Amaziah Reigns in Judah (2 Chronicles 25:1–4)
2 UST He was 24 years old when he started to rule, and he ruled in Jerusalem for 29 years. His mother was Jehoaddin. She was from the city of Jerusalem. BSB BSB: He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem twenty-nine years. His mother’s name was Jehoaddan; she was from Jerusalem.
3 UST Amaziah did many things that pleased Yahweh, but not to the extent that King David, his ancestor, had done. He did the same kind of good things that his father Joash had done. BSB BSB: And he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, but not as his father David had done. He did everything as his father Joash had done.
4 UST However, Amaziah did not destroy the shrines on the tops of hills. The Judeans continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense at those places{ instead of at the place that God had chosen for them in Jerusalem}. BSB BSB: Nevertheless, the high places were not taken away, and the people continued sacrificing and burning incense on the high places.
5 UST As soon as Amaziah was completely in control of his kingdom, he had his soldiers execute the officials who had murdered his father, King Joash. BSB BSB: As soon as the kingdom was firmly in his grasp, Amaziah executed the servants who had murdered his father the king.
6 UST But he did not tell his servants to execute those officials’ children. He obeyed what Moses wrote in the book of laws that Yahweh gave him. He wrote,“You must not execute parents for crimes that their children commit, and you must not execute children for crimes that their parents commit. You must only execute people for the sins that they themselves commit.” BSB BSB: Yet he did not put the sons of the murderers to death, but acted according to what is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, where the LORD commanded: “Fathers must not be put to death for their children, and children must not be put to death for their fathers; each is to die for his own sin.”
7 UST Amaziah led his army and defeated the Edomite army in the Valley of Salt. The Judeans killed 10, 000 Edomites. They captured the city of Sela. Amaziah gave that city a new name, Joktheel, and that is still its name. BSB BSB: Amaziah struck down 10,000 Edomites in the Valley of Salt. He took Sela in battle and called it Joktheel, which is its name to this very day.
Jehoash Defeats Amaziah (2 Chronicles 25:17–24)
8 UST Then Amaziah sent messengers to King Jehoash of Israel to tell him,“I challenge you to a battle!” BSB BSB: Then Amaziah sent messengers to the king of Israel Jehoash son of Jehoahaz, the son of Jehu. “Come, let us meet face to face,” he said.
9 UST But in reply, King Jehoash had his messengers tell King Amaziah a story that taught a lesson. They said,“Once a little thornbush was growing in the mountains in Lebanon. It sent a message to a great cedar tree. It told the cedar that it should allow the son of the thornbush to marry its daughter. But as a wild animal in Lebanon was walking along, it stepped on the thornbush and crushed it.” BSB BSB: But Jehoash king of Israel replied to Amaziah king of Judah: “A thistle in Lebanon sent a message to a cedar in Lebanon, saying, ‘Give your daughter to my son in marriage.’ Then a wild beast in Lebanon came along and trampled the thistle.
10 UST { The messengers continued to say on behalf of Jehoash,}“The meaning of my story is that you have become very proud because your army defeated the army of Edom. But you should be happy about that and not fight a further war with me. If you cause trouble by fighting against me, you will surely cause great harm to happen to you and to your people.” BSB BSB: You have indeed defeated Edom, and your heart has become proud. Glory in that and stay at home. Why should you stir up trouble so that you fall—you and Judah with you?”
11 UST But Amaziah did not withdraw his challenge. So Jehoash led his army to fight against the army of Amaziah. They fought a battle at the city of Beth Shemesh in Judah. BSB BSB: But Amaziah would not listen, so Jehoash king of Israel advanced. He and King Amaziah of Judah faced each other at Beth-shemesh in Judah.
12 UST The Israelite army defeated the army of Judah, and the Judean soldiers ran away and went home. BSB BSB: And Judah was routed before Israel, and every man fled to his home.
13 UST Jehoash’ s army captured King Amaziah at Beth Shemesh. Then they marched to Jerusalem and tore down the wall around the city from the Ephraim Gate to the Corner Gate. That section of the wall was about 180 meters long. BSB BSB: There at Beth-shemesh, Jehoash king of Israel captured Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Joash, the son of Ahaziah. Then Jehoash went to Jerusalem and broke down the wall of Jerusalem from the Ephraim Gate to the Corner Gate—a section of four hundred cubits.
14 UST Jehoash’ s soldiers seized all the gold and silver and valuable items that were in Yahweh’ s temple and that Amaziah was keeping in the royal palace. They also took some prisoners to make sure that Amaziah would not attack Israel. Then Jehoash returned to Samaria. BSB BSB: He took all the gold and silver and all the articles found in the house of the LORD and in the treasuries of the royal palace, as well as some hostages. Then he returned to Samaria.
Jeroboam II Succeeds Jehoash in Israel 15 UST The book in which the kings of Israel recorded what happened during their reigns describes further things that Jehoash did, including more about how he and his army fought and defeated the army of King Amaziah of Judah. BSB BSB: As for the rest of the acts of Jehoash, along with his accomplishments, his might, and how he waged war against Amaziah king of Judah, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?
16 UST When Jehoash died, the Israelites buried him in Samaria. That was where they had buried other kings of Israel. His son Jeroboam became the next king. BSB BSB: And Jehoash rested with his fathers and was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel. And his son Jeroboam reigned in his place.
The Death of Amaziah (2 Chronicles 25:25–28)
17 UST King Amaziah of Judah lived for 15 more years after King Jehoash of Israel died. BSB BSB: Amaziah son of Joash king of Judah lived for fifteen years after the death of Jehoash son of Jehoahaz king of Israel.
18 UST The book in which the kings of Judah recorded what happened during their reigns describes further things that Amaziah did. BSB BSB: As for the rest of the acts of Amaziah, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah?
19 UST Some people in Jerusalem plotted against Amaziah, so he ran away to the city of Lachish. But those people sent men to follow him to Lachish, and those men killed him there. BSB BSB: And conspirators plotted against Amaziah in Jerusalem, and he fled to Lachish. But men were sent after him to Lachish, and they killed him there.
20 UST { To honor him,} his officials brought his body back to Jerusalem in his own chariot. They buried him in the part of Jerusalem that people called the City of David. That was where people had also buried his ancestors. BSB BSB: They carried him back on horses and buried him in Jerusalem with his fathers in the City of David.
Azariah Succeeds Amaziah in Judah (2 Chronicles 26:1–2)
21 UST Then the Judeans appointed Amaziah’ s son Azariah as the next king. He became king when he was 16 years old. BSB BSB: Then all the people of Judah took Azariah, who was sixteen years old, and made him king in place of his father Amaziah.
22 UST After his father Amaziah died, Azariah led his army to recapture the city of Elath. He then fortified that city. BSB BSB: Azariah was the one who rebuilt Elath and restored it to Judah after King Amaziah rested with his fathers.
Jeroboam II Reigns in Israel 23 UST When Amaziah son of Joash had been ruling Judah for almost 15 years, Jeroboam son of Jehoash became the king of Israel. He ruled in the city of Samaria for 41 years. BSB BSB: In the fifteenth year of the reign of Amaziah son of Joash over Judah, Jeroboam son of Jehoash became king of Israel, and he reigned in Samaria forty-one years.
24 UST He did many things that Yahweh had told the Israelites were evil. Jeroboam son of Nebat had sinned{ by making calf idols}, and he made the people of Israel sin{ by worshiping those idols}. This Jeroboam{ sinned in that same way, and he} did not repent. BSB BSB: And he did evil in the sight of the LORD and did not turn away from all the sins that Jeroboam son of Nebat had caused Israel to commit.
26 UST Yahweh made that promise and kept it because he saw that the Israelites’ enemies were causing them to suffer greatly. He also saw that no one at all was able to rescue them. BSB BSB: For the LORD saw that the affliction of the Israelites, both slave and free, was very bitter. There was no one to help Israel,
27 UST But Yahweh had not said that he would destroy the Israelites completely. So he enabled King Jeroboam to rescue them. BSB BSB: and since the LORD had said that He would not blot out the name of Israel from under heaven, He saved them by the hand of Jeroboam son of Jehoash.
28 UST The book in which the kings of Israel recorded what happened during their reigns describes further things that Jeroboam did. He was a strong king. He led his armies to recapture the territories in the areas of Damascus and Hamath that Judean kings had formerly controlled. He made them part of his kingdom of Israel. BSB BSB: As for the rest of the acts of Jeroboam, along with all his accomplishments and might, and how he waged war and recovered both Damascus and Hamath for Israel from Judah, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?
29 UST When Jeroboam died{, the Israelites buried him in Samaria. That was where they had buried} other kings of Israel. His son Zechariah became the next king. BSB BSB: And Jeroboam rested with his fathers, the kings of Israel. And his son Zechariah reigned in his place.
Select verses for actions: Enter goes to them and Escape comes back.