Christian Standard Bible | NET Bible |
1Amaziah became king when he was twenty-five years old, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Jehoaddan; she was from Jerusalem. | 1Amaziah was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned for twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother was Jehoaddan, who was from Jerusalem. |
2He did what was right in the LORD's sight but not wholeheartedly. | 2He did what the LORD approved, but not with wholehearted devotion. |
3As soon as the kingdom was firmly in his grasp, he executed his servants who had killed his father the king. | 3When he had secured control of the kingdom, he executed the servants who had assassinated his father. |
4However, he did not put their children to death, because--as it is written in the Law, in the book of Moses, where the LORD commanded--"Fathers are not to die because of children, and children are not to die because of fathers, but each one will die for his own sin." | 4However, he did not execute their sons. He obeyed the LORD's commandment as recorded in the law scroll of Moses, "Fathers must not be executed for what their sons do, and sons must not be executed for what their fathers do. A man must be executed only for his own sin." |
5Then Amaziah gathered Judah and assembled them according to ancestral families, according to commanders of thousands, and according to commanders of hundreds. He numbered those twenty years old or more for all Judah and Benjamin. He found there to be three hundred thousand fit young men who could serve in the army, bearing spear and shield. | 5Amaziah assembled 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 equipped with spears and shields. |
6Then for 7,500 pounds of silver he hired one hundred thousand valiant warriors from Israel. | 6He hired 100,000 Israelite warriors for a hundred talents of silver. |
7However, a man of God came to him and said, "King, do not let Israel's army go with you, for the LORD is not with Israel--all the Ephraimites. | 7But a prophet 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. |
8But if you go with them, do it! Be strong for battle! But God will make you stumble before the enemy, for God has the power to help or to make one stumble." | 8Even if you go and fight bravely in battle, God will defeat you before the enemy. God is capable of helping or defeating." |
9Then Amaziah said to the man of God, "What should I do about the 7,500 pounds of silver I gave to Israel's division?" The man of God replied, "The LORD is able to give you much more than this." | 9Amaziah asked the prophet: "But what should I do about the hundred talents of silver I paid the Israelite troops?" The prophet replied, "The LORD is capable of giving you more than that." |
10So Amaziah released the division that came to him from Ephraim to go home. But they got very angry with Judah and returned home in a fierce rage. | 10So Amaziah dismissed the troops that had come to him from Ephraim and sent them home. They were very angry at Judah and returned home incensed. |
11Amaziah strengthened his position and led his people to the Salt Valley. He struck down ten thousand Seirites, | 11Amaziah boldly led his army to the Valley of Salt, where he defeated 10,000 Edomites. |
12and the Judahites captured ten thousand alive. They took them to the top of a cliff where they threw them off, and all of them were dashed to pieces. | 12The men of Judah captured 10,000 men alive. They took them to the top of a cliff and threw them over. All the captives fell to their death. |
13As for the men of the division that Amaziah sent back so they would not go with him into battle, they raided the cities of Judah from Samaria to Beth-horon, struck down three thousand of their people, and took a great deal of plunder. | 13Now the troops Amaziah had dismissed and had not allowed to fight in the battle raided the cities of Judah from Samaria to Beth Horon. They killed 3,000 people and carried off a large amount of plunder. |
14After Amaziah came from the attack on the Edomites, he brought the gods of the Seirites and set them up as his gods. He worshiped before them and burned incense to them. | 14When Amaziah returned from defeating the Edomites, he brought back the gods of the people of Seir and made them his personal gods. He bowed down before them and offered them sacrifices. |
15So the LORD's anger was against Amaziah, and he sent a prophet to him, who said, "Why have you sought a people's gods that could not rescue their own people from you?" | 15The LORD was angry at Amaziah and sent a prophet to him, who said, "Why are you following these gods that could not deliver their own people from your power?" |
16While he was still speaking to him, the king asked, "Have we made you the king's counselor? Stop, why should you lose your life?" So the prophet stopped, but he said, "I know that God intends to destroy you, because you have done this and have not listened to my advice." | 16While he was speaking, Amaziah said to him, "Did we appoint you to be a royal counselor? Stop prophesying or else you will be killed!" So the prophet stopped, but added, "I know that the LORD has decided to destroy you, because you have done this thing and refused to listen to my advice." |
17King Amaziah of Judah took counsel and sent word to Jehoash son of Jehoahaz, son of Jehu, king of Israel, and challenged him: "Come, let's meet face to face." | 17After King Amaziah of Judah consulted with his advisers, he sent this message to the king of Israel, Joash son of Jehoahaz, the son of Jehu, "Come, face me on the battlefield." |
18King Jehoash of Israel sent word to King Amaziah of Judah, saying, "The thistle in Lebanon sent a message to the cedar in Lebanon, saying, 'Give your daughter to my son as a wife.' Then a wild animal in Lebanon passed by and trampled the thistle. | 18King 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. |
19You have said, 'Look, I have defeated Edom,' and you have become overconfident that you will get glory. Now stay at home. Why stir up such trouble so that you fall and Judah with you?" | 19You defeated Edom and it has gone to your head. Gloat over your success, but stay in your palace. Why bring calamity on yourself? Why bring down yourself and Judah along with you?" |
20But Amaziah would not listen, for this turn of events was from God in order to hand them over to their enemies because they went after the gods of Edom. | 20But Amaziah did not heed the warning, for God wanted to hand them over to Joash because they followed the gods of Edom. |
21So King Jehoash of Israel advanced. He and King Amaziah of Judah met face to face at Beth-shemesh that belonged to Judah. | 21So King Joash of Israel attacked. He and King Amaziah of Judah faced each other on the battlefield in Beth Shemesh of Judah. |
22Judah was routed before Israel, and each man fled to his own tent. | 22Judah was defeated by Israel, and each man ran back home. |
23King Jehoash of Israel captured Judah's King Amaziah son of Joash, son of Jehoahaz, at Beth-shemesh. Then Jehoash took him to Jerusalem and broke down two hundred yards of Jerusalem's wall from the Ephraim Gate to the Corner Gate. | 23King 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. |
24He took all the gold, silver, all the utensils that were found with Obed-edom in God's temple, the treasures of the king's palace, and the hostages. Then he returned to Samaria. | 24He 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. |
25Judah's King Amaziah son of Joash lived fifteen years after the death of Israel's King Jehoash son of Jehoahaz. | 25King Amaziah son of Joash of Judah lived for fifteen years after the death of King Joash son of Jehoahaz of Israel. |
26The rest of the events of Amaziah's reign, from beginning to end, are written in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel. | 26The rest of the events of Amaziah's reign, from start to finish, are recorded in the Scroll of the Kings of Judah and Israel. |
27From the time Amaziah turned from following the LORD, a conspiracy was formed against him in Jerusalem, and he fled to Lachish. However, men were sent after him to Lachish, and they put him to death there. | 27From the time Amaziah turned from following the LORD, conspirators plotted against him in Jerusalem, so he fled to Lachish. But they sent assassins after him and they killed him there. |
28They carried him back on horses and buried him with his fathers in the city of Judah. | 28His body was carried back by horses, and he was buried in Jerusalem with his ancestors in the City of David. |
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