English Standard Version ESV
The Message Bible MSG
1 Jotham was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Jerushah the daughter of Zadok.
1
Jotham was twenty-five years old when he became king; he reigned sixteen years at Jerusalem. His mother was Jerusha the daughter of Zadok.
2 And he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD according to all that his father Uzziah had done, except he did not enter the temple of the LORD. But the people still followed corrupt practices.
2
In God's eyes he lived a good life, following the path marked out by his father Uzziah. Unlike his father, though, he didn't desecrate The Temple of God. But the people pushed right on in their lives of corruption.
3 He built the upper gate of the house of the LORD and did much building on the wall of Ophel.
3
Jotham constructed the Upper Gate of The Temple of God, considerably extended the Wall of the Ophel,
4 Moreover, he built cities in the hill country of Judah, and forts and towers on the wooded hills.
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and built cities in the high country of Judah and forts and towers down in the forests.
5 He fought with the king of the Ammonites and prevailed against them. And the Ammonites gave him that year 100 talents of silver, and 10,000 cors of wheat and 10,000 of barley. The Ammonites paid him the same amount in the second and the third years.
5
He fought and beat the king of the Ammonites - that year the Ammonites turned over three and a quarter tons of silver and about sixty-five bushels of wheat, and another sixty-five bushels of barley. They repeated this for the next two years.
6 So Jotham became mighty, because he ordered his ways before the LORD his God.
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Jotham's strength was rooted in his steady and determined life of obedience to God.
7 Now the rest of the acts of Jotham, and all his wars and his ways, behold, they are written in the Book of the Kings of Israel and Judah.
7
The rest of the history of Jotham, including his wars and achievements, are all written in the Royal Annals of the Kings of Israel and Judah.
8 He was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem.
8
He was twenty-five years old when he became king; he reigned for sixteen years at Jerusalem.
9 And Jotham slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city of David, and Ahaz his son reigned in his place.
9
Jotham died and was buried in the City of David. His son Ahaz became the next king.
The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.
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.