15 In the twenty-seventh year of King Yarov’am’s (Jeroboam’s) reign over Yisrael (Israel), Amatsyah’s son Azaryah[fn] became king of Yehudah (Judah). 2 He was sixteen when he became king, and he reigned from Yerushalem (Jerusalem) for fifty-two years. (His mother’s name was Yekaleyah 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 (Jotham) 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[ref] and was buried in the ancestral tomb in David’s city, and his son Yotam replaced him as king.

26 Then all the people took sixteen-year-old Uziyah and made him king to replace his father Amatsyah. 2 Uziyah restored Eylot city to Yehudah (Judah) and rebuilt it after his father’s death.

3 Uziyah was sixteen when he became king, and he reigned from Yerushalem (Jerusalem) for fifty-two years. His mother was Yekaleyah 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 (Zechariah), who instructed him. During the time that he obeyed Yahweh, God made him successful.

6 Uziyah went to attack the Pelishtim, and successfully broke through the walls at Gat, Yavneh, and Ashdod. He rebuilt Ashdod and other cities in the Peleshet region. 7 God helped him against the Pelishtim, against the Aravim who were living in Gur-Ba’al, and against the Meunim. 8 The Amonim paid tribute to Uziyah, and his fame spread as far as the Mitsri (Egyptian) border because he was becoming more powerful.

9 King Uziyah 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 a lot of 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 Uziyah’s army was trained for fighting battles, and organised into divisions set up by Yeiel the scribe and the commander Ma’aseyah, 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 their authority, to support the king against his enemies. 14 Uziyah 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 Uziyah and challenged him, “It’s not permitted for you, Uziyah, to sacrifice to Yahweh, only for Aharon’s (Aaron’s) descendants the priests—the ones consecrated to sacrifice.[ref] Leave the sanctuary, because you’ve disobeyed Yahweh God, so now he won’t honour you.”

19 Then Uziyah, 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 Uziyah 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 (Judah).

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