1. Amaziah began to rule as king over Judah. It was in the second year that Jehoash was king of Israel. He was the son of Jehoahaz. Amaziah was the son of Joash.
2. Amaziah was 25 years old when he became king. He ruled in Jerusalem for 29 years. His mother's name was Jehoaddin. She was from Jerusalem.
3. Amaziah did what was right in the eyes of the Lord. But he didn't do what King David had done. He always followed the example of his father Joash.
4. The high places weren't removed. The people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense there.
5. The kingdom was firmly under his control. So he put to death the officials who had murdered his father, the king.
6. But he didn't put their children to death. He obeyed what is written in the Scroll of the Law of Moses. There the Lord commanded, "Parents must not be put to death because of what their children do. And children must not be put to death because of what their parents do. People must die because of their own sins." (Deuteronomy 24:16)
7. Amaziah won the battle over 10,000 men of Edom. It happened in the Valley of Salt. During the battle he captured the town of Sela. He called it Joktheel. That's the name it still has to this very day.
8. Then Amaziah sent messengers to Jehoash, the king of Israel. He was the son of Jehoahaz, the son of Jehu. The message said, "Come on. Meet me face to face in battle."
9. But Jehoash, the king of Israel, answered Amaziah, the king of Judah. He said, "A thorn bush in Lebanon sent a message to a cedar tree there. It said, 'Give your daughter to be married to my son.' Then a wild animal in Lebanon came along. It walked all over the thorn bush.