2 Kings

¹In the twenty-seventh year of Jeroboam king of Israel, Azariah son of Amaziah king of Judah became king.

²He was sixteen years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem for fifty-two years. His mother's name was Jekoliah; she was from Jerusalem.

³He did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, just as his father Amaziah had done.

⁴The high places, however, were not removed; the people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense there.

⁵The LORD afflicted the king with a skin disease until the day he died, and he lived in a separate house. Jotham the king's son had charge of the palace and governed the people of the land.

⁶The rest of the events of Azariah's reign, and all he did, are written in the book of the annals of the kings of Judah.

⁷Azariah died and was buried near his ancestors in the City of David. And his son Jotham became king after him.

⁸In the thirty-eighth year of Azariah king of Judah, Zechariah son of Jeroboam became king of Israel in Samaria, and he reigned six months.

⁹He did what was evil in the LORD's sight, as his predecessors had done. He did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he had caused Israel to commit.

¹⁰Shallum son of Jabesh conspired against Zechariah. He attacked him in front of the people, assassinated him, and succeeded him as king.

¹¹The rest of the events of Zechariah's reign are written in the book of the annals of the kings of Israel.

¹²So the word of the LORD spoken to Jehu was fulfilled: 'Your sons to the fourth generation will sit on the throne of Israel.'

¹³Shallum son of Jabesh became king in the thirty-ninth year of Uzziah king of Judah, and he reigned in Samaria one month.

¹⁴Then Menahem son of Gadi went from Tirzah up to Samaria. He attacked Shallum son of Jabesh there, assassinated him, and succeeded him as king.

¹⁵The rest of the events of Shallum's reign, and the conspiracy he led, are written in the book of the annals of the kings of Israel.

¹⁶At that time Menahem destroyed the town of Tiphsah and everyone in it, including its territory from Tirzah, because the people there refused to open the gates. He ransacked it and ripped open all the pregnant women.

¹⁷In the thirty-ninth year of Azariah king of Judah, Menahem son of Gadi became king of Israel, and he reigned in Samaria ten years.

¹⁸He did what was evil in the LORD's sight. During his entire reign he did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he had caused Israel to commit.

¹⁹Then Pul king of Assyria invaded the land, and Menahem gave him a thousand talents of silver to gain his support and strengthen his own hold on the kingdom.

²⁰Menahem exacted this silver from Israel. Every wealthy person had to contribute fifty shekels of silver to be given to the king of Assyria. So the king of Assyria withdrew and stayed in the land no longer.

²¹The rest of the events of Menahem's reign, and all he did, are written in the book of the annals of the kings of Israel.

²²Menahem died and his son Pekahiah became king after him.

²³In the fiftieth year of Azariah king of Judah, Pekahiah son of Menahem became king of Israel in Samaria, and he reigned two years.

²⁴He did what was evil in the LORD's sight. He did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he had caused Israel to commit.

²⁵One of his chief officers, Pekah son of Remaliah, conspired against him. Taking fifty men of Gilead with him, he attacked Pekahiah along with Argob and Arieh in the citadel of the royal palace at Samaria. So Pekah killed Pekahiah and succeeded him as king.

²⁶The rest of the events of Pekahiah's reign, and all he did, are written in the book of the annals of the kings of Israel.

²⁷In the fifty-second year of Azariah king of Judah, Pekah son of Remaliah became king of Israel in Samaria, and he reigned twenty years.

²⁸He did what was evil in the LORD's sight. He did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he had caused Israel to commit.

²⁹In the time of Pekah king of Israel, Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria came and took Ijon, Abel-beth-maacah, Janoah, Kedesh, Hazor, Gilead and Galilee, including all the land of Naphtali, and deported the people to Assyria.

³⁰Then Hoshea son of Elah conspired against Pekah son of Remaliah. He attacked and assassinated him, and then succeeded him as king in the twentieth year of Jotham son of Uzziah.

³¹The rest of the events of Pekah's reign, and all he did, are written in the book of the annals of the kings of Israel.

³²In the second year of Pekah son of Remaliah king of Israel, Jotham son of Uzziah king of Judah became king.

³³He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem sixteen years. His mother's name was Jerusha daughter of Zadok.

³⁴He did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, just as his father Uzziah had done.

³⁵The high places, however, were not removed; the people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense there. Jotham rebuilt the Upper Gate of the temple of the LORD.

³⁶The rest of the events of Jotham's reign, and all he did, are written in the book of the annals of the kings of Judah.

³⁷In those days the LORD began to send Rezin king of Aram and Pekah son of Remaliah against Judah.

³⁸Jotham died and was buried with his ancestors in the City of David, the city of his father. And his son Ahaz became king after him.