Updated on

2KI

2 Kings 14 - Simple English

OriginalSimple EnglishSimpleNew Summary

Read 2 Kings Chapter 14

Up and down arrows move from one verse to the next.

1In the second year of Joash son of Jehoahaz king of Israel, Amaziah the son of Joash king of Judah began to reign.

2He was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Jehoaddan of Jerusalem.

3He did what was right in the sight of the LORD, but not like David his father. He did just as Joash his father had done.

4But the high places were not taken away. The people still sacrificed and burned incense on the high places.

5As soon as the kingdom was firmly in his hand, he killed the servants who had killed the king his father.

6But he did not put to death the children of the murderers. He did as it is written in the book of the law of Moses, where the LORD commanded, "The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, and the children shall not be put to death for the fathers. Every man shall be put to death for his own sin."

7He killed ten thousand of Edom in the Valley of Salt, and he took Selah in war and called its name Joktheel, which is its name to this day.

8Then Amaziah sent messengers to Jehoash, the son of Jehoahaz son of Jehu, king of Israel, saying, "Come, let us look one another in the face."

9Jehoash the king of Israel sent word back to Amaziah king of Judah: "The thistle in Lebanon sent to the cedar in Lebanon, saying, 'Give your daughter to my son as his wife.' But a wild beast in Lebanon passed by and trampled down the thistle."

10"You have indeed struck down Edom, and your heart has lifted you up. Take your glory in that, and stay at home. Why should you stir up trouble and be hurt by it, so that you fall, you and Judah with you?"

11But Amaziah would not listen. So Jehoash king of Israel went up, and he and Amaziah king of Judah looked one another in the face at Bethshemesh, which belongs to Judah.

12Judah was beaten by Israel, and every man fled to his tent.

13Jehoash king of Israel captured Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Jehoash the son of Ahaziah, at Bethshemesh. Then he came to Jerusalem and broke down the wall of Jerusalem from the gate of Ephraim to the corner gate, four hundred cubits.

14He took all the gold and silver, and all the vessels that were found in the house of the LORD and in the treasures of the king's house, and hostages as well, and he returned to Samaria.

15The rest of the acts of Jehoash, and his might, and how he fought with Amaziah king of Judah, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?

16Jehoash slept with his fathers and was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel. Jeroboam his son reigned in his place.

17Amaziah the son of Joash king of Judah lived fifteen years after the death of Jehoash son of Jehoahaz king of Israel.

18The rest of the acts of Amaziah, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?

19They made a conspiracy against him in Jerusalem, and he fled to Lachish. But they sent men after him to Lachish and killed him there.

20They brought him back on horses, and he was buried at Jerusalem with his fathers in the city of David.

21All the people of Judah took Azariah, who was sixteen years old, and made him king in place of his father Amaziah.

22He built Elath and restored it to Judah, after the king slept with his fathers.

23In the fifteenth year of Amaziah the son of Joash king of Judah, Jeroboam the son of Joash king of Israel began to reign in Samaria, and he reigned forty-one years.

24He did what was evil in the sight of the LORD. He did not turn away from any of the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel sin.

25He restored the border of Israel from the entrance of Hamath to the sea of the plain. This was according to the word of the LORD God of Israel, which he spoke through his servant Jonah, the son of Amittai, the prophet, who was from Gathhepher.

26For the LORD saw the suffering of Israel, and it was very bitter. There was no one shut up and no one left, and there was no helper for Israel.

27The LORD had not said that he would blot out the name of Israel from under heaven. So he saved them by the hand of Jeroboam the son of Joash.

28The rest of the acts of Jeroboam, and all that he did, and his might, how he made war, and how he recovered Damascus and Hamath, which belonged to Judah, for Israel, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?

29Jeroboam slept with his fathers, with the kings of Israel, and Zachariah his son reigned in his place.

You are readingSimple English

Explanation

2 Kings 14

In short

This chapter tells of three kings: Amaziah of Judah, who wins a battle but then loses badly to the king of Israel; Jehoash of Israel, who defeats Judah and plunders its temple; and Jeroboam II of Israel, who restores Israel's power despite walking in evil ways. The chapter shows success and failure playing out across both kingdoms.

Context

This is part of the ongoing history of Israel and Judah after their split into two kingdoms. Amaziah has just inherited the throne of Judah. Meanwhile, Jehoash rules Israel to the north. Later in the chapter, Jeroboam II takes Israel's throne. The narrator uses these reigns to show how each king's choices lead to blessing or judgment, and how the LORD works through earthly rulers.

What the text says

Amaziah becomes king of Judah at twenty-five and reigns twenty-nine years (verses 1-2). He does right but not as David did, and the high places for worship remain (verses 3-4). Once his rule is secure, he executes his father's assassins but not their children, citing Moses' law that each person dies for his own sin (verses 5-6). He defeats ten thousand Edomites and captures their city (verse 7). Flushed with this victory, he challenges Jehoash of Israel to battle. Jehoash refuses with a mocking parable about a thistle and cedar, warning Amaziah not to invite disaster (verses 8-10). Amaziah ignores this and they fight at Bethshemesh; Judah loses, Amaziah is captured, and Jehoash breaks down Jerusalem's wall and plunders the temple and palace (verses 11-14). After Jehoash dies, Amaziah lives fifteen more years but a conspiracy forces him to flee to Lachish, where he is killed (verses 17-19). His sixteen-year-old son Azariah becomes king (verse 21). Jeroboam II then begins his reign over Israel, ruling forty-one years (verse 23). Though he does evil, the LORD uses him to restore Israel's borders, fulfilling the prophet Jonah's word (verses 24-27). This happens because the LORD saw Israel's bitter affliction and chose not to erase the nation (verses 26-27).

Takeaways

  • A king's personal victory can lead to pride and a disastrous choice, as with Amaziah challenging the stronger Jehoash.
  • The LORD sometimes accomplishes his purposes through rulers who themselves do evil, as with Jeroboam II.
  • Obedience to God's law, even in small matters like not punishing children for their parents' sins, marks a faithful king.

Explanation written with the help of AI. The Bible text above is not changed. Context and interpretation are flagged as such; always come back to the text itself.

Need words for what you are living?

Describe it and receive a prayer written for you, with verses to hold on to.

Write a prayer