Read the Modern Pastor’s Version

In the second year of Joash son of Jehoahaz king of Israel, Amaziah the son of Joash king of Judah began to reign. He was twenty-five years old when he started ruling and reigned for twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Jehoaddin from Jerusalem.

Amaziah did what was right in the Lord's sight, but not like his father David. He followed all the ways that Joash his father had done. The high places were still standing, and the people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense on them. As soon as Amaziah secured control of the kingdom, he killed his servants who had murdered his father.

However, he did not execute the children of those responsible for their father's death. Instead, he followed Moses' law, which states that no one should be put to death for someone else's sin, but only for their own. Amaziah then went to war against Edom in the Valley of Salt and killed ten thousand of them. He took Sela by force and renamed it Joktheel, a name that has endured to this day.

Amaziah sent messengers to Jehoash, son of Jehoahaz son of Jehu king of Israel, saying, "Come, let's settle our differences." But instead of resolving their issues peacefully, the war between Judah and Israel escalated. The conflict began when Amaziah had already gained a victory over Edom.

Jehoash king of Israel sent a message to Amaziah king of Judah, drawing an analogy from nature: "The thistle that was in Lebanon once asked the cedar that was in Lebanon to give its daughter to my son as his wife. But a wild animal from Lebanon came by and trampled down the thistle." In essence, Jehoash's message implied that Amaziah should be content with his own accomplishments and not meddle in Israel's affairs.

Despite the warning, Jehoash king of Israel went up to Beth-shemesh, where he and Amaziah looked each other in the face. Judah was defeated by Israel, and its soldiers fled back to their homes. The victorious Israelite forces captured Amaziah king of Judah at Beth-shemesh and took him prisoner.

Jehoash then marched his army into Jerusalem and breached its walls from the Ephraim gate to the corner gate, destroying a significant section of the city's defenses. He looted the temple treasures and the royal palace, taking gold, silver, and other valuable items with him when he returned to Samaria.

The rest of Jehoash's story, including his military campaigns and conflicts with Amaziah king of Judah, is recorded in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel. When Jehoash passed away, his son Jeroboam succeeded him as king. Jeroboam reigned for forty-one years in Samaria.

During that time, Jeroboam did evil in the Lord's sight by failing to correct all the sins that Jeroboam son of Nebat had led Israel into. However, he also received a prophecy from Jonah son of Amittai, who told him to restore Israel's borders according to God's word. As a result, Jeroboam regained control over territory from Hamath to the Arabah sea.

The Lord saw how severely Israel was suffering and decided not to erase their name from under heaven. Instead, he saved them through Jeroboam son of Joash. The rest of Jeroboam's accomplishments are recorded in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel, including his military victories and recovery of Damascus and Hamath.

Jeroboam eventually passed away, joining the other kings of Israel who had gone before him. His son Zachariah succeeded him as king, but little is known about Zachariah's reign because it was not documented in the available records.

Amaziah, on the other hand, lived for fifteen years after Jehoash's death. The rest of Amaziah's story can be found in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah. He was eventually murdered by a group of conspirators who had formed against him while he was in Jerusalem.

Amaziah fled to Lachish, but his pursuers caught up with him there and killed him. His body was brought back to Jerusalem, where he was buried among his ancestors in the city of David. Amaziah's son Azariah succeeded him as king when he was just sixteen years old.

Azariah went on to rebuild Elath and restore it to Judah after his father had passed away. This was during the fifteenth year of Amaziah's reign, while Jeroboam son of Joash was already ruling Israel from Samaria.