CLARITY EDITION · OLD TESTAMENT
2 Kings 14
Chapter 14 of 25
Chapter Overview
What happens in 2 Kings 14
Amaziah of Judah defeats Edom but then foolishly challenges Israel and loses badly. Jeroboam the Second restores Israel's borders during a time of great prosperity, though the people continue to sin.
Scripture
2 Kings 14
Amaziah King of Judah
Study note
Amaziah became king of Judah at age twenty-five and ruled for twenty-nine years. He did what was right in God's sight, though not as well as King David. He executed the servants who had murdered his father but spared their children, following the law of Moses which says that children should not be punished for their parents' sins. He won a great victory against Edom in the Valley of Salt, killing ten thousand soldiers and capturing the rock fortress of Sela.
1 Amaziah son of Joash began ruling Judah in the second year of King Jehoash of Israel. In the second year of Joash son of Jehoahaz king of Israel reigned Amaziah the son of Joash king of Judah.
2 He was twenty-five when he became king and ruled from Jerusalem for twenty-nine years. His mother was Jehoaddan from Jerusalem. He was twenty and five years old when he began to reign, and reigned twenty and nine years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Jehoaddan of Jerusalem.
3 He did what pleased the Lord, though not as faithfully as his ancestor David. He followed the example of his father Joash. And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, yet not like David his father: he did according to all things as Joash his father did.
4 The hilltop worship sites were still not torn down. People kept sacrificing and burning incense there. Howbeit the high places were not taken away: as yet the people did sacrifice and burnt incense on the high places.
5 Once Amaziah had a firm hold on power, he put to death the officials who had killed his father. And it came to pass, as soon as the kingdom was confirmed in his hand, that he slew his servants which had slain the king his father.
6 But he spared the murderers' children. He followed what Moses' Law commands: 'Parents must not be executed for their children's crimes, and children must not be executed for their parents' crimes. Each person must face the consequences of their own sin.' But the children of the murderers he slew not: according unto that which is written in the book of the law of Moses, wherein the LORD commanded, saying, The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, nor the children be put to death for the fathers; but every man shall be put to death for his own sin.
7 Amaziah won a battle in the Valley of Salt, killing ten thousand Edomites. He also captured the fortress of Sela and gave it the new name Joktheel, which it keeps to this day. He slew of Edom in the valley of salt ten thousand, and took Selah by war, and called the name of it Joktheel unto this day.
Amaziah's Foolish Challenge to Israel
Study note
Puffed up by his victory over Edom, Amaziah challenged King Jehoash of Israel to battle. Jehoash responded with a fable about a thistle challenging a mighty cedar tree, warning Amaziah not to let his pride lead to his downfall. Amaziah refused to listen, and the two armies met at Beth-shemesh. Judah was badly defeated, Amaziah was captured, and Jehoash broke down a large section of Jerusalem's wall and took all the gold, silver, and treasures from the temple and palace.
8 Feeling bold, Amaziah sent a challenge to King Jehoash of Israel: "Come face me in battle." Then Amaziah sent messengers to Jehoash, the son of Jehoahaz son of Jehu, king of Israel, saying, Come, let us look one another in the face.
9 King Jehoash sent back this story: "A tiny thistle plant in Lebanon sent a message to a massive cedar tree: 'Let your daughter marry my son.' But then a wild animal walked by and crushed the thistle." And Jehoash the king of Israel sent to Amaziah king of Judah, saying, The thistle that was in Lebanon sent to the cedar that was in Lebanon, saying, Give thy daughter to my son to wife: and there passed by a wild beast that was in Lebanon, and trode down the thistle.
10 "Sure, you beat Edom, and now you are puffed up with pride. Enjoy your victory and stay where you are! Why go looking for trouble that will only bring disaster crashing down on you and all of Judah?" Thou hast indeed smitten Edom, and thine heart hath lifted thee up: glory of this, and tarry at home: for why shouldest thou meddle to thy hurt, that thou shouldest fall, even thou, and Judah with thee?
11 But Amaziah refused to back down. King Jehoash of Israel marched out, and the two armies clashed at Beth-shemesh in Judah. But Amaziah would not hear. Therefore Jehoash king of Israel went up; and he and Amaziah king of Judah looked one another in the face at Beth-shemesh, which belongeth to Judah.
12 Israel crushed Judah in the battle, and Judah's soldiers fled for home. And Judah was put to the worse before Israel; and they fled every man to their tents.
13 King Jehoash captured King Amaziah at Beth-shemesh. Then he marched to Jerusalem and tore down a 600-foot stretch of the city wall, from the Ephraim Gate to the Corner Gate. And Jehoash king of Israel took Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Jehoash the son of Ahaziah, at Beth-shemesh, and came to Jerusalem, and brake down the wall of Jerusalem from the gate of Ephraim unto the corner gate, four hundred cubits.
14 He seized all the gold and silver and every valuable item from the Lord's temple and the palace treasuries. He also took hostages back with him to Samaria. And he took all the gold and silver, and all the vessels that were found in the house of the LORD, and in the treasures of the king's house, and hostages, and returned to Samaria.
Jeroboam the Second
Study note
After Amaziah was eventually assassinated by conspirators in Jerusalem, his son Azariah became king of Judah at age sixteen. Meanwhile in Israel, Jeroboam the Second son of Jehoash had a remarkably long and successful reign of forty-one years. Despite doing evil in God's sight, God used him to restore Israel's borders from Hamath in the north to the Dead Sea in the south, fulfilling a prophecy by the prophet Jonah. God saw Israel's bitter suffering and chose not to blot out their name yet.
15 All else about Jehoash is in the history of Israel's kings. This includes his war with Amaziah. Now the rest of the acts of Jehoash which he did, and his might, and how he fought with Amaziah king of Judah, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?
16 When Jehoash died, he was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel. His son Jeroboam succeeded him. And Jehoash slept with his fathers, and was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel; and Jeroboam his son reigned in his stead.
17 King Jehoash of Israel died. King Amaziah of Judah lived fifteen more years after that. And Amaziah the son of Joash king of Judah lived after the death of Jehoash son of Jehoahaz king of Israel fifteen years.
18 The rest of Amaziah's story is written in the official history of Judah's kings. And the rest of the acts of Amaziah, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?
19 Some people in Jerusalem conspired against him, so he escaped to the city of Lachish. But the plotters sent assassins after him, and they killed him there. Now they made a conspiracy against him in Jerusalem: and he fled to Lachish; but they sent after him to Lachish, and slew him there.
20 They brought his body back to Jerusalem on horses. They buried him in the City of David with his fathers. And they brought him on horses: and he was buried at Jerusalem with his fathers in the city of David.
21 The people of Judah then chose sixteen-year-old Azariah and crowned him king to replace his father Amaziah. And all the people of Judah took Azariah, which was sixteen years old, and made him king instead of his father Amaziah.
22 After his father's death, Azariah rebuilt the city of Elath and brought it back under Judah's control. He built Elath, and restored it to Judah, after that the king slept with his fathers.
23 In the fifteenth year of King Amaziah of Judah, Jeroboam son of Jehoash became king of Israel in Samaria. He reigned for forty-one years. In the fifteenth year of Amaziah the son of Joash king of Judah Jeroboam the son of Joash king of Israel began to reign in Samaria, and reigned forty and one years.
24 He did what the Lord considered evil. He continued all the sinful practices Jeroboam son of Nebat had introduced to Israel. And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD: he departed not from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin.
25 He pushed Israel's borders back out, all the way from Lebo-hamath in the north down to the Dead Sea in the south. This happened just as the Lord, the God of Israel, had predicted through his servant Jonah son of Amittai, the prophet from Gath-hepher. He restored the coast of Israel from the entering of Hamath unto the sea of the plain, according to the word of the LORD God of Israel, which he spake by the hand of his servant Jonah, the son of Amittai, the prophet, which was of Gath-hepher.
26 The Lord saw that every person in Israel was suffering badly, whether slave or free. No one was stepping up to help. For the LORD saw the affliction of Israel, that it was very bitter: for there was not any shut up, nor any left, nor any helper for Israel.
27 The Lord had never said he would wipe out Israel's name from the earth. So he used Jeroboam son of Jehoash to save them. And the LORD said not that he would blot out the name of Israel from under heaven: but he saved them by the hand of Jeroboam the son of Joash.
28 Everything else about Jeroboam is written in the official history of Israel's kings. This includes what he did and how he won back Damascus and Hamath for Israel. Now the rest of the acts of Jeroboam, and all that he did, and his might, how he warred, and how he recovered Damascus, and Hamath, which belonged to Judah, for Israel, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?
29 When Jeroboam died, he was buried among Israel's kings. His son Zechariah became the next king. And Jeroboam slept with his fathers, even with the kings of Israel; and Zachariah his son reigned in his stead.
Key Themes
Themes in 2 Kings 14
The danger of pride after successGod's mercy in preserving a suffering nationFoolish challenges that lead to unnecessary defeatGod works through imperfect rulers to accomplish His purposes
Apply This Today
Living 2 Kings 14
Amaziah's victory over Edom went to his head and led him to foolishly challenge the much stronger Israel. Success in one area does not mean we are invincible in every area. Pride after a spiritual victory often sets us up for our next fall. We must remain humble even after our greatest achievements.
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