The capture of Amaziah, king of Judah, is a significant event recorded in the Old Testament, illustrating the consequences of pride and disobedience to God. Amaziah, the son of Joash, began his reign at the age of 25 and ruled for 29 years in Jerusalem. His reign is detailed in 2 Kings 14 and 2 Chronicles 25.

Amaziah initially did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, though not with a fully devoted heart. He followed the example of his father Joash, maintaining the worship of Yahweh but failing to remove the high places where the people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense (2 Kings 14:3-4).

A pivotal moment in Amaziah's reign was his decision to wage war against Edom. He mustered an army of 300,000 men from Judah and hired an additional 100,000 mighty warriors from Israel for a hundred talents of silver. However, a man of God warned him against using the Israelite mercenaries, as the LORD was not with Israel. Amaziah heeded this warning, dismissed the hired troops, and went on to defeat the Edomites in the Valley of Salt, capturing Sela and renaming it Joktheel (2 Chronicles 25:5-13).

Despite this victory, Amaziah's heart turned away from the LORD. He brought back the gods of the Edomites and set them up as his own, bowing down and burning sacrifices to them. This idolatry provoked the LORD's anger, and a prophet was sent to rebuke Amaziah, warning him of impending destruction due to his unfaithfulness (2 Chronicles 25:14-16).

In a display of arrogance, Amaziah challenged Jehoash, king of Israel, to battle. Jehoash responded with a parable, warning Amaziah of the folly of his pride, but Amaziah refused to listen. The two kings met in battle at Beth-shemesh in Judah, where Amaziah's forces were decisively defeated. Jehoash captured Amaziah, marched to Jerusalem, and broke down a section of the city wall. He also seized the gold and silver from the temple and the royal palace, taking hostages before returning to Samaria (2 Kings 14:8-14; 2 Chronicles 25:17-24).

Amaziah's capture and the subsequent plundering of Jerusalem served as a humbling consequence of his pride and idolatry. After his release, Amaziah lived for another fifteen years, but his reign ended in conspiracy and assassination. He fled to Lachish, but his pursuers killed him there, and his body was brought back to Jerusalem for burial in the city of David (2 Kings 14:17-20; 2 Chronicles 25:25-28).

The capture of Amaziah underscores the biblical theme that pride and disobedience lead to downfall, while humility and faithfulness to God bring blessing and security.