15 In the twenty-seventh year of King Yarave’am’s reign over Yisrael, Amatsyah’s son Azaryah[fn] became king of Yehudah. 2 He was sixteen when he became king, and he reigned from Yerushalem for fifty-two years. (His mother’s name was Jeholyah from Yerushalem.) 3 He did what Yahweh had said was correct behaviour like his father Amatsyah had done, 4 although the hilltop shrines weren’t removed—the people continued to sacrifice at them and burn incense. 5 Yahweh caused Azaryah to become a leper and he had to live separately from others for the rest of his life, so his son Yotam ran the palace and dealt with the people’s problems.

6 Everything else that Azaryah said and did is written in the book of the events of the kings of Yehudah. 7 Azaryah died and was buried in the ancestral tomb in the city of David, and his son Yotam replaced him as king.[ref]

26 Then all the people took sixteen year old Uzziyah and made him king to replace his father Amatsyah. 2 Uzziyah restored Eylat City to Yehudah and rebuilt it after the death of his father.

3 Uzziyah was sixteen when he became king, and he reigned from Yerushalem for fifty-two years. His mother was Yekolyah from Yerushalem. 4 He did the things that Yahweh said were good, like his father Amatsyah had done. 5 He strived to follow God during the lifetime of Zekaryah who instructed him. During the time that he obeyed Yahweh, God made him successful.

6 Uzziyah went to attack the Philistines, and successfully broke through the walls at Gat, Yavneh, and Ashdod. He rebuilt Ashdod and other cities in the Philistia region. 7 God helped him against the Philistines, against the Arabians who living in Gurbaal, and against the Meunites. 8 The Ammonites paid tribute to Uzziyah, and his fame spread as far as the Egyptian border because he was becoming more powerful.

9 King Uzziyah built fortified towers in Yerushalem at the Corner Gate, the Valley Gate, and at the angle in the wall. 10 He also built towers in the wilderness and dug many wells because he had a lot of cattle—both in the lowlands and in the plains. He was also interested in horticulture so he had workers stationed in his vineyards and in his fertile fields.

11 Uzziyah’s army was trained for fighting battles and organised into divisions set up by Yeiel the scribe and the commander Maaseyah, under the supervision of Hananyah, one of the king’s officials. 12 There were 2,600 clan leaders who led the powerful warriors, 13 and the full force of 37,500 was under them to support the king against his enemies. 14 Uzziyah supplied shields, spears, helmets, armoured vests, bows, and slingshots for the entire army. 15 Using a local invention, he made war machines in Yerushalem to be placed on the towers and corners of the walls to fire arrows and large stones. His fame now spread widely because he’d received a lot of help that had made him very powerful.

16 However, at the peak of his strength he became very arrogant and that led to his destruction. He disobeyed his god Yahweh and went into the temple to burn incense on the incense altar. 17 The high priest Azaryah and eighty other brave priests went in after him. 18 They confronted King Uzziyah and challenged him, “It’s not permitted for you, Uzziyah, to sacrifice to Yahweh, only for Aharon’s descendants the priests—the ones consecrated to sacrifice. Leave the sanctuary, because you’ve disobeyed Yahweh God so now he won’t honour you.”[ref]

19 Then Uzziyah who was holding an incense pan, became very angry, but when he started raging at the priests, spots of leprosy suddenly appeared on his forehead while he was still there beside the incense altar in front of the priests. 20 The high priest Azaryah looked more closely, and confirming that it was indeed leprosy on his forehead, hurried him outside. The king was now also in a hurry because Yahweh had afflicted him.

21 King Uzziyah had leprosy until he died, so he had to live in an isolated residence and wasn’t allowed to approach the temple. His son Yotam (Jotham) stood in for him—supervising the palace and ruling Yehudah.

22 The record of all the other things done by Uzziyah while he was king was written by the prophet Yeshayah (Isaiah) (son of Amots). 23 When Uzziyah died, because of his leprosy they buried him with his ancestors in a grave in the countryside for kings, and his son Yotam replaced him as king.[ref]