¹⁶But when King Uzziah became strong, he grew arrogant, and that led to his downfall. He defied the Lord his God by going into the Temple to burn incense on the altar of incense. ¹⁷Azariah the priest, accompanied by 80 strong and courageous priests, followed the king ¹⁸^*to resist him. They said, “Uzziah! You have no right to burn incense to the Lord. Only the priests who are descended from Aaron have been consecrated to do this. Leave this holy place. You have offended the Lord God, and you no longer have his blessing.”

¹⁹Uzziah was standing there in the Temple beside the incense altar and was holding an incense burner. He became angry with the priests, and immediately a dreaded skin disease broke out on his forehead. ²⁰Azariah and the other priests stared at the king’s forehead in horror, and then forced him to leave the Temple. He hurried to get out, because the Lord had punished him.

²¹For the rest of his life King Uzziah was ritually unclean because of his disease. Unable to enter the Temple again, he lived in his own house, relieved of all duties, while his son Jotham governed the country.

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Cross references

*26.18: Ex 30:7, 8; Nu 3:10