2 Chronicles 26

Uzziah Reigns in Judah

26Now all the people of Judah took ¹Uzziah, who was sixteen years old, and made him king instead of his father Amaziah. ²He built ²Elath and restored it to Judah, after the king rested with his fathers.

³Uzziah was sixteen years old when he became king, and he reigned fifty-two years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jecholiah of Jerusalem. ⁴And he did what was ^aright in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his father Amaziah had done. ^5bHe sought God in the days of Zechariah, who ^chad understanding in the ³visions of God; and as long as he sought the Lord, God made him ^dprosper.

⁶Now he went out and ^emade war against the Philistines, and broke down the wall of Gath, the wall of Jabneh, and the wall of Ashdod; and he built cities around Ashdod and among the Philistines. ⁷God helped him against ^fthe Philistines, against the Arabians who lived in Gur Baal, and against the Meunites. ⁸Also the Ammonites ^gbrought tribute to Uzziah. His fame spread as far as the entrance of Egypt, for he became exceedingly strong.

⁹And Uzziah built towers in Jerusalem at the ^hCorner Gate, at the Valley Gate, and at the corner buttress of the wall; then he fortified them. ¹⁰Also he built towers in the desert. He dug many wells, for he had much livestock, both in the lowlands and in the plains; he also had farmers and vinedressers in the mountains and in ⁴Carmel, for he loved the soil.

¹¹Moreover Uzziah had an army of fighting men who went out to war by companies, according to the number on their roll as prepared by Jeiel the scribe and Maaseiah the officer, under the hand of Hananiah, one of the king’s captains. ¹²The total number of ⁵chief officers of the mighty men of valor was two thousand six hundred. ¹³And under their authority was an army of three hundred and seven thousand five hundred, that made war with mighty power, to help the king against the enemy. ¹⁴Then Uzziah prepared for them, for the entire army, shields, spears, helmets, body armor, bows, and slings to cast stones. ¹⁵And he made devices in Jerusalem, invented by ⁱskillful men, to be on the towers and the corners, to shoot arrows and large stones. So his fame spread far and wide, for he was marvelously helped till he became strong.

The Penalty for Uzziah’s Pride

¹⁶But ^jwhen he was strong his heart was ^klifted up, to his destruction, for he transgressed against the Lord his God ^lby entering the temple of the Lord to burn incense on the altar of incense. ¹⁷So ^mAzariah the priest went in after him, and with him were eighty priests of the Lord—valiant men. ¹⁸And they withstood King Uzziah, and said to him, “It ⁿis not for you, Uzziah, to burn incense to the Lord, but for the ^opriests, the sons of Aaron, who are consecrated to burn incense. Get out of the sanctuary, for you have trespassed! You shall have no honor from the Lord God.”

¹⁹Then Uzziah became furious; and he had a censer in his hand to burn incense. And while he was angry with the priests, ^pleprosy broke out on his forehead, before the priests in the house of the Lord, beside the incense altar. ²⁰And Azariah the chief priest and all the priests looked at him, and there, on his forehead, he was leprous; so they thrust him out of that place. Indeed he also ^qhurried to get out, because the Lord had struck him.

^21rKing Uzziah was a leper until the day of his death. He dwelt in an ^sisolated house, because he was a leper; for he was cut off from the house of the Lord. Then Jotham his son was over the king’s house, judging the people of the land.

²²Now the rest of the acts of Uzziah, from first to last, the prophet ^tIsaiah the son of Amoz wrote. ^23uSo Uzziah ⁶rested with his fathers, and they buried him with his fathers in the field of burial which belonged to the kings, for they said, “He is a leper.” Then Jotham his son reigned in his place.