2 ChroniclesChapter 26

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¹Then all the people of Judah took Uzziah, who was sixteen years old. They made him king in place of his father Amaziah. ²Uzziah was the one who rebuilt Eloth and gave it back to Judah. He did this after King Amaziah died and joined his fathers. ³Uzziah was sixteen years old when he became king. He ruled in Jerusalem fifty-two years. His mother's name was Jecoliah. She was from Jerusalem. ⁴He did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, just as his father Amaziah had done. ⁵He sought God as long as Zechariah lived. Zechariah taught him to fear God. As long as Uzziah sought the LORD, God gave him success. ⁶Uzziah went out to fight the Philistines. He tore down the walls of Gath, Jabneh, and Ashdod. Then he built cities near Ashdod and in other parts of Philistine land. ⁷God helped him fight the Philistines. He helped him against the Arabs who lived in Gur-baal, and against the Meunites. ⁸The Ammonites paid tribute to Uzziah. His fame spread all the way to the border of Egypt, because he had become very powerful. ⁹Uzziah built towers in Jerusalem at the Corner Gate, at the Valley Gate, and at the corner of the wall. He made them strong. ¹⁰He had many animals in the foothills and on the plain. So he built towers in the desert and dug many cisterns. He loved the land. So he had farmers and vineyard workers in the hill country and in the rich fields. ¹¹Uzziah had an army ready for battle. It went out to war in groups. Jeiel the scribe and Maaseiah the officer counted them. Hananiah, one of the king's officers, was over them. ¹²There were 2,600 family leaders over the brave fighting men. ¹³Under them was an army of 307,500 men trained for war. It was a strong army to help the king against his enemies. ¹⁴Uzziah gave the whole army shields, spears, helmets, armor, bows, and stones for slings. ¹⁵In Jerusalem he made machines invented by skilled men. They were put on the towers and corners of the walls. They could shoot arrows and throw large stones. So his fame spread far and wide, because he was helped greatly until he became strong. ¹⁶But when Uzziah became strong, his pride led to his ruin. He was unfaithful to the LORD his God, because he went into the temple of the LORD to burn incense on the altar of incense. ¹⁷Then Azariah the priest went in after him. Eighty brave priests of the LORD went with him. ¹⁸They stood up against King Uzziah. They said, "Uzziah, you have no right to burn incense to the LORD. Only the priests can do that. They are Aaron's children, and they are set apart to burn incense. Leave the holy place. You have been unfaithful. The LORD God will not honor you for this." ¹⁹Uzziah had a pan in his hand for burning incense. He became very angry. He raged at the priests right there in the house of the LORD, in front of the altar of incense. As he did, leprosy broke out on his forehead in front of them. ²⁰Azariah the chief priest and all the priests looked at him. They saw leprosy on his forehead. So they rushed him out. He himself hurried to get out, because the LORD had struck him. ²¹So King Uzziah had leprosy until the day he died. He lived in a house by himself. He had leprosy and was shut out of the house of the LORD. His son Jotham was in charge of the palace. He ruled the people of the land. ²²The rest of what Uzziah did, from first to last, was written down by the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz. ²³Uzziah died and joined his fathers. He was buried near them in a burial field that belonged to the kings, because the people said, "He had leprosy." And his son Jotham became king after him.