1Then all the people of Judah took Uzziah, who was sixteen years old, and made him king instead of his father, Amaziah. 2He was the one who built Eloth, and restored it to Judah, after King Amaziah died. 3 Uzziah was 16 years old when he began to reign and he reigned in Jerusalem from the age of 16 to the age of 68. His mother's name was Jekoliah, of Jerusalem. 4And he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, much as his father, Amaziah, did. 5He continued to seek God in the days of Zechariah, who had provided him insight through the visions of God; and, as long as he sought the LORD, God made him prosper. 6And he engaged in war against the Philistines, and broke through the walls of Gath, Jabneh, and Ashdod; then built cities around Ashdod, and elsewhere among the Philistines. 7And God helped him against the Philistines, the Arabians dwelling in Gur-baal, and the Meunites. 8And the Ammonites paid tribute money to Uzziah; and his name spread as far as to the entrance of Egypt; as he became very strong militarily. 9Uzziah also built towers in Jerusalem at the Corner Gate, the Valley Gate, and where the wall turned, and fortified them. 10He also built towers in the desert, and dug many wells; for he had much cattle, both in the low lands, and in the plains; as well as farmers, and vine dressers in the mountains, and in Carmel; for he loved agriculture. 11Uzziah also had a well-trained army of fighting men, who went to war by divisions, according to the number of their muster by Jeiel, the scribe, and Maaseiah, an official under the direction of Hananiah, one of the king's commanders. 12The total number of the heads of the families of the valiant men was two thousand, six hundred. 13And under their command was an army of three hundred seven thousand, five hundred, that waged war with mighty power against the enemy. 14And Uzziah provided those throughout the army with shields, spears, helmets, coats of mail, bows, and slings for throwing stones. 15And in Jerusalem, his skillful men invented and built engines to shoot arrows and large stones from the towers and the bulwarks. And his name spread far and wide; for he was miraculously aided, making him strong. 16But as he grew strong, he became overly proud of his accomplishments, to his own destruction; for he transgressed against the LORD, his God, and by entering the Temple of the LORD to burn incense upon the altar of incense. 17Then Azariah, the priest, went in after him with eighty priests of the LORD, men of courage: 18And they confronted Uzziah, and said to him, “It is not for you, Uzziah, to burn incense unto the LORD, but for the priests, the sons of Aaron, who are consecrated to burn incense. Get out of the sanctuary; for you have trespassed; nor shall you be honored by the LORD God.” 19Then, as Uzziah raged at the priests, while still holding a censer to burn incense beside the incense altar in the Temple of the LORD, leprosy broke out on his forehead. 20And Azariah, the chief priest, and all the priests, looked at Uzziah, and saw that he was leprous on his forehead, and they drove him out of there; and, he, himself hurried to get out, because the LORD had afflicted him. 21And King Uzziah remained a leper until the day of his death, and, being a leper, he dwelt in a separate house; and banned from the Temple of the LORD. And his son, Jotham, ran the king's palace, judging and governing the people of the land. 22Now the rest of the acts of Uzziah, first to last, Isaiah, the prophet, son of Amoz, has written. 23So Uzziah died, and they buried him with his fathers in the burial field of the kings; for they said, “He is a leper”; and Jotham, his son, reigned in his stead. Reader-Friendly Bible: Purple Letter Edition © 2024 by Jim Musser. Used by Permission. All rights Reserved. Bible Hub |