2 Chronicles 25

1 Amaziah [a son of twenty-five years, twenty and five years old] was twenty-five years old when he became king [began to reign], and he reigned [ruled as king] in Jerusalem [the city of peace, the capital city] twenty-nine years [twenty and nine years]. His mother’s [female parent, maternal figure] name was Jehoaddan [of Jerusalem, from the city of peace]; she was from Jerusalem [the city of peace, the capital city]. word study 2 And he did what was right [upright, just] in the eyes [sight, perception] of the LORD [Yehovah, the Lord God], but not [except] wholeheartedly [with a perfect heart, completely true]. word study 3 As soon as the kingdom [his royal dominion, reign] was firmly [established, strengthened] in his grasp, Amaziah [the king, ruler] executed [slew, put to death] the servants [attendants, officials] who had murdered [killed, smitten] his father [parent, ancestor] the king [ruler, monarch]. word study 4 Yet he did not put their sons [the children, descendants] to death, but acted according to what is written [recorded, inscribed] in the Law [Torah, instruction], in the Book of Moses, where the LORD [Yehovah, the Lord God] commanded: “Fathers [parents, ancestors] must not be put to death [executed, slain] for their children [sons, descendants], and children [sons, descendants] must not be put to death [executed, slain] for their fathers [parents, ancestors]; each [every man, individual] is to die [be punished, suffer] for his own sin [transgression, iniquity].” word study 5 Then Amaziah [assembled] gathered the people of Judah [the tribe descended from Judah, the son of Jacob] and assigned them according to their families [households, clans] to commanders [leaders, captains] of thousands [large groups, companies] and of hundreds [smaller units, battalions]. And he numbered [counted, reckoned] those twenty years of age or older [from twenty years old and upward, mature adults] throughout Judah [the region, the kingdom] and Benjamin [the tribe, the son of the right hand] and found [discovered, determined] 300,000 [three hundred thousand, a large army] chosen men [select, able warriors] able to serve [go forth, march] in the army [the host, the military], bearing [holding, wielding] the spear [a lance, a javelin] and shield [a buckler, a protective device]. word study 6 He also hired 100,000 [a hundred thousand battle-ready] mighty warriors [men of valour, strong and powerful] from Israel [the descendants of Jacob, God’s chosen people] for a hundred [large unit of count] talents [units of weight or currency] of silver [a valuable metal]. word study 7 But a man [prophet, messenger of God] of God [Elohim, the supreme Being] came to him and said, “O king [ruler, monarch], do not let the army [large group, host] of Israel [Jacob’s descendants, God’s people] go with you, for the LORD [Yehovah, the covenant God] is not with Israel [not supporting or guiding them]—not with any of the Ephraimites [sons of Ephraim, a tribe of Israel]. word study 8 Even if you go [and engage in combat, do valiantly] and fight bravely [be strong for the battle] in battle, God [Elohim, the supreme Ruler] will make you stumble [cause you to fall, overthrow] before the enemy [adversary, opponent], for God has power [strength, might] to help [assist, aid] and power [ability, authority] to overthrow [cast down, bring low].” word study 9 Amaziah asked the man [a prophet, God’s messenger] of God [Elohim, the supreme Creator], “What should I do about the hundred [a large number, many] talents [a unit of weight or currency] I have given [provided, paid] to the army [band of soldiers, warriors] of Israel [God’s chosen people]?” And the man of God replied, “The LORD [Yehovah, the one true God] is able [powerful, capable] to give you much more [an abundance, a greater amount] than this [what you have already].” word study 10 So Amaziah dismissed [separated, sent away] the troops [army, band of soldiers] who had come to him from Ephraim [the tribe descended from Joseph’s son] and sent them home [to their own place, to return to their location]. And they were furious [incensed, burning with anger] with Judah [the tribe and region] and returned home [to their place] in great [intense, fierce] anger [wrath, outrage]. word study 11 Amaziah [taking courage, being brave], however, summoned his strength [to seize or conquer] and led [guided, directed] his troops [people, army] to the Valley [deep, narrow gorge] of Salt [easily pulverized and dissolved], where he struck down [smote, hit] 10,000 [ten thousand, a large number] men of Seir [the hairy or shaggy mountain, Idumaea], word study 12 and the army of Judah [the tribe descended from Judah, son of Jacob] also captured 10,000 [ten thousand, a multitude] men alive [with life, physically and spiritually] [as prisoners of war]. They took them to the top of a cliff [a craggy rock, a strong and secure place] and threw them down [cast away, with great force] so that all [everything, the entire group] were dashed to pieces [broken, shattered, utterly destroyed]. word study 13 Meanwhile the troops [soldiers of the army, band of warriors] that Amaziah [Jehovah is mighty, a king of Judah] had dismissed [sent back, returned] from battle [war, conflict] raided [fell upon, made attacks on] the cities [towns, settlements] of Judah [a tribe descended from Judah], from Samaria [watch mountain, a region in northern Palestine] to Beth-horon [house of hollowness, a place in Palestine]. They struck down [smote, killed] 3,000 [three thousand] people and carried off [took, plundered] a great deal [much, abundant] of plunder [spoil, booty]. word study 14 When Amaziah [the mighty one of Jehovah] returned from the slaughter [destruction, killing] of the Edomites [descendants of Esau], he brought back the gods [idols, Elohim] of the Seirites [inhabitants of Seir, a mountain in Idumaea], set them up as his own gods [objects of worship, deities], bowed before them [in reverence, to worship], and burned sacrifices [incense, offerings] to them. word study 15 Therefore the anger [wrath, intense displeasure] of the LORD [Yehovah, the supreme God] burned [was kindled, ignited] against Amaziah [Jehovah is mighty], and He sent [dispatched, commissioned] him a prophet [spokesperson for God], who said, “Why have you sought [pursued, inquired after] this people’s [nation’s, community’s] gods [idols, false deities], which could not deliver [rescue, save] them from your hand [power, control]?” word study 16 While he was still speaking [talking with him], the king asked, “Have we made you the counselor [adviser, guide] to the king? Stop [cease, forbear]! Why be struck down [smitten, punished]?” So the prophet stopped [ceased, gave up protesting], but he said, “I know [am aware, have understood] that God [Elohim, the supreme Ruler] has determined [planned, purposed] to destroy [ruin, bring to nothing] you, because you have done [acted, carried out] this and have not heeded [listened to, obeyed] my advice [counsel, guidance].” word study 17 Then Amaziah [king of the tribe of Judah, a son of God] king of Judah took [sought, received] counsel [advice, guidance] and sent [dispatched, commissioned] word to the king of Israel Jehoash [given by the Lord, a son of Jehoahaz] son of Jehoahaz [whom God has grasped], the son of Jehu [God is He]. “Come [let us go, approach], let us meet [see one another, look each other in the face] face to face [in each other’s presence, before one another],” he said [declared, uttered]. word study 18 But Jehoash king [ruler, monarch] of Israel replied to Amaziah king [monarch, sovereign] of Judah: “A thistle [prickly plant, unwanted growth] in Lebanon sent a message to a cedar [strong, majestic tree] in Lebanon, saying, ‘Give your daughter [female child, descendant] to my son [male child, descendant] in marriage [union, covenant].’ Then a wild beast [ferocious animal, untamed creature] in Lebanon came along and trampled [crushed, oppressed] the thistle. word study 19 You have said [to yourself, boasted], ‘Look, I have defeated [smitten, overcome] Edom [the region, the people],’ and your heart [inner being, emotions] has become proud [lifted up, arrogant] and boastful [to honor, glorify oneself]. Now [at this time, presently] stay at home [in your place, remain]. Why should you stir up [meddle, cause] trouble [evil, adversity] so that you fall [are defeated, come to ruin]—you and Judah [the tribe, the kingdom] with you [together, as one]?” word study 20 But Amaziah [refused to obey] would not listen [or heed the warning], for this had come from [the one supreme] God [Elohim] in order to deliver them [hand them over] into the hand [power or authority] of Jehoash, because they had sought [worshiped or inquired of] the gods [idols or false deities] of Edom [a neighboring nation]. word study 21 So Jehoash [Joash, given by the Lord] king of Israel [the symbolic name of Jacob, referring to his descendants] advanced, and he and Amaziah [Jehovah is mighty] king of Judah [the tribe descended from Judah, son of Jacob] faced each other [looked one another in the face, saw one another] at Beth-shemesh [house of the sun, sun-temple] in Judah [the region where the tribe of Judah lived]. word study 22 And Judah [the tribe descended from Jacob’s son] was routed [put to the worse, smitten, defeated] before [in the presence of] Israel [Jacob’s descendants], and every man [individual, person] fled [ran away quickly] to his own [personal] home [tent, dwelling place]. word study 23 There at [Heliopolis, the city of the sun] Beth-shemesh, Jehoash [given by the Lord] king of Israel captured Amaziah [Jehovah is mighty] king of Judah, the son of Joash [given by the Lord], the son of Jehoahaz [Jehovah has seized]. Then Jehoash brought him to Jerusalem [the city of peace] and broke down the wall [a barrier of protection] of Jerusalem from the Ephraim [doubly fruitful] Gate to the Corner [turning point] Gate—a section of four hundred cubits [a unit of measurement, about the length of a forearm]. word study 24 He took all [everything, the entirety] the gold [a valuable metal] and silver [a precious metal] and all [every single one] the articles [utensils, vessels] found [discovered, uncovered] in the house [temple, dwelling place] of God [Elohim, the supreme deity] with Obed-edom [a faithful servant of God] and in the treasuries [storehouses, repositories] of the royal palace [king’s house, the seat of authority], as well as some [certain, specific] hostages [pledges, security guarantees, those given as a pledge]. Then he returned [turned back, went back] to Samaria [the capital city of the northern kingdom of Israel, watch mountain]. word study 25 Amaziah [the son of Joash, a king of Judah] son of Joash king of Judah [the tribe descended from Judah, the son of Jacob] lived [to have life, to be quickened] for fifteen [five and ten] years after [following, in the rear] the death [the end of life, a separation from God] of Jehoash [Joash, given by the Lord] son of Jehoahaz [Jehovah has seized] king of Israel [the symbolic name of Jacob, also referring to his descendants]. word study 26 As for the rest [remainder, what is left] of the acts [chronicles, events] of Amaziah [Jehovah is mighty], from beginning [first, initial] to end [last, final], are they not [certainly not, behold] written [recorded, inscribed] in the Book [scroll, written document] of the Kings [rulers, monarchs] of Judah [the tribe of Judah] and Israel [the descendants of Jacob]? word study 27 From the time [after the event, from that moment on] that Amaziah [Jehovah is mighty] turned [to turn aside, departed] from following [obeying, worshiping] the LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God], a conspiracy [unlawful alliance, plot] was formed [devised, planned] against him in Jerusalem [the city of peace], and he fled [to escape, ran away] to Lachish [a city in Palestine]. But men were sent [dispatched, departed] after [to follow, pursue] him to Lachish, and they killed [put to death, slew] him there [in that place, at that location]. word study 28 They carried [brought, lifted] him back on [upon] horses [chariot horses, like swallows in motion] and buried [laid to rest, interred] him with [together with, in the company of] his fathers [ancestors, forefathers] in the City [town, settlement] of Judah [the region of Judah, the tribe]. word study