1In the second year of Joash son of Joahaz's reign as king of Israel, Amaziah son of Joash began to reign as king of Judah.
2He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned for twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Jehoaddin, from Jerusalem.
3He did what was right in Yahweh's sight, though not as perfectly as his ancestor David. He followed the example of his father Joash in everything.
4However, the high places where people worshipped were not removed, and people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense there.
5As soon as he had control of the kingdom, he killed the servants who had murdered his father, the king.
6However, he did not kill the children of the murderers, following what is written in the Law of Moses, as Yahweh commanded: “Fathers must not be put to death for their children, nor children for their fathers; everyone will die for their own sin.”
7He killed ten thousand Edomites in the Valley of Salt, captured Sela in battle, and renamed it Joktheel, a name it still has today.
8Then Amaziah sent messengers to Jehoash son of Jehoahaz, son of Jehu, the king of Israel, saying, “Come, let’s meet face to face.”
9Jehoash, the king of Israel, sent this message back to Amaziah, king of Judah: “A small thornbush in Lebanon sent a message to a mighty cedar in Lebanon, saying, ‘Give your daughter to my son as a wife.’ But then a wild animal in Lebanon came by and trampled the thornbush.
10You have indeed defeated Edom, and this success has made you proud. Enjoy your victory and stay at home. Why stir up trouble that will lead to your downfall and the downfall of Judah with you?”
11But Amaziah would not listen. So Jehoash, king of Israel, went into battle. He and Amaziah, king of Judah, met face to face at Beth Shemesh, which belongs to Judah.
12Judah was defeated by Israel, and every man fled home.
13Jehoash, king of Israel, captured Amaziah, king of Judah (the son of Joash, son of Ahaziah) at Beth Shemesh. He then went to Jerusalem and tore down four hundred cubits of the city wall, from the Ephraim Gate to the Corner Gate.
14He took all the gold and silver, all the valuable items found in Yahweh’s house and in the royal palace treasury, as well as hostages, and then returned to Samaria.
15The rest of Jehoash’s acts, his power, and how he fought with Amaziah king of Judah, are all written in the book of the history of the kings of Israel, aren’t they?
16Jehoash died and was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel, and his son Jeroboam became king in his place.
17Amaziah son of Joash, king of Judah, lived fifteen years after the death of Jehoash son of Jehoahaz, king of Israel.
18The rest of Amaziah’s acts, aren’t they written in the book of the history of the kings of Judah?
19A conspiracy against him was formed in Jerusalem, so he fled to Lachish. But they sent people after him to Lachish and killed him there.
20They brought him back on horses, and he was buried with his ancestors in the City of David in Jerusalem.
21All the people of Judah then took Azariah, who was sixteen years old, and made him king in place of his father Amaziah.
22He rebuilt Elath and restored it to Judah. After that, the king died.
23In the fifteenth year of Amaziah son of Joash, king of Judah, Jeroboam son of Joash, king of Israel, began to rule in Samaria for forty-one years.
24He did what Yahweh considered evil. He did not turn away from any of the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, who had led Israel to sin.
25He brought back Israel’s border from the entrance of Hamath to the Dead Sea. This happened just as Yahweh, the God of Israel, had said through his servant Jonah, the prophet from Gath Hepher, who was Amittai’s son.
26Yahweh had seen how terribly Israel was suffering. Everyone, from slaves to free people, was in distress, and there was no one to help Israel.
27Yahweh had not said he would completely remove the name of Israel from the earth. So he saved them through Jeroboam, Joash’s son.
28The rest of Jeroboam’s actions—everything he did, his power, how he fought, and how he recovered Damascus and Hamath for Israel, which had belonged to Judah—are all written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel.
29Jeroboam died and was buried with his ancestors, the kings of Israel. His son Zechariah became king after him.