2 *Kings 14

₁Amaziah, son of Joash, became king_of_Judah in the 2nd year after Jehoash, son of Jehoahaz, became king_of_Israel. ₂Amaziah was 25 years old when he became king and he was king in Jerusalem for 29 years. His mother's name was Jehoaddan. She came from Jerusalem. ₃Amaziah did things that the Lord loves, but he did not do everything that his forefather David had done. Amaziah lived like his father Joash. ₄Amaziah also did not break down the places_of_sacrifice and the people kept on bringing offerings at the places of sacrifice and burnt incense-offerings there. ₅When Amaziah was sure that most of the people accepted him as king, he killed all the officers who had murdered his father. ₆He did not kill the children of the murderers because it is written in the laws of Moses that God said: ‘When a child sins, his father must not die for his sins and when a father sins, his child must not die for his sins. Everyone must die for his own sins.’

₇It was Amaziah who defeated 10 000 soldiers of Edom in the Salt Valley. He defeated the town of Sela in war and took it. He then changed the name of the town to Joktheel, and it still has that name today. ₈At that time Amaziah sent messengers to Jehoash, son of Jehoahaz, son of Jehu, who was the king_of_Israel. The messengers went to Jehoash to tell him: ‘Let us go to war_against each other.’

₉But Jehoash, king_of_Israel, answered King Amaziah of Judah and said:

₁₀You have defeated the Arameans, that is sure, but now you think that you are very important. You must stay at home. Why do you want to make trouble for yourself? You will die and all the people of Judah will die with you.’

₁₁But Amaziah did not want to listen. Then Jehoash, king_of_Israel, came and he attacked King Amaziah of Judah in the town of Beth-Shemesh, one of the towns of Judah. ₁₂The soldiers of Israel defeated Judah and the men of Judah fled. Every man ran to his home. ₁₃Jehoash, king_of_Israel, caught King Amaziah, son of Joash, son of Ahaziah, at Beth-Shemesh. Then Jehoash went to Jerusalem and he broke down a piece of Jerusalem's wall, 400 cubits long, from the Ephraim Gate to the Corner Gate. ₁₄Jehoash took all the gold and silver and the other things that he could find in the temple and in the store rooms of the palace. He also took a lot of people from Jerusalem with him. Then he went back to the city of Samaria.

₁₅All the other things that Jehoash did, the brave things he did and the war_against King Amaziah of Judah are written in the book of the history of the kings_of_Israel. ₁₆Jehoash died and his people buried him in Samaria with the kings_of_Israel. Jeroboam, his son, became king after him.

₁₇King Amaziah of Judah, son of Joash, lived for 15 years after King Jehoash, son of Jehoahaz, king_of_Israel, had died. ₁₈The other things that Amaziah did are written in the book of the history of the kings_of_Judah. ₁₉Some people in Jerusalem decided to kill Amaziah. He fled to the town of Lachish but they sent people there to catch him and they killed him there. ₂₀They brought back his body on horses and they buried him in Jerusalem with his forefathers in the City of David. ₂₁All the people of Jerusalem went to Azariah and they made him king in his father Amaziah's place. Azariah was 16 years old when he became king. ₂₂He was the one who rebuilt the town of Elath and who took the town back to belong to Judah again. He did this after King Amaziah had died.

₂₃Jeroboam, son of Jehoash, became king_of_Israel in Samaria in the 15th year after Amaziah had become king_of_Judah. Jeroboam was king for 41 years. ₂₄He did things that the Lord said were wrong. He continued to do the sins that Jeroboam, son of Nebat, had done and that he made the Israelites do. ₂₅Jeroboam, son of Jehoash, took back the land that had been part of Israel a long time before. It was from the town of Lebo-Hamath to the Dead Sea. It happened as the Lord had said to his servant Jonah, son of Amittai, when He sent him to bring his message to the people. Jonah was a prophet from the town of Gath-Hepher. ₂₆The Lord saw that the people of Israel were suffering badly and there was no one who could help them, not a slave or a free man. ₂₇The Lord did not want all the people in the land_of_Israel to die and He helped Jeroboam, son of Jehoash, to save Israel.

₂₈All the other things that Jeroboam did are written in the book of the history of the kings_of_Israel. He was brave when he made war and took back the towns of Damascus and Hamath. Damascus and Hamath had belonged to Israel a long time before. ₂₉Jeroboam died and his son Zechariah became king after him.