2Chronicles 26

 

וַיִּקְחוּ כָּל־עַם יְהוּדָה אֶת־עֻזִּיָּהוּ וְהוּא בֶּן־שֵׁשׁ עֶשְׂרֵה שָׁנָה וַיַּמְלִיכוּ אֹתוֹ תַּחַת אָבִיו אֲמַצְיָהוּ׃   26:1

2Chr. 26:1   And all of the people of Judah took Uzziah when he was sixteen years of age and made him king in place of his father, Amaziah.

In this verse, we continue, for a very short time, with the parallels in 2Kings Chapter 14.  This verse is close to 2Kin. 14:21, although Uzziah is called Azariah there.  The next verse is an echo of 2Kin. 14:22.  In that verse, Eloth is spelled Elath.

הוּא בָּנָה אֶת־אֵילוֹת וַיְשִׁיבֶהָ לִיהוּדָה אַחֲרֵי שְׁכַב־הַמֶּלֶךְ עִם־אֲבֹתָיו׃   26:2

2Chr. 26:2   He built Eloth and restored it to Judah.  Afterwards the king slept with his ancestors.

בֶּן־שֵׁשׁ עֶשְׂרֵה שָׁנָה עֻזִּיָּהוּ בְמָלְכֹו וַחֲמִשִּׁים וּשְׁתַּיִם שָׁנָה מָלַךְ בִּירוּשָׁלִָם וְשֵׁם אִמֹּו (יְכִילְיָה) [יְכָלְיָה   26:3

 מִן־יְרוּשָׁלִָם׃

2Chr. 26:3   Uzziah was sixteen years of age on his becoming king, and he reigned in Jerusalem fifty-two years.  And the name of his mother was Jecholiah, from Jerusalem.

This verse and the next are similar to 2Kin. 15:2 and 15:3.  In addition, in this verse the name of Uzziah’s mother in the parentheses is spelled differently than it is in 2Kin. 15:2.  The second yad is removed in the word after the right bracket, to agree with the spelling in the former chapter (except there the name is spelled with a vav suffix as well).

וַיַּעַשׂ הַיָּשָׁר בְּעֵינֵי יְהוָה כְּכֹל אֲשֶׁר־עָשָׂה אֲמַצְיָהוּ אָבִיו׃   26:4

2Chr. 26:4   And he did the right thing in the eyes of the Lord like everything that Amaziah, his father, had done

וַיְהִי לִדְרֹשׁ אֱלֹהִים בִּימֵי זְכַרְיָהוּ הַמֵּבִין בִּרְאֹת הָאֱלֹהִים וּבִימֵי דָּרְשׁוֹ אֶת־יְהוָה הִצְלִיחוֹ הָאֱלֹהִים׃   26:5

2Chr. 26:5   as he was seeking of God in the days of Zechariah, who was a perceiver in the vision of God.  So in the days of his seeking the Lord, God made him prosper.

At this point the two chapters, this one and 2Kings Chapter 15, diverge in their details.  This verse and the rest down to v. 26:22 are not included anywhere else.  The details given here are quite different in emphasis from the short description in 2Kings Chapter 15.  The entire life of Uzziah (Azariah), almost all of the rest of this chapter, is covered there in three verses, 2Kin. 15:5 to 15:7.

וַיֵּצֵא וַיִּלָּחֶם בַּפְּלִשְׁתִּים וַיִּפְרֹץ אֶת־חוֹמַת גַּת וְאֵת חוֹמַת יַבְנֵה וְאֵת חוֹמַת אַשְׁדּוֹד וַיִּבְנֶה עָרִים   26:6

 בְּאַשְׁדּוֹד וּבַפְּלִשְׁתִּים׃

2Chr. 26:6   And he went forth and fought with the Philistines and broke down the wall of Gath and the wall of Jabneh and the wall of Ashdod, and he built encampments in Ashdod and among the Philistines.

וַיַּעְזְרֵהוּ הָאֱלֹהִים עַל־פְּלִשְׁתִּים וְעַל־ (הָעַרְבִיִּים) [הָעַרְבִים] הַיֹּשְׁבִים בְּגוּר־בָּעַל וְהַמְּעוּנִים׃   26:7

2Chr. 26:7   And God helped him against the Philistines, as well as against the Arabians who were dwelling in Gur-baal, and the Meunim.

The word in the parentheses, translated as the Arabians, has an extra yad.  The correction in the brackets removes it.

וַיִּתְּנוּ הָעַמּוֹנִים מִנְחָה לְעֻזִּיָּהוּ וַיֵּלֶךְ שְׁמוֹ עַד־לְבוֹא מִצְרַיִם כִּי הֶחֱזִיק עַד־לְמָעְלָה׃   26:8

2Chr. 26:8   And the Ammonites gave tribute to Uzziah as his name proceeded as far as to the entrance of Egypt, for he became strong to the maximum.

וַיִּבֶן עֻזִּיָּהוּ מִגְדָּלִים בִּירוּשָׁלִַם עַל־שַׁעַר הַפִּנָּה וְעַל־שַׁעַר הַגַּיְא וְעַל־הַמִּקְצוֹעַ וַיְחַזְּקֵם׃   26:9

2Chr. 26:9   And Uzziah built towers in Jerusalem over the corner gate and over the valley gate and over the buttress, and he hardened them.

וַיִּבֶן מִגְדָּלִים בַּמִּדְבָּר וַיַּחְצֹב בֹּרוֹת רַבִּים כִּי מִקְנֶה־רַּב הָיָה לוֹ וּבַשְּׁפֵלָה וּבַמִּישׁוֹר אִכָּרִים וְכֹרְמִים   26:10

  בֶּהָרִים וּבַכַּרְמֶל כִּי־אֹהֵב אֲדָמָה הָיָה׃

2Chr. 26:10   And he built towers in the wilderness and dug many cisterns, for much livestock was his, and in the lowland and in the plain, farmers and vinedressers in the mountains and on Carmel, because he had a love of the soil.

וַיְהִי לְעֻזִּיָּהוּ חַיִל עֹשֵׂה מִלְחָמָה יֹוצְאֵי צָבָא לִגְדוּד בְּמִסְפַּר פְּקֻדָּתָם בְּיַד (יְעוּאֵל) [יְעִיאֵל] הַסֹּופֵר   26:11

 וּמַעֲשֵׂיָהוּ הַשֹּׁוטֵר עַל יַד־חֲנַנְיָהוּ מִשָּׂרֵי הַמֶּלֶךְ׃

2Chr. 26:11   And Uzziah had an army making war, those going out of the host as a marauding band, according to the number of their accounting by the hand of Jeiel, the scribe, and Maaseiah, the official, at the direction of Hananiah, one of the captains of the king.

The name of Jeiel in the parentheses is misspelled.  The vav should be a yad, as in the brackets.

כֹּל מִסְפַּר רָאשֵׁי הָאָבוֹת לְגִבּוֹרֵי חָיִל אַלְפַּיִם וְשֵׁשׁ מֵאוֹת׃   26:12

2Chr. 26:12   The entire number of the heads of households for the mighty men of valor was two thousand and six hundred.

וְעַל־יָדָם חֵיל צָבָא שְׁלֹשׁ מֵאוֹת אֶלֶף וְשִׁבְעַת אֲלָפִים וַחֲמֵשׁ מֵאוֹת עוֹשֵׂי מִלְחָמָה בְּכֹחַ חָיִל לַעְזֹר   26:13

 לַמֶּלֶךְ עַל־הָאוֹיֵב׃

2Chr. 26:13   And a military host of three hundred thousand and seven thousand and five hundred was at their hand making war with mighty power as help for the king against the enemy.

וַיָּכֶן לָהֶם עֻזִּיָּהוּ לְכָל־הַצָּבָא מָגִנִּים וּרְמָחִים וְכוֹבָעִים וְשִׁרְיֹנוֹת וּקְשָׁתוֹת וּלְאַבְנֵי קְלָעִים׃   26:14

2Chr. 26:14    And Uzziah prepared for them, for the entire host, shields and spears and helmets and coats of mail and bows, and for stone slingers.

וַיַּעַשׂ בִּירוּשָׁלִַם חִשְּׁבֹנוֹת מַחֲשֶׁבֶת חוֹשֵׁב לִהְיוֹת עַל־הַמִּגְדָּלִים וְעַל־הַפִּנּוֹת לִירוֹא בַּחִצִּים וּבָאֲבָנִים   26:15

 גְּדֹלוֹת וַיֵּצֵא שְׁמוֹ עַד־לְמֵרָחוֹק כִּי־הִפְלִיא לְהֵעָזֵר עַד כִּי־חָזָק׃

2Chr. 26:15   And in Jerusalem he made skillfully devised devices to be on the towers and on the corners for casting with arrows and with great stones.  So his name went out even to a distant place, for he did an extraordinary thing for support until he was strong.

וּכְחֶזְקָתֹו גָּבַהּ לִבֹּו עַד־לְהַשְׁחִית וַיִּמְעַל בַּיהוָה אֱלֹהָיו וַיָּבֹא אֶל־הֵיכַל יְהוָה לְהַקְטִיר עַל־מִזְבַּח   26:16

 הַקְּטֹרֶת׃

2Chr. 26:16   And, like his strength, his heart became exalted until being corrupted, and he transgressed towards the Lord, his God, that he went in to the Temple of the Lord to offer incense on the altar of incense.

וַיָּבֹא אַחֲרָיו עֲזַרְיָהוּ הַכֹּהֵן וְעִמּוֹ כֹּהֲנִים לַיהוָה שְׁמוֹנִים בְּנֵי־חָיִל׃   26:17

2Chr. 26:17   And Azariah, the priest, came after him, and with him, eighty of the Lord's priests, sons of valor,

וַיַּעַמְדוּ עַל־עֻזִּיָּהוּ הַמֶּלֶךְ וַיֹּאמְרוּ לוֹ לֹא־לְךָ עֻזִּיָּהוּ לְהַקְטִיר לַיהוָה כִּי לַכֹּהֲנִים בְּנֵי־אַהֲרֹן   26:18

  הַמְקֻדָּשִׁים לְהַקְטִיר צֵא מִן־הַמִּקְדָּשׁ כִּי מָעַלְתָּ וְלֹא־לְךָ לְכָבוֹד מֵיְהוָה אֱלֹהִים׃

2Chr. 26:18   and they took a stand against Uzziah, the king, and said to him, “It is not for you, Uzziah, to offer incense to the Lord, but for the priests, the sons of Aaron, who are those consecrated to offer incense.  Depart from the sanctuary, for you have transgressed.  For it is not for you to have honor from the Lord, God.”

וַיִּזְעַף עֻזִּיָּהוּ וּבְיָדוֹ מִקְטֶרֶת לְהַקְטִיר וּבְזַעְפּוֹ עִם־הַכֹּהֲנִים וְהַצָּרַעַת זָרְחָה בְמִצְחוֹ לִפְנֵי הַכֹּהֲנִים   26:19

 בְּבֵית יְהוָה מֵעַל לְמִזְבַּח הַקְּטֹרֶת׃

2Chr. 26:19   Then Uzziah was enraged, and in his hand was a censer to burn incense.  And in his anger with the priests, then the leprosy broke out on his forehead before the priests in the house of the Lord beside the altar of incense.

וַיִּפֶן אֵלָיו עֲזַרְיָהוּ כֹהֵן הָרֹאשׁ וְכָל־הַכֹּהֲנִים וְהִנֵּה־הוּא מְצֹרָע בְּמִצְחוֹ וַיַּבְהִלוּהוּ מִשָּׁם וְגַם־הוּא   26:20

 נִדְחַף לָצֵאת כִּי נִגְּעוֹ יְהוָה׃

2Chr. 26:20   And Azariah, the head priest, turned to him as all the priests had, and behold, he was leprous on his forehead, and they hurried him from there, but he had already hastened to exit as the Lord had struck him.

וַיְהִי עֻזִּיָּהוּ הַמֶּלֶךְ מְצֹרָע עַד־יֹום מֹותֹו וַיֵּשֶׁב בֵּית (הַחָפְשׁוּת) [הַחָפְשִׁית] מְצֹרָע כִּי נִגְזַר מִבֵּית   26:21

  יְהוָה וְיֹותָם בְּנֹו עַל־בֵּית הַמֶּלֶךְ שֹׁופֵט אֶת־עַם הָאָרֶץ׃

2Chr. 26:21   And Uzziah, the king, was a leper until the day of his death, and he inhabited the separated leper house, since he was excluded from the house of the Lord and Jotham, his son, was over the house of the king, governing the people of the land.

The word in the parentheses is not a proper Hebrew word.  The correction in the brackets replaces the vav with a yad, making the word translatable as separated.

וְיֶתֶר דִּבְרֵי עֻזִּיָּהוּ הָרִאשֹׁנִים וְהָאֲחֲרֹנִים כָּתַב יְשַׁעְיָהוּ בֶן־אָמֹוץ הַנָּבִיא׃   26:22

2Chr. 26:22   And the rest of the acts of Uzziah, the first of them as well as the last, Isaiah son of Amos, the prophet, recorded.

The details in this verse diverge from similar information in 2Kin. 15:6.  There we are told that the deeds of Azariah are recorded in “the chronicles of the days of the kings of Judah,” not by the prophet Isaiah.  If Isaiah did record Azariah’s deeds, that book has not survived.

וַיִּשְׁכַּב עֻזִּיָּהוּ עִם־אֲבֹתָיו וַיִּקְבְּרוּ אֹתוֹ עִם־אֲבֹתָיו בִּשְׂדֵה הַקְּבוּרָה אֲשֶׁר לַמְּלָכִים כִּי אָמְרוּ מְצוֹרָע   26:23

  הוּא וַיִּמְלֹךְ יוֹתָם בְּנוֹ תַּחְתָּיו׃

2Chr. 26:23   And Uzziah slept with his ancestors, and they buried him alongside his ancestors in the burial field that was for the kings, because they said, “He was a leper.”  And his son, Jotham, became king in his place.

This verse is probably more accurate than 2Kin. 15:7.  Uzziah (Azariah) was more likely buried outside the city of David, which is not what we are told in 2Kin. 15:7.

 

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