Amaziah Reigns in Judah
(2 Kings 14:1–7)

1Amaziah was a son of twenty-five years when he became king, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. And the name of his mother was Jehoaddan of Jerusalem. 2And he did right in the eyes of YHWH, but not with a perfect heart.

3And it came to pass, when the kingdom was strong for him, that he killed his servants who had struck his father the king. 4And their sons he did not kill, but did as it is written in the Law, in the Book of Moses, where YHWH commanded, saying: “Fathers shall not be put to death for their sons, and sons shall not be put to death for their fathers, but each man shall die for his own sin.†”

Amaziah’s Victories

5And Amaziah gathered together Judah, and he appointed them according to the house of the fathers captains of the thousands and captains of the hundreds throughout all Judah and Benjamin. And he numbered them from twenty years and above, and he found them three hundred thousand chosen ones going forth to the host, holding spear and shield.

6And He hired from Israel a hundred thousand mighty men of valor for a hundred talents of silver.† 7And a man of God came to him, saying, “O king, do not let the host of Israel go with you, for YHWH is not with Israel or any of the sons of Ephraim. 8But if you are going, do it—be strong in the battle; God shall make you fall before the enemy, for unto God is power to help and to cause to stumble.”

9And Amaziah said to the man of God, “And what to do about the hundred talents that I have given to the troops of Israel?”

And the man of God answered, “YHWH is able to give more to you than this.”

10And Amaziah separated the troops that had come to him from Ephraim to go back to their own place. And their anger was kindled greatly against Judah, and they returned to their place in the heat of anger.

11And Amaziah strengthened himself and led forth his people, and he went to the Valley of Salt and he struck down ten thousand of the sons of Seir. 12And the sons of Judah took captive alive ten thousand, and they brought them to the top of the rock, and they cast them down from the top of the rock, and all of them were dashed to pieces.

13And the sons of the troop that Amaziah had sent back so that they would not go with him to the battle—they raided the cities of Judah from Samaria to Beth-horon, and they struck down in them three thousand, and they plundered much spoil.

Amaziah Rebuked for Idolatry

14And it came to pass, after Amaziah came from the striking of the Edomites, that he brought the gods of the sons of Seir and set them up as his gods, and he bowed down before them and he burned incense to them. 15And the anger of YHWH burned against Amaziah, and He sent to him a prophet, and he said to him, “Why have you sought the gods of the people, which could not deliver their own people from your hand?”

16And it came to pass, in his speaking to him, that he said to him, “Have we appointed you to counsel the king? Cease you! Why should they strike you down?”

And the prophet ceased and said, “I know that God has counseled to destroy you, because you have done this and have not heeded my counsel.”

Jehoash Defeats Amaziah
(2 Kings 14:8–14)

17And Amaziah king of Judah took counsel and sent to Joash† son of Jehoahaz, son of Jehu king of Israel, saying, “Come, let us look one another in the face.”

18And 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 wife.’ And passed by a wild beast that was in Lebanon, and trampled the thistle. 19You say, ‘Behold, you have struck down Edom!’ And your heart has lifted you to boast. Now dwell in your house; why should you stir up trouble, that you should fall—you and Judah with you?”

20And Amaziah would not listen, for it was from God, that He might give them into the hand because they sought the gods of Edom. 21And Joash king of Israel went out, and they looked one another in the faces—he and Amaziah king of Judah—at Beth-shemesh, which is unto Judah. 22And Judah was defeated by Israel, and each man fled to his tent.

23And Joash king of Israel captured Amaziah king of Judah, son of Joash, son of Jehoahaz,† in Beth-shemesh.

And he brought him to Jerusalem and broke down the wall of Jerusalem, from the Gate of Ephraim to the Gate of the Corner—four hundred cubits.† 24And all the gold and the silver, and all the articles that were found in the house of God with Obed-edom, and the treasures of the house of the king, and the sons of the hostages, he returned to Samaria.

The Death of Amaziah
(2 Kings 14:17–20)

25And Amaziah son of Joash king of Judah lived after the death of Joash son of Jehoahaz king of Israel fifteen years. 26And the rest of the acts of Amaziah, from the first to the last, are not they indeed written in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel?

27And after the time that Amaziah turned away from following YHWH, they made a conspiracy against him in Jerusalem, and he fled to Lachish. And they sent after him to Lachish, and they killed him there. 28And they brought him on the horses and buried him with his fathers in the City of Judah.†

Footnotes:

4 Deuteronomy 24:16
6 100 talents is approximately 3.77 tons or 3.42 metric tons of silver; also in verse 9.
17 Or Jehoash, a variant of Joash; also in verses 18, 21, 23, and 25.
23 Jehoahaz is a variant of Ahaziah.
23 400 cubits is approximately 600 feet or 182.9 meters.
28 Most Hebrew manuscripts; some Hebrew manuscripts, LXX, Vulgate, and Syriac the City of David; see 2 Kings 14:20.