The Reign of Amaziah

Click here to read II Chronicles 25.

The material here is repeated from II Kings 14 .

Chapter 25 records the reign of Amaziah (796-767). The following is a brief summery of his reign.

  1. He revenged his father's death.
  2. He cruelly conquered the Edomites.
  3. He foolishly worshipped the Edomite gods.
  4. He was strongly reprimanded for it by a Prophet of God.
  5. He foolishly challenged the King of Israel, Jehoash, and was soundly defeated.
  6. He ended his days by being murdered by his own people. With his death, his son, Azariah (Uzziah), became king.

Amaziah became king when he was 25 years old. He reigned for 29 years. When he became established as King of Judah, he executed the men who had killed his father. He then organized an army assigning leaders from each of the clans of Judah and Benjamin and after taking a census he found that he had 300,000 men, 20 years old and older, all well trained in the use of the spear and sword. To add to this, he hired 100,000 experienced mercenaries from Israel at the cost of $200,000. A Prophet of the Lord warned Amaziah not to use the mercenaries from Israel, "The Lord is not with them," he warned. So begrudgedly, mourning the lost of the money, Amaziah sent them home.

Then Amaziah took his army and to the Valley of Salt and killed 10,000 Edomites and captured another 10,000 which he threw over a cliff and they were crushed on the rocks below. When he returned from the slaughter of the Edomites, he brought with him their idols and set them up and bowed down to them and for this the Lord became very angry and sent a Prophet to warn him. Amaziah declined the advice of the Prophet.

He then took the advice of his councilors and declared war on King Joash of Israel. Joash advised him to take his army and go home but Amaziah would not listen to his advice either so the armies met Beth-shemesh in Judah was defeated. Amaziah was captured and taken as a prisoner back to Jerusalem. There the King of Israel demolished a section of the walls and took as bounty treasurers from the Temple and the king's Palace and them returned to Samaria.

King Amaziah lived for 14 more years when his own people conspired to kill him. He fled to Lachish, some 30 miles south west of Jerusalem, but the conspirators went after him there and killed him. Then they brought him back to Jerusalem and buried him there in the Royal Cemetery.


Previous Chapter
Return to Outline
Ask Questions
Next Chapter