2 Rois 14

Amaziah king of Judah

¹In the second year of Joash son of Jehoahaz king of Israel, Amaziah son of Joash became king of Judah. ²He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jehoaddin; she was from Jerusalem.^{a 3}He did what was right in the sight of the LORD, yet not as his ancestor David had done. He did everything just as his father Joash had done. ⁴Yet the high places were not taken away; the people still offered sacrifices and burned incense at the high places. ⁵As soon as the kingdom was firmly in his control, he executed the officials who had murdered his father the king. ⁶But he did not put to death the children of the murderers. In this he kept to the book of the law of Moses, in which the LORD commanded, “Parents are not to be put to death for their children, nor children for their parents. Each one is to be put to death only for their own sin.” ⁷He defeated the Edomites in the Valley of Salt, 10,000 of them, and captured Sela in battle. He named it Joktheel, and it is called that to this day.

Amaziah challenges Jehoash

⁸Then Amaziah sent messengers to Jehoash son of Jehoahaz son of Jehu, king of Israel, to say, “Come, let us meet face to face.” ⁹Jehoash king of Israel sent back word to Amaziah king of Judah: “There was a thistle in Lebanon that sent word to a cedar in Lebanon: ‘Give your daughter to my son as his wife.’ Then a wild animal in Lebanon came by and trampled the thistle. ¹⁰You have certainly defeated Edom, and now your heart has made you proud. Enjoy your glory, but stay at home. Why stir up trouble that will only bring you down, you and Judah with you?” ¹¹Amaziah, however, would not listen. So Jehoash king of Israel went up against him, and the two kings, he and Amaziah king of Judah, met face to face at Beth-shemesh, which belongs to Judah. ¹²Judah was defeated by Israel, and every man fled to his home. ¹³Jehoash king of Israel took Amaziah king of Judah prisoner at Beth-shemesh; Amaziah was the son of Jehoash son of Ahaziah. Then Jehoash came to Jerusalem and tore down the wall of Jerusalem along a stretch of about 600 feet, from the Ephraim Gate to the Corner Gate.^{b 14}He carried off all the gold and silver, and every article that was found in the house of the LORD and in the palace treasuries. He also took hostages, and then he returned to Samaria. ¹⁵The rest of the acts of Jehoash, what he did, his might and how he fought against Amaziah king of Judah, are written in the Book of the History of the Kings of Israel. ¹⁶Then Jehoash rested with his ancestors and was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel. His son Jeroboam became king in his place.

¹⁷Amaziah son of Joash king of Judah lived fifteen years after the death of Jehoash son of Jehoahaz king of Israel. ¹⁸The rest of the acts of Amaziah are written in the Book of the History of the Kings of Judah. ¹⁹Some in Jerusalem formed a conspiracy against him, and he fled to Lachish. But they sent men after him to Lachish and put him to death there. ²⁰They brought his body back on horses, and he was buried in Jerusalem with his ancestors in the City of David. ²¹Then all the people of Judah took Azariah, then sixteen years old, and made him king to succeed his father Amaziah.^{c 22}It was he who rebuilt Elath and won it back for Judah, after King Amaziah had rested with his ancestors.

Jeroboam king of Israel

²³In the fifteenth year of Amaziah son of Joash king of Judah, Jeroboam son of Joash became king over Israel in Samaria, and he reigned forty-one years. ²⁴He did what was evil in the sight of the LORD. He did not turn away from any of the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, who led Israel to sin. ²⁵He restored the border of Israel from Lebo-hamath to the Sea of the Arabah, by the word of the LORD the God of Israel, which he had spoken through his servant Jonah son of Amittai, the prophet from Gath-hepher. ²⁶For the LORD saw that Israel’s suffering was very bitter. No one was left, bound or free, and there was no one to help Israel.^{d 27}The LORD had not said that he would blot out the name of Israel from under the heavens, so he saved them through Jeroboam son of Joash. ²⁸The rest of the acts of Jeroboam, all that he did, his might, how he fought, and how he won back for Israel Damascus and Hamath, which had belonged to Judah, are written in the Book of the History of the Kings of Israel.^{e 29}Then Jeroboam rested with his ancestors, the kings of Israel. His son Zechariah became king in his place.