Amaziah and His Choices

Amaziah became king of Judah when he was twenty-five and reigned in Jerusalem for twenty-nine years. He did what was right in Yahweh's eyes, but not like David and not with a whole heart. Once his rule was secure, he put to death the servants who had killed his father, but he did not kill their children, because God's law said each person should die for his own sin.

Amaziah organised Judah and Benjamin for war and counted three hundred thousand fighting men. He also hired one hundred thousand mighty men from Israel. But a man of God warned him not to take those troops with him, because Yahweh was not with Israel. Amaziah listened and sent them home, even though he had already paid them. Then he went to the Valley of Salt and struck Edom. Meanwhile, the angry Israelite troops raided cities of Judah, killed three thousand people, and took plunder.

After the victory over Edom, Amaziah made a disastrous choice. He brought back the gods of Seir, set them up as his gods, bowed before them, and burned incense to them. So Yahweh sent a prophet to rebuke him: why trust gods that could not rescue their own people? Amaziah told the prophet to stop. The prophet answered that God had determined to destroy him because he had done this and refused counsel.

Then Amaziah consulted his advisers and sent a challenge to Jehoash, king of Israel. Jehoash answered with a warning story: a thistle in Lebanon should not boast against a cedar. He told Amaziah not to let his victory over Edom make him proud, but to stay at home. Amaziah would not listen, and the kings met in battle at Beth Shemesh in Judah.

Judah was defeated, and its soldiers fled to their tents. Jehoash captured Amaziah at Beth Shemesh, came to Jerusalem, and broke down part of the city wall, from the gate of Ephraim to the corner gate, four hundred cubits. He took the gold and silver, the vessels from God's house, the treasures of the king's house, and hostages, then returned to Samaria.

Amaziah lived fifteen years after Jehoash died. But from the time he turned away from following Yahweh, a conspiracy formed against him in Jerusalem. He fled to Lachish, but they sent men after him and killed him there. He was brought back on horses and buried with his fathers in Jerusalem. Then the people of Judah made his son Azariah king. Azariah was sixteen, and he later rebuilt Elath for Judah.