inches (45 cm), the distance would have been about 600 feet (180 m).

52tn Heb “As for the rest of the events of Amaziah, the former and the latter, are they not – behold, they are written on the scroll of the kings of Judah and Israel.”

53tn Heb “and they conspired against him [with] a conspiracy in Jerusalem.”

54tn Heb “and they sent after him to Lachish.”

55tn Heb “and they carried him on horses.”

56tn Heb “fathers.”

57tc The Hebrew text has “Judah,” but some medieval mss read “David,” as does the parallel passage in 2 Kgs 14:20.

sn The phrase the City of David refers here to the fortress of Zion in Jerusalem, not to Bethlehem. See 2 Sam 5:7.