The Divided Kingdom

They directed a trained army of 307,500 fighting men, a strong force supporting the king in war against the enemy.

'Uziyahu equipped them, the whole army, with shields, spears, helmets, armor, bows and slingstones.

In Yerushalayim he built devices designed by experts for the towers and angles, from which to shoot arrows and lob large stones. His fame spread far and wide, for he was miraculously helped, until he became strong.

But when he was strong, he became arrogant, which caused him to become corrupt, so that he sinned against ADONAI his God by going into the temple of ADONAI to burn incense on the incense altar.

'Azaryahu the cohen went in after him, and with him were eighty of ADONAI's cohanim, brave men.

They stood up to 'Uziyahu the king; they told him, "It isn't your job, 'Uziyahu, to burn incense to ADONAI! The job of burning incense belongs to the cohanim, the descendants of Aharon, who have been consecrated. Get out of the sanctuary! You have trespassed, and ADONAI, God, will not honor you for this."

This made 'Uziyahu angry as he stood there with a censer in his hand ready to burn incense; and in his anger at the cohanim, tzara'at broke out on his forehead right in front of the cohanim in the house of ADONAI beside the altar for incense.

'Azaryahu the chief cohen and all the cohanim stared at him -there he was, with tzara'at on his forehead! Quickly they threw him out of there; and indeed, he himself hurried to get out, because ADONAI had struck him.

'Uziyahu the king had tzara'at until his dying day; he lived in a separate house because he had tzara'at, and was not allowed into the house of ADONAI. Meanwhile, Yotam the king's son ran the king's household and was regent over the people of the land.

Other activities of 'Uziyahu, from beginning to end, were recorded by Yesha'yahu the prophet, the son of Amotz.

So 'Uziyahu slept with his ancestors, and they buried him with his ancestors in the graveyard belonging to the kings, because they said, "He had tzara'at."Then Yotam his son took his place as king.

Yotam was twenty-five years old when he began his reign, and he ruled for sixteen years in Yerushalayim. His mother's name was Yerushah the daughter of Tzadok.

He did what was right from ADONAI's perspective, following the example of everything his father 'Uziyah had done, except that he did not enter the temple of ADONAI. Nevertheless, the people acted corruptly.

He built the Upper Gate of the house of ADONAI and added considerably to the wall of the 'Ofel.

He built cities in the hills of Y'hudah, and in the wooded areas he built forts and towers.

He fought with the king of the people of 'Amon and defeated them. That year the people of 'Amon paid him tribute of three-and-a-third tons of silver, 50,000 bushels of wheat and 50,000 [bushels] of barley. The people of 'Amon paid him the same amount the second and third years also.

Thus Yotam became strong, because he prepared his ways [of doing things] before ADONAI his God.

Other activities of Yotam, all his wars and his ways [of doing things] are recorded in the Annals of the Kings of Isra'el and Y'hudah.

He was twenty-five years old when he began his reign, and he ruled for sixteen years in Yerushalayim.

Yotam slept with his ancestors and they buried him in the City of David. Then Achaz his son took his place as king.

Achaz was twenty years old when he began his reign, and he ruled sixteen years in Yerushalayim. But he did not do what was right from the perspective of ADONAI, as David his ancestor had done.

Rather, he lived in the manner of the kings of Isra'el and made cast metal images for the ba'alim.

Moreover, he made offerings in the Ben-Hinnom Valley and even burned up his own children as sacrifices, in keeping with the horrible practices of the pagans, whom ADONAI had thrown out ahead of the people of Isra'el.

He also sacrificed and offered on the high places, on the hills and under any green tree.

Because of this, ADONAI his God handed him over to the king of Aram; they attacked him and carried off from his people a great number of captives, bringing them to Dammesek. In addition, he was handed over to the king of Isra'el, who inflicted on him a great massacre.