New International Reader s Version - NIrV - 1996
2 Chronicles 25
1
Amaziah was 25 years old when he became king. He ruled in Jerusalem for 29 years. His mother's name was Jehoaddin. She was from Jerusalem.
2
Amaziah did what was right in the eyes of the Lord. But he didn't do it with all his heart.
Reference
Parallel theme
2 Chronicles 25:14
Acts 8:21
James 4:8
James 1:8
2 Kings 14:4
Psalm 78:37
References Lord
Isaiah 29:13
2 Chronicles 24:2
2 Chronicles 26:4
1 Samuel 16:7
3
The kingdom was firmly under his control. So he put to death the officials who had murdered his father, the king.
4
But he didn't put their children to death. He obeyed what is written in the Law, the Scroll of Moses. There the Lord commanded, "Parents must not be put to death because of what their children do. And children must not be put to death because of what their parents do. People must die because of their own sins."--(Deuteronomy 24:16)
Reference
5
Amaziah called the people of Judah together. He arranged them by families under commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds. He did it for all of the people of Judah and Benjamin. Then he brought together the men who were 20 years old or more. He found out there were 300,000 men who were able to serve in the army. They could handle spears and shields.
Reference
6
He also hired 100,000 fighting men from Israel. He had to pay them almost four tons of silver.
7
But a man of God came to him. He said, "King Amaziah, these troops from Israel must not march out with you. The Lord is not with Israel. He isn't with any of the people of Ephraim.
Reference
Kingdom
2 Chronicles 19:2
8
Go and fight bravely in battle if you want to. But God will destroy you right in front of your enemies. God has the power to help you or destroy you."
Reference
9
Amaziah asked the man of God, "But what about all of that silver I paid for these Israelite troops?" The man of God replied, "The Lord can give you much more than that."
Reference
10
So Amaziah let the troops go who had come to him from Ephraim. He sent them home. They were very angry with Judah. In fact, they were burning with anger when they went home.
11
Then Amaziah showed how strong he was. He led his army to the Valley of Salt. There he killed 10,000 men of Seir.
Reference
Parallel theme
2 Kings 14:7
12
The army of Judah also captured 10,000 men alive. They took them to the top of a cliff. Then they threw them down. All of them were smashed to pieces.
13
The troops Amaziah had sent back attacked some towns in Judah. He hadn't allowed the troops to take part in the war. They attacked towns from Samaria to Beth Horon. They killed 3,000 people. They carried off huge amounts of goods.
14
Amaziah returned from killing the men of Edom. He brought back the statues of the gods of Seir. He set them up as his own gods. He bowed down to them. He burned sacrifices to them.
Reference
References God
2 Chronicles 28:23
15
The Lord's anger burned against Amaziah. He sent a prophet to him. The prophet said, "Why do you ask the gods of those people for advice? They couldn't even save their own people from your power!"
Reference
References God
Psalm 96:5
16
While the prophet was still speaking, the king spoke to him. He said, "Did I ask you for advice? Stop! If you don't, you will be struck down." So the prophet stopped. But then he said, "I know that God has decided to destroy you. That's because you have worshiped other gods. You haven't listened to my advice."
17
Amaziah, the king of Judah, spoke to his advisers. Then he sent a message to Jehoash, the king of Israel. Jehoash was the son of Jehoahaz. Jehoahaz was the son of Jehu. Amaziah dared Jehoash, "Come on. Meet me face to face in battle."
18
But Jehoash, the king of Israel, answered Amaziah, the king of Judah. He said, "A thorn bush in Lebanon sent a message to a cedar tree there. It said, 'Give your daughter to be married to my son.' Then a wild animal in Lebanon came along. It walked all over the thorn bush.
19
You brag that you have won the battle over Edom. You are very proud. But stay home! Why ask for trouble? Why bring yourself crashing down? Why bring Judah down with you?"
Reference
20
But Amaziah wouldn't listen. That's because God had planned to hand Judah over to Jehoash. After all, they had asked the gods of Edom for advice.
Reference
21
So Jehoash, the king of Israel, attacked. He and Amaziah, the king of Judah, faced each other in battle. The battle took place at Beth Shemesh in Judah.
22
Israel drove Judah away. Every man ran home.
23
Jehoash king of Israel captured Amaziah king of Judah at Beth Shemesh. Amaziah was the son of Joash. Joash was the son of Ahaziah. Jehoash brought Amaziah to Jerusalem. He broke down part of its wall. It's the part that went from the Ephraim Gate to the Corner Gate. That part of the wall was 600 feet long.
Reference
Kingdom
2 Chronicles 21:17
2 Chronicles 22:1
Parallel theme
Nehemiah 8:16
Jeremiah 31:38
Nehemiah 12:39
References Jerusalem
2 Chronicles 26:9
24
Jehoash took all of the gold and silver. He took all of the articles he found in God's temple. Obed-Edom had been in charge of them. Jehoash also took the palace treasures and the prisoners. Then he returned to Samaria.
Reference
Parallel theme
1 Chronicles 26:15
25
Amaziah king of Judah lived for 15 years after Jehoash king of Israel died. Amaziah was the son of Joash. Jehoash was the son of Jehoahaz.
26
The other events of Amaziah's rule from beginning to end are written down. They are written in the records of the kings of Judah and Israel.
27
Amaziah turned away from following the Lord. From that time on, some people made evil plans against him in Jerusalem. So he ran away to Lachish. But they sent men to Lachish after him. There they killed him.
28
His body was brought back on a horse. Then he was buried in the family tomb in Jerusalem, the City of Judah.
Summary of 2 Chronicles 25
This chapter describes the twenty-nine-year reign of Amaziah, a king who began with some obedience to God but gradually became controlled by pride, military confidence, and idolatry. At the beginning of his reign, Amaziah executed the officials who had murdered his father, Joash, but he wisely refused to punish their children, following the Law of Moses concerning individual responsibility. He organized a large army and also hired 100,000 soldiers from Israel for a campaign against Edom. However, a man of God warned him not to use the Israelite troops because the Lord was not with the northern kingdom. Amaziah accepted the warning, dismissed the soldiers, and trusted God for victory despite losing the money he had already paid them.
Judah successfully defeated the Edomites in the Valley of Salt, but Amaziah's response to the victory revealed a serious spiritual problem. He brought Edomite gods back to Jerusalem and began worshiping them, even though those gods had been unable to protect Edom from Judah's army. A prophet confronted him, but Amaziah refused to listen and became increasingly proud. His confidence led him to challenge Jehoash, king of Israel, to war. Jehoash warned him through a parable that his recent victory over Edom had made him arrogant and that he should not provoke a stronger kingdom. Amaziah ignored the warning.
The resulting battle at Beth-shemesh ended in a devastating defeat for Judah. Jehoash captured Amaziah, entered Jerusalem, broke down part of its defensive wall, and took treasures from the Temple and royal palace back to Samaria. Amaziah survived for several more years, but his position continued to weaken. Eventually, after turning away from the Lord, a conspiracy developed against him. He fled to Lachish, but his enemies followed him and killed him.
The chapter presents Amaziah as a tragic example of a leader who began reasonably well but allowed success to produce pride and spiritual compromise. His initial willingness to obey God's warning brought victory, but instead of recognizing that the victory came from God, he became proud and worshiped foreign gods. His refusal to accept further correction ultimately led to military defeat, political humiliation, and assassination. The chapter emphasizes that obedience must continue after success; victory does not give a person permission to abandon God or ignore wise correction.
Judah successfully defeated the Edomites in the Valley of Salt, but Amaziah's response to the victory revealed a serious spiritual problem. He brought Edomite gods back to Jerusalem and began worshiping them, even though those gods had been unable to protect Edom from Judah's army. A prophet confronted him, but Amaziah refused to listen and became increasingly proud. His confidence led him to challenge Jehoash, king of Israel, to war. Jehoash warned him through a parable that his recent victory over Edom had made him arrogant and that he should not provoke a stronger kingdom. Amaziah ignored the warning.
The resulting battle at Beth-shemesh ended in a devastating defeat for Judah. Jehoash captured Amaziah, entered Jerusalem, broke down part of its defensive wall, and took treasures from the Temple and royal palace back to Samaria. Amaziah survived for several more years, but his position continued to weaken. Eventually, after turning away from the Lord, a conspiracy developed against him. He fled to Lachish, but his enemies followed him and killed him.
The chapter presents Amaziah as a tragic example of a leader who began reasonably well but allowed success to produce pride and spiritual compromise. His initial willingness to obey God's warning brought victory, but instead of recognizing that the victory came from God, he became proud and worshiped foreign gods. His refusal to accept further correction ultimately led to military defeat, political humiliation, and assassination. The chapter emphasizes that obedience must continue after success; victory does not give a person permission to abandon God or ignore wise correction.