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2 KINGS 15
page 341
was routed by the army of Israel, and its army
scattered and fled for home. 13 King Jehoash of
Israel captured Judah’s king, Amaziah son of Joash and grandson of Ahaziah, at Beth-shemesh.
Then he marched to Jerusalem, where he demolished 600 feet* of Jerusalem’s wall, from
the Ephraim Gate to the Corner Gate. 14 He carried off all the gold and silver and all the articles
from the Temple of the Lord. He also seized the
treasures from the royal palace, along with hostages, and then returned to Samaria.
15 The rest of the events in Jehoash’s reign and
everything he did, including the extent of his
power and his war with King Amaziah of Judah,
are recorded in The Book of the History of the
Kings of Israel. 16 When Jehoash died, he was
buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel. And
his son Jeroboam II became the next king.
17 King Amaziah of Judah lived for fifteen
years after the death of King Jehoash of Israel.
18 The rest of the events in Amaziah’s reign are
recorded in The Book of the History of the Kings
of Judah.
19 There was a conspiracy against Amaziah’s
life in Jerusalem, and he fled to Lachish. But
his enemies sent assassins after him, and they
killed him there. 20 They brought his body back
to Jerusalem on a horse, and he was buried with
his ancestors in the City of David.
21 All the people of Judah had crowned Amaziah’s sixteen-year-old son, Uzziah,* as king in
place of his father, Amaziah. 22 After his father’s
death, Uzziah rebuilt the town of Elath and
restored it to Judah.
Jeroboam II Rules in Israel
23 Jeroboam II, the son of Jehoash, began to rule
over Israel in the fifteenth year of King Amaziah’s reign in Judah. He reigned in Samaria
forty-one years. 24 He did what was evil in the
Lord’s sight. He refused to turn from the sins
that Jeroboam son of Nebat had led Israel to
commit. 25 Jeroboam II recovered the territories
of Israel between Lebo-hamath and the Dead
Sea,* just as the Lord, the God of Israel, had
promised through Jonah son of Amittai, the
prophet from Gath-hepher.
26 For the Lord saw the bitter suffering of
everyone in Israel, and that there was no one in
Israel, slave or free, to help them. 27 And because
the Lord had not said he would blot out the
name of Israel completely, he used Jeroboam II,
the son of Jehoash, to save them.
28 The rest of the events in the reign of Jeroboam II and everything he did—including the
14:13 Hebrew 400 cubits [180 meters]. 14:21 Hebrew Azariah, a
variant spelling of Uzziah. 14:25 Hebrew the sea of the Arabah.
14:28 Or to Yaudi. The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain.
14:29 As in some Greek manuscripts; Hebrew lacks he was buried
in Samaria. 15:1 Hebrew Azariah, a variant spelling of Uzziah;
also in 15:6, 7, 8, 17, 23, 27. 15:5 Or with a contagious skin
disease. The Hebrew word used here and throughout this passage
can describe various skin diseases.
extent of his power, his wars, and how he recovered for Israel both Damascus and Hamath,
which had belonged to Judah*—are recorded
in The Book of the History of the Kings of Israel.
29 When Jeroboam II died, he was buried in Samaria* with the kings of Israel. Then his son
Zechariah became the next king.
Uzziah Rules in Judah
Uzziah* son of Amaziah began to rule
over Judah in the twenty-seventh year of
the reign of King Jeroboam II of Israel. 2 He was
sixteen years old when he became king, and he
reigned in Jerusalem fifty-two years. His mother
was Jecoliah from Jerusalem.
3 He did what was pleasing in the Lord’s
sight, just as his father, Amaziah, had done.
4 But he did not destroy the pagan shrines, and
the people still offered sacrifices and burned
incense there. 5 The Lord struck the king with
leprosy,* which lasted until the day he died.
He lived in isolation in a separate house. The
king’s son Jotham was put in charge of the royal
palace, and he governed the people of the land.
6 The rest of the events in Uzziah’s reign and
everything he did are recorded in The Book of
the History of the Kings of Judah. 7 When Uzziah
died, he was buried with his ancestors in the
City of David. And his son Jotham became the
next king.
15
Zechariah Rules in Israel
8 Zechariah son of Jeroboam II began to rule
over Israel in the thirty-eighth year of King Uzziah’s reign in Judah. He reigned in Samaria six
• Compromise
2 K I N G S 15:3-4
Uzziah was a good person, a good king,
and he pleased the Lord in many ways.
But he failed to take action against
certain evil influences in his kingdom.
Here is an example of a person who
could have done incredibly good things
for God. Uzziah was like a soldier who
had the training and weapons to win the
battle but refused on certain days to lift
a hand against the enemy. You may be
like Uzziah—a good person who does
good things and even pleases God. But
there are some areas of evil you have
chosen to overlook. Or possibly there are
more good things to do that you have
simply decided not to do. Both of these
responses are forms of compromise,
and they prevent us from reaching our
full potential—and from receiving God’s
fullest blessings.