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was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jehoaddan; she was from Jerusalem. 2 He did what was right in the sight of the Lord, but not with a true heart. 3 As soon as the kingdom was firmly in his grasp, he executed his servants who had murdered his father the king. 4 Yet he did not put their children to death, however, but acted in accordance with what is written in the Law, in the Book of Moses, where the Lord commanded: "Fathers shall not be put to death for the children nor shall the children be put to death for the fathers, but each one will die for his own sin".
5 Then Amaziah assembled Judah together and assigned them according to their ancestral families to commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds for all Judah and Benjamin. He numbered them from twenty years old or more and found them to be three hundred thousand choice men, able to go to war, who could handle spear and shield. 6 He also hired a hundred thousand brave warriors from Israel for a hundred talents of silver.
7 But a man of God came to him and said, “O king, do not let the army of Israel go with you, for the Lord is not with Israel—not with any of the people of Ephraim. 8 But if you go with them, then be gone! Be strong in battle! But even so, God will make you fall before the enemy, for God has the power to help or to overthrow.”
9 Then Amaziah said to the man of God, “But what shall I do about the hundred talents that I have paid for these troops from Israel?”
The man of God replied, “The Lord is able to give you much more than this.”
10 So Amaziah dismissed the troops that had come to him from Ephraim to go home. But they were very angry with Judah for this and they returned home in a furious rage.
11 Amaziah then rallied his strength and he led out his troops to the Valley of Salt, and they struck down ten thousand men of Seir. 12 The people of Judah also captured another ten thousand captives, whom they took to the top of a cliff and threw off, so that all of them were dashed to pieces.
13 Meanwhile, the men from Israel who Amaziah sent back so they would not go into battle with him raided the cities of Judah from Samaria to Beth-horon, and they struck down three thousand people and carried off a great deal of plunder.
14 After Amaziah came back from the slaughter of the Edomites, he brought the gods of the people of Seir and set them up as his own gods. He bowed down to them and burned incense to them. 15 The anger of the Lord burned against Amaziah, and He sent a prophet to him, who said, “Why have you sought this people’s gods, that could not even deliver their own people from your hand?”
16 But while he was still speaking, the king said to him, “Have we appointed you the king’s counsellor? Stop! Why should you be struck down?”
So the prophet stopped, but he said, “I know that God has determined to destroy you, because you have done this and have not listened to my counsel.”
17 Then Amaziah king of Judah took counsel, and sent word to Jehoash son of Jehoahaz, the son of Jehu, king of Israel: “Come, let us meet face to face.”
18 But Jehoash king of Israel sent word back to Amaziah king of Judah: “A thistle that was in Lebanon sent a message to the cedar that was in Lebanon, saying, ‘Give your daughter to my son as a wife’. But a wild beast that was in Lebanon passed by and trampled down the thistle. 19 You have said, ‘Look, I have defeated Edom’. Thus your heart has lifted you up in boasting. But stay at home! Why stir up trouble and bring about your own downfall; you and all Judah with you?”
20 But Amaziah would not listen, for it this turn of events was from God that He might hand them over to their enemies, because they sought the gods of Edom. 21 So Jehoash king of Israel advanced, and he and Amaziah king of Judah faced each other at Beth-shemesh in Judah. 22 Judah was routed before Israel, and every man fled to his own home. 23 Jehoash king of Israel captured the king of Judah, King Amaziah son of Joash, the son of Ahaziah, at Beth-shemesh. Then Jehoash brought him to Jerusalem and broke down the wall around Jerusalem from the Ephraim Gate to the Corner Gate—about four hundred cubits in length. 24 He took all the gold and silver, and all the utensils that were found in God’s temple that had been in the care of Obed-edom, together with the treasures of the king’s palace and the hostages. Then he returned to Samaria.
25 Amaziah son of Joash king of Judah lived for fifteen years after the death of Jehoash son of Jehoahaz king of Israel. 26 Now the rest of the events of Amaziah’s reign, from beginning to end, are they not written in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel? 27 From the time that Amaziah turned away from following the Lord, a conspiracy was formed against him in Jerusalem, and he fled to Lachish. But they sent men after him to Lachish and killed him there. 28 They brought him back on horses and buried him with his fathers in the City of Judah.