The In-Dept Study of the Bible
Chronicles 26
1 All the people of Judah took Uzziah,
who was sixteen years old, and made him
king in the place of his father Amaziah.
2 He built Eloth and restored it to Judah.
After that the king slept with his fathers.
3 Uzziah was sixteen years old when he
began to reign; and he reigned fifty-two
years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name
was Jechiliah, of Jerusalem.
4 He did that which was right in Yahweh’s eyes, according to all that his father
Amaziah had done.
5 He set himself to seek God in the days
of Zechariah, who had understanding in
the vision of God; and as long as he sought
Yahweh, God made him prosper.
6 He went out and fought against the
Philistines, and broke down the wall of
Gath, the wall of Jabneh, and the wall of
Ashdod; and he built cities in the country
of Ashdod, and among the Philistines.
7 God helped him against the Philistines,
and against the Arabians who lived in Gur
Baal, and the Meunim.
8 The Ammonites gave tribute to Uzziah.
His name spread abroad even to the entrance of Egypt, for he grew exceedingly
strong.
9 Moreover Uzziah built towers in
Jerusalem at the corner gate, at the valley
gate, and at the turning of the wall, and
fortified them.
10 He built towers in the wilderness, and
dug out many cisterns, for he had much
livestock, both in the lowlands and in the
plains. He had farmers and vineyard keepers in the mountains and in the fruitful
fields, for he loved farming.
11 Moreover Uzziah had an army offighting men who went out to war by bands, according to the number of their reckoning
made by Jeiel the scribe and Maaseiah the
officer, under the hand of Hananiah, one
of the king’s captains.
12 The whole number of the heads of
fathers’ households, even the mighty men
of valor, was two thousand six hundred.
13 Under their hand was an army, three
hundred seven thousand five hundred,
who made war with mighty power, to help
the king against the enemy.
14 Uzziah prepared for them, even for all
the army, shields, spears, helmets, coats of
mail, bows, and stones for slinging.
15 In Jerusalem, he made devices, invented by skillful men, to be on
the towers and on the battlements, with which to
shoot arrows and great stones. His name
spread far abroad, because he was marvelously helped until he was strong.
16 But when he was strong, his heart was
lifted up, so that he did corruptly and he
trespassed against Yahweh his God, for he
wentintoYahweh’s temple toburnincense
on the altar of incense.
17 Azariah the priest went in after him,
and with him eighty priests of Yahweh,
who were valiant men.
18 They resisted Uzziah the king, and
said to him, “It isn’t for you, Uzziah, to
burn incense to Yahweh, butfor the priests
the sons of Aaron, who are consecrated to
burn incense. Go out of the sanctuary, for
you have trespassed. It will not be for your
honor from Yahweh God.”
19 Then Uzziah was angry. He had a
censer in his hand to burn incense, and
while he was angry with the priests, the
leprosy broke out on his forehead before
the priests in Yahweh’s house, beside the
altar of incense.
20 Azariah the chief priest and all the
priests looked at him, and behold, he was
leprous in his forehead; and they thrust
him out quickly from there. Indeed, he
himself also hurried to go out, because
Yahweh had struck him.
21 Uzziah the king was a leper to the
day of his death, and lived in a separate
house, being a leper; for he was cut off
from Yahweh’s house. Jotham his son was
over the king’shouse, judging the people of
the land.
22 Now the rest of the acts of Uzziah,
first and last, Isaiah the prophet, the son of
Amoz, wrote.
23 So Uzziah slept 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.” Jotham his
son reigned in his place.