2 Chronicles 26:1-23 - The Reign Of Uzziah
1 Then all the people of Judah took Uzziah (now he [was] sixteen years old) and made him king in the place of his father Amaziah. 2 He built Elath and returned it to Judah after the king slept with his ancestors.
3 Uzziah [was] sixteen years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem fifty-two years. And the name of his mother [was] Yecoliah of Jerusalem. 4 And he did what [was] right in the eyes of Yahweh, according to all that Amaziah his father had done. 5 And he began to seek God in the days of Zechariah who was teaching in visions of God. And {whenever} he sought Yahweh God made him have success.
6 And he went out and made war against the Philistines, and he broke down the wall of Gath and the wall of Jabneh and the wall of Ashdod, and he built cities in Ashdod and among the Philistines. 7 And God helped him against the Philistines and against the Arabs who were living in Gur-Baal and Meunim. 8 And the Ammonites gave tribute to Uzziah, and his fame went out to the boundary of Egypt, for he became {very strong}. 9 And Uzziah built towers in Jerusalem at the Corner Gate, at the Valley Gate, and at the Angle, and he strengthened them. 10 And he built towers in the desert and hewed many cisterns, for he had much livestock, both in the Shephelah and on the plain, [along with] farmers and vinedressers in the hills and in the fertile lands, for he loved the soil.
11 And Uzziah had troops {trained and ready for war} in divisions according to the number of their enrollment at the hand of Jeuel the scribe and Maaseiah the officer, under the hand of Hananiah of the king's commanders. 12 The whole number of the heads of the {families} for mighty warriors of strength [was] two thousand six hundred. 13 And under their hand [were] army troops [numbering] three hundred and seven thousand five hundred who could make war with power and strength to help the king against an enemy. 14 And Uzziah prepared small shields, spears, helmets, breastplates, bows, and slingstones for the whole army. 15 And he made siege machines in Jerusalem designed [by] skillful men to be [set] upon the towers and upon the corners to shoot arrows and large slingstones. And his fame went out far, for he helped marvelously, for he was strong.
16 But on account of his strength his heart grew proud unto destruction. And he acted unfaithfully against Yahweh his God and went into the temple of Yahweh to offer an incense offering on the altar. 17 And Azariah the priest, along with eighty strong priests with him, went in after him. 18 And they stood against King Uzziah and said to him, "It is not for you, Uzziah, to burn incense to Yahweh, but [it is] for the priests, the descendants of Aaron, who are consecrated to burn incense. Go out of the sanctuary, for you have acted unfaithfully. There will be no honor for you from Yahweh God."
19 Then Uzziah, his censer in hand to burn incense, became angry. And when he became angry with the priests, then leprosy appeared on his forehead in front of the priests in the house of Yahweh at the altar of incense. 20 When Azariah the chief priest and all the priests turned to him, behold, he [was] leprous in the forehead. So they rushed him away from there, and he also hastened to go out, for Yahweh had smitten him. 21 So King Uzziah was leprous until the day of his death, and he lived in a separate house as a leper, for he was cut off from the house of Yahweh. And Jotham his son [was] over the house of the king, judging the people of the land.
22 Now the remainder of the words of Uzziah, [from] the first [to] the last, Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, wrote [them]. 23 And Uzziah slept with his ancestors, and they buried him with his ancestors in the burial field which belonged to the kings, because, they said, "He [was] leprous." And Jotham his son reigned in his place.