Chronicles of the Past Dynasties_Chapter 25

Amaziah was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem for twenty-nine years. His mother’s name is Jehoidan and she is from Jerusalem.

Amaziah did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, but his heart was not devoted.

As soon as the country was steadfast, he killed the servants who had killed his father the king,

But they did not put their sons to death, as the Lord commanded in the Book of the Law of Moses, that they should not kill their father, nor should they kill their son because of their father; every one should die for their own sin.

Amaziah gathered the people of Judah and appointed commanders of thousands and hundreds according to the clans of Judah and Benjamin. He also counted the number of elite soldiers from twenty years old and above who could go out to war with spears and shields, totaling 300000.

And he recruited a hundred thousand strong warriors from Israel with a hundred talents of silver.

A man of God came to Amaziah and said to him, “King, do not let the army of Israel go with you, because the Lord is not with the Israelites, the descendants of Ephraim.”.

If you must go, fight bravely. But God will make you defeated before the enemy. Because God can help people overcome and also cause them to fall.

Amaziah asked the man of God, “What about the one hundred talents of silver that I gave to the Israelites?”? The man of God replied, “The Lord can give you more.”.

So Amaziah separated the army that came from Ephraim and called them home. Therefore, they were very angry with the Jews and went home in anger.

Amaziah gathered up his courage and led his people to the Salt Valley, killing ten thousand Seir people.

The Jews captured ten thousand alive and brought them to the cliff, throwing them down from there, so that they were all shattered.

But the army sent back by Amaziah, who were not allowed to go out together, attacked all the cities of Judah, from Samaria to Beth Horon, killing three thousand people and plundering a lot of wealth.

When Amaziah returned from killing the Edomites, he brought back the image of Seir and made him his own god, worshipping and burning incense before him.

Therefore, the anger of the Lord was burning against Amaziah, and he sent a prophet to him, saying, These gods cannot save their people from your hands. Why do you seek them?

When the prophet spoke to the king, the king said to him, “Who made you a counselor to the king?”? Please shut up. Why are you looking for a fight? The prophet stopped and said, ‘You have done this and have not listened to my advice. I know that God has determined to destroy you.’.

King Amaziah of Judah consulted with his officials and sent messengers to Joash, the son of Jehoahaz, the son of Jehu, king of Israel, saying, Come, let us meet on the battlefield.

King Joash of Israel sent messengers to Amaziah king of Judah, saying, The thistle of Lebanon sent messengers to the cedar tree of Lebanon, saying, Give your daughter to my son as a wife. Later, a wild beast passed by in Lebanon and trampled on the thistle.

You said, “Look, I have defeated the Edomites, and you are so proud that you boast.”. You just need to settle down at home, why cause trouble and lead to the downfall of yourself and Judah together?

But Amaziah refused to listen. This is beyond God, to deliver them into the hands of the enemy, because they seek the God of Edom.

So King Joash of Israel came up and met with King Amaziah of Judah on the battlefield at Beth Shemesh in Judah.

The Jews were defeated before the Israelites and fled back to their homes.

King Joash of Israel captured Amaziah, the son of Joash, the son of Jehoahaz, and brought him to Jerusalem. He also demolished the walls of Jerusalem, from the gate of Ephraim to the corner gate, totaling four hundred cubits.

And he took all the gold, silver, and vessels that were kept in the temple of God by Obed Edom, as well as the treasures of the king’s palace, and took them as hostages, and returned to Samaria.

After the death of Joash son of King Jehoahaz of Israel, Amaziah son of Joash king of Judah lived fifteen years.

Are not all the other events of Amaziah written in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel, from beginning to end?

Since Amaziah abandoned the Lord, some people in Jerusalem rebelled against him and he fled to Lachish. The rebels sent someone to Raj to kill him.

Then the man carried his body back on horseback and buried it in the tomb of his ancestors in the capital of Judah.