1. Amaziah was 25 years old when he became king and reigned 29 years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jehoaddan from Jerusalem.
2. Now he did what was right in the eyes of Adonai, but not wholeheartedly.
3. Once he had the kingdom firmly secured under him, he executed his courtiers who had assassinated his father the king.
4. He did not put their children to death, but acted according to what is written in the Torah, in the book of Moses, which Adonai commanded saying, “Parents should not die for the children, neither should the children die for the parents, but every person should die for his own sin.”
5. Amaziah gathered together the people of Judah and assigned them according to their clans to officers of thousands and officers of hundreds for all Judah and Benjamin. He mustered those from 20 years old and upward, and found 300,000 chosen men, able to go to war, able to handle spear and shield.
6. He also hired 100,000 valiant warriors from Israel for a hundred talents of silver.
7. But a man of God came to him saying, “O king, do not let the army of Israel go with you, for Adonai is not with Israel—not with any of the children of Ephraim.
8. For if you go and fight courageously in battle, God will overthrow you before the enemy, for God has power to help and to bring down.”
9. But Amaziah said to the man of God, “And what is to be done about the 100 talents that I have given to the Israelite troops?” The man of God answered, “Adonai is able to give you much more than that.”
10. So, Amaziah dismissed the troops who had come to him from Ephraim to go back to their homes. Their anger burned greatly against Judah and they returned home in a rage.
11. Amaziah then took courage and leading his army, marched to the Valley of Salt. He struck down 10,000 men of Seir.
12. The army of Judah also captured 10,000 alive, and brought them to the top of the cliff. They threw them down from the top of the cliff and everyone fell to their death.
13. Meanwhile the troops that Amaziah had sent back and not allowed to go with him to battle raided the cities of Judah from Samaria to Beth-Horon. They struck down 3,ooo of them and took considerable spoils.