Judah’s King Azariah

15 In the twenty-seventh year of Israel’s King Jeroboam, Azariah[a](A) son of Amaziah became king of Judah.(B) He was 16 years old when he became king and reigned 52 years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jecoliah, who was from Jerusalem. Azariah did what was right in the Lord’s sight(C) just as his father Amaziah had done. Yet the high places were not taken away; the people continued sacrificing and burning incense on the high places.(D)

The Lord afflicted the king, and he had a serious skin disease until the day of his death.(E) He lived in a separate house,[b](F) while Jotham,(G) the king’s son, was over the household governing the people of the land.(H)

The rest of the events of Azariah’s reign, along with all his accomplishments, are written in the Historical Record of Judah’s Kings.(I) Azariah rested with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the city of David. His son Jotham became king in his place.(J)

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. 2 Kings 15:1 = Uzziah in 2Ch 26:3
  2. 2 Kings 15:5 Lit house of freedom, or house of exemption

Judah’s King Uzziah

26 All the people(A) of Judah took Uzziah,[a] who was 16 years old, and made him king in place of his father Amaziah. He rebuilt Eloth[b](B) and restored it to Judah after Amaziah the king rested with his fathers.

Uzziah was 16 years old(C) when he became king and reigned 52 years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jecoliah from Jerusalem. He did what was right in the Lord’s sight as his father Amaziah had done. He sought God(D) throughout the lifetime of Zechariah, the teacher of the fear[c](E) of God. During the time that he sought the Lord, God gave him success.(F)

Uzziah’s Exploits

Uzziah went out to wage war against the Philistines,(G) and he tore down the wall of Gath, the wall of Jabneh, and the wall of Ashdod. Then he built cities in the vicinity of Ashdod and among the Philistines. God helped him against the Philistines, the Arabs that live in Gur-baal, and the Meunites. The Ammonites[d] gave Uzziah tribute money,(H) and his fame spread as far as the entrance of Egypt, for God made him very powerful. Uzziah built towers in Jerusalem at the Corner Gate,(I) the Valley Gate,(J) and the corner buttress, and he fortified them. 10 Since he had many cattle both in the Judean foothills[e] and the plain, he built towers in the desert and dug many wells.(K) And since he was a lover of the soil, he had farmers and vinedressers in the hills and in the fertile lands.[f]

11 Uzziah had an army equipped for combat that went out to war by division according to their assignments, as recorded by Jeiel the court secretary and Maaseiah the officer under the authority of Hananiah, one of the king’s commanders. 12 The total number of heads of families was 2,600 brave warriors. 13 Under their authority was an army of 307,500 equipped for combat, a powerful force to help the king against the enemy.(L) 14 Uzziah provided the entire army with shields, spears, helmets, armor, bows and slingstones. 15 He made skillfully designed devices in Jerusalem to shoot arrows and catapult large stones for use on the towers and on the corners. So his fame spread even to distant places, for he was marvelously helped until he became strong.

Uzziah’s Disease

16 But when he became strong, he grew arrogant(M) and it led to his own destruction. He acted unfaithfully against the Lord his God by going into the Lord’s sanctuary to burn incense on the incense altar.(N) 17 Azariah(O) the priest, along with 80 brave priests of the Lord, went in after him. 18 They took their stand(P) against King Uzziah and said, “Uzziah, you have no right to offer incense to the Lord(Q)—only the consecrated priests, the descendants of Aaron, have the right to offer incense.(R) Leave the sanctuary, for you have acted unfaithfully! You will not receive honor from the Lord God.”

19 Uzziah, with a firepan in his hand to offer incense, was enraged. But when he became enraged with the priests, in the presence of the priests in the Lord’s temple beside the altar of incense, a skin disease(S) broke out on his forehead. 20 Then Azariah the chief priest and all the priests turned to him and saw that he was diseased on his forehead. They rushed him out of there. He himself also hurried to get out because the Lord had afflicted him. 21 So King Uzziah was diseased to the time of his death.(T) He lived in quarantine[g](U) with a serious skin disease and was excluded from access to the Lord’s temple, while his son Jotham was over the king’s household governing the people of the land.

22 Now the prophet Isaiah(V) son of Amoz wrote about the rest of the events of Uzziah’s reign, from beginning to end. 23 Uzziah rested with his fathers, and he was buried with his fathers in the burial ground of the kings’ cemetery,(W) for they said, “He has a skin disease.” His son Jotham became king in his place.

Footnotes

  1. 2 Chronicles 26:1 = Azariah in 2Kg 14:21
  2. 2 Chronicles 26:2 LXX, Syr, Vg read Elath
  3. 2 Chronicles 26:5 Some Hb mss, LXX, Syr, Tg, Arabic; other Hb mss, Vg read visions
  4. 2 Chronicles 26:8 LXX reads Meunites
  5. 2 Chronicles 26:10 Or the Shephelah
  6. 2 Chronicles 26:10 Or in Carmel
  7. 2 Chronicles 26:21 Lit a house of freedom

The vision(A) concerning Judah and Jerusalem that Isaiah(B) son of Amoz saw during the reigns[a][b] of Uzziah,(C) Jotham,(D) Ahaz,(E) and Hezekiah,(F) kings of Judah.(G)

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 1:1 Lit saw in the days
  2. Isaiah 1:1 ca 792–686 b.c.

The word of the Lord that came to Hosea son of Beeri during the reigns of Uzziah,(A) Jotham,(B) Ahaz,(C) and Hezekiah,(D) kings of Judah, and of Jeroboam(E) son of Jehoash, king of Israel.

Read full chapter

Bible Gateway Recommends