2 Chronicles 25

1Amaziah was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem; his mother's name was Jehoaddan of Jerusalem.

2He did what was right in Yahweh's eyes, but not with a whole heart.

3When the kingdom grew strong over him, he killed his servants who had struck down the king his father.

4He did not kill their sons but followed what stood written in the law, in the book of Moses, which Yahweh commanded, saying, “Fathers shall not die for sons, nor sons for fathers, but every man shall die for his own sin.”

5Amaziah gathered Judah and arrayed them by their fathers' houses under commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds throughout all Judah and Benjamin, mustered them from twenty years of age upward, and found them three hundred thousand chosen warriors fit for battle, wielding spear and shield.

6He hired a hundred thousand valiant champions from Israel for a hundred talents of silver.

7A man of God came to him, saying, “King, do not let Israel's army go with you, for Yahweh is not with Israel—all the sons of Ephraim.”

8But if you go, do it, be strong for the battle; God will make you stumble before the enemy, for power is in God to help and to cast down.

9Amaziah said to the man of God, "What to do about the hundred talents I gave Israel's band?" The man of God answered, "Yahweh can give you far more than this."

10Amaziah separated the band that had come to him from Ephraim, to return home. Their anger burned greatly against Judah, and they went back to their place in the heat of anger.

11Amaziah strengthened himself, led his people to the Valley of Salt, and struck ten thousand sons of Seir.

12The sons of Judah captured ten thousand alive and brought them to the top of the rock, hurling them down from the top so that all of them shattered.

13The men of the company whom Amaziah sent back from going with him to battle raided the cities of Judah from Samaria to Beth Horon, struck three thousand of them, and seized much plunder.

14It happened after Amaziah came from slaughtering the Edomites that he brought the gods of Seir's sons and set them up for himself as gods, bowing before them and burning incense to them.

15Yahweh's anger burned against Amaziah, and he sent a prophet to him who said to him, "Why have you sought the gods of the people, who did not deliver their people from your hand?"

16While he was speaking to him, the king said to him, "Have we appointed you a counselor to the king? Stop! Why should you be struck?" Then the prophet stopped and said, "I know that God has counseled your destruction, because you have done this and have not listened to my counsel."

17Amaziah, king of Judah, took counsel and sent to Joash son of Jehoahaz son of Jehu, king of Israel, saying, "Come, let us see each other face to face."

18Joash king of Israel sent to Amaziah king of Judah: "A bramble in Lebanon sent to the cedar in Lebanon: 'Give your daughter to my son as a wife, but a beast of the field in Lebanon passed by and trampled the bramble.'"

19You say, "Look, you have beaten Edom," and your heart has lifted you to boast. Now stay in your house. Why meddle in trouble and fall—you and Judah with you?

20Amaziah did not listen, for it was from God so that he might hand them into the hand of their enemies, because they had inquired of the gods of Edom.

21Joash king of Israel went up, and he and Amaziah king of Judah faced each other at Beth-shemesh, which belongs to Judah.

22Judah was beaten before Israel, and they fled, each man to his tent.

23Joash king of Israel seized Amaziah king of Judah, son of Joash son of Jehoahaz, at Beth-shemesh, brought him to Jerusalem, and breached Jerusalem's wall from Ephraim Gate to Corner Gate, four hundred cubits.

24He took all the gold and silver, all the vessels found in God's house with Obed-Edom, the treasures of the king's house, and the sons held as hostages, and returned to Samaria.

25Amaziah son of Joash, king of Judah, lived fifteen years after the death of Joash son of Jehoahaz, king of Israel.

26Now the remaining deeds of Amaziah, the earlier and later ones, behold, aren't they written in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel?

27From the time Amaziah turned away from following Yahweh, they joined in a conspiracy against him in Jerusalem. He fled to Lachish; they sent after him to Lachish and killed him there.

28They carried him on horses and buried him with his fathers in the city of Judah.