2 Kings 14

¹ In the second year of Joash son of Jehoahaz, king of Israel, Amaziah son of Joash, king of Judah, began to reign.

² He was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Jehoaddan, from Jerusalem.

³ He did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, though not like David his ancestor. He did everything that Joash his father had done.

⁴ However, the shrines on the hills were not removed; the people still offered sacrifices and burned incense at the hill shrines.

⁵ When the kingdom was firmly in his hand, he struck down the officials who had struck down the king, his father.

⁶ But he did not put the sons of those who had struck him to death, in keeping with what is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, where the LORD commanded: “Fathers shall not be put to death for their children, nor children put to death for their fathers; each one shall be put to death for his own sin.”

⁷ He struck down ten thousand Edomites in the Valley of Salt and captured Sela in battle. He named it Joktheel, as it is called to this day.

⁸ Then Amaziah sent messengers to Jehoash son of Jehoahaz, son of Jehu, king of Israel, saying, “Come, let us meet face to face.”

⁹ Jehoash king of Israel sent this message to Amaziah king of Judah: “The thornbush in Lebanon sent word to the cedar in Lebanon, ‘Give your daughter to my son as a wife.’ But a wild animal in Lebanon came by and trampled the thornbush.

¹⁰ You have indeed struck down Edom, and your heart has become proud. Enjoy your honor and stay at home. Why stir up trouble and bring disaster on yourself and Judah with you?”

¹¹ But Amaziah would not listen. So Jehoash king of Israel went up, and he and Amaziah king of Judah met face to face at Beth-shemesh, which belongs to Judah.

¹² Judah was defeated by Israel, and every man fled to his tent.

¹³ Jehoash king of Israel captured Amaziah king of Judah, son of Jehoash, son of Ahaziah, at Beth-shemesh. Then he went to Jerusalem and broke down the wall of Jerusalem from the Gate of Ephraim to the Corner Gate, a distance of four hundred cubits.

¹⁴ He took all the gold and silver, all the objects found in the house of the LORD and in the treasuries of the king's house, along with hostages, and returned to Samaria.

¹⁵ The rest of the acts of Jehoash, what he did, his might, and how he fought against Amaziah king of Judah—are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?

¹⁶ Jehoash rested with his ancestors and was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel, and his son Jeroboam reigned in his place.

¹⁷ Amaziah son of Joash, king of Judah, lived fifteen years after the death of Jehoash son of Jehoahaz, king of Israel.

¹⁸ The rest of the acts of Amaziah—are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah?

¹⁹ They plotted a conspiracy against him in Jerusalem, and he fled to Lachish. But they sent men after him to Lachish and killed him there.

²⁰ They carried him back on horses, and he was buried in Jerusalem with his ancestors in the City of David.

²¹ All the people of Judah took Azariah, who was sixteen years old, and made him king in place of his father Amaziah.

²² He rebuilt Elath and restored it to Judah after the king had rested with his ancestors.

²³ In the fifteenth year of Amaziah son of Joash, king of Judah, Jeroboam son of Joash, king of Israel, began to reign in Samaria, and he reigned forty-one years.

²⁴ He did what was evil in the eyes of the LORD. He did not turn away from any of the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, who caused Israel to sin.

²⁵ He restored Israel's borders from Lebo-hamath to the Sea of the Arabah, according to the word of the LORD, the God of Israel, which he had spoken through his servant Jonah son of Amittai, the prophet from Gath-hepher.

²⁶ For the LORD saw that Israel's affliction was very bitter: there was no one left, slave or free, and no one to help Israel.

²⁷ The LORD had not said that he would blot out the name of Israel from under heaven, so he saved them by the hand of Jeroboam son of Joash.

²⁸ The rest of the acts of Jeroboam, all that he did, his might, how he fought, and how he recovered Damascus and Hamath for Israel—are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?

²⁹ Jeroboam rested with his ancestors, with the kings of Israel, and his son Zechariah reigned in his place.

Read and listen to this chapter in the Shalem app, free: narration, chapter video and reading progress. Get the app