2 Chronicles 26:1–15

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.