2 Chronicles 26–32

Judah’s King Uzziah

26All the people ^cof Judah took Uzziah, ^dwho was 16 years old, and made him king in place of his father Amaziah. ²He rebuilt Eloth ^efand restored it to Judah after Amaziah the king rested with his fathers.

³Uzziah was 16 years old ^gwhen he became king and reigned 52 years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jecoliah from Jerusalem. ⁴He did what was right in the Lord’s sight as his father Amaziah had done. ⁵He sought God ^hthroughout the lifetime of Zechariah, the teacher of the fear ^ijof God. During the time that he sought the Lord, God gave him success. ^k

Uzziah’s Exploits

⁶Uzziah went out to wage war against the Philistines, ^land he tore down the wall of Gath, the wall of Jabneh, and the wall of Ashdod. Then he built cities in the vicinity of Ashdod and among the Philistines. ⁷God helped him against the Philistines, the Arabs that live in Gur-baal, and the Meunites. ⁸The Ammonites ^mgave Uzziah tribute money, ⁿand his fame spread as far as the entrance of Egypt, for God made him very powerful. ⁹Uzziah built towers in Jerusalem at the Corner Gate, ^othe Valley Gate, ^pand the corner buttress, and he fortified them. ¹⁰Since he had many cattle both in the Judean foothills ^qand the plain, he built towers in the desert and dug many wells. ^rAnd since he was a lover of the soil, he had farmers and vinedressers in the hills and in the fertile lands. ^s

¹¹Uzziah had an army equipped for combat that went out to war by division according to their assignments, as recorded by Jeiel the court secretary and Maaseiah the officer under the authority of Hananiah, one of the king’s commanders. ¹²The total number of heads of families was 2,600 brave warriors. ¹³Under their authority was an army of 307,500 equipped for combat, a powerful force to help the king against the enemy. ^t14Uzziah provided the entire army with shields, spears, helmets, armor, bows and slingstones. ¹⁵He made skillfully designed devices in Jerusalem to shoot arrows and catapult large stones for use on the towers and on the corners. So his fame spread even to distant places, for he was marvelously helped until he became strong.

Uzziah’s Disease

¹⁶But when he became strong, he grew arrogant ^uand it led to his own destruction. He acted unfaithfully against the Lord his God by going into the Lord’s sanctuary to burn incense on the incense altar. ^v17Azariah ^wthe priest, along with 80 brave priests of the Lord, went in after him. ¹⁸They took their stand ^xagainst King Uzziah and said, “Uzziah, you have no right to offer incense to the Lord ^y—only the consecrated priests, the descendants of Aaron, have the right to offer incense. ^zLeave the sanctuary, for you have acted unfaithfully! You will not receive honor from the Lord God.”

¹⁹Uzziah, with a firepan in his hand to offer incense, was enraged. But when he became enraged with the priests, in the presence of the priests in the Lord’s temple beside the altar of incense, a skin disease ^abroke out on his forehead. ²⁰Then Azariah the chief priest and all the priests turned to him and saw that he was diseased on his forehead. They rushed him out of there. He himself also hurried to get out because the Lord had afflicted him. ²¹So King Uzziah was diseased to the time of his death. ^bHe lived in quarantine ^cdwith a serious skin disease and was excluded from access to the Lord’s temple, while his son Jotham was over the king’s household governing the people of the land.

²²Now the prophet Isaiah ^eson of Amoz wrote about the rest of the events of Uzziah’s reign, from beginning to end. ²³Uzziah rested with his fathers, and he was buried with his fathers in the burial ground of the kings’ cemetery, ^ffor they said, “He has a skin disease.” His son Jotham became king in his place.

Judah’s King Jotham

27Jotham was 25 years old ^gwhen he became king and reigned 16 years in Jerusalem. ^hHis mother’s name was Jerushah daughter of Zadok. ²He did what was right in the Lord’s sight as his father Uzziah had done. In addition, he didn’t enter the Lord’s sanctuary, ⁱbut the people still behaved corruptly.

³Jotham built the Upper Gate of the Lord’s temple, and he built extensively on the wall of Ophel. ^j4He also built cities in the hill country of Judah and fortresses and towers in the forests. ^k5He waged war against the king of the Ammonites. He overpowered the Ammonites, and that year they gave him 7,500 pounds ^lof silver, 50,000 bushels ^mof wheat, and 50,000 bushels ⁿof barley. They paid him the same in the second and third years. ⁶So Jotham strengthened himself because he did not waver in obeying ^othe Lord his God. ^p

⁷As for the rest of the events ^qof Jotham’s reign, along with all his wars and his ways, note that they are written in the Book of the Kings of Israel and Judah. ⁸He was 25 years old when he became king and reigned 16 years in Jerusalem. ⁹Jotham rested with his fathers and was buried in the city of David. His son Ahaz became king in his place.

Judah’s King Ahaz

28Ahaz was 20 years old ^rwhen he became king and reigned 16 years in Jerusalem. He did not do what was right in the Lord’s sight ^slike his ancestor David, ²for he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel ^tand made cast images of the Baals. ^u3He burned incense in the Valley of Hinnom ^vand burned his children in ^wxthe fire, imitating the detestable practices of the nations the Lord had dispossessed before the Israelites. ^y4He sacrificed and burned incense on the high places, ^zon the hills, and under every green tree.

⁵So the Lord his God handed Ahaz over ^ato the king of Aram. He attacked him and took many captives to Damascus.

Ahaz was also handed over to the king of Israel, who struck him with great force: ⁶Pekah son of Remaliah killed 120,000 in Judah in one day—all brave men—because they had abandoned the Lord God of their ancestors. ⁷An Ephraimite warrior named Zichri killed the king’s son Maaseiah, Azrikam governor of the palace, and Elkanah who was second to the king. ⁸Then the Israelites took 200,000 captives from their brothers—women, sons, and daughters. ^bThey also took a great deal of plunder from them and brought it to Samaria.

⁹A prophet of the Lord named Oded was there. He went out to meet the army that came to Samaria and said to them, “Look, the Lord God of your ancestors handed them over to you because of His wrath against Judah, ^cbut you slaughtered them in a rage that has reached heaven. ^d10Now you plan to reduce the people of Judah and Jerusalem, male and female, to slavery. Are you not also guilty before Yahweh your God? ¹¹Listen to me and return the captives you took from your brothers, ^efor the Lord’s burning anger is on you.”

¹²So some men who were leaders of the Ephraimites—Azariah son of Jehohanan, Berechiah son of Meshillemoth, Jehizkiah son of Shallum, and Amasa son of Hadlai—stood in opposition to those coming from the war. ¹³They said to them, “You must not bring the captives here, for you plan to bring guilt on us from the Lord to add to our sins and our guilt. For we have much guilt, and burning anger is on Israel.”

¹⁴The army left the captives and the plunder in the presence of the officers and the congregation. ¹⁵Then the men who were designated by name ^ftook charge of the captives and provided clothes for their naked ones from the plunder. They clothed them, gave them sandals, food and drink, ^gdressed their wounds, and provided donkeys for all the feeble. The Israelites brought them to Jericho, the City of Palms, ^hamong their brothers. Then they returned to Samaria.

¹⁶At that time King Ahaz asked the king of Assyria for help. ⁱ¹⁷The Edomites came again, attacked Judah, and took captives. ^j18The Philistines also raided the cities of the Judean foothills ^kand the Negev of Judah ^land captured Beth-shemesh, Aijalon, Gederoth, Soco and its villages, Timnah and its villages, Gimzo and its villages, and they lived there. ¹⁹For the Lord humbled Judah because of King Ahaz of Judah, ^mwho threw off restraint in Judah and was unfaithful to the Lord. ²⁰Then Tiglath-pileser ^noking of Assyria came against Ahaz; he oppressed him and did not give him support. ^p21Although Ahaz plundered the Lord’s temple and the palace of the king and of the rulers and gave the plunder to the king of Assyria, it did not help him.

²²At the time of his distress, King Ahaz himself became more unfaithful to the Lord. ²³He sacrificed to the gods of Damascus which had defeated him; he said, “Since the gods of the kings of Aram are helping them, I will sacrifice to them so that they will help me.” ^qBut they were the downfall of him and of all Israel.

²⁴Then Ahaz gathered up the utensils of God’s temple, cut them into pieces, ^rshut the doors of the Lord’s temple, ^sand made himself altars on every street corner in Jerusalem. ^t25He made high places in every city of Judah to offer incense to other gods, and he provoked the Lord, the God of his ancestors.

Ahaz’s Death

²⁶As for the rest of his deeds ^uand all his ways, from beginning to end, they are written in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel. ²⁷Ahaz rested with his fathers and was buried in the city, in Jerusalem, but they did not bring him into the tombs of the kings of Israel. His son Hezekiah became king in his place.

Judah’s King Hezekiah

29Hezekiah was 25 years old ^vwhen he became king and reigned 29 years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Abijah ^wdaughter of Zechariah. ²He did what was right in the Lord’s sight ^xjust as his ancestor David had done.

³In the first year of his reign, in the first month, he opened the doors of the Lord’s temple and repaired them. ^y4Then he brought in the priests and Levites and gathered them in the eastern public square. ^z5He said to them, “Hear me, Levites. Consecrate yourselves ^anow and consecrate the temple of Yahweh, the God of your ancestors. Remove everything impure from the holy place. ⁶For our fathers were unfaithful and did what is evil in the sight of the Lord our God. They abandoned Him, turned their…