2 Chronicles 25

1 Amaziah was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Jehoaddin, of Jerusalem. [a] 2 And he did what was right before the Lord, but not with a full heart. [b] 3 And when the kingdom was firm in his hand, he put to death his servants who had murdered the king his father. 4 But their sons he did not kill, according to the covenant of the law of the Lord, as it is written, as the Lord commanded, saying, “Fathers will not die for children, and sons will not die for fathers; but each one will die for his own sin.” [c]

5 And Amaziah gathered the house of Judah and set them up by their fathers’ houses as commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds in all Judah and Jerusalem. And he numbered them from twenty years old and upward, and found them three hundred thousand able to go out to war, holding spear and shield. 6 He also hired from Israel a hundred thousand men mighty in strength, for 7,500 pounds of silver. [d] 7 And a man of God came to him and said, “King, do not let the army of Israel go with you, for the Lord is not with Israel — not with any of the sons of Ephraim. 8 For if you count on being made strong by these men, then the Lord will rout you before your enemies; for it is from the Lord both to make strong and to rout.”

9 And Amaziah said to the man of God, “And what am I to do about the 7,500 pounds of silver I have given to the army of Israel?” And the man of God said, “The Lord is able to give you much more than that.” 10 And Amaziah separated out the force that had come to him from Ephraim, to go away to their own place. And they were very angry with Judah, and they went back to their place in burning anger.

11 And Amaziah made himself strong, and took his people, and went to the Valley of Salt, and struck down there ten thousand of the sons of Seir. 12 And ten thousand the sons of Judah took alive; and they carried them to the top of the cliff and threw them down from the top of the cliff, and every one of them was broken to pieces. 13 And the men of the army whom Amaziah had sent back from going with him to battle fell on the cities of Judah, from Samaria to Beth-horon, and struck down three thousand among them, and carried off much spoil.

14 And after Amaziah came back from striking down Edom, he brought to them the gods of the sons of Seir, and set them up for himself as gods, and bowed down before them, and he himself sacrificed to them. [e] 15 And the anger of the Lord came upon Amaziah, and he sent prophets to him, and they said to him, “Why have you sought out the gods of the people, who did not rescue their own people out of your hand?” [f]

16 And while he was still speaking to him, the king said to him, “Have I made you the king’s counselor? Take care, or you will be flogged.” And the prophet fell silent. And he said, “I know that God has determined to destroy you, because you have done this and have not listened to my counsel.” [g]

17 And Amaziah king of Judah took counsel, and sent to Joash son of Jehoahaz, son of Jehu, king of Israel, and said, “Come, let us look one another in the face.” 18 And Joash king of Israel sent word to Amaziah king of Judah and said, “The thistle that was in Lebanon sent word to the cedar that was in Lebanon and said, ‘Give your daughter to my son as a wife.’ And look — the wild animals of the field that are in Lebanon will come. And the wild animals came and trampled the thistle down. [h] 19 You have said, ‘Look, you have struck down Edom,’ and your heavy heart lifts you up. Now stay at home. Why do you throw yourself into harm, so that you fall, you and Judah with you?” [i]

20 But Amaziah would not listen, for it was from the Lord to give him into their hands, because he had sought out the gods of the Edomites. [j] 21 And Joash king of Israel went up, and they looked one another in the face, he and Amaziah king of Judah, at Beth-shemesh, which belongs to Judah; 22 and Judah was routed before Israel, and every man fled to his tent. 23 And Joash king of Israel captured Amaziah king of Judah, son of Joash, at Beth-shemesh, and brought him to Jerusalem; and he pulled down the wall of Jerusalem from the gate of Ephraim to the corner gate — six hundred feet. [k] 24 And he took all the gold and the silver, and all the vessels that were found in the house of the Lord and with Obed-edom, and the treasures of the king’s house, and the sons held as hostages; and he went back to Samaria. [l]

25 And Amaziah son of Joash king of Judah lived fifteen years after the death of Joash son of Jehoahaz king of Israel. 26 And the rest of the acts of Amaziah, the first and the last — are they not written in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel? [m] 27 And at the time when Amaziah turned away from the Lord, they made a conspiracy against him, and he fled from Jerusalem to Lachish. And they sent after him to Lachish and put him to death there. 28 And they carried him up on horses and buried him with his fathers in the city of David. [n]