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.
Amazias, rei de Judá
(2 Cr 25.1-4, 11-24)
1Durante o segundo ano do reinado de Jeoás, filho de Jeoacaz, rei de Israel, o rei Amazias começou a reinar sobre Judá. 2Tinha 25 anos quando se tornou rei. Reinou durante 29 anos em Jerusalém. O nome da sua mãe era Jeoadã, natural de Jerusalém. 3Fez o que era reto aos olhos do Senhor, não como o seu antepassado David, mas foi tão bom rei como o seu pai, Joás. 4Contudo, não destruiu os santuários pagãos sobre as colinas e o povo continuou a sacrificar e a oferecer ali incenso.
5Logo que alcançou estabilidade como rei, mandou matar os homens que tinham assassinado o seu pai. 6No entanto, poupou os seus filhos, porque quis respeitar a ordem que o Senhor tinha dado, na Lei de Moisés, que os pais não poderão ser mortos por causa dos pecados dos filhos, nem os filhos pelos dos pais. Cada pessoa morrerá pelos seus próprios crimes.
7Certa ocasião, Amazias matou 10 000 edomitas no vale do Sal. Também conquistou Sela e mudou-lhe o nome para Jocteel, assim sendo conhecida até ao dia de hoje.
8Um dia, Amazias enviou uma mensagem ao rei Jeoás de Israel, filho de Jeoacaz e neto de Jeú, desafiando-o a mobilizar o exército e a vir combater contra ele.
9O rei Jeoás enviou, no entanto, a Amazias a seguinte mensagem: “No Líbano um cardo mandou dizer a um cedro: ‘Dá a tua filha em casamento ao meu filho.’ Nessa altura, passou um animal selvagem que pisou o cardo e o esmagou! 10Tu destruíste Edom e estás muito orgulhoso disso; contudo, dou-te um conselho: fica contente com a vitória que obtiveste e deixa-te ficar onde estás. Porque haverias de provocar um desastre não só para ti como para Judá?”
11Amazias não lhe deu ouvidos. Por isso, Jeoás, rei de Israel, mandou preparar o seu exército. A batalha começou em Bete-Semes, uma das povoações de Judá. 12Judá foi derrotado e o seu exército teve de fugir, cada um para sua casa. 13O rei Jeoás de Israel capturou o rei Amazias em Bete-Semes, e avançou sobre Jerusalém. Ordenou que fossem derrubados 200 metros da muralha da cidade, desde a porta de Efraim até à porta do Canto. 14Depois tomou consigo todo o ouro, a prata e todos os objetos de valor que havia na casa do Senhor, assim como os tesouros do palácio; levou também reféns e regressou a Samaria.
15O resto dos acontecimentos referentes ao reinado de Jeoás e à sua guerra contra o rei Amazias está relatado no Livro das Crónicas dos Reis de Israel. 16Quando Jeoás morreu, foi sepultado em Samaria, junto dos outros reis de Israel. O seu filho Jeroboão reinou em seu lugar.
O fim do reinado de Amazias
(2 Cr 25.25–26.2)
17O rei Amazias viveu ainda mais 15 anos depois de Jeoás, o rei de Israel, ter morrido. 18O resto dos acontecimentos da vida de Amazias está escrito no Livro das Crónicas dos Reis de Judá.
19Conspiraram contra ele em Jerusalém e fugiu para Laquis; perseguiram-no até Laquis e ali o mataram. 20Levaram o seu corpo para Jerusalém, escoltado por um pelotão de cavalaria. Foi enterrado no cemitério real, junto dos seus antepassados, na Cidade de David.
21O seu filho Azarias14.21 Azarias é chamado Uzias em 15.13, 30, 32, 34, em 2 Crónicas, nos livros dos profetas e em Mateus. ascendeu ao trono; tinha 16 anos de idade. 22Depois da morte de seu pai, edificou a povoação de Elate e entregou-a a Judá.
Jeroboão II, rei de Israel
23Entretanto, Jeroboão II tornara-se rei de Israel, durante o décimo quinto ano do reinado de Amazias, rei de Judá. O reinado de Jeroboão durou 41 anos. 24Fez o que era mau aos olhos do Senhor, e não se afastou dos erros e pecados que Jeroboão, filho de Nebate, tinha levado Israel a cometer. 25Jeroboão II recuperou os territórios que Israel perdera entre Hamate e o mar Morto, tal como o Senhor, o Deus de Israel, tinha predito através do profeta Jonas, filho de Amitai, de Gate-Hefer. 26Porque o Senhor viu a grande miséria em que Israel se encontrava, sem ninguém que viesse em seu auxílio. 27O Senhor não dissera que apagaria o nome de Israel de sobre a terra; por isso, serviu-se do rei Jeroboão II para o salvar.
28O resto da biografia de Jeroboão II, tudo o que fez, o seu grande poder, as suas batalhas e como recuperou para Israel Damasco e Hamate, tomadas por Judá, está narrado no Livro das Crónicas dos Reis de Israel. 29Quando faleceu, Jeroboão II foi sepultado com os outros reis de Israel, e o seu filho Zacarias reinou em seu lugar.
