Douay-Rheims Catholic Bible RHE
The Message Bible MSG
1 Amasias was five and twenty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned nine and twenty years in Jerusalem, the name of his mother was Joadan of Jerusalem.
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Amaziah was twenty-five years old when he became king and reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother was Jehoaddin from Jerusalem.
2 And he did what was good in the sight of the Lord: but yet not with a perfect heart.
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He lived well before God, doing the right thing for the most part. But he wasn't wholeheartedly devoted to God.
3 And when he saw himself strengthened in his kingdom, he put to death the servants that had slain the king his father.
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When he had the affairs of the kingdom well in hand, he executed the palace guard who had assassinated his father the king.
4 But he slew not their children, as it is written in the book of the law of Moses, where the Lord commanded, saying: The fathers shall not be slain for the children, nor the children for their fathers, but every man shall die for his own sin.
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But he didn't kill the sons of the assassins - he was mindful of what God commanded in The Revelation of Moses, that parents shouldn't be executed for their childrens' sins, nor children for their parents'. We each pay personally for our sins.
5 Amasias therefore gathered Juda together, and appointed them by families, and captains of thousands and of hundreds in all Juda, and Benjamin: and he numbered them from twenty years old and upwards, and found three hundred thousand young men that could go out to battle, and could hold the spear and shield.
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Amaziah organized Judah and sorted out Judah and Benjamin by families and by military units. Men twenty years and older had to register - they ended up with 300,000 judged capable of military service.
6 He hired also of Israel a hundred thousand valiant men, for a hundred talents of silver.
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In addition he hired 100,000 soldiers from Israel in the north at a cost of about four and a half tons of silver.
7 But a man of God came to him, and said: O king, let not the army of Israel go out with thee, for the Lord is not with Israel, and all the children of Ephraim:
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A holy man showed up and said, "No, O king - don't let those northern Israelite soldiers into your army; God is not on their side, nor with any of the Ephraimites.
8 And if thou think that battles consist in the strength of the army, God will make thee to be overcome by the enemies: for it belongeth to God both to help, and to put to flight.
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Instead, you go by yourself and be strong. God and God only has the power to help or hurt your cause."
9 And Amasias said to the man of God: What will then become of the hundred talents which I have given to the soldiers of Israel? and the man of God answered him: The Lord is rich enough to be able to give thee much more than this.
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But Amaziah said to the holy man, "But what about all this money - these tons of silver I have already paid out to hire these men?" "God's help is worth far more to you than that," said the holy man.
10 Then Amasias separated the army, that came to him out of Ephraim, to go home again: but they being much enraged against Juda, returned to their own country.
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So Amaziah fired the soldiers he had hired from the north and sent them home. They were very angry at losing their jobs and went home seething.
11 And Amasias taking courage led forth his people, and went to the vale of saltpits, and slew of the children of Seir ten thousand.
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But Amaziah was optimistic. He led his troops into the Valley of Salt and killed 10,000 men of Seir.
12 And other ten thousand men the sons of Juda took, and brought to the steep of a certain rock, and cast them down headlong from the top, and they all were broken to pieces.
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They took another 10,000 as prisoners, led them to the top of the Rock, and pushed them off a cliff. They all died in the fall, smashed on the rocks.
13 But that army which Amasias had sent back, that they should not go with him to battle, spread themselves among the cities of Juda, from Samaria to Beth-horon, and having killed three thousand took away much spoil.
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But the troops Amaziah had dismissed from his army, angry over their lost opportunity for plunder, rampaged through the towns of Judah all the way from Samaria to Beth Horon, killing 3,000 people and taking much plunder.
14 But Amasias after he had slain the Edomites, set up the gods of the children of Seir, which he had brought thence, to be his gods, and adored them, and burnt incense to them.
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On his return from the destruction of the Edomites, Amaziah brought back the gods of the men of Seir and installed them as his own gods, worshiping them and burning incense to them.
15 Wherefore the Lord being angry against Amasias, sent a prophet to him, to say to him: Why hast thou adored gods that have not delivered their own people out of thy hand?
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That ignited God's anger; a fiery blast of God's wrath put into words by a God-sent prophet: "What is this? Why on earth would you pray to inferior gods who couldn't so much as help their own people from you - gods weaker than Amaziah?"
16 And when he spoke these things, he answered him: Art thou the king’s counsellor? be quiet, lest I kill thee. And the prophet departing, said: I know that God is minded to kill thee, because thou hast done this evil, and moreover hast not hearkened to my counsel.
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Amaziah interrupted him, "Did I ask for your opinion? Shut up or get thrown out!" The prophet quit speaking, but not before he got in one last word: "I have it on good authority: God has made up his mind to throw you out because of what you've done, and because you wouldn't listen to me."
17 Then Amasias king of Juda taking very bad counsel, sent to Joas the son of Joachaz the son of Jehu, king of Israel, saying: Come, let us see one another.
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One day Amaziah sent envoys to Jehoash son of Jehoahaz, the son of Jehu, king of Israel, challenging him to a fight: "Come and meet with me, I dare you. Let's have it out face to face!"
18 But he sent back the messengers, saying: The thistle that is in Libanus, sent to the cedar in Libanus, saying: Give thy daughter to my son to wife: and behold the beasts that were in the wood of Libanus passed by and trod down the thistle.
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Jehoash king of Israel replied to Amaziah king of Judah, "One day a thistle in Lebanon sent word to a cedar in Lebanon, 'Give your daughter to my son in marriage.' But then a wild animal of Lebanon passed by and stepped on the thistle, crushing it.
19 Thou hast said: I have overthrown Edom, and therefore thy heart is lifted up with pride: stay at home, why dost thou provoke evil against thee, that both thou shouldst fall and Juda with thee.
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Just because you've defeated Edom in battle, you now think you're a big shot. Go ahead and be proud, but stay home. Why press your luck? Why bring defeat on yourself and Judah?"
20 Amasias would not hearken to him, because it was the Lord’s will that he should be delivered into the hands of enemies, because of the gods of Edom.
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Amaziah wouldn't take no for an answer - God had already decided to let Jehoash defeat him because he had defected to the gods of Edom.
21 So Joas king of Israel went up, and they presented themselves to be seen by one another: and Amasias king of Juda was in Bethsames of Juda:
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So Jehoash king of Israel came on ahead and confronted Amaziah king of Judah. They met at Beth Shemesh, a town of Judah.
22 And Juda fell before Israel, and they fled to their dwellings.
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Judah was thoroughly beaten by Israel - all the soldiers straggled home in defeat.
23 And Joas king of Israel took Amasias king of Juda, the son of Joas, the son of Joachaz, in Bethsames, and brought him to Jerusalem: and broke down the walls thereof from the gate of Ephraim, to the gate of the corner, four hundred cubits.
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Jehoash king of Israel captured Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Joash, the son of Ahaziah, at Beth Shemesh. But Jehoash didn't stop at that; he went on to attack Jerusalem. He demolished the Wall of Jerusalem all the way from the Ephraim Gate to the Corner Gate - a stretch of about six hundred feet.
24 And he took all the gold, and silver, and all the vessels, that he found in the house of God, and with Obededom, and in the treasures of the king’s house, moreover also the sons of the hostages, he brought back to Samaria.
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He looted the gold, silver, and furnishings - anything he found that was worth taking - from both the palace and The Temple of God - and, for good measure, he took hostages. Then he returned to Samaria.
25 And Amasias the son of Joas king of Juda lived, after the death of Joas the son of Joachaz king of Israel, fifteen years.
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Amaziah son of Joash king of Judah continued as king fifteen years after the death of Jehoash son of Jehoahaz king of Israel.
26 Now the rest of the acts of Amasias, the first and last, are written in the book of the kings of Juda and Israel.
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The rest of the life and times of Amaziah from start to finish is written in the Royal Annals of the Kings of Judah and Israel.
27 And after he revolted from the Lord, they made a conspiracy against him in Jerusalem. And he fled into Lachis, and they sent, and killed him there.
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During those last days, after Amaziah had defected from God, they cooked up a plot against Amaziah in Jerusalem, and he had to flee to Lachish. But they tracked him down in Lachish and killed him there.
28 And they brought him back upon horses, and buried him with his fathers in the city of David.
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They brought him back on horseback and buried him in Jerusalem with his ancestors in the City of David.
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Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.