2 Chronicles 26:14-27:9

New American Standard Bible

¹⁴ Moreover, Uzziah prepared ^[a]for all the army shields, spears, helmets, body armor, bows, and slingstones. ¹⁵ In Jerusalem he made machines of war invented by skillful workmen to be on the towers and the corners, for the purpose of shooting arrows and great stones. So his ^[b]fame spread far, for he was marvelously helped until he was strong.

Pride Is Uzziah’s Undoing

¹⁶ But ^(A)when he became strong, his heart was so ^[c]proud that he acted corruptly, and he was untrue to the Lord his God, for ^(B)he entered the temple of the Lord to burn incense on the altar of incense. ¹⁷ Then ^(C)Azariah the priest entered after him, and with him eighty priests of the Lord, valiant men. ^18 (D)They opposed Uzziah the king and said to him, “^(E)It is not for you, Uzziah, to burn incense to the Lord, ^(F)but for the priests, the sons of Aaron who have been consecrated to burn incense. Leave the sanctuary, for you have been untrue and will have no honor from the Lord God.” ¹⁹ But Uzziah, with a censer in his hand for burning incense, was enraged; and while he was enraged with the priests, ^(G)leprosy broke out on his forehead in the presence of the priests in the house of the Lord, beside the altar of incense. ²⁰ Azariah the chief priest and all the priests looked at him, and behold, he was leprous on his forehead; and they quickly removed him from there, and he himself also hurried to get out because the Lord had stricken him. ^21 (H)King Uzziah had leprosy to the day of his death; and he lived in ^(I)a separate house, afflicted as he was with leprosy, for he was cut off from the house of the Lord. And his son Jotham was over the king’s house, judging the people of the land.

²² Now the rest of the acts of Uzziah, the first to the last, the prophet ^(J)Isaiah, the son of Amoz, has written. ²³ So Uzziah ^[d]lay down with his fathers, and they buried him with his fathers ^(K)in the field of the grave which belonged to the kings, for they said, “He had leprosy.” And his son Jotham became king in his place.

Jotham Succeeds Uzziah in Judah

27 ^(L)Jotham was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned for sixteen years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Jerushah the daughter of Zadok. ² He did what was right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his father Uzziah had done; ^(M)however he did not enter the temple of the Lord. But the people continued acting corruptly. ³ He built the upper gate of the house of the Lord, and he built the wall of ^(N)Ophel extensively. ⁴ Moreover, he built ^(O)cities in the hill country of Judah, and he built fortresses and towers on the wooded hills. ⁵ He fought with the king of the Ammonites and prevailed over them so that during that year the Ammonites gave him ^[e]a hundred talents of silver, ^[f]ten thousand kors of wheat, and ten thousand of barley. The Ammonites also paid him this amount in the second year and in the third. ^6 (P)So Jotham became powerful because he directed his ways before the Lord his God. ^7 (Q)Now the rest of the acts of Jotham, all his wars and his ways, behold, they are written in the Book of the Kings of Israel and Judah. ⁸ He was ^(R)twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem for sixteen years. ⁹ And Jotham ^[g]lay down with his fathers, and they buried him in the city of David; and his son Ahaz became king in his place.