2 Chronicles
Chapter 26
1 Then all the people of Judah chose Uzziah, who was sixteen, to be king after his father Amaziah.
2 He built Eloth and gave it back to Judah after the king died.
3 Uzziah was sixteen when he became king, and he ruled for fifty-two years in Jerusalem. His mother was named Jecoliah from Jerusalem.
4 He did what was good in God’s eyes, just like his father Amaziah did.
5 He looked for God in Zechariah’s time, who knew a lot about God’s visions: and while he looked for God, God helped him succeed.
6 He went out to fight the Philistines, destroyed the walls of Gath, Jabneh, and Ashdod, and built cities around Ashdod and in Philistine territory.
7 God helped him fight the Philistines, the Arabians living in Gurbaal, and the Mehunims.
8 The Ammonites presented gifts to Uzziah, and his fame reached as far as Egypt because he became very powerful.
9 Uzziah also built towers in Jerusalem at the corner gate, at the valley gate, and where the wall bends, and made them strong.
10 He also built towers in the desert and dug many wells because he had lots of cattle in the lowlands and on the plains. There were farmers and grape growers in the mountains and in Carmel because he liked farming.
11 Uzziah had an army of soldiers who went to battle in groups. Their numbers were counted by the writer Jeiel and the officer Maaseiah, and they were led by Hananiah, one of the king’s captains.
12 The total number of leading fathers of the brave warriors was two thousand six hundred.
13 They had an army of three hundred and seven thousand five hundred soldiers with strong fighting power to support the king against his enemies.
14 Uzziah gave all the soldiers shields, spears, helmets, armor, bows, and slingshots for throwing stones.
15 In Jerusalem, he built machines designed by skilled people to be placed on the towers and walls to fire arrows and large rocks. His fame grew widely because he received amazing help until he became powerful.
16 When he became powerful, he grew proud, which led to his downfall. He disobeyed God and entered God’s temple to burn incense on the incense altar.
17 Priest Azariah and eighty brave priests of God went in after him.
18 They stood up to King Uzziah and told him, “It’s not your job, Uzziah, to burn incense to God, but it is the job of Aaron’s priest sons who are set apart for this task: leave the holy place; you have broken the rules and it won’t bring you honor from God.”
19 Uzziah got angry, holding an incense burner to offer incense. While he was angry with the priests, leprosy broke out on his forehead in front of them in God’s house, by the incense altar.
20 Azariah the head priest and all the priests saw that he had leprosy on his forehead, so they quickly pushed him out. He also hurried to leave because God had struck him with the disease.
21 King Uzziah had leprosy until he died. He lived in a separate house because of his leprosy and was not allowed in God’s house. His son Jotham took charge of the palace and ruled the land.
22 Isaiah the prophet, Amoz’s son, wrote about all of Uzziah’s deeds, from beginning to end.
23 Uzziah died and was buried with his ancestors in the kings’ burial field because he had leprosy. His son Jotham became king after him.