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2 C H RO N I C L ES 2 6
care of Obed-edom. He also seized the treasures
of the royal palace, along with hostages, and
then returned to Samaria.
25 King Amaziah of Judah lived for fifteen
years after the death of King Jehoash of Israel.
26 The rest of the events in Amaziah’s reign, from
beginning to end, are recorded in The Book of
the Kings of Judah and Israel.
27 After 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. 28 They brought his body back on a horse,
and he was buried with his ancestors in the City
of David.*
Uzziah Rules in Judah
All the people of Judah had crowned
Amaziah’s sixteen-year-old son, Uzziah,
as king in place of his father. 2 After his father’s
death, Uzziah rebuilt the town of Elath* and restored it to Judah.
3 Uzziah was sixteen years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem fifty-two
years. His mother was Jecoliah from Jerusalem.
4 He did what was pleasing in the Lord’s sight,
just as his father, Amaziah, had done. 5 Uzziah
sought God during the days of Zechariah, who
taught him to fear God.* And as long as the king
sought guidance from the Lord, God gave him
success.
6 Uzziah declared war on the Philistines and
broke down the walls of Gath, Jabneh, and Ashdod. Then he built new towns in the Ashdod
26
• Anger
2 CH R O NIC LE S 2 6 :1 6 -2 1
Possibly the most common reason we
get angry is that we don’t get our own
way. Uzziah was the king; how could a
priest tell him he could not offer incense
in the Temple? The problem was, Uzziah
missed the point. There were plenty of
ways he could honor God, but he was not
allowed to burn incense. Only the priests
could offer sacrifices at the Temple. How
often we fall into the same trap. We wind
up pursuing significance in the wrong
way, with the wrong motives. Then when
things don’t go our way, we get angry.
What are we really angry at? Most of the
time we are really angry at ourselves,
but our human nature drives us to place
the blame on someone else. The next
time you don’t get your way, channel
your anger into a passion to chart a new
course for significance, a course that is
others-centered rather than self-centered.
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area and in other parts of Philistia. 7 God helped
him in his wars against the Philistines, his
battles with the Arabs of Gur,* and his wars
with the Meunites. 8 The Meunites* paid annual
tribute to him, and his fame spread even to
Egypt, for he had become very powerful.
9 Uzziah built fortified towers in Jerusalem at
the Corner Gate, at the Valley Gate, and at the
angle in the wall. 10 He also constructed forts in
the wilderness and dug many water cisterns,
because he kept great herds of livestock in the
foothills of Judah* and on the plains. He was
also a man who loved the soil. He had many
workers who cared for his farms and vineyards,
both on the hillsides and in the fertile valleys.
11 Uzziah had an army of well-trained warriors, ready to march into battle, unit by unit.
This army had been mustered and organized by
Jeiel, the secretary of the army, and his assistant, Maaseiah. They were under the direction
of Hananiah, one of the king’s officials. 12 These
regiments of mighty warriors were commanded
by 2,600 clan leaders. 13 The army consisted of
307,500 men, all elite troops. They were prepared to assist the king against any enemy.
14 Uz ziah provided the entire army with
shields, spears, helmets, coats of mail, bows,
and sling stones. 15 And he built structures on
the walls of Jerusalem, designed by experts to
protect those who shot arrows and hurled large
stones* from the towers and the corners of the
wall. His fame spread far and wide, for the Lord
gave him marvelous help, and he became very
powerful.
Uzziah’s Sin and Punishment
16 But when he had become powerful, he also
became proud, which led to his downfall. He
sinned against the Lord his God by entering the
sanctuary of the Lord’s Temple and personally
burning incense on the incense altar. 17 Azariah
the high priest went in after him with eighty
other priests of the Lord, all brave men. 18 They
confronted King Uzziah and said, “It is not for
you, Uzziah, to burn incense to the Lord. That
is the work of the priests alone, the descendants
of Aaron who are set apart for this work. Get out
of the sanctuary, for you have sinned. The Lord
God will not honor you for this!”
19 Uzziah, who was holding an incense burner,
became furious. But as he was standing there
raging at the priests before the incense altar in
the Lord’s Temple, leprosy* suddenly broke out
25:28 As in some Hebrew manuscripts and other ancient
versions (see also 2 Kgs 14:20); most Hebrew manuscripts read
the city of Judah. 26:2 As in Greek version (see also 2 Kgs 14:22;
16:6); Hebrew reads Eloth, a variant spelling of Elath. 26:5 As
in Syriac and Greek versions; Hebrew reads who instructed
him in divine visions. 26:7 As in Greek version; Hebrew reads
Gur-baal. 26:8 As in Greek version; Hebrew reads Ammonites.
Compare 26:7. 26:10 Hebrew the Shephelah. 26:15 Or to
shoot arrows and hurl large stones. 26:19 Or a contagious
skin disease. The Hebrew word used here and throughout this
passage can describe various skin diseases.