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1 In the second year of Joash son of Jehoahaz king of Israel reigned Amaziah the son of Joash king of Judah.

2 He was twenty and five years old when he began to reign, and reigned twenty and nine years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Jehoaddan of Jerusalem.

3 And he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, yet not like David his father: he did according to all things as Joash his father did.

4 Howbeit the high places were not taken away: as yet the people did sacrifice and burnt incense on the high places.

5 And it came to pass, as soon as the kingdom was confirmed in his hand, that he slew his servants which had slain the king his father.

6 But the children of the murderers he slew not: according unto that which is written in the book of the law of Moses, wherein the Lord commanded, saying, The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, nor the children be put to death for the fathers; but every man shall be put to death for his own sin.

7 He slew of Edom in the valley of salt ten thousand, and took Selah by war, and called the name of it Joktheel unto this day.

8 Then Amaziah sent messengers to Jehoash, the son of Jehoahaz son of Jehu, king of Israel, saying, Come, let us look one another in the face.

9 And Jehoash the king of Israel sent to Amaziah king of Judah, saying, The thistle that was in Lebanon sent to the cedar that was in Lebanon, saying, Give thy daughter to my son to wife: and there passed by a wild beast that was in Lebanon, and trode down the thistle.

10 Thou hast indeed smitten Edom, and thine heart hath lifted thee up: glory of this, and tarry at home: for why shouldest thou meddle to thy hurt, that thou shouldest fall, even thou, and Judah with thee?

11 But Amaziah would not hear. Therefore Jehoash king of Israel went up; and he and Amaziah king of Judah looked one another in the face at Bethshemesh, which belongeth to Judah.

12 And Judah was put to the worse before Israel; and they fled every man to their tents.

13 And Jehoash king of Israel took Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Jehoash the son of Ahaziah, at Bethshemesh, and came to Jerusalem, and brake down the wall of Jerusalem from the gate of Ephraim unto the corner gate, four hundred cubits.

14 And he took all the gold and silver, and all the vessels that were found in the house of the Lord, and in the treasures of the king's house, and hostages, and returned to Samaria.

15 Now the rest of the acts of Jehoash which he did, and his might, and how he fought with Amaziah king of Judah, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?

16 And Jehoash slept with his fathers, and was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel; and Jeroboam his son reigned in his stead.

17 And Amaziah the son of Joash king of Judah lived after the death of Jehoash son of Jehoahaz king of Israel fifteen years.

18 And the rest of the acts of Amaziah, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?

19 Now they made a conspiracy against him in Jerusalem: and he fled to Lachish; but they sent after him to Lachish, and slew him there.

20 And they brought him on horses: and he was buried at Jerusalem with his fathers in the city of David.

21 And all the people of Judah took Azariah, which was sixteen years old, and made him king instead of his father Amaziah.

22 He built Elath, and restored it to Judah, after that the king slept with his fathers.

23 In the fifteenth year of Amaziah the son of Joash king of Judah Jeroboam the son of Joash king of Israel began to reign in Samaria, and reigned forty and one years.

24 And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord: he departed not from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin.

25 He restored the coast of Israel from the entering of Hamath unto the sea of the plain, according to the word of the Lord God of Israel, which he spake by the hand of his servant Jonah, the son of Amittai, the prophet, which was of Gathhepher.

26 For the Lord saw the affliction of Israel, that it was very bitter: for there was not any shut up, nor any left, nor any helper for Israel.

27 And the Lord said not that he would blot out the name of Israel from under heaven: but he saved them by the hand of Jeroboam the son of Joash.

28 Now the rest of the acts of Jeroboam, and all that he did, and his might, how he warred, and how he recovered Damascus, and Hamath, which belonged to Judah, for Israel, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?

29 And Jeroboam slept with his fathers, even with the kings of Israel; and Zachariah his son reigned in his stead.

<html><b>And named it Yokseil.</b> For it set his teeth on edge, as it is written, “After Amatzyohu came from killing the Edomites, he brought the gods of the children of Seir, etc., for deities, he would bow down to them, etc.,”¹<i class=“footnote”>II Divrei Hayomim 25:14.</i> and the prophet rebuked him and said to him, “I know that God has made a plan to destroy you.”²<i class=“footnote”>Ibid. v. 16.</i> Now what was the advice? That He persuaded him to incite the king of Yisroel.</html>

<html><b>Amatzyoh then sent messengers, etc., “let us battle each other.”</b> [By going] to war.³<i class=“footnote”>Previously, Yehoash’s men had invaded Yehudah in a surprise attack, because Amatzyohu had abruptly dismissed Yehoash’s men from going to war with him. See II Divrei Hayomim 25:10, 13. Amatzyohu now challenged Amatzyohu to confront him in battle.—Metzudas Dovid</i></html>

<html><b>“The thistle that was in Levanon.</b> Shechem son of Chamor. <b>Sent [a message] to the cedar tree.</b> Yaakov. <b>And it passed by the wild beast [that was in Levanon].</b> “Yaakov’s sons came upon the slain.”⁴<i class=“footnote”>Bereishis 34:27.</i> Here too, you come to compare yourself to me. This comparison was to humiliate him, for he likened him [Amatzyohu] to a thistle, and himself to a cedar [tree].⁵<i class=“footnote”>Yehoash, whose grandfather Yeihu, completely destroyed Achov and his family, was mocking Amatzyohu, who was Achov’s descendant.</i> <b>And the wild beast that was in Levanon passed by and trampled, etc.</b> Because you are arrogant, the troops of my armies will trample you too.</html>

<html><b>And the children [held] hostage.</b> The children of the princes, who were placed in the king’s palace as security that their fathers would not rebel against him. And so did [Targum] Yonoson render, “ the children of the princes.”</html>

<html><b>And Amatzyohu … lived, etc.</b> The entire fifteen years, Uzziyohu his son reigned during his lifetime, for so it is written, “And since the time that Amatzyoh turned away from following the Adonoy.”⁶<i class=“footnote”>II Divrei Hayomim 25:27.</i></html>

<html><b>They conspired a revolt against him, etc.</b> Because they heard what the prophet said, “that God has made a plan to destroy you.”⁷<i class=“footnote”>Ibid. v. 16.</i> <b>And he fled to Lakish.</b> He was there for the entire fifteen years.</html>

<html><b>After the king lay with his forefathers.</b> After the death of his father Amatzyoh. From here you deduce that Uzziyoh reigned during his father’s lifetime. Nevertheless, Eilas was not delivered into his hand until after his father’s death, for if he did not reign during his father’s lifetime, why was it necessary to state, “after the king lay with his forefathers”? And when you count the days of the Beis [Hamikdosh] according to the years of the kings, if you do not subtract these fifteen years, which are counted for Amatzyoh and Uzziyohu, you will find that it existed four hundred twenty-five years.⁸<i class=“footnote”>The Beis Hamikdosh stood 410 years according to the Gemara in Maseches Yoma 9a; this figure can be arrived at by subtracting these 15 years from 425.</i></html>

<html><b>He restored.</b> From the hand of Arom. <b>Yonah son of Amitai.</b> He was the one who anointed Yeihu, who said to him, “[Your] descendants of the fourth generation will occupy [the throne of Yisroel].”⁹<i class=“footnote”>Yonah 3:1.</i> Our Rabbis, however, deduced, “And the word of Adonoy came to Yonah a second time,”¹⁰<i class=“footnote”>Alternatively, God spoke to Yonah only twice concerning Nineveh, but He spoke to him many times concerning other matters.—Radak</i> but not a third time, because he demanded the honor of the son, but he did not demand the honor of the Father. This verse was therefore difficult to them, and they reconciled it [as follows]: Just like the word of Adonoy, Who had spoken through Yonah concerning Nineveh, and the evil decree was overturned for good, so was it changed for Yisroel in the days of Yerovom son of Yoash, from the distress in which they were found, that “the Arom’s king had destroyed them and trampled them like dirt,”¹¹<i class=“footnote”>Above, 13:7.</i> and now it was changed for the good.¹²<i class=“footnote”>See Maseches Yevamos 98a.</i></html>

<html><b>Intensifying increasingly. </b> Very vexing, <i>contrarios</i>, in O.F., as in, “who will rebel [יַמְרֶה] against your command,”¹³<i class=“footnote”>Yehoshua 1:18.</i> [and as in,] “You have been contrary [מַמְרִים],”¹⁴<i class=“footnote”>Devorim 9:24.</i> [and as in,] “and they were a source of spiritual bitterness [מֹרַת רוּח].”¹⁵<i class=“footnote”>Bereishis 26:38.</i> Others interpret מוֹרֶה מְאֹד as “very low,” an expression of, “He hurled [יָרָה] into the sea.”¹⁶<i class=“footnote”>Shemos 15:4.</i></html>