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All the people of Judah chose Amaziah's sixteen-year-old son Uzziah to succeed his father as king.
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(It was after the death of Amaziah that Uzziah recaptured Elath and rebuilt the city.)
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Uzziah became king at the age of sixteen, and he ruled in Jerusalem for fifty-two years. His mother was Jecoliah from Jerusalem.
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Following the example of his father, he did what was pleasing to the LORD.
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As long as Zechariah, his religious adviser, was living, he served the LORD faithfully, and God blessed him.
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Uzziah went to war against the Philistines. He tore down the walls of the cities of Gath, Jamnia, and Ashdod, and built fortified cities near Ashdod and in the rest of Philistia.
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God helped him defeat the Philistines, the Arabs living at Gurbaal, and the Meunites.
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The Ammonites paid tribute to Uzziah, and he became so powerful that his fame spread even to Egypt.
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Uzziah strengthened the fortifications of Jerusalem by building towers at the Corner Gate, at the Valley Gate, and where the wall turned.
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He also built fortified towers in the open country and dug many cisterns, because he had large herds of livestock in the western foothills and plains. Because he loved farming, he encouraged the people to plant vineyards in the hill country and to farm the fertile land.
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He had a large army ready for battle. Its records were kept by his secretaries Jeiel and Maaseiah under the supervision of Hananiah, a member of the king's staff.
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The army was commanded by 2,600 officers.
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Under them were 307,500 soldiers able to fight effectively for the king against his enemies.
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Uzziah supplied the army with shields, spears, helmets, coats of armor, bows and arrows, and stones for slinging.
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In Jerusalem his inventors made equipment for shooting arrows and for throwing large stones from the towers and corners of the city wall. His fame spread everywhere, and he became very powerful because of the help he received from God.
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But when King Uzziah became strong, he grew arrogant, and that led to his downfall. He defied the LORD his God by going into the Temple to burn incense on the altar of incense.
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Azariah the priest, accompanied by eighty strong and courageous priests, followed the king
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to resist him. They said, "Uzziah! You have no right to burn incense to the LORD. Only the priests who are descended from Aaron have been consecrated to do this. Leave this holy place. You have offended the LORD God, and you no longer have his blessing."
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Uzziah was standing there in the Temple beside the incense altar and was holding an incense burner. He became angry with the priests, and immediately a dreaded skin disease broke out on his forehead.
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Azariah and the other priests stared at the king's forehead in horror and then forced him to leave the Temple. He hurried to get out, because the LORD had punished him.
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For the rest of his life King Uzziah was ritually unclean because of his disease. Unable to enter the Temple again, he lived in his own house, relieved of all duties, while his son Jotham governed the country.
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The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz recorded all the other things that King Uzziah did during his reign.
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Uzziah died and was buried in the royal burial ground, but because of his disease he was not buried in the royal tombs. His son Jotham succeeded him as king.
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Jotham became king at the age of twenty-five, and he ruled in Jerusalem for sixteen years. His mother was Jerushah, the daughter of Zadok.
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He did what was pleasing to the LORD, just as his father had done; but unlike his father he did not sin by burning incense in the Temple. The people, however, went on sinning.
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It was Jotham who built the North Gate of the Temple and did extensive work on the city wall in the area of Jerusalem called Ophel.
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In the mountains of Judah he built cities, and in the forests he built forts and towers.
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He fought against the king of Ammon and his army and defeated them. Then he forced the Ammonites to pay him the following tribute each year for three years: four tons of silver, fifty thousand bushels of wheat, and fifty thousand bushels of barley.
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Jotham grew powerful because he faithfully obeyed the LORD his God.
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The other events of Jotham's reign, his wars, and his policies, are all recorded in The History of the Kings of Israel and Judah.
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Jotham was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he ruled in Jerusalem for sixteen years.
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He died and was buried in David's City and his son Ahaz succeeded him as king.
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In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord. He was sitting on his throne, high and exalted, and his robe filled the whole Temple.
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Around him flaming creatures were standing, each of which had six wings. Each creature covered its face with two wings, and its body with two, and used the other two for flying.
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They were calling out to each other: "Holy, holy, holy! The LORD Almighty is holy! His glory fills the world."
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The sound of their voices made the foundation of the Temple shake, and the Temple itself became filled with smoke.
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I said, "There is no hope for me! I am doomed because every word that passes my lips is sinful, and I live among a people whose every word is sinful. And yet, with my own eyes I have seen the King, the LORD Almighty."
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Then one of the creatures flew down to me, carrying a burning coal that he had taken from the altar with a pair of tongs.
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He touched my lips with the burning coal and said, "This has touched your lips, and now your guilt is gone, and your sins are forgiven."
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Then I heard the Lord say, "Whom shall I send? Who will be our messenger?" I answered, "I will go! Send me!"
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So he told me to go and give the people this message: "No matter how much you listen, you will not understand. No matter how much you look, you will not know what is happening."
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Then he said to me, "Make the minds of these people dull, their ears deaf, and their eyes blind, so that they cannot see or hear or understand. If they did, they might turn to me and be healed."
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I asked, "How long will it be like this, Lord?" He answered, "Until the cities are ruined and empty---until the houses are uninhabited---until the land itself is a desolate wasteland.
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I will send the people far away and make the whole land desolate.
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Even if one person out of ten remains in the land, he too will be destroyed; he will be like the stump of an oak tree that has been cut down." (The stump represents a new beginning for God's people.)
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When King Ahaz, the son of Jotham and grandson of Uzziah, ruled Judah, war broke out. Rezin, king of Syria, and Pekah son of Remaliah, king of Israel, attacked Jerusalem, but were unable to capture it.
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When word reached the king of Judah that the armies of Syria were already in the territory of Israel, he and all his people were so terrified that they trembled like trees shaking in the wind.
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The LORD said to Isaiah, "Take your son Shear Jashub, and go to meet King Ahaz. You will find him on the road where the cloth makers work, at the end of the ditch that brings water from the upper pool.
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Tell him to keep alert, to stay calm, and not to be frightened or disturbed. The anger of King Rezin and his Syrians and of King Pekah is no more dangerous than the smoke from two smoldering sticks of wood.
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Syria, together with Israel and its king, has made a plot.
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They intend to invade Judah, terrify the people into joining their side, and then put Tabeel's son on the throne.
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"But I, the LORD, declare that this will never happen.
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Why? Because Syria is no stronger than Damascus, its capital city, and Damascus is no stronger than King Rezin. As for Israel, within sixty-five years it will be too shattered to survive as a nation.
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Israel is no stronger than Samaria, its capital city, and Samaria is no stronger than King Pekah. "If your faith is not enduring, you will not endure."
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The LORD sent another message to Ahaz:
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"Ask the LORD your God to give you a sign. It can be from deep in the world of the dead or from high up in heaven."
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Ahaz answered, "I will not ask for a sign. I refuse to put the LORD to the test."
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To that Isaiah replied, "Listen, now, descendants of King David. It's bad enough for you to wear out the patience of people---do you have to wear out God's patience too?
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Well then, the Lord himself will give you a sign: a young woman who is pregnant will have a son and will name him 'Immanuel.'
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By the time he is old enough to make his own decisions, people will be drinking milk and eating honey.
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Even before that time comes, the lands of those two kings who terrify you will be deserted.
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"The LORD is going to bring on you, on your people, and on the whole royal family, days of trouble worse than any that have come since the kingdom of Israel separated from Judah---he is going to bring the king of Assyria.
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"When that time comes, the LORD will whistle as a signal for the Egyptians to come like flies from the farthest branches of the Nile, and for the Assyrians to come from their land like bees.
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They will swarm in the rugged valleys and in the caves in the rocks, and they will cover every thorn bush and every pasture.
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"When that time comes, the Lord will hire a barber from across the Euphrates---the emperor of Assyria!---and he will shave off your beards and the hair on your heads and your bodies.
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"When that time comes, even if a farmer has been able to save only one young cow and two goats,
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they will give so much milk that he will have all he needs. Yes, the few survivors left in the land will have milk and honey to eat.
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"When that time comes, the fine vineyards, each with a thousand vines and each worth a thousand pieces of silver, will be overgrown with thorn bushes and briers.
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People will go hunting there with bows and arrows. Yes, the whole country will be full of briers and thorn bushes.
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All the hills where crops were once planted will be so overgrown with thorns that no one will go there. It will be a place where cattle and sheep graze."
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From Paul, a prisoner for the sake of Christ Jesus, and from our brother Timothy--- To our friend and fellow worker Philemon,
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and the church that meets in your house, and our sister Apphia, and our fellow soldier Archippus:
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May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace.
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Brother Philemon, every time I pray, I mention you and give thanks to my God.
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For I hear of your love for all of God's people and the faith you have in the Lord Jesus.
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My prayer is that our fellowship with you as believers will bring about a deeper understanding of every blessing which we have in our life in union with Christ.
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Your love, dear brother, has brought me great joy and much encouragement! You have cheered the hearts of all of God's people.
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For this reason I could be bold enough, as your brother in Christ, to order you to do what should be done.
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But because I love you, I make a request instead. I do this even though I am Paul, the ambassador of Christ Jesus, and at present also a prisoner for his sake.
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So I make a request to you on behalf of Onesimus, who is my own son in Christ; for while in prison I have become his spiritual father.
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At one time he was of no use to you, but now he is useful both to you and to me.
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I am sending him back to you now, and with him goes my heart.
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I would like to keep him here with me, while I am in prison for the gospel's sake, so that he could help me in your place.
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However, I do not want to force you to help me; rather, I would like for you to do it of your own free will. So I will not do anything unless you agree.
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It may be that Onesimus was away from you for a short time so that you might have him back for all time.
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And now he is not just a slave, but much more than a slave: he is a dear brother in Christ. How much he means to me! And how much more he will mean to you, both as a slave and as a brother in the Lord!
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So, if you think of me as your partner, welcome him back just as you would welcome me.
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If he has done you any wrong or owes you anything, charge it to my account.
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Here, I will write this with my own hand: I, Paul, will pay you back. (I should not have to remind you, of course, that you owe your very self to me.)
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So, my brother, please do me this favor for the Lord's sake; as a brother in Christ, cheer me up!
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I am sure, as I write this, that you will do what I ask---in fact I know that you will do even more.
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At the same time, get a room ready for me, because I hope that God will answer the prayers of all of you and give me back to you.
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Epaphras, who is in prison with me for the sake of Christ Jesus, sends you his greetings,
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and so do my co-workers Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke.
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May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.
