8
The 'Amonim brought tribute to 'Uziyahu, and his fame spread abroad as far as the Egyptian frontier, since he kept growing stronger.
9
'Uziyahu built towers in Yerushalayim at the Corner Gate, at the Valley Gate and at the Angle, and fortified them.
10
He built towers in the desert and dug many cisterns, because he had much livestock, likewise in the Sh'felah and the coastal plain. He had farmers and vineyard-workers in the hills and in the fertile lands, because he loved the soil.
11
'Uziyahu had a standing army of fit soldiers divided into units according to the census taken by the secretary Ye'i'el and the officer Ma'aseiyah, under the direction of Hananyah, one of the king's officials.
12
The total number of clan heads over these strong, brave men was 2,600.
13
They directed a trained army of 307,500 fighting men, a strong force supporting the king in war against the enemy.
14
'Uziyahu equipped them, the whole army, with shields, spears, helmets, armor, bows and slingstones.
15
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.
16
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.
17
'Azaryahu the cohen went in after him, and with him were eighty of ADONAI's cohanim, brave men.
18
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."