1 Azariah son of Amaziah became king of Judah in Jeroboam's twenty-seventh
year as king of Israel.
2 He was only sixteen years old when he became king, and he ruled fifty-two
years from Jerusalem, which was also the hometown of his mother Jecoliah.
3 Azariah obeyed the LORD by doing right, as his father Amaziah had done.
4 But Azariah did not destroy the local shrines, and they were still used as
places for offering sacrifices.
5 The LORD punished Azariah with leprosy for the rest of his life. He wasn't
allowed to live in the royal palace, so his son Jotham lived there and ruled
in his place.
6 Everything else Azariah did while he was king is written in The History of
the Kings of Judah.
7 Azariah died and was buried beside his ancestors in Jerusalem. His son Jotham
then became king.
8 Zechariah son of Jeroboam became king of Israel in the thirty-eighth year
of Azariah's rule in Judah, but he ruled only six months from Samaria.
9 Like his ancestors, Zechariah disobeyed the LORD by following the evil ways
of Jeroboam son of Nebat, who had caused the Israelites to sin.
10 Shallum son of Jabesh plotted against Zechariah and killed him in public.
Shallum then became king.
11 So the LORD had kept his promise to Jehu that the next four kings of Israel
would come from his family. Everything else Zechariah did while he was king
is written in The History of the Kings of Israel.
12 (SEE 15:11)
13 Shallum became king of Israel in the thirty-ninth year of Azariah's rule
in Judah. But only one month after Shallum became king,
14 Menahem son of Gadi came to Samaria from Tirzah and killed him. Menahem then
became king. The town of Tiphsah would not surrender to him, so he destroyed
it and all the surrounding towns as far as Tirzah. He killed everyone living
in Tiphsah, and with his sword he even ripped open pregnant women. Everything
else Shallum did while he was king, including his plot against Zechariah, is
written in The History of the Kings of Israel.
15 (SEE 15:14)
16 (SEE 15:14)
17 Menahem became king of Israel in Azariah's thirty-ninth year as king of Judah,
and he ruled Israel ten years from Samaria.
18 He constantly disobeyed the LORD by following the example of Jeroboam son
of Nebat, who had caused the Israelites to sin.
19 During Menahem's rule, King Tiglath Pileser of Assyria invaded Israel. He
agreed to help Menahem keep control of his kingdom, if Menahem would pay him
over thirty tons of silver.
20 So Menahem ordered every rich person in Israel to give him at least one pound
of silver, and he gave it all to Tiglath Pileser, who stopped his attack and
left Israel.
21 Everything else Menahem did while he was king is written in The History of
the Kings of Israel.
22 Menahem died, and his son Pekahiah became king.
23 Pekahiah became king of Israel in the fiftieth year of Azariah's rule in
Judah, and he ruled two years from Samaria.
24 He disobeyed the LORD and caused the Israelites to sin, just as Jeroboam
son of Nebat had done.
25 Pekah son of Remaliah was Pekahiah's chief officer, but he made plans to
kill the king. So he and fifty men from Gilead broke into the strongest part
of the palace in Samaria and murdered Pekahiah, together with Argob and Arieh.
Pekah then became king.
26 Everything else Pekahiah did while he was king is written in The History
of the Kings of Israel.
27 Pekah son of Remaliah became king of Israel in Azariah's fifty-second year
as king of Judah, and he ruled twenty years from Samaria.
28 He disobeyed the LORD and followed the evil example of Jeroboam son of Nebat,
who had caused the Israelites to sin.
29 During Pekah's rule, King Tiglath Pileser of Assyria marched into Israel.
He captured the territories of Gilead and Galilee, including the towns of Ijon,
Abel-Bethmaacah, Janoah, Kedesh, and Hazor, as well as the entire territory
of Naphtali. Then he took Israelites from those regions to Assyria as prisoners.
30 In the twentieth year of Jotham's rule in Judah, Hoshea son of Elah plotted
against Pekah and murdered him. Hoshea then became king of Israel.
31 Everything else Pekah did while he was king is written in The History of
the Kings of Israel.
32 Jotham son of Azariah became king of Judah in the second year of Pekah's
rule in Israel.
33 Jotham was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he ruled sixteen
years from Jerusalem. His mother Jerusha was the daughter of Zadok.
34 Jotham followed the example of his father by obeying the LORD and doing right.
35 It was Jotham who rebuilt the Upper Gate that led into the court around the
LORD's temple. But the local shrines were not destroyed, and they were still
used as places for offering sacrifices.
36 Everything else Jotham did while he was king is written in The History of
the Kings of Judah.
37 During his rule, the LORD let King Rezin of Syria and King Pekah of Israel
start attacking Judah.
38 Jotham died and was buried beside his ancestors in Jerusalem, and his son
Ahaz became king.
The Contemporary English Version c1995 by the American
Bible Society.
Selected texts provided for use with the Amos: Hypertext Bible Commentary