2 Chronicles 25

NEW JERUSALEM	CATHOLIC PUBLIC DOMAIN
1 Amaziah was twenty-five years old when he came to the throne and he reigned for twenty-nine yearsin Jerusalem. His mother's name was Jehoaddan of Jerusalem.	1 Amaziah was twenty-five years old when he had begun to reign. And he reigned for twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. The name of his mother was Jehoaddan, from Jerusalem.
2 He did what Yahweh regards as right, though not wholeheartedly.	2 And he accomplished good in the sight of the Lord. Yet truly, not with a perfect heart.
3 Once the kingdom was firmly under his control, he killed those of his retainers who had murdered theking his father.	3 And when he saw himself to be strengthened in his rule, he cut the throats of the servants who had killed his father, the king.
4 But he did not put their sons to death; this was in accordance with what is written in the Law, in thebook of Moses, where Yahweh had commanded, 'Parents may not be put to death for children, nor children forparents, but each must be put to death for his own crime.'	4 But he did not put to death their sons, just as it was written in the book of the law of Moses, where the Lord instructed, saying: “The fathers shall not be slain because of the sons, nor the sons because of their fathers. Instead, each one shall die for his own sin.”
5 Amaziah summoned Judah and organised al Judah and Benjamin by families under commanders ofthousands and commanders of hundreds. He also made a register of those who were twenty years old andupwards, and found there were three hundred thousand picked men, ready for service and capable of wieldingspear and shield.	5 And then Amaziah gathered together Judah, and he organized them by families, and tribunes, and centurions, throughout all of Judah and Benjamin. And he numbered them from twenty years old and upward. And he found three hundred thousand young men, who could go forth to battle, and who could hold spear and shield.
6 Furthermore, he hired a hundred thousand tough fighting men from Israel for a hundred talents ofsilver.	6 Also, he hired for pay from Israel one hundred thousand experienced men, for one hundred talents of silver.
7 A man of God then came to him and said, 'My lord king, do not let the Israelite troops march with you,for Yahweh is not with Israel or with any of the Ephraimites.	7 Then a man of God came to him, and he said: “O king, let not the army of Israel go forth with you. For the Lord is not with Israel, nor with all the sons of Ephraim.
8 For however valiantly you act in war, God will bring you down before the enemy, for God has thepower to uphold or to throw down.'	8 But if you think that a war stands by the strength of the army, God will cause you to be overwhelmed by the enemies. For indeed, it belongs to God to assist, and to put to flight.”
9 Amaziah said to the man of God, 'But what about the hundred talents which I have paid for theIsraelite troops?' 'Yahweh can give you far more than that,' said the man of God.	9 And Amaziah said to the man of God, “Then what will become of the one hundred talents, which I gave to the soldiers of Israel?” And the man of God responded to him, “The Lord has that from which he is able to give much more than this to you.”
10 At this, Amaziah dismissed the troops who had come to him from Ephraim and sent them homeagain. They were furious with Judah and went home in a great rage.	10 And so, Amaziah separated the army, which had come to him from Ephraim, so that they would return to their place. But having become very angry against Judah, they returned to their own region.
11 Amaziah then, coming to a decision, led out his own troops and, having reached the Valley of Salt,struck down ten thousand Seirites.	11 Then Amaziah confidently led forth his people. And he went away to the Valley of the Salt Pits, and he struck down ten thousand of the sons of Seir.
12 The men of Judah captured ten thousand more alive and, taking them to the summit of the Rock,threw them off the summit of the Rock so that they were al dashed to pieces.	12 And the sons of Judah captured another ten thousand of the men. And they led them to the precipice of a certain rock. And they threw them from the summit, and they were all broken apart.
13 Meanwhile, the troops whom Amaziah had dismissed and not al owed to go into battle with him rasedthe towns of Judah, from Samaria to Beth-Horon, kil ing three thousand of their inhabitants and capturing great quantities of plunder.	13 But the army that Amaziah had sent away, so that they would not go with him into battle, spread out among the cities of Judah, from Samaria as far as Beth-horon. And having killed three thousand, they took away much plunder.
14 On returning from his slaughter of the Edomites, Amaziah brought the gods of the Seirites with him;he set these up as his gods, bowing down before them and burning incense to them.	14 Truly, after the slaughter of the Edomites, and when the gods of the sons of Seir were brought, Amaziah chose them as gods for himself. And he was adoring them, and burning incense to them.
15 Yahweh's anger was aroused by Amaziah and he sent him a prophet, who said to him, 'Why do youconsult those people's gods when they could not save their own people from your clutches?'	15 For this reason, the Lord became angry against Amaziah, and he sent a prophet to him, who would say to him, “Why have you adored gods who did not free their own people from your hand?”
16 He was stil speaking when Amaziah interrupted him. 'Have we appointed you a royal counsel or?Stop, as you value your life!' So the prophet stopped, and then said, 'I know that God has decided to destroy youfor having done this and for not listening to my advice.'	16 And after he spoke these things, he responded to him: “Are you the counselor of the king? Be quiet! Otherwise I will put you to death.” And departing, the prophet said, “I know that God has decided to kill you, because you have done this evil, and also because you have not agreed to my counsel.”
17 After consultation, Amaziah king of Judah then sent a message to Joash son of Jehoahaz son ofJehu, king of Israel, saying, 'Come and make a trial of strength!'	17 And so Amaziah, the king of Judah, undertaking a very wicked counsel, sent to Joash, the son of Jehoahaz, the son of Jehu, the king of Israel, saying: “Come, let us see one another.”
18 Joash king of Israel sent back word to Amaziah king of Judah, 'The thistle of Lebanon sent amessage to the cedar of Lebanon, saying, "Give my son your daughter in marriage"; but a wild animal of theLebanon ran over the thistle and squashed it.	18 But he sent back messengers, saying: “The thistle which is in Lebanon sent to the cedar of Lebanon, saying: ‘Give your daughter to my son as wife.’ And behold, the beasts that were in the forest of Lebanon passed through, and they trampled the thistle.
19 "Look at me, the conqueror of Edom," you say, and now aspire to even greater glory. But stay whereyou belong! Why chal enge disaster, to your own and Judah's ruin?'	19 You said, ‘I struck down Edom.’ And for this reason, your heart is lifted up with pride. Settle in your own house. Why do you provoke evil against yourself, so that you may fall, and then Judah with you?”
20 But Amaziah would not listen, for this was an act of God to deliver them up for having consulted thegods of Edom.	20 Amaziah was not willing to listen to him, because it was the will of the Lord that he be delivered into the hands of the enemies, because of the gods of Edom.
21 So Joash king of Israel marched to the attack. And at Beth-Shemesh, which belongs to Judah, heand Amaziah king of Judah made their trial of strength.	21 And so Joash, the king of Israel, ascended, and they presented themselves within the sight of one another. Now Amaziah, the king of Judah, was in Beth-shemesh of Judah.
22 Judah was defeated by Israel, and everyone fled to his tent.	22 And Judah fell before Israel. And each one fled to his own tent.
23 The king of Judah, Amaziah son of Joash, son of Ahaziah, was taken prisoner at Beth-Shemesh byJoash king of Israel who led him off to Jerusalem, where he demolished four hundred cubits of the city walbetween the Ephraim Gate and the Corner Gate;	23 Then Joash, the king of Israel, captured Amaziah, the king of Judah, the son of Joash, the son of Jehoahaz, at Beth-shemesh, and he led him to Jerusalem. And he destroyed its walls, from the gate of Ephraim as far as the gate of the corner, four hundred cubits.
24 he then took back with him to Samaria al the gold and silver, and al the vessels to be found in theTemple of God in the care of Obed-Edom, the treasures in the palace, and hostages besides.	24 Also, he brought back to Samaria all the gold and silver, and all the vessels, which he had found in the house of God, and with Obededom in the treasuries of the king’s house, as well as sons for hostages.
25 Amaziah son of Joash, king of Judah, lived for fifteen years after the death of Joash son ofJehoahaz, king of Israel.	25 Then Amaziah, the son of Joash, the king of Judah, lived for fifteen years after the death of Joash, the son of Jehoahaz, the king of Israel.
26 The rest of the history of Amaziah, from first to last, is this not recorded in the Book of the Kings ofJudah and Israel?	26 Now the rest of the words of Amaziah, the first and the last, have been written in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel.
27 Some time after Amaziah had defected from Yahweh, a plot having been hatched against him inJerusalem, he fled to Lachish where he was murdered.	27 And after he withdrew from the Lord, they set up an ambush against him in Jerusalem. But since he had fled into Lachish, they sent and killed him in that place.
28 He was then transported by horse and buried with his ancestors in the city of David.	28 And having carried him back upon horses, they buried him with his fathers in the City of David.