The In-Dept Study of the Bible
Chronicles 25
1 Amaziah was twenty-five years
old when he began to reign, and he
reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem.
His mother’s name was Jehoaddan, of
Jerusalem.
2 He did that which was right in Yahweh’s eyes, but not with a perfect heart.
3 Now when the kingdom was established to him, he killed his servants who
had killed his father the king.
4 But he didn’t put their children to
death, but did according to that which is
written in the law in the book of Moses, as
Yahweh commanded, saying, “The fathers
shall not die for the children, neither shall
the children die for the fathers; but every
man shall die for his own sin.”
5 Moreover Amaziah gathered Judah together and ordered them according to
their fathers’ houses, under captains of
thousands and captains of hundreds, even
all Judah and Benjamin. He counted them
from twenty years old and upward, and
found thatthere were three hundred thousand chosen men, able to go out to war,
who could handle spear and shield.
6 He also hired one hundred thousand
mighty men of valor out of Israel for one
hundred talents† of silver.
7 A man of God came to him, saying, “O
king, don’t let the army of Israel go with
you, for Yahweh is not with Israel, with all
the children of Ephraim.
8 But if you will go, take action, and be
strong for the battle. God will overthrow
you before the enemy; for God has power
to help, and to overthrow.”
9 Amaziah said to the man of God, “But
what shall we do for the hundred talents‡
which I have given to the army of Israel?”
The man of God answered, “Yahweh is
able to give you much more than this.”
10 Then Amaziah separated them, the
army that had come to him out of Ephraim,
to go home again. Therefore their anger
was greatly kindled against Judah, and
they returned home in fierce anger.
11 Amaziah took courage, and led his
people out and went to the Valley of Salt,
and struck ten thousand of the children of
Seir.
12 The children of Judah carried away
ten thousand alive, and brought them to
the top of the rock, and threw them down
from the top of the rock, so that they all
were broken in pieces.
13 But the men of the army whom
Amaziah sent back, that they should not
go with him to battle, fell on the cities of
Judah from Samaria even to Beth Horon,
and struck of them three thousand, and
took much plunder.
14 Now after Amaziahhad come fromthe
slaughter of the Edomites, he brought the
gods of the children of Seir, and set them
up to be his gods, and bowed down himself
before them and burned incense to them.
15 Therefore Yahweh’s anger burned
against Amaziah, and he sent to him a
prophet who said to him, “Why have you
sought after the gods of the people, which
have not delivered their own people out of
your hand?”
16 As he talked with him, the king said to
him, “Have we made you one of the king’s
counselors? Stop! Why should you be
struck down?” Then the prophet stopped, and said, “I
know that God has determined to destroy
you, because you have done this and have
not listened to my counsel.”
17 Then Amaziahking ofJudahconsulted
his advisers, and sent to Joash, the son of
Jehoahaz, the son of Jehu, king of Israel,
saying, “Come! Let’s look one another in
the face.”
18 Joash king of Israel sent to Amaziah
king of Judah, saying, “The thistle that was
in Lebanon sent to the cedar that was in
Lebanon, saying, ‘Give your daughter to
my son as his wife. Then a wild animalthat
was in Lebanon passed by and trampled
down the thistle.
19 You say to yourself that you have
struck Edom; and your heart lifts you up to
boast. Now stay at home. Why should you
meddle with trouble, that you should fall,
even you and Judah with you?’ ”
20 But Amaziah would not listen; for it
was of God,that he might deliver them into
the hand of their enemies, because they
had sought after the gods of Edom.
21 So Joash king of Israel went up, and
he and Amaziah king of Judah looked one
another inthe face atBethShemesh, which
belongs to Judah.
22 Judah was defeated by Israel; so every
man fled to his tent.
23 Joash king of Israel took Amaziah king
of Judah, the son of Joash the son of Jehoahaz, at Beth Shemesh and brought him
to Jerusalem, and broke down the wall of
Jerusalem from the gate of Ephraim to the
corner gate, four hundred cubits.§
24 He took all the gold and silver, and
all the vessels that were found in God’s
house with Obed-Edom, and the treasures
of the king’s house, and the hostages, and
returned to Samaria.
25 Amaziah the son of Joash, king of Judah, lived for fifteen years after the death
of Joash, son of Jehoahaz, king of Israel.
26 Now the rest of the acts of Amaziah,
first and last, behold, aren’t they written in
the book of the kings of Judah and Israel?
27 Now from the time that Amaziah
turned away from following Yahweh,
they made a conspiracy against him in
Jerusalem. He fled to Lachish, but they sent after him to Lachish and killed him
there.
28 They brought him on horses and
buried him with his fathers in the City of
Judah.