Judah’s King Uzziah
1 All the peopleof Judah took Uzziah,who was 16 years old, and made him king in place of his father Amaziah.
2 He rebuilt Elothand restored it to Judah after Amaziah the king rested with his fathers.
3 Uzziah was 16 years oldwhen he became king and reigned 52 years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jecoliah from Jerusalem.
4 He did what was right in theLord’s sight as his father Amaziah had done.
5 He sought Godthroughout the lifetime of Zechariah, the teacher of the fearof God. During the time that he sought theLord, God gave him success.
Uzziah’s Exploits
6 Uzziah went out to wage war against the Philistines,and he tore down the wall of Gath, the wall of Jabneh, and the wall of Ashdod. Then he built cities in the vicinity of Ashdod and among the Philistines.
7 God helped him against the Philistines, the Arabs that live in Gur-baal, and the Meunites.
8 The Ammonitesgave Uzziah tribute money,and his fame spread as far as the entrance of Egypt, for God made him very powerful.
9 Uzziah built towers in Jerusalem at the Corner Gate,the Valley Gate,and the corner buttress, and he fortified them.
10 Since he had many cattle both in the Judean foothillsand the plain, he built towers in the desert and dug many wells.And since he was a lover of the soil, he had farmers and vinedressers in the hills and in the fertile lands.
11 Uzziah had an army equipped for combat that went out to war by division according to their assignments, as recorded by Jeiel the court secretary and Maaseiah the officer under the authority of Hananiah, one of the king’s commanders.
12 The total number of heads of families was 2,600 brave warriors.
13 Under their authority was an army of 307,500 equipped for combat, a powerful force to help the king against the enemy.
14 Uzziah provided the entire army with shields, spears, helmets, armor, bows and slingstones.
15 He made skillfully designed devices in Jerusalem to shoot arrows and catapult large stones for use on the towers and on the corners. So his fame spread even to distant places, for he was marvelously helped until he became strong.
Uzziah’s Disease
16 But when he became strong, he grew arrogantand it led to his own destruction. He acted unfaithfully against theLordhis God by going into theLord’s sanctuary to burn incense on the incense altar.
17 Azariahthe priest, along with 80 brave priests of theLord, went in after him.
18 They took their standagainst King Uzziah and said, “Uzziah, you have no right to offer incense to theLord— only the consecrated priests, the descendants of Aaron, have the right to offer incense.Leave the sanctuary, for you have acted unfaithfully! You will not receive honor from theLordGod.”
19 Uzziah, with a firepan in his hand to offer incense, was enraged. But when he became enraged with the priests, in the presence of the priests in theLord’s temple beside the altar of incense, a skin diseasebroke out on his forehead.
20 Then Azariah the chief priest and all the priests turned to him and saw that he was diseased on his forehead. They rushed him out of there. He himself also hurried to get out because theLordhad afflicted him.
21 So King Uzziah was diseased to the time of his death.He lived in quarantinewith a serious skin disease and was excluded from access to theLord’s temple, while his son Jotham was over the king’s household governing the people of the land.
22 Now the prophet Isaiahson of Amoz wrote about the rest of the events of Uzziah’s reign, from beginning to end.
23 Uzziah rested with his fathers, and he was buried with his fathers in the burial ground of the kings’ cemetery,for they said, “He has a skin disease.” His son Jotham became king in his place.
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