2 Chronicles

Azariah (Uzziah) of Judah

All the people of Judah took Uzziah, who was sixteen years old, and made him king in place of his father Amaziah.

He rebuilt Elath and recovered it for Judah after the death of Amaziah.

Uzziah was sixteen when he became king and reigned for fifty-two years in Jerusalem. His mother was Jecoliah of Jerusalem.

He did what pleased the Lord, just as his father Amaziah had done.

He sought God in the lifetime of Zechariah, who taught him the fear of God. And for as long as he sought the Lord, God gave him prosperity.

He went out to fight the Philistines, tore down the walls of Gath, Jabneh, and Ashdod, then rebuilt the towns in the area of Ashdod and Philistine territory.

God helped him defeat the Philistines, the Arabs, the inhabitants of Gurbaal, and the Meunites.

The Ammonites paid tribute to Uzziah. His fame spread as far as the border of Egypt since he had become mighty indeed.

Uzziah built towers in Jerusalem, at the Gate of the Corner, at the Gate of the Valley, and at the Angle; and he fortified these.

He built towers in the wilderness too, and dug a great many cisterns, for he had large herds in the lowlands and on the tableland. He had farmers and vinedressers in the hills and on the fertile lands. He was fond of agriculture.

Uzziah had an army ready for battle. They set out for war by turns, according to the census carried out by the scribe Jeiel and the registrar Maaseiah. Their commander was Hananiah, one of the king’s officers.

The total number of heads of families among these valiant warriors was two thousand six hundred.

Under their command was a trained army of three hundred and seven thousand five hundred fighting men, a powerful force to support the king against the enemy.

Uzziah provided them with shields, spears, helmets, coats of armor, bows, and sling stones for each battle.

In Jerusalem, he constructed engines, invented by experts, which were mounted on the towers and corners to fire arrows and great stones. His fame spread far and wide, for he was extraordinary in getting help until he was strong.

But, as his power increased, he became so proud that he lost what he had gained. He defied the Lord his God by going into the house to burn incense on the altar of incense.

Azariah, the priest, followed King Uzziah in, with eighty brave priests of the Lord,

to resist him. They said to him: “Uzziah, it is not for you to burn incense to the Lord, but for the priests, the sons of Aaron, consecrated for the purpose. Leave the Sanctuary; you have offended the Lord God and no longer have his blessing.”

Uzziah, censer in hand for the burning incense, became angry with the priests, and immediately, leprosy broke out on his forehead in the presence of the priests, in the Lord’s house; there, by the altar of incense.

Azariah, the chief priest, and all the other priests turned toward him and saw leprosy on his forehead. They quickly hurried him out, and he was anxious to go since the Lord had punished him.

King Uzziah was a leper till his dying day. He lived in an isolated house, a leper, excluded from the Lord’s house. Jotham, his son, was the master of the palace and ruled the country’s people.

The rest of the history of Uzziah, from first to last, has been written by the prophet Isaiah, son of Amoz.

Then Uzziah rested with his ancestors, and they buried him in the ground where the tomb of the kings is, for they said, “He is a leper.” His son Jotham succeeded him.