2 Chronicles 25
25
Amaziah’s Reign
1 Amaziah was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned for twenty-nine years in Jerusalem.#map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4. His mother was Jehoaddan, who was from Jerusalem. 2 He did what the Lord approved,#tn Heb “he did what was proper in the eyes of the Lord.” but not with wholehearted devotion.#tn Heb “a complete heart.”
3 When he had secured control of the kingdom,#tn Heb “when the kingdom was secure upon him.” he executed the servants who had assassinated his father.#tn Heb “he killed his servants, the ones who had struck down the king, his father.” 4 However, he did not execute their sons. He obeyed the Lord’s commandment as recorded in the law scroll of Moses,#tn Heb “as it is written in the scroll of the law of Moses which the Lord commanded, saying.” “Fathers must not be executed for what their sons do,#tn Heb “on account of sons.” and sons must not be executed for what their fathers do.#tn Heb “on account of fathers.” A man must be executed only for his own sin.”#sn This law is recorded in Deut 24:16.
5 Amaziah assembled the people of Judah#tn Heb “Judah.” The words “the people of” are supplied in the translation for clarity. The Hebrew text uses the name “Judah” by metonymy here for the people of Judah. and assigned them by families to the commanders of units of a thousand and the commanders of units of a hundred for all Judah and Benjamin. He counted those twenty years old and up and discovered there were 300,000 young men of fighting age#tn Heb “young men going out to war.” equipped with spears and shields.#tn Heb “holding a spear and a shield.” 6 He hired 100,000 Israelite warriors for a hundred talents#tn The Hebrew word כִּכַּר (kikar, “circle”) refers generally to something that is round. When used of metals it can refer to a disk-shaped weight made of the metal or, by extension, to a standard unit of weight. According to the older (Babylonian) standard the “talent” weighed 130 lbs. (58.9 kg), but later this was lowered to 108.3 lbs. (49.1 kg). More recent research suggests the “light” standard talent was 67.3 lbs. (30.6 kg). Using this as the standard for calculation, the weight of the silver was 6,730 lbs. (3,060 kg). of silver.
7 But a prophet#tn Heb “man of God.” visited him and said: “O king, the Israelite troops must not go with you, for the Lord is not with Israel or any of the Ephraimites.#tn Heb “Israel, all the sons of Ephraim.” 8 Even if you go and fight bravely in battle, God will defeat you#tn Heb “cause you to stumble.” before the enemy. God is capable of helping or defeating.”#tn Heb “to cause to stumble.” 9 Amaziah asked the prophet:#tn Heb “said to the man of God.” “But what should I do about the hundred talents of silver I paid the Israelite troops?” The prophet#tn Heb “man of God.” replied, “The Lord is capable of giving you more than that.” 10 So Amaziah dismissed the troops that had come to him from Ephraim and sent them home.#tn Heb “and Amaziah separated them, the troops who came to him from Ephraim, to go to their place.” They were very angry at Judah and returned home incensed. 11 Amaziah boldly led his army to the Valley of Salt,#tn Heb “and Amaziah strengthened himself and led his people and went to the Valley of Salt.” where he defeated#tn Or “struck down.” 10,000 Edomites.#tn Heb “sons of Seir.” 12 The men#tn Heb “sons.” of Judah captured 10,000 men alive. They took them to the top of a cliff and threw them over.#tn Heb “and threw them from the top of the cliff.” All the captives#tn Heb “all of them.” fell to their death.#tn Heb “smashed in pieces.” 13 Now the troops Amaziah had dismissed and had not allowed to fight in the battle#tn Heb “had sent back from going with him to the battle.” raided#tn Heb “stripped.” the cities of Judah from Samaria#map For location see Map2-B1; Map4-D3; Map5-E2; Map6-A4; Map7-C1. to Beth Horon. They killed#tn Heb “struck down.” 3,000 people and carried off a large amount of plunder.
14 When Amaziah returned from defeating the Edomites, he brought back the gods of the people#tn Heb “sons.” of Seir and made them his personal gods.#tn Heb “caused them to stand for him as gods.” He bowed down before them and offered them sacrifices. 15 The Lord was angry at Amaziah and sent a prophet to him, who said, “Why are you following#tn Heb “seeking,” perhaps in the sense of “consulting [an oracle from].” these gods#tn Heb “the gods of the people.” that could not deliver their own people from your power?”#tn Heb “hand.” 16 While he was speaking, Amaziah#tn Heb “he”; the referent (Amaziah) has been specified in the translation for clarity. said to him, “Did we appoint you to be a royal counselor? Stop prophesying or else you will be killed!”#tn Heb “Stop yourself! Why should they strike you down?” So the prophet stopped, but added, “I know that the Lord has decided#tn The verb יָעַץ (ya’ats, “has decided”) is from the same root as יוֹעֵץ (yo’ets, “counselor”) in v. 16 and עֵצָה (’etsah, “advice”) later in v. 16. The wordplay highlights the appropriate nature of the divine punishment. Amaziah rejected the counsel of God’s prophet; now he would be the victim of God’s “counsel.” to destroy you, because you have done this thing and refused to listen to my advice.”
17 After King Amaziah of Judah consulted with his advisers,#tn The words “with his advisers” are supplied in the translation for clarification. he sent this message to the king of Israel, Joash son of Jehoahaz, the son of Jehu, “Come, face me on the battlefield.”#tn Heb “let us look at each other [in the] face.” The expression refers here not to a visit but to meeting in battle. See v. 21. 18 King Joash of Israel sent this message back to King Amaziah of Judah, “A thorn bush in Lebanon sent this message to a cedar in Lebanon, ‘Give your daughter to my son as a wife.’ Then a wild animal of Lebanon came by and trampled down the thorn bush.#sn The thorn bush in the allegory is Judah. Amaziah’s success had deceived him into thinking he was on the same level as the major powers in the area (symbolized by the cedar). In reality he was not capable of withstanding an attack by a real military power such as Israel (symbolized by the wild animal). 19 You defeated Edom#tn Heb “you say [to yourself], ‘look, you have defeated Edom.’” and it has gone to your head.#tn Heb “and your heart is lifted up.” Gloat over your success,#tn Heb “to glorify.” but stay in your palace. Why bring calamity on yourself? Why bring down yourself and Judah along with you?”#tn Heb “Why get involved in calamity and fall, you and Judah with you?”
20 But Amaziah did not heed the warning,#tn Heb “did not listen.” for God wanted to hand them over to Joash because they followed the gods of Edom.#tn Heb “because it was from God in order to give them into the hand because they sought the gods of Edom.” 21 So King Joash of Israel attacked. He and King Amaziah of Judah faced each other on the battlefield#tn Heb “looked at each other [in the] face.” See the note on the expression “Come on, face me on the battlefield” in v. 17. in Beth Shemesh of Judah. 22 Judah was defeated by Israel, and each man ran back home.#tn Heb “and Judah was struck down before Israel and they fled, each to his tent.” 23 King Joash of Israel captured King Amaziah of Judah, son of Joash son of Jehoahaz, in Beth Shemesh and brought him to Jerusalem. He broke down the wall of Jerusalem from the Gate of Ephraim to the Corner Gate – a distance of about six hundred feet.#tn Heb “400 cubits.” Assuming a cubit of 18 inches (45 cm), the distance would have been about 600 feet (180 m). 24 He took away all the gold and silver, all the items found in God’s temple that were in the care of Obed-Edom, the riches in the royal palace, and some hostages. Then he went back to Samaria.
25 King Amaziah son of Joash of Judah lived for fifteen years after the death of King Joash son of Jehoahaz of Israel. 26 The rest of the events of Amaziah’s reign, from start to finish, are recorded in the Scroll of the Kings of Judah and Israel.#tn Heb “As for the rest of the events of Amaziah, the former and the latter, are they not – behold, they are written on the scroll of the kings of Judah and Israel.” 27 From the time Amaziah turned from following the Lord, conspirators plotted against him in Jerusalem,#tn Heb “and they conspired against him [with] a conspiracy in Jerusalem.” so he fled to Lachish. But they sent assassins after him#tn Heb “and they sent after him to Lachish.” and they killed him there. 28 His body was carried back by horses,#tn Heb “and they carried him on horses.” and he was buried in Jerusalem with his ancestors#tn Heb “fathers.” in the City of David.#tc The Hebrew text has “Judah,” but some medieval mss read “David,” as does the parallel passage in 2 Kgs 14:20.sn The phrase the City of David refers here to the fortress of Zion in Jerusalem, not to Bethlehem. See 2 Sam 5:7.
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2 Chronicles 25
25
1Amaziah was fiue and twentie yere old when he began to reigne, and he reigned nine and twentie yeere in Ierusalem: and his mothers name was Iehoaddan, of Ierusalem. 2And he did vprightly in the eyes of the Lord, but not with a perfite heart. 3And when the kingdome was established vnto him, he slewe his seruants, that had slaine the King his father. 4But he slewe not their children, but did as it is written in the Lawe, and in the booke of Moses, where the Lord commanded, saying, The fathers shall not dye for the children, neyther shall the children die for the fathers, but euery man shall dye for his owne sinne. 5And Amaziah assembled Iudah, and made them captaines ouer thousandes, and captaines ouer hundreths, according to the houses of their fathers, thorowout all Iudah and Beniamin: and he nombred them from twentie yeere olde and aboue, and founde among them three hundreth thousand chosen men, to goe foorth to the warre, and to handle speare and shield. 6He hyred also an hundreth thousand valiant men out of Israel for an hundreth talents of siluer. 7But a man of God came to him, saying, O King, let not the armie of Israel goe with thee: for the Lord is not with Israel, neither with all the house of Ephraim. 8If not, goe thou on, doe it, make thy selfe strong to the battel, but God shall make thee fall before the enemie: for God hath power to helpe, and to cast downe. 9And Amaziah sayde to the man of God, What shall we doe then for the hundreth talents, which I haue giuen to the hoste of Israel? Then the man of God answered, The Lord is able to giue thee more then this. 10So Amaziah separated them, to wit, the armie that was come to him out of Ephraim, to returne to their place: wherefore their wrath was kindled greatly against Iudah, and they returned to their places with great anger. 11Then Amaziah was encouraged, and led forth his people, and went to the salt valley, and smote of the children of Seir, ten thousand. 12And other ten thousand did the children of Iudah take aliue, and caryed them to the top of a rocke, and cast them downe from the top of the rocke, and they all burst to pieces. 13But the men of the armie, which Amaziah sent away, that they should not goe with his people to battell, fell vpon the cities of Iudah from Samaria vnto Beth-horon, and smote three thousand of them, and tooke much spoyle. 14Now after that Amaziah was come from the slaughter of the Edomites, he brought the gods of the children of Seir, and set them vp to be his gods, and worshipped them, and burned incense vnto them. 15Wherefore the Lord was wroth with Amaziah, and sent vnto him a Prophet, which sayd vnto him, Why hast thou sought the gods of the people, which were not able to deliuer their owne people out of thine hand? 16And as he talked with him, he said vnto him, Haue they made thee the Kings counseler? cease thou: why should they smite thee? And the Prophet ceased, but said, I knowe that God hath determined to destroy thee, because thou hast done this, and hast not obeyed my counsell. 17Then Amaziah King of Iudah tooke counsell, and sent to Ioash the sonne of Iehoahaz, the sonne of Iehu King of Israel, saying, Come, let vs see one another in the face. 18But Ioash King of Israel sent to Amaziah King of Iudah, saying, The thistle that is in Lebanon, sent to the cedar that is in Lebanon, saying, Giue thy daughter to my sonne to wife: and the wilde beast that was in Lebanon went and trode downe the thistle. 19Thou thinkest: lo, thou hast smitten Edom, and thine heart lifteth thee vp to bragge: abide now at home: why doest thou prouoke to thine hurt, that thou shouldest fall, and Iudah with thee? 20But Amaziah would not heare: for it was of God, that he might deliuer them into his had, because they had sought the gods of Edom. 21So Ioash the King of Israel went vp: and he, and Amaziah King of Iudah saw one another in the face at Bethshemesh, which is in Iudah. 22And Iudah was put to the worse before Israel, and they fled euery man to his tents. 23But Ioash the King of Israel tooke Amaziah King of Iudah, the sonne of Ioash, the sonne of Iehoahaz in Bethshemesh, and brought him to Ierusalem, and brake downe the wall of Ierusalem, from the gate of Ephraim vnto the corner gate, foure hundreth cubites. 24And he tooke all the gold and the siluer, and all the vessels that were found in the house of God with Obed Edom, and in the treasures of the Kings house, and the children that were in hostage, and returned to Samaria. 25And Amaziah the sonne of Ioash King of Iudah liued after the death of Ioash sonne of Iehoahaz King of Israel, fifteene yeere. 26Concerning the rest of the actes of Amaziah first and last, are they not written in the booke of the Kings of Iudah and Israel? 27Nowe after the time that Amaziah did turne away from ye Lord, they wrought treason against him in Ierusalem: and when he was fled to Lachish, they sent to Lachish after him, and slewe him there. 28And they brought him vpon horses, and buried him with his fathers in the citie of Iudah.
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