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all the people of Judah took Uzziah, who was sixteen years old, and made him king in place of his father Amaziah. 2 He rebuilt Eloth and restored it to Judah after Amaziah slept with his fathers.
3 Uzziah was sixteen years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem fifty-two years. 4 He did what was right in the sight of the Lord, just as his father Amaziah had done. 5 He sought God during the days of Zechariah, who had understanding in the visions of God; and as long as he sought the Lord, God gave him success.
6 Uzziah went out to wage war against the Philistines, and he broke down the wall of Gath, the wall of Jabneh, and the wall of Ashdod. He then built cities in the territory of Ashdod and elsewhere among the Philistines. 7 God helped him against the Philistines, and against the Arabs who were living in Gur-baal, and against the Meunites. 8 The Ammonites gave tribute money to Uzziah, and his fame spread as far as the border of Egypt, for he became very powerful.
9 Uzziah built towers in Jerusalem at the Corner Gate, at the Valley Gate, and corner buttress, and he fortified them. 10 He also built towers in the wilderness and dug many wells, for he had many livestock in the lowlands and in the plain. He had farmers and vinedressers working in the hills and in the fertile lands, for he loved the soil.
11 Uzziah had an army of trained fighting men who went out to war by divisions, according to the numbers in the muster prepared by Jeiel the secretary and Maaseiah the officer under the authority of Hananiah, one of the king’s commanders. 12 The total number of heads of families over the fighting men was 2,600. 13 Under their command was an army of 307,500 trained men, a powerful fighting force to help the king against his enemies. 14 Uzziah provided the entire army with shields, spears, helmets, body armour, bows, and sling stones. 15 He made engines of war in Jerusalem, designed by skilful men for use on the towers and on the corner defences to shoot arrows and catapult large stones. So his fame spread far and wide, for he was marvellously helped until he became strong.
16 But when Uzziah grew powerful he became arrogant, and this led to his own destruction. He transgressed against the Lord his God by entering the House of the Lord to burn incense on the altar of incense himself. 17 Azariah the priest went in after him with eighty priests of the Lord who were brave men. 18 They withstood Uzziah the king, and said to him, “It is not for you, Uzziah, to burn incense to the Lord, but for the priests, the sons of Aaron, who are consecrated to burn incense. Get out of the sanctuary, for you have been unfaithful, and you will not be honoured by the Lord God.”
19 Uzziah, who had a censer in his hand to burn incense, became enraged. But when he was angry with the priests in their presence, leprosy broke out on his forehead while he beside the altar of incense in the House of the Lord. 20 When Azariah the chief priest and all the priests looked at him and saw that he was leprous on his forehead, they rushed him out of there. He himself also hurried to get out, because the Lord had struck him.
21 King Uzziah was leprous until the day of his death. Because he was leprous, he lived in a separate house and was excluded from the House of the Lord. Jotham his son was in charge of the palace and he also governed the people of the land.
22 Now the other events of Uzziah’s reign, from beginning to end, are recorded in the writings of the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz. 23 Uzziah slept with his fathers, and he was buried with his fathers in the burial ground that belonged to the kings, for they said, “He was a leper.” Then Jotham his son succeeded him as king.