2 Chronicles 26

Then all the people of Judah took Uzziah, who was sixteen years old, and made him king in the room of his father Amaziah. ²He built Eloth, and restored it to Judah, after that the king slept with his fathers.

^3aSixteen years old was Uzziah when he began to reign, and he reigned fifty and two years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name also was Jecoliah of Jerusalem. ^4aAnd he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his father Amaziah did. ⁵And ^bhe sought God in the days of Zechariah, who ^chad understanding in the visions of God: and as long as he sought the Lord, God made him to prosper. ⁶And he went forth and ^dwarred against the Philistines, and brake down the wall of ^eGath, and the wall of ^fJabneh, and the wall of ^gAshdod, and built cities about Ashdod, and among the Philistines. ⁷And God helped him against the ^hPhilistines, and against the ^hArabians that dwelt in Gur-baal, and the ⁱMehunims. ⁸And the ^kAmmonites gave ^lgifts to Uzziah: and his name spread abroad even to the entering in of Egypt: for he strengthened himself exceedingly. ⁹Moreover Uzziah built towers in Jerusalem at the ^mcorner gate, and at the ⁿvalley gate, and at ^othe turning of the wall, and fortified them. ¹⁰Also he built towers in the desert, and digged many wells: for he had much cattle, both in the low country, and in ^pthe plains: ^qhusbandmen also, and ^qvinedressers in the mountains, and in ^rCarmel: for he loved husbandry. ¹¹Moreover Uzziah had a host of fighting men, that went out to war by ^sbands, according to the number of their account by the hand of Jeiel the scribe and Maaseiah the ^truler, under the hand of Hananiah, one of the king’s captains. ¹²The whole number of the chief of the fathers of the mighty men of valour were two thousand and six hundred. ¹³And under their hand was an army, ^uthree hundred thousand and seven thousand and five hundred, that made war with mighty power, to help the king against the enemy. ¹⁴And Uzziah prepared for them throughout all the host ^xshields, and ^xspears, and ^yhelmets, and ^yzhabergeons, and ^xbows, and slings to cast stones. ¹⁵And he made in Jerusalem ^aengines, invented by cunning men, to be on the towers and upon the ^bbulwarks, to shoot arrows and great stones withal. And his name spread far abroad; for he was marvellously helped, till he was strong.

¹⁶But ^cwhen he was strong, ^dhis heart was lifted up to his destruction: for he transgressed against the Lord his God, and went into ^ethe temple of the Lord ^fto burn incense upon ^ethe altar of incense. ¹⁷And ^gAzariah the priest went in after him, and with him fourscore priests of the Lord, that were ^hvaliant men: ¹⁸and they withstood Uzziah the king, and said unto him, ⁱIt pertaineth not unto thee, Uzziah, to burn incense unto the Lord, but to the ^kpriests the sons of Aaron, that are consecrated to burn incense: go out of the sanctuary; for thou hast trespassed; neither shall it be for thine honour from the Lord God. ¹⁹Then Uzziah was wroth, and had a censer in his hand to burn incense: and while he was wroth with the priests, ^lthe leprosy even rose up in his forehead before the priests in the house of the Lord, from beside the incense altar. ²⁰And Azariah the chief priest, and all the priests, looked upon him, and behold, he was leprous in his forehead, and they ^mthrust him out from thence; yea, himself ⁿhasted also to go out, because ^othe Lord had smitten him. ²¹And Uzziah the king was a leper unto the day of his death, and dwelt in a several house, being a leper; for he was cut off from the house of the Lord: and Jotham his son was over the king’s house, judging the people of the land. ²²Now the rest of the acts of Uzziah, ^pfirst and last, did ^qIsaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, write. ²³So Uzziah slept with his fathers, and they buried him with his fathers ^rin the field of the burial which belonged to the kings; for they said, He is a leper: and Jotham his son reigned in his stead.

XXVII.