Amaziah King of Judah
1Amaziah began to rule as king over Judah. It was in the second year that Jehoash was king of Israel. He was the son of Jehoahaz. Amaziah was the son of Joash. 2Amaziah was 25 years old when he became king. He ruled in Jerusalem for 29 years. His mother’s name was Jehoaddan. She was from Jerusalem. 3Amaziah did what was right in the eyes of the Lord. But he didn’t do what King David had done. He always followed the example of his father Joash. 4But the high places weren’t removed. The people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense there.
5The kingdom was firmly under his control. So he put to death the officials who had murdered his father, the king. 6But he didn’t put their children to death. He obeyed what is written in the Book of the Law 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)
7Amaziah won the battle over 10,000 men of Edom. It happened in the Valley of Salt. During the battle he captured the town of Sela. He called it Joktheel. That’s the name it still has to this day.
8After the battle, Amaziah sent messengers to Jehoash, the king of Israel. Jehoash was the son of Jehoahaz, the son of Jehu. Amaziah said, “Come on. Let us face each other in battle.”
9But Jehoash, the king of Israel, answered Amaziah, the king of Judah. Jehoash said, “A thorn bush in Lebanon sent a message to a cedar tree there. The thorn bush said, ‘Give your daughter to be married to my son.’ Then a wild animal in Lebanon came along. It crushed the thorn bush by walking on it. 10It’s true that you have won the battle over Edom. So you are proud. Enjoy your success while you can. But stay home and enjoy it! Why ask for trouble? Why bring yourself crashing down? Why bring Judah down with you?”
11But Amaziah wouldn’t listen. 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. 12Israel drove Judah away. Every man ran home. 13Jehoash king of Israel captured Amaziah king of Judah at Beth Shemesh. Amaziah was the son of Joash. Joash was the son of Ahaziah. Jehoash went 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. 14Jehoash took all the gold, silver and objects that were in the Lord’s temple. He also took all those same kinds of things that were among the treasures of the royal palace. And he took prisoners. Then he returned to Samaria.
15The other events of the rule of Jehoash are written down. That includes his war against Amaziah, the king of Judah. Everything he did and accomplished is written in the official records of the kings of Israel. 16Jehoash joined the members of his family who had already died. He was buried in Samaria in the royal tombs of Israel. Jehoash’s son Jeroboam became the next king after him.
17Amaziah 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. 18The other events of Amaziah’s rule are written down. They are written in the official records of the kings of Judah.
19Some people made evil plans against Amaziah in Jerusalem. So he ran away to Lachish. But they sent men to Lachish after him. There they killed him. 20His body was brought back on a horse. Then he was buried in the family tomb in Jerusalem, the City of David.
21All the people of Judah made Uzziah king. He was 16 years old. They made him king in place of his father Amaziah. 22Uzziah rebuilt Elath. He brought it under Judah’s control again. He did it after Amaziah joined the members of his family who had already died.
Jeroboam II King of Israel
23Jeroboam became king of Israel in Samaria. It was in the 15th year that Amaziah was king of Judah. Jeroboam ruled for 41 years. Amaziah was the son of Joash. Jeroboam was the son of Jehoash. 24Jeroboam did what was evil in the eyes of the Lord. He didn’t turn away from any of the sins the earlier Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, had committed. That Jeroboam had caused Israel to commit those same sins. 25Jeroboam, the son of Jehoash, made the borders of Israel the same as they were before. They reached from Lebo Hamath all the way to the Dead Sea. That’s what the Lord, the God of Israel, had said would happen. He had spoken that message through his servant Jonah. Jonah the prophet was the son of Amittai. Jonah was from the town of Gath Hepher.
26The Lord had seen how much everyone in Israel was suffering. It didn’t matter whether they were slaves or free. They didn’t have anyone to help them. 27The Lord hadn’t said he would wipe out Israel’s name from the earth. So he saved them by the power of Jeroboam, the son of Jehoash.
28The other events of the rule of Jeroboam are written down. What he and his army accomplished is written down. That includes how he brought Damascus and Hamath back under Israel’s control. Damascus and Hamath had belonged to the territory of Judah. Everything he did is written in the official records of the kings of Israel. 29Jeroboam joined the members of his family who had already died. He was buried in the royal tombs of Israel. Jeroboam’s son Zechariah became the next king after him.
亚玛谢做犹大王
1以色列王约哈斯的儿子约阿施执政第二年，犹大王约阿施的儿子亚玛谢登基。 2他二十五岁登基，在耶路撒冷执政二十九年。他母亲叫约耶但，是耶路撒冷人。 3亚玛谢做耶和华视为正的事，虽不如他祖先大卫，但事事效法他父亲约阿施。 4然而，他没有拆毁丘坛，人们仍在那里献祭烧香。 5他巩固了王位后，立即处死了杀他父王的臣仆， 6但没有处死他们的孩子，遵照了耶和华在摩西律法书中的吩咐：“不可因孩子犯罪而处死父亲，也不可因父亲犯罪而处死孩子。各人要自负罪责。” 7亚玛谢曾在盐谷杀了一万以东人，攻占了西拉，把西拉改名为约帖，沿用至今。
8后来，亚玛谢差遣使者对耶户的孙子、约哈斯的儿子、以色列王约阿施说：“来，我们战场上见。” 9以色列王约阿施派人对犹大王亚玛谢说：“黎巴嫩的蒺藜派使者去对黎巴嫩的香柏树说，‘将你女儿嫁给我儿子吧。’后来黎巴嫩的一只野兽经过，把那蒺藜践踏在脚下。 10你打败了以东人就趾高气扬，还是待在家里庆祝胜利吧，何必惹祸上身，使你和犹大一同灭亡呢？”
11但亚玛谢不理会他的劝告。于是，以色列王约阿施起兵攻打犹大王亚玛谢，两王会战于犹大的伯·示麦。 12犹大人被以色列人打败，兵将都各自逃回家去了。 13约阿施在伯·示麦擒获亚玛谢，然后前往耶路撒冷，拆毁从以法莲门到角门约一百八十米长的耶路撒冷城墙， 14抢走耶和华殿里和王宫库房里的所有金银和器皿，并带着人质返回撒玛利亚。 15约阿施其他的事，包括他怎样英勇对抗犹大王亚玛谢，都记在以色列的列王史上。 16约阿施与祖先同眠后，葬在撒玛利亚的以色列王陵。他儿子耶罗波安继位。
17以色列王约哈斯的儿子约阿施死后，犹大王约阿施的儿子亚玛谢又活了十五年。 18亚玛谢其他的事都记在犹大的列王史上。 19耶路撒冷有人谋反，亚玛谢就逃到拉吉，叛党派人追到那里杀了他。 20有人用马将他的尸体驮回耶路撒冷，葬在大卫城他的祖坟里。 21犹大民众拥立亚玛谢十六岁的儿子亚撒利雅14:21 “亚撒利雅”即乌西雅。为王。 22亚玛谢与祖先同眠后，亚撒利雅为犹大收回了以拉他，并重新修建。
耶罗波安二世
23犹大王亚玛谢执政第十五年，以色列王约阿施的儿子耶罗波安在撒玛利亚登基，执政四十一年。 24他做耶和华视为恶的事，没有离开尼八的儿子耶罗波安使以色列人犯的那些罪。 25他收复了从哈马口到死海14:25 “死海”希伯来文是“亚拉巴海”。一带的以色列边境，正如以色列的上帝耶和华借祂仆人迦特希弗人亚米太的儿子约拿先知所言。 26因为耶和华看见以色列人，无论自由人还是奴隶都十分痛苦，没有人帮助他们。 27耶和华没有说要从世上抹去以色列的名，因此他借着约阿施的儿子耶罗波安拯救他们。 28耶罗波安其他的事及其一切所作所为，包括他怎样英勇收复大马士革和一度属犹大国的哈马，都记在以色列的列王史上。 29耶罗波安与祖先——以色列的先王们同眠后，他儿子撒迦利雅继位。
