16. As the prophet spoke, Amaziah said to him, “We never gave you the job of advising the king! Stop, or you will be killed.”The prophet stopped speaking. Then he said, “I know that God has decided to destroy you because you have done this. You did not listen to my advice.”
17. Amaziah king of Judah talked with his men who gave him advice. Then he sent a message to Jehoash son of Jehoahaz. (Jehoahaz was the son of Jehu king of Israel.) Amaziah said to Jehoash, “Come, let’s meet face to face in battle.”
18. Then Jehoash king of Israel answered Amaziah king of Judah. Jehoash said, “A little thornbush in Lebanon sent a message to a big cedar tree in Lebanon. It said, ‘Let your daughter marry my son.’ But then a wild animal from Lebanon came by. It walked on and crushed the thornbush.
19. You say to yourself that you have defeated Edom. You are proud, and you brag. But you stay at home! Don’t ask for trouble by fighting me. If you do, you and Judah will be defeated.”
20. But Amaziah would not listen. God caused this to happen. He planned to let Jehoash of Israel defeat Judah. This was because Judah asked for help from the gods of Edom.
21. So Jehoash king of Israel went to attack. He and Amaziah king of Judah faced each other in battle at Beth Shemesh in Judah.
22. Israel defeated Judah. Every man of Judah ran away to his home.
23. At Beth Shemesh Jehoash king of Israel captured Amaziah king of Judah. (Amaziah was the son of Joash, who was the son of Ahaziah.) Then Jehoash brought him to Jerusalem. Jehoash broke down the wall of Jerusalem from the Gate of Ephraim to the Corner Gate. This part of the wall was about 600 feet long.
24. Then he took all the gold and silver and everything in the Temple of God. Obed-Edom had taken care of these things. Jehoash also took the treasures from the king’s palace. Then he took some hostages and returned to Samaria.
25. Amaziah son of Joash was king of Judah. He lived 15 years after Jehoash king of Israel died. Jehoash was the son of Jehoahaz.
26. The other things Amaziah did as king, from the beginning to the end, are written down. They are in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel.
27. When Amaziah stopped obeying the Lord, the people in Jerusalem made plans against him. So he ran away to the town of Lachish. But they sent men after him to Lachish and killed him there.
28. They brought his body back on horses. And he was buried with his ancestors in Jerusalem.