Chronological

Azariah’s Reign over Judah

15 In the twenty-seventh year of King Jeroboam’s reign over Israel, Amaziah’s son Azariah became king over Judah. ² He was sixteen years old when he began to reign, and he reigned for fifty-two years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jecholiah, who was from Jerusalem. ³ He did what the Lord approved, just as his father Amaziah had done.^{[a] 4} But the high places were not eliminated; the people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense on the high places. ⁵ The Lord afflicted the king with an illness; he suffered from a skin disease^[b] until the day he died. He lived in separate quarters,^[c] while his son Jotham was in charge of the palace and ruled over the people of the land.

⁶ The rest of the events of Azariah’s reign, including all his accomplishments, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Judah.^{[d] 7} Azariah passed away^[e] and was buried^[f] with his ancestors in the City of David. His son Jotham replaced him as king.

Zechariah’s Reign over Israel

⁸ In the thirty-eighth year of King Azariah’s reign over Judah, Jeroboam’s son Zechariah became king over Israel. He reigned in Samaria for six months. ⁹ He did evil in the sight of^[g] the Lord, as his ancestors had done. He did not repudiate^[h] the sinful ways of Jeroboam son of Nebat who encouraged Israel to sin. ¹⁰ Shallum son of Jabesh conspired against him; he assassinated him in Ibleam^[i] and took his place as king. ¹¹ The rest of the events of Zechariah’s reign are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel.^{[j] 12} His assassination fulfilled^[k] the Lord’s message to Jehu, “Four generations of your descendants will rule on Israel’s throne.”^[l] And that is how it happened.

¹³ Shallum son of Jabesh became king in the thirty-ninth year of King Uzziah’s^[m] reign over Judah. He reigned for one month^[n] in Samaria. ¹⁴ Menahem son of Gadi went up from Tirzah to^[o] Samaria and attacked Shallum son of Jabesh.^[p] He killed him and took his place as king. ¹⁵ The rest of the events of Shallum’s reign, including the conspiracy he organized, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel.^{[q] 16} At that time Menahem came from Tirzah and attacked Tiphsah. He struck down all who lived in the city and the surrounding territory, because they would not surrender.^[r] He even ripped open the pregnant women.

Menahem’s Reign over Israel

¹⁷ In the thirty-ninth year of King Azariah’s reign over Judah, Menahem son of Gadi became king over Israel. He reigned for ten years in Samaria. ¹⁸ He did evil in the sight of^[s] the Lord; he did not repudiate^[t] the sinful ways of Jeroboam son of Nebat, who encouraged Israel to sin.^[u]

During his reign, ¹⁹ Pul^[v] king of Assyria invaded the land, and Menahem paid^[w] him^[x] 1,000 talents^[y] of silver to gain his support^[z] and to solidify his control of the kingdom.^{[aa] 20} Menahem got this silver by taxing all the wealthy men in Israel; he took fifty shekels of silver from each one of them and paid it to the king of Assyria.^[ab] Then the king of Assyria left; he did not stay there in the land.

²¹ The rest of the events of Menahem’s reign, including all his accomplishments, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel.^{[ac] 22} Menahem passed away^[ad] and his son Pekahiah replaced him as king.

Pekahiah’s Reign over Israel

²³ In the fiftieth year of King Azariah’s reign over Judah, Menahem’s son Pekahiah became king over Israel. He reigned in Samaria for two years. ²⁴ He did evil in the sight of^[ae] the Lord; he did not repudiate^[af] the sinful ways of Jeroboam son of Nebat who encouraged Israel to sin. ²⁵ His officer Pekah son of Remaliah conspired against him. He and fifty Gileadites assassinated Pekahiah, as well as Argob and Arieh, in Samaria in the fortress of the royal palace.^[ag] Pekah^[ah] then took his place as king.

²⁶ The rest of the events of Pekahiah’s reign, including all his accomplishments, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel.^[ai]

Pekah’s Reign over Israel

²⁷ In the fifty-second year of King Azariah’s reign over Judah, Pekah son of Remaliah became king over Israel. He reigned in Samaria for twenty years. ²⁸ He did evil in the sight of^[aj] the Lord; he did not repudiate^[ak] the sinful ways of Jeroboam son of Nebat who encouraged Israel to sin. ²⁹ During Pekah’s reign over Israel, King Tiglath-Pileser of Assyria came and captured Ijon, Abel Beth Maacah, Janoah, Kedesh, Hazor, Gilead, and Galilee, including all the territory of Naphtali. He deported the people^[al] to Assyria. ³⁰ Hoshea son of Elah conspired against Pekah son of Remaliah. He assassinated him^[am] and took his place as king, in the twentieth year of the reign of Jotham son of Uzziah.

³¹ The rest of the events of Pekah’s reign, including all his accomplishments, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel.^[an]

Jotham’s Reign over Judah

³² In the second year of the reign of Israel’s King Pekah son of Remaliah, Uzziah’s son Jotham became king over Judah. ³³ He was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned for sixteen years in Jerusalem. His mother was Jerusha the daughter of Zadok. ³⁴ He did what the Lord approved, just as his father Uzziah had done.^{[ao] 35} But the high places were not eliminated; the people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense on the high places. He built the Upper Gate to the Lord’s temple.

³⁶ The rest of the events of Jotham’s reign, including his accomplishments, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Judah.^{[ap] 37} In those days the Lord prompted King Rezin of Syria and Pekah son of Remaliah to attack Judah.^{[aq] 38} Jotham passed away^[ar] and was buried with his ancestors in the city of his ancestor David. His son Ahaz replaced him as king.

Uzziah’s Reign

26 All the people of Judah took Uzziah,^[a] who was sixteen years old, and made him king in his father Amaziah’s place. ² Uzziah^[b] built up Elat and restored it to Judah after King Amaziah^[c] had passed away.^[d]

³ Uzziah was sixteen years old when he began to reign, and he reigned for fifty-two years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jecholiah, who was from Jerusalem. ⁴ He did what the Lord approved, just as his father Amaziah had done.^{[e] 5} He followed^[f] God during the lifetime of^[g] Zechariah, who taught him how to honor God. As long as he followed^[h] the Lord, God caused him to succeed.^[i]

⁶ Uzziah attacked^[j] the Philistines and broke down the walls of Gath, Jabneh, and Ashdod. He built cities in the region of Ashdod and throughout Philistine territory.^{[k] 7} God helped him in his campaigns^[l] against the Philistines, the Arabs living in Gur Baal, and the Meunites. ⁸ The Ammonites paid tribute to Uzziah and his fame reached^[m] the border of Egypt, for he grew in power.

⁹ Uzziah built and fortified towers in Jerusalem at the Corner Gate, Valley Gate, and at the Angle.^{[n] 10} He built towers in the wilderness and dug many cisterns, for he owned many herds in the foothills^[o] and on the plain. He had workers in the fields and vineyards in the hills and in Carmel,^[p] for he loved agriculture.^[q]

¹¹ Uzziah had an army of skilled warriors trained for battle. They were organized by divisions according to the muster rolls made by Jeiel the scribe and Maaseiah the officer under the authority of Hananiah, a royal official. ¹² The total number of family leaders who led warriors was 2,600. ¹³ They commanded an army of 307,500 skilled and able warriors who were ready to defend^[r] the king against his enemies. ¹⁴ Uzziah supplied shields, spears, helmets, breastplates, bows, and slingstones for the entire army. ¹⁵ In Jerusalem he made war machines carefully designed to shoot arrows and large stones from the towers and corners of the walls. He became very famous, for he received tremendous support and became powerful.^[s]

¹⁶ But once he became powerful, his pride destroyed him.^[t] He disobeyed^[u] the Lord his God. He entered the Lord’s temple to offer incense on the incense altar. ¹⁷ Azariah the priest and eighty other brave priests of the Lord followed him in. ¹⁸ They confronted^[v] King Uzziah and said to him, “It is not proper for you, Uzziah, to offer incense to the Lord. That is the responsibility of the priests, the descendants of Aaron, who are consecrated to offer incense. Leave the sanctuary, for you have disobeyed^[w] and the Lord God will not honor you!” ¹⁹ Uzziah, who had an incense censer in his hand, became angry. While he was ranting and raving^[x] at the priests, a skin disease^[y] appeared on his forehead right there in front of the priests in the Lord’s temple near the incense altar. ²⁰ When Azariah the high priest and the other priests looked at him, there was a skin disease on his forehead. They hurried him out of there; even the king^[z] himself wanted to leave quickly because the Lord had afflicted him. ²¹ King Uzziah suffered from a skin disease until the day he died. He lived in separate quarters,^[aa] afflicted by a skin disease and banned from the Lord’s temple. His son Jotham was in charge of the palace and ruled over the people of the land.

²² The rest of the events of Uzziah’s reign, from start to finish, were recorded by the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz.^{[ab] 23} Uzziah passed away^[ac] and was buried near his ancestors^[ad] in a cemetery^[ae] belonging to the kings. (This was because he had a skin disease.)^[af] His son Jotham replaced him as king.