Read 2 Kings 14 here (text coming …) or at Bible Gateway.
The Hebrew paragraphs:
14:1-7 {p} Amaziah the son of Joash, king of Judah/ executed his father’s murderers and great victory over Edom
14:8-16 {p} Amaziah’s war with Jehoash/ was defeated and Jerusalem plundered/the end of Jehoash’s reign
14:17-22 {p} Conspiracy against King Amaziah/ his death and burial/ Azariah his son reigned in his stead
14:23-29 {p} Jeroboam, the son of Jehoash, reigned in Israel 41 years/ restored Israel’s territory from Syria
If we were to construct a simple history of Judah from these past few chapters with additional detail from other books of the Bible, clearly spelled out with background context, it would read:
When he was seven years old, Joash became king, and he reigned forty years in Jerusalem. He did what was right in the sight of YHVH all the days in which Jehoiada the priest instructed him. And Jehoiada took two wives for him, and he had sons and daughters.
Now it happened after this that Joash set his heart on repairing the damages done to the house of YHVH. For the sons of Athaliah, that wicked woman, had broken into the house of God, and had also presented all the dedicated things of YHVH’s house to the Baals. So they repaired the temple, and offered burnt offerings in the house of YHVH continually all the days of Jehoiada.
When Jehoiada grew old and full of days, at one hundred and thirty years, he died. They buried him in the City of David among the kings, because he had done good in Israel, both toward God and toward His house. But after the death of Jehoiada, the princes of Judah came and bowed down to the king with a request: they desired to restore idolatry in Judah, and the king listened to them. Therefore they left the house of YHVH God of their fathers, and served wooden images and idols; and wrath came upon Judah and Jerusalem because of their trespass. God sent prophets to them, testifying against them to bring them back to YHVH; but they would not listen.
Then the Spirit of God came upon Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest, and said to them, “Thus says God: ‘Why do you transgress the commandments of YHVH, so that you cannot prosper? Because you have forsaken YHVH, He also has forsaken you.’ ” But they conspired against him, and at the command of the king they stoned him with stones while he was standing in the court of the house of YHVH. Thus Joash the king did not remember the kindness which Jehoiada, Zechariah’s father, had done to him, but killed his son; and as he died, he said, “YHVH look on it, and repay!”
And it happened in the spring of the year that Hazael king of Syria and his army came up against Joash. They came into Judah, and in the battle which followed, they destroyed all the princes of the people—the same who had petitioned for a return to idolatry—and left Joash severely wounded. For the Syrians came with a small company of men; but YHVH delivered the very great army of Judah into their hand, because they had forsaken YHVH God of their fathers. So the Syrians executed judgment against Joash. Having fought against Gath, and taken it,* Hazael set his face to go up to Jerusalem. Then Joash took all the sacred things that his fathers, Jehoshaphat, and Jehoram, and Ahaziah, kings of Judah, had dedicated, and his own sacred things, and all the gold found in the treasuries of the house of YHVH and in the king’s house, and sent them to Hazael king of Syria. So he went away from Jerusalem. And when they had withdrawn from Joash, his own servants arose and conspired against him, because of the blood of the sons of Jehoiada the priest, and killed him on his bed as he lay recovering from his wounds in the house of the Millo, which goes down to Silla. So he died. And they buried him in the City of David, but they did not bury him in the tombs of the kings.
Amaziah the son of Joash became king of Judah in his father’s stead when he was twenty-five years old. He did what was right in the sight of YHVH, yet not like his father David; he did everything as his father Joash had done. When he was established, he executed his servants who had murdered his father the king; and when Edom rebelled, he killed ten thousand Edomites in the Valley of Salt (the Dead Sea Valley).
Now after Amaziah came from the slaughter of the Edomites, he brought their gods and set them up to be his gods, and bowed down before them and burned incense to them. So the anger of YHVH was aroused against Amaziah, and He sent him a prophet who said to him, “Why have you sought the gods of the people, which could not rescue their own people from your hand?” But Amaziah threatened him with death should he continue speaking. Therefore the prophet ceased, and said, “I know that God has determined to destroy you, because you have done this and have not heeded His word.”
And Amaziah’s heart was lifted up because of his victory over Edom, so he sent messengers to Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz, the son of Jehu, king of Israel, saying, “Come, let us face one another in battle.” Jehoash king of Israel wisely counseled him to be content in his glorious victory over Edom, and stay home. But Amaziah would not heed. Therefore they faced one another at Beth-Shemesh, and Israel defeated Judah. Jehoash king of Israel captured Amaziah king of Judah; taking him to Jerusalem, where he broke down 200 yards of the city wall. He took all the gold and silver from YHVH’s house and the king’s house, and returned to Samaria.
Some years later Amaziah’s servants formed a conspiracy against him in Jerusalem, so that the king fled to Lachish; but they sent after him to Lachish and killed him there. They brought him back and buried him with his fathers in the City of David. And all the people of Judah took Azariah, who was sixteen years old, and made him king instead of his father Amaziah.
* Cities and territories outside of Judah’s boundaries had been made tributary to Judah during the reigns of David and Solomon. Moab paid tribute, but then tried to rebel against Judah’s sovereignty over them, which was crushed (2 Kings 3). Gath, a Philistine city on Judah’s border, paid Judah tribute; but Hazael, king of Syria, took it away from them (2 Kings 12). And Edom paid tribute, but rebelled against Judah, which Amaziah crushed (2 Kings 14).
In the next chapter we will catch up on the history of Israel.
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