2 ChroniclesChapter 25
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1Amaziah was twenty-five years old when he became king. He ruled in Jerusalem twenty-nine years. His mother's name was Jehoaddan. She was from Jerusalem. 2He did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, but not with his whole heart. 3As soon as Amaziah had the kingdom firmly in his hands, he put to death the servants who had murdered his father the king. 4But he did not kill their sons. He obeyed what is written in the Law, in the Book of Moses. There the LORD commanded, "Fathers must not be put to death for their children. Children must not be put to death for their fathers. Each one is to die for his own sin." 5Then Amaziah gathered the people of Judah. He put them in groups by families, under commanders of thousands and of hundreds. He counted the men of Judah and Benjamin who were twenty years old or older. He found 300,000 chosen men who could serve in the army. They could carry the spear and shield. 6He also hired 100,000 brave fighting men from Israel. He paid a hundred talents of silver for them.a 7But a man of God came to him. He said, "O king, do not let the army of Israel go with you. The LORD is not with Israel. He is not with any of the people of Ephraim. 8Even if you go and fight bravely, God will throw you down in front of the enemy. God has power to help, and he has power to throw down." 9Amaziah asked the man of God, "But what about the hundred talents I paid to the army of Israel?" The man of God answered, "The LORD can give you much more than that." 10So Amaziah sent away the soldiers who had come to him from Ephraim. He sent them home. They were very angry with Judah. They went home in a rage. 11Then Amaziah took courage and led his army to the Valley of Salt. There he killed 10,000 men of Seir. 12The army of Judah also caught 10,000 men alive. They took them to the top of a cliff and threw them off. All of them were smashed to pieces. 13Meanwhile, the soldiers Amaziah had sent home attacked the cities of Judah, from Samaria to Beth-horon. They killed 3,000 people and took a lot of goods. 14Amaziah came back from killing the Edomites. He brought back the gods of the people of Seir. He set them up as his own gods. He bowed down to them and burned sacrifices to them. 15So the LORD's anger burned against Amaziah. He sent a prophet to him, who said, "Why have you turned to these people's gods? They could not even save their own people from you!" 16While he was still talking, the king said, "Did we make you the king's adviser? Stop! Why should you be killed?" So the prophet stopped. But he said, "I know that God has decided to destroy you, because you have done this and have not listened to my advice." 17Then Amaziah king of Judah got advice. He sent a message to Jehoash king of Israel, the son of Jehoahaz, the son of Jehu. He said, "Come, let's meet face to face." 18But Jehoash king of Israel answered Amaziah king of Judah, "A thistle in Lebanon sent a message to a cedar tree in Lebanon. It said, 'Give your daughter to my son as his wife.' Then a wild animal in Lebanon came by and stepped on the thistle. 19You have said, 'Look, I have beaten Edom.' Now your heart has become proud, and you brag. Stay at home now. Why ask for trouble, so that you fall, you and Judah with you?" 20But Amaziah would not listen, because this had come from God. God meant to hand them over to Jehoash, because they had turned to the gods of Edom. 21So Jehoash king of Israel marched out. He and Amaziah king of Judah faced each other at Beth-shemesh in Judah. 22Israel beat Judah badly, and every man ran away to his own home. 23There at Beth-shemesh, Jehoash king of Israel captured Amaziah king of Judah. Amaziah was the son of Joash, the son of Jehoahaz. Then Jehoash brought him to Jerusalem. He broke down the wall of Jerusalem from the Ephraim Gate to the Corner Gate. That part of the wall was about 600 feet long.b 24He took all the gold and silver. He took all the things found in the house of God that Obed-edom took care of. He took the treasures of the royal palace. He also took some people as hostages. Then he went back to Samaria. 25Amaziah son of Joash king of Judah lived fifteen years after Jehoash son of Jehoahaz king of Israel died. 26The rest of what Amaziah did, from first to last, is written down. It is in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel. 27Amaziah turned away from following the LORD. From that time on, some people in Jerusalem made a plot against him. He ran away to Lachish. But they sent men after him to Lachish, and they killed him there. 28They carried him back on horses. They buried him with his fathers in the City of Judah.