2 Chronicles 25:1–13 — Yehudah’s King Amatsyah

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25 Amatsyah was twenty-five when he became Yehudah’s (Judah’s) king, and he reigned from Yerushalem (Jerusalem) for twenty-nine years. His mother was Yeho’adin from Yerushalem. 2 He mostly followed Yahweh’s instructions, but not whole-heartedly.

3 Once his rule was established, he killed those of his servants who’d assassinated his father Yoash. 4 However, he didn’t order their sons to be executed, because he obeyed Yahweh’s instructions that had been written down by Mosheh (Moses), “Parents mustn’t die because of what their children did, and children mustn’t die because of what their parents did, but each individual should be punished for their own disobedience.”[ref]

5 Then Amatsyah summoned Yehudah’s men and appointed some, clan by clan, to be leaders of hundreds and of thousands, for all of Yehudah and Benyamin. They counted three-hundred thousand men who were twenty and over, and suitable for fighting with a spear and shield. 6 He also hired a hundred thousand powerful warriors from Yisrael (Israel) for three tonnes of silver.

7 However, a man of God came and told him, “Your majesty, don’t let Yisrael’s soldiers go with you, because Yahweh isn’t with Yisrael—those people of Yisrael (Israel; Heb. Efrayim).[fn] 8 Even if you go and fight courageously in battle, God will cause you to be defeated by the enemy, because God has the power to help and the power to overthrow.”

9 “So what should I do about all the silver that I’ve already paid to the troops from Yisrael?” Amatsyah asked.

“Yahweh can do much more for you than that,” God’s man replied.

10 So King Amatsyah told the troops from Yisrael to go home again, but they were extremely angry with Yehudah, and they got home still feeling furious.

11 Then Amatsyah took courage and led his army out to the Salt Valley, where they slaughtered ten thousand Edomi soldiers. 12 Yehudah rounded up another ten thousand and herded them to the top of a cliff, where they drove them over to kill them.

13 However, during that time, the warriors that Amatsyah had sent back to Yisrael raided Yehudah’s cities all the way from Shomron (Samaria) to Beyt -Horon. They’d killed three thousand people and taken back a large amount of plunder.

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25 A _son _of twenty and_five year[s] ʼAmaʦ^yāh he _became _king and_twenty and_nine year[s] he _reigned in_Yərūshālaim/(Jerusalem) and_name _of his/its_mother was_Yəhōˊaddin/(Jehoaddan) from_Yərūshālaim/(Jerusalem).

2 And_he/it _made the_right in/on_both _eyes _of YHWH only not with_a _heart complete.

3 And_he/it _was just_as the_kingdom it _was _secure on/upon/above_him/it and_he _killed DOM servants _of_his who_had_struck _down DOM the_king his/its_father.

4 And_DOM children _of_their not he _put _to _death if/because according_what _is_written in_law in_the _book _of Mosheh which YHWH he _commanded to_say not parents they _will _die on children and_children not they _will _die on parents if/because each for_his _own _of_sin they _will _die.

5 And_ ʼAmaʦ^yāh _he _assembled DOM Yəhūdāh/(Judah) and_he_appointed _them to_the_house _of ancestors to_the _commanders _of the _thousands and_to_the _commanders _of the _hundreds to/from_all/each/any/every Yəhūdāh and_Binyāmīn and_he_enrolled _them (to)_from_a_son _of twenty year[s] and_upward_upwards and_he_found _them three hundred(s) thousand chosen_man who_goes _forth warfare who_holds a _spear and_a _body _shield.

6 And_he _hired from_Yisrā^ʼēl/(Israel) one _hundred thousand mighty_man_of strength for_one _hundred talent[s]_of silver.

7 And _(the)_man _of the_ʼElohīm he _came to_him/it to_say the_king not let _it _go with_you the _army _of Yisrā^ʼēl/(Israel) if/because not YHWH is_with Yisrā^ʼēl/(Israel) all _of the _descendants _of ʼEfrayim.

8 If/because (if) you go act be _strong for_battle he_will _overthrow _you the_ʼElohīm to_(the)_face _of/in _front _of/before the_enemy if/because there_is strength in_god to_help and_to_overthrow.

9 And_ ʼAmaʦ^yāh _he/it _said to_the _man _of the_ʼElohīm and_what is_to_do to_the _one _hundred _of the_talent[s] which I _paid to_the _troop[s]_of Yisrā^ʼēl/(Israel) and_ the _man _of the_ʼElohīm _he/it _said there_is to/for_YHWH to_give to/for_yourself(m) much more_than _this.

10 And_he_separated _them ʼAmaʦ^yāh (to)_the_troop[s] which it _had _come to_him/it from_ʼEfrayim to_go to_place _of_their and_ anger _of_their _it _glowed/burnt exceedingly on_Yəhūdāh/(Judah) and_they _returned to_place _of_their in_the_heat _of anger.

11 And_ʼAmaʦ^yāh he _strengthened _himself and_he _led _out DOM people _of_his and_he/it _went the _Valley _of Salt and_he _struck _down DOM the _people _of Sēˊīr ten _of thousand(s).

12 And_ten _of thousand(s) alive the _people _of Yəhūdāh they _took _captive and_they_brought _them to_the _top _of the _cliff and_they_threw _them from_the _top _of (the)_cliff and_all _of_of _them they _were _split _open.

13 And_the _sons of_the _troop which ʼAmaʦ^yāh he _had _turned _back from_going with_him/it to_battle and_they _made _a _raid on_the _cities _of Yəhūdāh from_Shomrōn and_unto Bēyt Ḩōrōn and_they _struck _down from_them three _of thousand(s) and_they _plundered plunder much.

25:7 The northern kingdom of Yisrael also came to be known as ‘Efrayim’ (similar how the area of the tribes of Yehudah and Benyamin (plus others who moved in—see 11:16) became known as ‘Yehudah’).

25:4: Deu 24:16.

2 Ki 14:2–6

2 He was twenty-five when he became king, and he reigned from Yerushalem (Jerusalem) for twenty-nine years. (His mother’s name was Yeho’adin from Yerushalem.) 3 He did what Yahweh had said was correct behaviour, although not as thoroughly as his ancestor David—his behaviour was more like that of his father Yoash. 4 However, the hilltop shrines weren’t removed—people were still sacrificing and burning incense at them.

5 Once he was firmly established as king, Amatsyah had the servants executed who had assassinated his father Yoash,[ref] 6 but he didn’t have their sons executed, because in the scroll where Mosheh (Moses) had written the laws, Yahweh had commanded, “Fathers shouldn’t be executed for what their sons do, nor should sons be executed for the crimes of their ancestors—rather an individual should only be executed for their own crime.”