בֶּן־עֶשְׂרִים וְחָמֵשׁ שָׁנָה מָלַךְ אֲמַצְיָהוּ וְעֶשְׂרִים וָתֵשַׁע שָׁנָה מָלַךְ בִּירוּשָׁלִָם וְשֵׁם אִמּוֹ יְהוֹעַדָּן מִירוּשָׁלָיִם

Amatzyahu was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Yeho’adan from Jerusalem.

וַיַּעַשׂ הַיָּשָׁר בְּעֵינֵי ה' רַק לֹא בְּלֵבָב שָׁלֵם

He did what is right in the eyes of the Lord, but not wholeheartedly. Although he basically acted properly, he did not seek to go beyond the standard parameters of the kings of Judah, and the spiritual problems of the kingdom remained unresolved.

וַיְהִי כַּאֲשֶׁר חָזְקָה הַמַּמְלָכָה עָלָיו וַיַּהֲרֹג אֶת־עֲבָדָיו הַמַּכִּים אֶת הַמֶּלֶךְ אָבִיו

Amatzyahu became king after his father’s death at the hands of rebels, which did not establish the new monarch in a clear, stable situation. The deeds of those responsible for the assassination were known to all, but the perpetrators were not immediately punished, due to their prominent positions. It was when the kingdom was firmly in his control, when Amatzyahu was confident in the viability of his reign, that he killed those of his servants who had smitten his father the king, Yo’ash.

וְאֶת־בְּנֵיהֶם לֹא הֵמִית כִּי כַכָּתוּב בַּתּוֹרָה בְּסֵפֶר מֹשֶׁה אֲשֶׁר־צִוָּה ה' לֵאמֹר לֹא־יָמוּתוּ אָבוֹת עַל בָּנִים וּבָנִים לֹא־יָמוּתוּ עַל־אָבוֹת כִּי אִישׁ בְּחֶטְאוֹ יָמוּתוּ

But he did not put their children to death, despite the fact that it was accepted practice to take vengeance upon the entire family of the perpetrators in those situations, as it is written in the Torah, in the scroll of Moses, that the Lord commanded, saying: Fathers shall not die for the deeds of sons, and sons shall not die for fathers, as each shall die for his own sin.

וַיִּקְבֹּץ אֲמַצְיָהוּ אֶת־יְהוּדָה וַיַּעֲמִידֵם לְבֵית־אָבוֹת לְשָׂרֵי הָאֲלָפִים וּלְשָׂרֵי הַמֵּאוֹת לְכָל־יְהוּדָה וּבִנְיָמִן וַיִּפְקְדֵם לְמִבֶּן עֶשְׂרִים שָׁנָה וָמַעְלָה וַיִּמְצָאֵם שְׁלֹשׁ־מֵאוֹת אֶלֶף בָּחוּר יוֹצֵא צָבָא אֹחֵז רֹמַח וְצִנָּה

Amatzyahu gathered Judah, and he positioned them in accordance with their patrilineal houses, their families, by the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds, for all Judah and Benjamin; and he counted them from twenty years old and above, and found them to be three hundred thousand chosen men, fit for military service, handlers of spear and large shield. This is a far smaller army than those at the disposal of his predecessors (see 13:3, 14:7, 17:14–18).

וַיִּשְׂכֹּר מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל מֵאָה אֶלֶף גִּבּוֹר חָיִל בְּמֵאָה כִכַּר־כָּסֶף

Since he thought that he did not have enough warriors, he hired from Israel, which was a much larger kingdom, one hundred thousand mighty warriors for one hundred talents of silver.

וְאִישׁ הָאֱלֹהִים בָּא אֵלָיו לֵאמֹר הַמֶּלֶךְ אַל־יָבוֹא עִמְּךָ צְבָא יִשְׂרָאֵל כִּי אֵין ה' עִם־יִשְׂרָאֵל כֹּל בְּנֵי אֶפְרָיִם

But an unnamed man of God came to him, saying: King, let the army of Israel not go with you to war, as the Lord is not going with Israel; all the children of Ephraim should not join forces with you. God will not be with them, as they have strayed from His path. According to a tradition of the Sages, this prophet was Amotz, the brother of King Amatzyahu and the father of the prophet Isaiah.

כִּי אִם בֹא אַתָּה עֲשֵׂה חֲזַק לַמִּלְחָמָה יַכְשִׁילְךָ הָאֱלֹהִים לִפְנֵי אוֹיֵב כִּי יֶשׁ־כֹּחַ בֵּאלֹהִים לַעְזוֹר וּלְהַכְשִׁיל

For even if you do go with them and engage mightily in war, God will thwart you before the enemy, as God has power to help and to thwart.

וַיֹּאמֶר אֲמַצְיָהוּ לְאִישׁ הָאֱלֹהִים וּמַה־לַּעֲשׂוֹת לִמְאַת הַכִּכָּר אֲשֶׁר נָתַתִּי לִגְדוּד יִשְׂרָאֵל וַיֹּאמֶר אִישׁ הָאֱלֹהִים יֵשׁ לַה' לָתֶת לְךָ הַרְבֵּה מִזֶּה

Amatzyahu said to the man of God: But what is to be done with the hundred talents that I gave to the troops of Israel? I have already paid for these troops. The man of God said: The Lord is capable of giving you more than this. God can restore this money to you, and much more besides.

וַיַּבְדִּילֵם אֲמַצְיָהוּ לְהַגְּדוּד אֲשֶׁר־בָּא אֵלָיו מֵאֶפְרַיִם לָלֶכֶת לִמְקוֹמָם וַיִּחַר אַפָּם מְאֹד בִּיהוּדָה וַיָּשׁוּבוּ לִמְקוֹמָם בָּחֳרִי־אָף

The king listened to the prophet: Amatzyahu separated them, the troops that had come to him from Ephraim, and sent them to go back to their place. They were insulted; their wrath was greatly enflamed against Judah, who had dismissed them without allowing them to participate in battle, and they returned to their place with enflamed wrath.

וַאֲמַצְיָהוּ הִתְחַזַּק וַיִּנְהַג אֶת־עַמּוֹ וַיֵּלֶךְ גֵּיא הַמֶּלַח וַיַּךְ אֶת־בְּנֵי־שֵׂעִיר עֲשֶׂרֶת אֲלָפִים

Amatzyahu took courage, and led his people on an invasion into Edom, and went to the Valley of Salt, and smote ten thousand of the children of Se’ir, the Edomites. Edom, which had never been a large nation, was always somewhat subject to the rule of Judah. Nevertheless, it periodically achieved autonomy, and sometimes even called its leaders kings. Apart from the need to restrain this neighboring country, the Kingdom of Judah also had a political and economic interest at stake, since the Edomites controlled the route to the port of Eilat.

וַעֲשֶׂרֶת אֲלָפִים חַיִּים שָׁבוּ בְּנֵי יְהוּדָה וַיְבִיאוּם לְרֹאשׁ הַסָּלַע וַיַּשְׁלִיכוּם מֵרֹאשׁ הַסֶּלַע וְכֻלָּם נִבְקָעוּ

The children of Judah captured ten thousand warriors alive, as captives, and brought them to the top of the rock, perhaps Petra, although it was very far away; and they cast them from the top of the rock, and all of them were broken. They executed them by throwing them off the top of the rock.

וּבְנֵי הַגְּדוּד אֲשֶׁר הֵשִׁיב אֲמַצְיָהוּ מִלֶּכֶת עִמּוֹ לַמִּלְחָמָה וַיִּפְשְׁטוּ בְּעָרֵי יְהוּדָה מִשֹּׁמְרוֹן וְעַד־בֵּית חוֹרוֹן וַיַּכּוּ מֵהֶם שְׁלֹשֶׁת אֲלָפִים וַיָּבֹזּוּ בִּזָּה רַבָּה

But at the same time, the members of the troops of Ephraim, who were of sufficient numbers to be called an army in their own right, those that Amatzyahu had sent back from going with him to war, raided in the cities of Judah, from the border with Samaria to Beit Horon. They went on a wild spree of vengeance against the cities of Judah for the insult they had suffered. And they smote three thousand of them, the inhabitants of Judah, and plundered much spoils.

וַיְהִי אַחֲרֵי בוֹא אֲמַצְיָהוּ מֵהַכּוֹת אֶת־אֲדוֹמִים וַיָּבֵא אֶת־אֱלֹהֵי בְּנֵי שֵׂעִיר וַיַּעֲמִידֵם לוֹ לֵאלֹהִים וְלִפְנֵיהֶם יִשְׁתַּחֲוֶה וְלָהֶם יְקַטֵּר

It was after Amatzyahu came from smiting the Edomites that he brought the gods of the children of Se’ir with him to Judah, as he was attracted to their rituals, and he established them as his gods; he would prostrate himself before them and burn offerings of incense to them, as a gesture of brotherhood or due to a certain closeness he felt toward them.

וַיִּחַר־אַף ה' בַּאֲמַצְיָהוּ וַיִּשְׁלַח אֵלָיו נָבִיא וַיֹּאמֶר לוֹ לָמָּה דָרַשְׁתָּ אֶת־אֱלֹהֵי הָעָם אֲשֶׁר לֹא־הִצִּילוּ אֶת־עַמָּם מִיָּדֶךָ !

The wrath of the Lord was enflamed against Amatzyahu, and He sent an unidentified prophet to him, who said to him: Why did you seek after the gods of the people that did not deliver their own people from your hand? Not only did you turn to idolatry, but you adopted those very same idols that you had just defeated in war.

וַיְהִי בְּדַבְּרוֹ אֵלָיו וַיֹּאמֶר לוֹ הַלְיוֹעֵץ לַמֶּלֶךְ נְתַנּוּךָ חֲדַל־לְךָ לָמָּה יַכּוּךָ וַיֶּחְדַּל הַנָּבִיא וַיֹּאמֶר יָדַעְתִּי כִּי־יָעַץ אֱלֹהִים לְהַשְׁחִיתֶךָ כִּי־עָשִׂיתָ זֹּאת וְלֹא שָׁמַעְתָּ לַעֲצָתִי

It was while the prophet was speaking to him that he, the king, said to him: Did we appoint you the king’s counselor? How dare you tell me what to do and what not to do? Stop this impudence; why should they, my counselors, have cause to smite you? The prophet stopped speaking, and said only this: I know that God has counseled to destroy you because you did this and did not heed my counsel. This path you have chosen will not lead you to glory. Amatzyahu appears to have been emotionally unstable. He was prone to outbreaks of anger, and may have suffered from extreme mood swings. Sometimes he listened to everything a prophet told him, despite the potentially dangerous ramifications of that course of action, whereas on other occasions he acted as a grand, triumphant king and refused to accept any criticism.

וַיִּוָּעַץ אֲמַצְיָהוּ מֶלֶךְ יְהוּדָה וַיִּשְׁלַח אֶל־יוֹאָשׁ בֶּן־יְהוֹאָחָז בֶּן־יֵהוּא מֶלֶךְ יִשְׂרָאֵל לֵאמֹר לְךָ נִתְרָאֶה פָנִים

Amatzyahu king of Judah consulted, and sent to Yo’ash, son of Yeho’ahaz, son of Yehu, king of Israel, saying: Come, let us meet one anotherin battle.

וַיִּשְׁלַח יוֹאָשׁ מֶלֶךְ־יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶל־אֲמַצְיָהוּ מֶלֶךְ־יְהוּדָה לֵאמֹר הַחוֹחַ אֲשֶׁר בַּלְּבָנוֹן שָׁלַח אֶל־הָאֶרֶז אֲשֶׁר בַּלְּבָנוֹן לֵאמֹר תְּנָה־אֶת־בִּתְּךָ לִבְנִי לְאִשָּׁה וַתַּעֲבֹר חַיַּת הַשָּׂדֶה אֲשֶׁר בַּלְּבָנוֹן וַתִּרְמֹס אֶת־הַחוֹחַ

Yo’ash king of Israel sent a reply to Amatzyahu king of Judah, saying, by means of a parable: The small thistle that is in the Lebanon sent to the cedar that is in the Lebanon, saying: Since we are both forms of vegetation in Lebanon, give your daughter as a wife to my son. In the meantime, the wild beast that was in the Lebanon passed by and trampled the thistle. The flimsy thistle should not have been so presumptuous.

אָמַרְתָּ הִנֵּה הִכִּיתָ אֶת־אֱדוֹם וּנְשָׂאֲךָ לִבְּךָ לְהַכְבִּיד עַתָּה שְׁבָה בְּבֵיתֶךָ לָמָּה תִתְגָּרֶה בְּרָעָה וְנָפַלְתָּ אַתָּה וִיהוּדָה עִמָּךְ

To prevent Amatzyahu misunderstanding the meaning of his parable, Yo’ash explains exactly what he meant: You said to yourself, behold, you have smitten Edom, although it is not a large country; and already your heart has raised you to seek glory? After that one minor victory, you wish to declare war upon me, imagining us as equals. Sit now at home; why provoke harm? You will fall, you and Judah with you. It would be a shame for you and your men to suffer defeat.

וְלֹא־שָׁמַע אֲמַצְיָהוּ כִּי מֵהָאֱלֹהִים הִיא לְמַעַן תִּתָּם בְּיָד כִּי דָרְשׁוּ אֵת אֱלֹהֵי אֱדוֹם

But Amatzyahu did not heed this good advice, as it, his obstinacy, was decreed from God, in order to deliver them, the men of Judah, into the hand of their enemies, because they had sought the gods of Edom.

וַיַּעַל יוֹאָשׁ מֶלֶךְ־יִשְׂרָאֵל וַיִּתְרָאוּ פָנִים הוּא וַאֲמַצְיָהוּ מֶלֶךְ־יְהוּדָה בְּבֵית שֶׁמֶשׁ אֲשֶׁר לִיהוּדָה

Yo’ash king of Israel went up to war against Judah, and he and Amatzyahu king of Judah met one another, they engaged in battle, in Beit Shemesh, which is in Judah.

וַיִּנָּגֶף יְהוּדָה לִפְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וַיָּנֻסוּ אִישׁ לְאֹהָלָיו

Judah was routed before Israel, and each man fled to his tent. The Kingdom of Israel was larger and more experienced in battle than its southern neighbor, as the borders of the relatively small Kingdom of Judah were generally quiet. Consequently, Amatzyahu had been unlikely to win.

וְאֵת אֲמַצְיָהוּ מֶלֶךְ־יְהוּדָה בֶּן־יוֹאָשׁ בֶּן־יְהוֹאָחָז תָּפַשׂ יוֹאָשׁ מֶלֶךְ־יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּבֵית שָׁמֶשׁ וַיְבִיאֵהוּ יְרוּשָׁלִַם וַיִּפְרֹץ בְּחוֹמַת יְרוּשָׁלִַם מִשַּׁעַר אֶפְרַיִם עַד־שַׁעַר הַפּוֹנֶה אַרְבַּע מֵאוֹת אַמָּה

Yo’ash king of Israel seized Amatzyahu king of Judah, son of Yo’ash, son of Yeho’ahaz in Beit Shemesh, and he did not kill him, but brought him to Jerusalem, and breached the wall of Jerusalem from the Gate of Ephraim to the Corner Gate, four hundred cubits. This large breach was a display of the power of the king of Israel, in order to deter Judah from similar campaigns in the future.

וְכָל־הַזָּהָב וְהַכֶּסֶף וְאֵת כָּל־הַכֵּלִים הַנִּמְצְאִים בְּבֵית־הָאֱלֹהִים עִם־עֹבֵד אֱדוֹם וְאֶת־אוֹצְרוֹת בֵּית הַמֶּלֶךְ וְאֵת בְּנֵי הַתַּעֲרֻבוֹת וַיָּשָׁב שֹׁמְרוֹן

He left with all the gold and silver as spoils, and all the vessels that were found in the House of God with Oved Edom, who was in charge of guarding them, and the treasuries of the king’s house, and the hostages. It was the practice of powerful kings to kidnap children from other nations and tribes, in order to ensure their parents’ compliance, as the parents knew that if they took any action against the king, their child would be harmed. Therefore, these hostages were not merely economic assets, but political resources as well. He, the king of Israel, returned to Samaria, after his victory in the war.

וַיְחִי אֲמַצְיָהוּ בֶן־יוֹאָשׁ מֶלֶךְ יְהוּדָה אַחֲרֵי מוֹת יוֹאָשׁ בֶּן־יְהוֹאָחָז מֶלֶךְ יִשְׂרָאֵל חֲמֵשׁ עֶשְׂרֵה שָׁנָה

Amatzyahu son of Yo’ash, king of Judah, lived for an additional fifteen years after the death of Yo’ash son of Yeho’ahaz, king of Israel.

וְיֶתֶר דִּבְרֵי אֲמַצְיָהוּ הָרִאשֹׁנִים וְהָאַחֲרוֹנִים הֲלֹא הִנָּם כְּתוּבִים עַל־סֵפֶר מַלְכֵי יְהוּדָה וְיִשְׂרָאֵל

The rest of the early deeds, from when he followed in the path of God, and late deeds of Amatzyahu, his deterioration when he abandoned God, became haughty, and brought disasters upon his people, behold, aren’t they written in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel?

וּמֵעֵת אֲשֶׁר־סָר אֲמַצְיָהוּ מֵאַחֲרֵי ה'וַיִּקְשְׁרוּ עָלָיו קֶשֶׁר בִּירוּשָׁלִַם וַיָּנָס לָכִישָׁה וַיִּשְׁלְחוּ אַחֲרָיו לָכִישָׁה וַיְמִיתֻהוּ שָׁם

From the time that Amatzyahu strayed from after the Lord, not only did he lose his connection to God, but he lost the support of the people as well, and they conspired against him, organizing a revolt in Jerusalem. He fled to Lakhish, a fortified city of the kings of Judah, and they, the rebels, who were sufficiently powerful, sent after him to Lakhish, and put him to death there. In the Kingdom of Israel there were almost no dynasties that lasted more than a few generations. In contrast, the royal dynasty in Judah was relatively stable. These two kings of Judah, Yo’ash and Amatzyahu, who were killed by rebels, are the exception, and even in their cases, the kingdom was not usurped by the rebels but was passed to their sons.

וַיִּשָּׂאֻהוּ עַל־הַסּוּסִים וַיִּקְבְּרוּ אֹתוֹ עִם־אֲבֹתָיו בְּעִיר יְהוּדָה

They bore him on horses from Lakhish and buried him with his fathers in the city of Judah, Jerusalem.