2 Chronicles 25

25 ¹Amaziah became king at twenty-five and reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother was Jehoaddan of Jerusalem. ²He did what was right in the eyes of our Father, but not wholeheartedly. ³Once the kingdom was firmly his, he executed the servants who had killed his father the king.

⁴But he did not put their children to death, as written in the Law, the book of Moses, where our Father commanded, "Parents must not die for their children, nor children for their parents; each dies for his own sin."

⁵Amaziah gathered Judah, organized them by ancestral houses under commanders of thousands and hundreds, for all Judah and Benjamin. He counted those twenty and up: 300,000 chosen men fit for war, handling spear and shield. ⁶He also hired 100,000 strong warriors from Israel for about 7,500 pounds of silver. ⁷A man of our Father came to him: "King, don't let Israel's army go with you, for our Father is not with Israel — all these Ephraimites. ⁸Even if you fight bravely, our Father will overthrow you before the enemy, for our Father has power to help or overthrow."

⁹Amaziah asked the man of our Father, "But what about the roughly 7,500 pounds of silver I gave Israel's troops?" He replied, "Our Father can give you far more than this."

¹⁰So Amaziah sent home the troops that came to him from Ephraim. They burned with anger against Judah and returned home enraged.

¹¹But Amaziah took courage, led out his people to the Valley of Salt, and struck down 10,000 men of Seir. ¹²Judah's men also captured 10,000 alive, took them to the cliff top, and threw them down, smashing them all to pieces. ¹³Meanwhile the troops Amaziah sent back, not letting them join the battle, raided Judah's cities from Samaria to Beth-horon, struck down 3,000 people, and carried off much plunder.

¹⁴After Amaziah defeated the Edomites, he brought back the gods of Seir's people, set them up as his own gods, bowed to them, and burned offerings to them. ¹⁵So our Father's anger burned against Amaziah, and he sent a prophet, who asked, "Why seek this people's gods, which couldn't save their own from your hand?"

¹⁶As he spoke, the king said, "Did we make you the king's counselor? Stop! Why be killed?" The prophet stopped but said, "I know our Father has determined to destroy you, because you did this and ignored my counsel."

¹⁷Amaziah king of Judah consulted his advisers, then sent to Joash son of Jehoahaz, son of Jehu, king of Israel: "Come, let us face each other in battle."

¹⁸Joash king of Israel answered Amaziah king of Judah: "A Lebanon thistle sent to a Lebanon cedar, saying, 'Give your daughter to my son as wife.' But a wild Lebanon beast passed and trampled the thistle. ¹⁹You said, 'Look, I have struck down Edom,' and your heart grew proud, boasting. Stay home. Why court disaster and fall—you and Judah with you?"

²⁰But Amaziah wouldn't listen—this was from our Father, to hand them over for seeking Edom's gods. ²¹So Joash king of Israel marched up, and he and Amaziah king of Judah faced off at Beth-shemesh in Judah. ²²Judah was defeated by Israel, and everyone fled to his own home.

²³Joash king of Israel captured Amaziah king of Judah, son of Joash, son of Jehoahaz, at Beth-shemesh, took him to Jerusalem, and broke down its wall from the Ephraim Gate to the Corner Gate—about 600 feet. ²⁴He took all the gold, silver, and articles found in the house of our Father in Obed-edom's care, plus the palace treasures and hostages, and returned to Samaria.

²⁵Amaziah son of Joash, king of Judah, lived fifteen years after Joash son of Jehoahaz, king of Israel, died. ²⁶The rest of Amaziah's acts, first to last, are they not written in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel? ²⁷After Amaziah turned from following our Father, they conspired against him in Jerusalem, and he fled to Lachish. But they sent men after him there and killed him. ²⁸They brought him back on horseback and buried him with his ancestors in the City of Judah.