Amaziah was twenty-five years old when he began to reign; and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem: and his mother’s name was Jehoaddan, of Jerusalem. 2He did that which was right in the eyes of YAHWEH1, but not with a perfect heart. 3When the kingdom was established to him, he killed his servants who had killed the king his father. 4But he did not put their children to death, but did according to that which is written in the Taurat2, in the Book of Musa3, as YAHWEH commanded, saying,
“The fathers shall not die for the children, neither shall the children die for the fathers; but every man shall die for his own sin.” 4
5Moreover Amaziah gathered Judah together, and ordered them according to their fathers’ houses, under captains of thousands and captains of hundreds, even all Judah and Binyamin5: and he numbered them from twenty years old and upward, and found them three hundred thousand chosen men, able to go to war, who could handle spear and shield. 6He hired also one hundred thousand mighty men of valour out of Israel for one hundred talents of silver. 7But there came a man of God to him, saying, “O king, do not let the army of Israel go with you; for YAHWEH is not with Israel, with all the children of Ephraim. 8But if you will go, take action, be strong for the battle: God will cast you down before the enemy; for God has power to help, and to cast down.”
9Amaziah said to the man of God, “But what shall we do for the hundred talents which I have given to the army of Israel?”
The man of God answered, ‘YAHWEH is able to give you much more than this.’
10Then Amaziah separated out the army that had come to him out of Ephraim, to go home again: therefore their anger was greatly kindled against Judah, and they returned home in fierce anger.
11Amaziah took courage, and led forth his people, and went to the Valley of Salt, and struck of the children of Seir ten thousand. 12The children of Judah carred away alive another ten thousand, and brought them to the top of the rock, and cast them down from the top of the rock, so that they all were broken in pieces. 13But the men of the army whom Amaziah sent back, that they should not go with him to battle, fell on the cities of Judah, from Samaria even to Beth Horon, and struck of them three thousand, and took much plunder.
14After Amaziah had come from the slaughter of the Edomites, he brought the gods of the children of Seir, and set them up to be his gods, and bowed down himself before them, and burned incense to them. 15Therefore the anger of YAHWEH was kindled against Amaziah, and he sent to him a prophet, who said to him, “Why have you sought after the gods of the people, which have not delivered their own people out of your hand?”
16As he talked with him, the king said to him, “Have we made you part of the king’s counsel? Stop! Why should you be struck down?”
Then the prophet stopped, and said, “I know that God has determined to destroy you, because you have done this, and have not listened to my counsel.”
17Then Amaziah king of Judah took advice, and sent to Joash son of Jehoahaz, son of Jehu, king of Israel, saying, “Come, let us look one another in the face.”
18Joash king of Israel sent to Amaziah king of Judah, saying, “The thistle that was in Lebanon sent to the cedar that was in Lebanon, saying, ‘Give your daughter to my son as wife:’ and there passed by a wild animal that was in Lebanon, and trod down the thistle. 19You say that you have struck Edom; and your heart lifts you up to boast. Stay now at home. Why should you meddle to your hurt, that you should fall, and Judah with you?”
20But Amaziah would not hear; for it was from God, that he might deliver them into the hand of their enemies, because they had sought after the gods of Edom. 21So Joash king of Israel went up; and he and Amaziah king of Judah looked one another in the face at Beth-Shemesh, which belongs to Judah. 22Judah was put to the worse before Israel; and they fled every man to his tent.
23Joash king of Israel took Amaziah king of Judah, son of Joash, son of Jehoahaz, at Beth-Shemesh, and brought him to Jerusalem, and broke down the wall of Jerusalem from the gate of Ephraim to the corner gate, four hundred cubits. 24He took all the gold and silver, and all the vessels that were found in the House of God with Obed-Edom, and the treasures of the king’s house, the hostages also, and returned to Samaria.
25Amaziah son of Joash king of Judah lived after the death of Joash son of Jehoahaz king of Israel fifteen years. 26Now the rest of the acts of Amaziah, first and last, behold, are they not written in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel? 27Now from the time that Amaziah turned away from following YAHWEH they made a conspiracy against him in Jerusalem; and he fled to Lachish: but they sent after him to Lachish, and killed him there. 28They brought him on horses, and buried him with his fathers in the city of Judah.
- 25:2 YAHWEH, God’s personal Name revealed to Prophet Musa in the Taurat, Exodus 3:15: ‘God said moreover to Musa, “You shall tell Bani-Israel this, ‘YAHWEH, the God of your fathers, the God of Ibrahim, the God of Ishaq, and the God of Yaqub, has sent me to you.’ This is my Name forever, and this is how I am to be remembered to all generations.”’ ↩︎
- 25:4 Taurat, this Arabic term is derived from the Hebrew word Torah, which means “instruction” or “teaching.” Depending on context, Taurat can refer to,
1. The whole Hebrew Bible contained here under the title Taurat, equivalent to what Jews today call Tanakh, and what Christians call the Old Testament.
2. The revelation given to Prophet Musa, that is, the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, sometimes called the Pentateuch. Pentateuch is a Greek word meaning “five books” and includes Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. These five books are attributed to Prophet Musa himself. This is the traditional and most common meaning given to Taurat or Torah.
3. The Law of Musa found within the Pentateuch, with its hundreds of rules and regulations covering many aspects of daily life for the people of Israel. The most famous of these laws are the Ten Commandments, found in Exodus 20.
4. Taurat can also refer to divine instruction and teaching in general without reference to a particular book of the Hebrew Bible. ↩︎ - 25:4 Musa, this Arabic name is derived from the Hebrew name Moses meaning “to pull out” or “draw out” (of water); referring to the biblical story where he was rescued from the Nile River by Firaun’s daughter. ↩︎
- 25:4 Quoting the Taurat, Deuteronomy 24:16 which says: “The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, neither shall the children be put to death for the fathers: every man shall be put to death for his own sin.” ↩︎
- 25:5 Binyamin, or Benjamin, derived from the Hebrew name Benyamin, meaning “Son of the right hand.” ↩︎