2 Chronicles 26–27

CHAPTER 26

Uzziah Reigns over Judah

¹And all the people of Judah took ¹Uzziah, who was sixteen years old, and made him king in the place of his father Amaziah.

²He built Eloth and restored it to Judah after the king slept with his fathers.

³Uzziah was ^asixteen years old when he became king, and he reigned fifty-two years in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was ¹Jechiliah of Jerusalem.

⁴And he did what was right in the sight of Yahweh, according to all that his father Amaziah had done.

^5aAnd he continued to seek God in the days of Zechariah, ^bwho had understanding ¹through the vision of God; and ^2cas long as he sought Yahweh, God made him succeed.

Uzziah’s Fame Spreads Afar

⁶Then he went out and ^afought against the Philistines, and broke down the wall of Gath and the wall of Jabneh and the wall of Ashdod; and he built cities in the area of Ashdod and among the Philistines.

^7aAnd God helped him against the Philistines, and against the Arabians who lived in Gur-baal, and the Meunites.

⁸The Ammonites also gave ^atribute to Uzziah, and his ¹fame extended to the border of Egypt, for he became very strong.

⁹Moreover, Uzziah built towers in Jerusalem at ^athe Corner Gate and at the ^bValley Gate and at the corner buttress and strengthened them.

¹⁰He also built towers in the wilderness and ^ahewed many cisterns, for he had much livestock, both in the ¹Shephelah and in the plain. He also had plowmen and vinedressers in the hill country and the fertile fields, for he loved the soil.

¹¹Moreover, Uzziah had a military force which could wage war, which went out for military duty by divisions according to the number of their muster, prepared by the hand of Jeiel the scribe and Maaseiah the officer, under the hand of Hananiah, one of the king’s officials.

¹²The total number of the heads of the ¹households, of mighty men of valor, was 2,600.

¹³And under their hand was a ¹mighty army of ^a307,500, who could wage war with mighty power, to help the king against the enemy.

¹⁴Moreover, Uzziah prepared ¹for all the army shields, spears, helmets, body armor, bows, and stones for slings.

¹⁵In Jerusalem he also made devices of war devised by skillful designers to be on the towers and on the corners for the purpose of shooting arrows and great stones. Hence his ¹fame spread afar, for he was marvelously helped until he was strong.

Uzziah’s Pride

¹⁶But ^awhen he became strong, his heart was so ¹proud that he acted corruptly, and he was unfaithful to Yahweh his God. And ^bhe entered the temple of Yahweh to burn incense on the altar of incense.

¹⁷Then ^aAzariah the priest entered after him and with him eighty priests of Yahweh, men of valor.

^18aAnd they stood against Uzziah the king and said to him, “^bIt is not for you, Uzziah, to burn incense to Yahweh, ^cbut for the priests, the sons of Aaron who are set apart as holy to burn incense. Get out of the sanctuary, for you have been unfaithful and will have no honor from Yahweh God.”

¹⁹But Uzziah, with a censer in his hand for burning incense, was enraged; and while he was enraged with the priests, ^athe leprosy broke out on his forehead before the priests in the house of Yahweh, beside the altar of incense.

²⁰And Azariah the chief priest and all the priests looked at him, and behold, he was leprous on his forehead; and they hurried him out of there, and he himself also hastened to get out because Yahweh had smitten him.

^21aSo King Uzziah was a leper to the day of his death; and he lived in ^ba separate house, being a leper, for he was cut off from the house of Yahweh. And Jotham his son was over the king’s house, judging the people of the land.

²²Now the rest of the acts of Uzziah, first to last, the prophet ^aIsaiah, the son of Amoz, has written.

²³So Uzziah slept with his fathers, and they buried him with his fathers ^ain the field of the grave which belonged to the kings, for they said, “He is a leper.” And Jotham his son became king in his place.

CHAPTER 27

Jotham Reigns over Judah

^1aJotham was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Jerushah the daughter of Zadok.

²And he did what was right in the sight of Yahweh, according to all that his father Uzziah had done; ^ahowever he did not enter the temple of Yahweh. But the people continued acting corruptly.

³He built the upper gate of the house of Yahweh, and he built extensively the wall of ^aOphel.

⁴Moreover, he built ^acities in the hill country of Judah, and he built fortresses and towers on the wooded hills.

⁵He fought also with the king of the sons of Ammon and prevailed over them. So the sons of Ammon gave him during that year ¹100 talents of silver, ²10,000 kors of wheat, and 10,000 of barley. The sons of Ammon also brought back to him this amount in the second and in the third year.

^6aSo Jotham became strong because he established his ways before Yahweh his God.

^7aNow the rest of the acts of Jotham, even all his wars and his ways, behold, they are written in the Book of the Kings of Israel and Judah.

⁸He was ^atwenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem.

⁹And Jotham slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city of David; and Ahaz his son became king in his place.