1. Amaziah was 25 years old when he became king. He ruled for 29 years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jehoaddin. She was from Jerusalem.
2. Amaziah did what the Lord said was right. But he did not really want to obey the Lord.
3. Amaziah took strong control of the kingdom. Then he put to death the officers who had murdered his father the king.
4. But Amaziah did not put their children to death. He obeyed what was written in the Book of Moses. There the Lord commanded, “Fathers must not be put to death when their children do wrong. And children must not be put to death when their fathers do wrong. Each person must die for his own sins.”
5. Amaziah gathered the people of Judah together. He grouped all the people of Judah and Benjamin by families. And he put commanders over groups of 1,000 and over groups of 100. He counted the men who were 20 years old and older. In all there were 300,000 soldiers ready to fight. They were skilled with spears and shields.
6. Amaziah also hired 100,000 soldiers from Israel. He paid about 7,500 pounds of silver for them.
7. But a man of God came to Amaziah and said, “My king, don’t let the army of Israel go with you. The Lord is not with Israel. He is not with the people from the tribes of Israel.