2Chronicles 25

Amaziah Rules in Judah

25Amaziah was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem twenty-nine years. His mother was Jehoaddin

from Jerusalem.H558H6242H2568H8141H1121H4427H4427H6242H8672H8141H3389H517H8034H3086H33892Amaziah did what was pleasing in the LORD's sight, but not wholeheartedly.H6213H3477H5869H3068H8003H38243When Amaziah was well established as king, he executed the officials who had assassinated his father.H4467H2388H2026H5650H5221H4428H14However, he did not kill the children of the assassins, for he obeyed the command of the LORD as written by Moses in the Book of the Law: "Parents must not be put to death for the sins of their children, nor children for the sins of their parents. Those deserving to die must be put to death for their own crimes."

H4191H1121H3789H8451H5612H4872H3068H6680H559H1H4191H1121H1121H4191H1H376H4191H23995Then Amaziah organized the army, assigning generals and captains

for all Judah and Benjamin. He took a census and found that he had an army of 300,000 select troops, twenty years old and older, all trained in the use of spear and shield.H558H6908H3063H6908H5975H8269H505H8269H3967H1004H1H3063H1144H6485H6242H8141H1121H4605H4672H7969H3967H505H977H3318H6635H270H7420H67936He also paid about 7,500 pounds

of silver to hire 100,000 experienced fighting men from Israel.H7936H3967H505H1368H2428H3478H3967H3603H37017But a man of God came to him and said, "Your Majesty, do not hire troops from Israel, for the LORD is not with Israel. He will not help those people of Ephraim!H935H376H430H559H4428H6635H3478H935H3068H3478H1121H6698If you let them go with your troops into battle, you will be defeated by the enemy no matter how well you fight. God will overthrow you, for he has the power to help you or to trip you up."H935H6213H2388H4421H430H3782H6440H341H430H3426H3581H5826H37829Amaziah asked the man of God, "But what about all that silver I paid to hire the army of Israel?" The man of God replied, "The LORD is able to give you much more than this!"H558H559H376H430H6213H3967H3603H5414H1416H3478H376H430H559H3068H3426H5414H723510So Amaziah discharged the hired troops and sent them back to Ephraim. This made them very angry with Judah, and they returned home in a great rage.H558H914H1416H935H669H3212H4725H3212H639H3966H2734H3063H7725H4725H2750H63911Then Amaziah summoned his courage and led his army to the Valley of Salt, where they killed 10,000 Edomite troops from Seir.H558H2388H5090H5971H3212H1516H4417H5221H1121H8165H6235H50512They captured another 10,000 and took them to the top of a cliff and threw them off, dashing them to pieces on the rocks below.H6235H505H2416H1121H3063H7617H935H7218H5553H7993H7218H5553H123413Meanwhile, the hired troops that Amaziah had sent home raided several of the towns of Judah between Samaria and Beth-horon. They killed 3,000 people and carried off great quantities of plunder.H1121H1416H558H7725H3212H4421H6584H5892H3063H8111H1032H5221H7969H505H962H7227H96114When King Amaziah returned from slaughtering the Edomites, he brought with him idols taken from the people of Seir. He set them up as his own gods, bowed down in front of them, and offered sacrifices to them!H310H558H935H5221H130H935H430H1121H8165H5975H430H7812H6440H699915This made the LORD very angry, and he sent a prophet to ask, "Why do you turn to gods who could not even save their own people from you?"H639H3068H2734H558H7971H5030H559H1875H430H5971H5337H5971H302716But the king interrupted him and said, "Since when have I made you the king's counselor? Be quiet now before I have you killed!" So the prophet stopped with this warning: "I know that God has determined to destroy you because you have done this and have refused to accept my counsel."H1696H559H5414H4428H3289H2308H5221H5030H2308H559H3045H430H3289H7843H6213H8085H609817After consulting with his advisers, King Amaziah of Judah sent this challenge to Israel's king Jehoash

, the son of Jehoahaz and grandson of Jehu: "Come and meet me in battle!"H558H4428H3063H3289H7971H3101H1121H3059H1121H3058H4428H3478H559H3212H7200H644018But King Jehoash of Israel replied to King Amaziah of Judah with this story: "Out in the Lebanon mountains, a thistle sent a message to a mighty cedar tree: 'Give your daughter in marriage to my son.' But just then a wild animal of Lebanon came by and stepped on the thistle, crushing it!H3101H4428H3478H7971H558H4428H3063H559H2336H3844H7971H730H3844H559H5414H1323H1121H802H5674H7704H2416H3844H7429H233619"You are saying, 'I have defeated Edom,' and you are very proud of it. But my advice is to stay at home. Why stir up trouble that will only bring disaster on you and the people of Judah?"H559H5221H123H3820H5375H3513H3427H1004H1624H7451H5307H306320But Amaziah refused to listen, for God was determined to destroy him for turning to the gods of Edom.H558H8085H430H5414H3027H1875H430H12321So King Jehoash of Israel mobilized his army against King Amaziah of Judah. The two armies drew up their battle lines at Beth-shemesh in Judah.H3101H4428H3478H5927H7200H6440H558H4428H3063H1053H306322Judah was routed by the army of Israel, and its army scattered and fled for home.H3063H5062H6440H3478H5127H376H16823King Jehoash of Israel captured Judah's king, Amaziah son of Joash and grandson of Ahaziah, at Beth-shemesh. Then he brought him to Jerusalem, where he demolished 600 feet

of Jerusalem's wall, from the Ephraim Gate to the Corner Gate.H3101H4428H3478H8610H558H4428H3063H1121H3101H1121H3059H1053H935H3389H6555H2346H3389H8179H669H6437H8179H702H3967H52024He carried off all the gold and silver and all the articles from the Temple of God that had been in the care of Obed-edom. He also seized the treasures of the royal palace, along with hostages, and then returned to Samaria.H2091H3701H3627H4672H1004H430H5654H214H4428H1004H1121H8594H7725H811125King Amaziah of Judah lived on for fifteen years after the death of King Jehoash of Israel.H558H1121H3101H4428H3063H2421H310H4194H3101H1121H3059H4428H3478H2568H6240H814126The rest of the events in Amaziah's reign, from beginning to end, are recorded in The Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel.H3499H1697H558H7223H314H3789H5612H4428H3063H347827After Amaziah turned away from the LORD, there was a conspiracy against his life in Jerusalem, and he fled to Lachish. But his enemies sent assassins after him, and they killed him there.H6256H558H5493H310H3068H7194H7195H3389H5127H3923H7971H3923H310H419128They brought his body back on a horse, and he was buried with his ancestors in the City of David

.H5375H5483H6912H1H5892H3063