Chapter 25

¹ Amasias began to reign when he was twenty and five years old, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem; and his mother's name was Joadaen of Jerusalem. ² And he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, but not with a ¹perfect heart. ³ And it came to pass, when the kingdom was established in his hand, that he slew his servants who had slain the king his father. ⁴ But he slew not their sons, according to the covenant of the law of the Lord, as it is written, and as the Lord commanded, saying, The fathers shall not die for the children, and the sons shall not die for the fathers, but they shall die each for his own sin.

⁵ And Amasias assembled the house of Juda, and appointed them according to the houses of their families for captains of thousands and captains of hundreds in all Juda and Jerusalem: and he numbered them from twenty years old and upwards, and found them three hundred thousand able to go out to war, holding spear and shield. ⁶ Also he hired of Israel a hundred thousand mighty men for a hundred talents of silver.

⁷ And there came a man of God to him, saying, O king, let not the host of Israel go with thee; for the Lord is not with Israel, even all the sons of Ephraim. ⁸ For if thou shalt undertake to strengthen thyself with these, then the lord shall put thee to flight before the enemies: for it is of the Lord both to strengthen and to put to flight. ⁹ And Amasias said to the man of God, But what shall I do for the hundred talents which I have given to the army of Israel?

598

And the man of God said, The Lord can give thee much more than these.

¹⁰ And Amasias separated from the army that came to him from Ephraim, that they might go away to their place; and they were very angry with Juda, and they returned to their place with great wrath. ¹¹ And Amasias strengthened himself, and took his people, and went to the valley of salt, and smote there the children of Seir ten thousand. ¹² And the children of Juda ²took ten thousand prisoners, and they carried them to the top of the precipice, and cast them headlong from the top of the precipice, and they were all dashed to pieces. ¹³ And the ³men of the host whom Amasias sent back so that they should not go with him to battle, went and attacked the cities of Juda, from Samaria to Bæthoron; and they smote three thousand among them, and took much spoil.

¹⁴ And it came to pass, after Amasias had returned from smiting Idumea, that he brought home the gods of the children of Seir, and set them up for himself as gods, and bowed down before them, and he sacrificed to them. ¹⁵ And the anger of the Lord came upon Amasias, and he sent him a prophet, and he said to him, Why hast thou sought the gods of the people, which have not rescued their own people out of thine hand? ¹⁶ And it came to pass when ⁴the prophet was speaking to him, that he said to him, have I made thee king's counsellor? take heed lest thou be scourged: and the prophet ⁵forebore, and said, I know that God is disposed against thee to destroy thee, because thou hast done this thing, and hast not hearkened to my counsel.

¹⁷ And Amasias king of Juda took counsel, and sent to Joas, son of Joachaz, son of Jeu, king of Israel, saying, Come, and let us look one another in the face. ¹⁸ And Joas king of Israel sent to Amasias king of Juda, saying, The ⁶thistle that was in Libanus sent to the cedar that was in Libanus, saying, Give thy daughter to my son to wife; but, behold, thy wild beasts of the field that are in Libanus shall come: and the wild beasts did come, and trod down the thistle. ¹⁹ Thou hast said, Behold, I have smitten Idumea, and thy ⁷stout heart exalts thee: now stay at home; for why dost thou implicate thyself in mischief, that thou shouldest fall, and Juda with thee.

²⁰ Nevertheless Amasias hearkened not, for it was of the Lord to deliver him into the enemy's hands, because he sought after the gods of the Idumeans. ²¹ So Joas king of Israel went up; and they saw one another, he and Amasias king of Juda, in Bæthsamys, which is of Juda. ²² And Juda was put to flight before Israel, and they fled every man to his tent. ²³ And Joas king of Israel took prisoner Amasias king of Juda, son of Joas, son of Joachaz, in Bæthsamys, and brought him to Jerusalem; and he pulled down part of the wall of Jerusalem from the gate of Ephraim to the corner gate, four hundred cubits. ²⁴ And he took all the gold and the silver, and all the vessels that were found in the house of the

599

Lord and with Abdedom, and the treasures of the king's house, and the ⁸hostages, and he returned to Samaria.

²⁵ And Amasias the son of Joas king of Juda lived after the death of Joas the son of Joachaz king of Israel fifteen years. ²⁶ And the rest of the acts of Amasias, the first and the last, Lo! are they not written in the book of the kings of Juda and Israel? ²⁷ And at the time when Amasias departed from the Lord, then they formed a conspiracy against him; and he fled from Jerusalem to Lachis: and they sent after him to Lachis, and slew him there. ²⁸ And they took him up on horses, and buried him with his fathers in the city of David.