14 In the second year of the reign of Yehoahaz’s son Yehoash over Israel, Amatsyah replaced his father Yoash as king of Yehudah. 2 He was twenty-five when he became king, and he reigned from Yerushalem for twenty-nine years. (His mother’s name was Yehoaddan 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 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.”

7 He led the victory over ten thousand Edomites in the Salt Valley, seizing Sela in the battle and renaming it as Yokthe’el which it’s still called today.

8 Then Amatsyah sent messengers to Israel’s King Yehoash (the son of Yehoahaz, the son of Yehu) challenging, “Come on, let’s have it out with each other.” 9 But King Yehoash replied to Yehudah’s King Amatsyah, “The thistle that was in the Lebanon forest sent to the cedar that was in the Lebanon, saying, ‘Give your daughter to my son as a wife.’ But a wild animal that was in the Lebanon passed by and it trampled the thistle. 10 It’s true that you won a battle with Edom and you’re feeling encouraged. Accept that honour, but stay home now. Why would you stir up trouble only to fall again—you and all Yehudah with you.”

11 But Amatsyah wouldn’t listen so the armies of Israel’s King Yehoash and Yehudah’s King Amatsyah faced each other in Yehudah at Beyt-Shemesh. 12 However, Yehudah was overcome by Israel, and its warriors had to flee home from the battlefield. 13 So Israel’s King Yehoash captured Yehudah’s King Amatsyah (the son of Yehoash, the son of Ahazyah) in Bet-Shemesh. Then he went to Yerushalem, and he broke down the city wall from the Efraim Gate up to the Corner Gate—almost two hundred metres of it. 14 He took all the gold and silver, and all the equipment that was found Yahweh’s temple and in the palace treasuries. Then taking some hostages as well, he returned to Shomron (Samaria).

15 Everything else that Yehoash said and did, including his battle with Yehudah’s King Amatsyah, is written in the book of the events of the kings of Israel. 16 Then Yehoash died and was buried in Shomron with the former kings of Israel, and his son Yarave’am replaced him as king.

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