2 Kings 14–15

JUDAH’S KING AMAZIAH

14In^l the second year of Israel’s King Jehoash^m son of Jehoahaz,^B Amaziahⁿ 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 Jehoaddan; she was from Jerusalem. ³He did what was right in the Lord’s sight, but not like his ancestor David. He did everything his father Joash had done.^{o 4}Yet the high places were not taken away, and the people continued sacrificing and burning incense on the high places.^p

⁵As soon as the kingdom was firmly in his grasp, Amaziah killed his servants who had killed his father the king.^{q 6}However, he did not put the children of the killers to death, as it is written in the book of the law of Moses where the Lord commanded, “Fathers are not to be put to death because of children, and children are not to be put to death because of fathers; instead, each one will be put to death for his own sin.”^r

⁷Amaziah killed ten thousand Edomites in Salt Valley.^s He took Sela^t in battle and called it Joktheel,^u which is still its name today. ⁸Amaziah then sent messengers to Jehoash son of Jehoahaz, son of Jehu, king of Israel, and challenged him: “Come, let’s meet face to face.”^v

⁹King Jehoash of Israel sent word to King Amaziah of Judah, saying, “The thistle in Lebanon once sent a message to the cedar^w in Lebanon,^x saying, ‘Give your daughter to my son as a wife.’ Then a wild animal in Lebanon passed by and trampled the thistle. ¹⁰You have indeed defeated Edom, and you have become overconfident.^Dy Enjoy your glory and stay at home. Why should you stir up such trouble that you fall—you and Judah with you?”

¹¹But Amaziah would not listen, so King Jehoash of Israel advanced. He and King Amaziah of Judah met face to face at Beth-shemesh^z that belonged to Judah. ¹²Judah was routed before Israel, and each man fled to his own tent.^{aa 13}King Jehoash of Israel captured Judah’s King Amaziah son of Joash,^E son of Ahaziah, at Beth-shemesh. Then Jehoash went to Jerusalem and broke down two hundred yards^F of Jerusalem’s wall from the Ephraim Gate^ab to the Corner Gate.^{ac 14}He took all the gold and silver, all the articles found in the Lord’s temple and in the treasuries of the king’s palace, and some hostages.^ad Then he returned to Samaria.

JEHOASH’S DEATH

¹⁵The rest of the events of Jehoash’s reign, along with his accomplishments, his might, and how he waged war against King Amaziah of Judah, are written in the Historical Record of Israel’s Kings.^{ae 16}Jehoash rested with his ancestors, and he was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel. His son Jeroboam became king in his place.

AMAZIAH’S DEATH

¹⁷Judah’s King Amaziah son of Joash lived fifteen years after the death of Israel’s King Jehoash son of Jehoahaz.^{a 18}The rest of the events of Amaziah’s reign are written in the Historical Record of Judah’s Kings.^{b 19}A conspiracy was formed against him in Jerusalem,^c and he fled to Lachish.^d However, men were sent after him to Lachish, and they put him to death there. ²⁰They carried him back^e on horses, and he was buried in Jerusalem with his ancestors in the city of David.^f

²¹Then all the people of Judah took Azariah,^g who was sixteen years old, and made him king in place of his father Amaziah. ²²After Amaziah the king rested with his ancestors, Azariah rebuilt Elath^h and restored it to Judah.

ISRAEL’S KING JEROBOAM

²³In the fifteenth year of Judah’s King Amaziah son of Joash, Jeroboamⁱ son of Jehoash became king of Israel in Samaria, and he reigned forty-one years. ²⁴He did what was evil in the Lord’s sight. He did not turn away from all the sins Jeroboam son of Nebat had caused Israel to commit.^j

²⁵He restored Israel’s border^k from Lebo-hamath^l as far as the Sea of the Arabah,^m according to the word the Lord, the God of Israel, had spoken through his servant, the prophet Jonahⁿ son of Amittai from Gath-hepher.^{o 26}For the Lord saw that the affliction of Israel was very bitter^p for both slaves and free people.^C There was no one to help Israel. ²⁷The Lord had not said he would blot out the name of Israel under heaven,^q so he delivered^r them by the hand of Jeroboam son of Jehoash.

²⁸The rest of the events of Jeroboam’s reign—along with all his accomplishments, the power he had to wage war, and how he recovered for Israel Damascus^s and Hamath,^t which had belonged to Judah^D—are written in the Historical Record of Israel’s Kings.^{u 29}Jeroboam rested with his ancestors, the kings of Israel. His son Zechariah became king in his place.^v

JUDAH’S KING AZARIAH

15In the twenty-seventh year of Israel’s King Jeroboam, Azariah^w son of Amaziah became king of Judah.^{x 2}He was sixteen years old when he became king, and he reigned fifty-two years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jecoliah; she was from Jerusalem. ³Azariah did what was right in the Lord’s sight^y just as his father Amaziah had done. ⁴Yet the high places were not taken away; the people continued sacrificing and burning incense on the high places.^z

⁵The Lord afflicted the king, and he had a serious skin disease until the day of his death.^aa He lived in quarantine,^Fab while Jotham,^ac the king’s son, was over the household governing the people of the land.^ad

⁶The rest of the events of Azariah’s reign, along with all his accomplishments, are written in the Historical Record of Judah’s Kings.^{ae 7}Azariah rested with his ancestors and was buried with his fathers in the city of David. His son Jotham became king in his place.^af

ISRAEL’S KING ZECHARIAH

⁸In the thirty-eighth year of Judah’s King Azariah, Zechariah^ag son of Jeroboam reigned over Israel in Samaria for six months. ⁹He did what was evil in the Lord’s sight as his predecessors had done.^ah He did not turn away from the sins Jeroboam son of Nebat had caused Israel to commit.^ai

¹⁰Shallum son of Jabesh conspired against Zechariah. He struck him down publicly,^A killed him, and became king in his place.^{aj 11}As for the rest of the events of Zechariah’s reign, they are written in the Historical Record of Israel’s Kings.^{ak 12}The word of the Lord that he spoke to Jehu was, “Four generations of your sons will sit on the throne of Israel,”^al and it was so.

ISRAEL’S KING SHALLUM

¹³In the thirty-ninth year of Judah’s King Uzziah, Shallum son of Jabesh became king; he reigned in Samaria^am a full month. ¹⁴Then Menahem son of Gadi came up from Tirzah^an to Samaria and struck down Shallum son of Jabesh there. He killed him and became king in his place. ¹⁵As for the rest of the events of Shallum’s reign, along with the conspiracy that he formed, they are written in the Historical Record of Israel’s Kings.

ISRAEL’S KING MENAHEM

¹⁶At that time, starting from Tirzah, Menahem attacked Tiphsah,^ao all who were in it, and its territory because they wouldn’t surrender.^ap He ripped open all the pregnant women.^aq

¹⁷In the thirty-ninth year of Judah’s King Azariah, Menahem son of Gadi became king over Israel, and he reigned ten years in Samaria. ¹⁸He did what was evil in the Lord’s sight. Throughout his reign, he did not turn away from the sins Jeroboam son of Nebat had caused Israel to commit.^a

¹⁹King Pul^Cb of Assyria invaded the land, so Menahem gave Pul seventy-five thousand pounds^D of silver so that Pul would support him to strengthen his grasp on the kingdom.^{c 20}Then Menahem exacted twenty ounces^E of silver from each of the prominent men of Israel to give to the king of Assyria. So the king of Assyria withdrew and did not stay there in the land.^d

²¹The rest of the events of Menahem’s reign, along with all his accomplishments, are written in the Historical Record of Israel’s Kings. ²²Menahem rested with his ancestors, and his son Pekahiah became king in his place.^e

ISRAEL’S KING PEKAHIAH

²³In the fiftieth year of Judah’s King Azariah, Pekahiah son of Menahem became king over Israel in Samaria, and he reigned two years. ²⁴He did what was evil in the Lord’s sight and did not turn away from the sins Jeroboam son of Nebat had caused Israel to commit.^f

²⁵Then his officer, Pekah^g son of Remaliah, conspired against him^h and struck him down in Samaria at the citadel of the king’s palaceⁱ—with Argob and Arieh.^A There were fifty Gileadite men with Pekah. He killed Pekahiah and became king in his place.

²⁶As for the rest of the events of Pekahiah’s reign, along with all his accomplishments, they are written in the Historical Record of Israel’s Kings.

ISRAEL’S KING PEKAH

²⁷In the fifty-second year of Judah’s King Azariah, Pekah son of Remaliah became king over Israel in Samaria, and he reigned twenty years. ²⁸He did what was evil in the Lord’s sight. He did not turn away from the sins Jeroboam son of Nebat had caused Israel to commit.

²⁹In the days of King Pekah of Israel, King Tiglath-pileser^j of Assyria came and captured Ijon,^k Abel-beth-maacah, Janoah, Kedesh, Hazor, Gilead, and Galilee—all the land of Naphtali^l—and deported the people to Assyria.^m

³⁰Then Hosheaⁿ son of Elah organized a conspiracy against Pekah son of Remaliah. He attacked him, killed him,^o and became king in his place in the twentieth year of Jotham son of Uzziah.

³¹As for the rest of the events of Pekah’s reign, along with all his accomplishments, they are written in the Historical Record of Israel’s Kings.

JUDAH’S KING JOTHAM

³²In the second year of Israel’s King Pekah son of Remaliah, Jotham^p son of Uzziah became king of Judah. ³³He was twenty-five years old when he became king,^q and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jerusha daughter of Zadok. ³⁴He did what was right in the Lord’s sight just as his father Uzziah had done.^{r 35}Yet the high places were not taken away; the people continued sacrificing and burning incense on the high places.

Jotham built the Upper Gate of the Lord’s temple.^{s 36}The rest^t of the events of Jotham’s reign, along with all his accomplishments, are written in the Historical Record of Judah’s Kings.^{u 37}In those days the Lord began sending Aram’s King Rezin and…