King Uzziah of Judah
(2 Kings 14.212 222 15.1-7)1-3 After the death of King Amaziah, the people of Judah crowned his son Uzziah king, even though he was only 16 at the time. Uzziah ruled 52 years from Jerusalem, the hometown of his mother Jecoliah. During his rule, he recaptured and rebuilt the town of Elath.
4 He obeyed the Lord by doing right, as his father Amaziah had done. 5 Zechariah was Uzziah's advisor and taught him to obey God. And so, as long as Zechariah was alive, Uzziah was faithful to God, and God made him successful.
6 While Uzziah was king, he started a war against the Philistines. He smashed the walls of the cities of Gath, Jabneh, and Ashdod, then rebuilt towns around Ashdod and in other parts of Philistia. 7 God helped him defeat the Philistines, the Arabs living in Gur-Baal, and the Meunites. 8 Even the Ammonites paid taxes to Uzziah. He became very powerful, and people who lived as far away as Egypt heard about him.
9 In Jerusalem, Uzziah built fortified towers at the Corner Gate, the Valley Gate, and the place where the city wall turned inward. 10 He also built defense towers out in the desert.
He owned such a large herd of livestock in the western foothills and in the flatlands, that he had cisterns dug there to catch the rainwater. He loved farming, so he had crops and vineyards planted in the hill country wherever there was fertile soil, and he hired farmers to take care of them.
11 Uzziah's army was always ready for battle. Jeiel and Maaseiah were the officers who kept track of the number of soldiers, and these two men were under the command of Hananiah, one of Uzziah's officials. 12-13 There were 307,500 trained soldiers, all under the command of 2,600 clan leaders. These powerful troops protected the king against any enemy. 14 Uzziah supplied his army with shields, spears, helmets, armor, bows, and stones used for slinging. 15 Some of his skilled workers invented machines that could shoot arrows and sling large stones. Uzziah set these up in Jerusalem at his defense towers and at the corners of the city wall.
God helped Uzziah become more and more powerful, and he was famous all over the world.
Uzziah Becomes Too Proud
16 Uzziah became proud of his power, and this led to his downfall.
One day, Uzziah disobeyed the Lord his God by going into the temple and burning incense as an offering to him. 17 Azariah the priest and 80 other brave priests followed Uzziah into the temple 18 and said, “Your Majesty, this isn't right! You are not allowed to burn incense to the Lord. That must be done only by priests who are descendants of Aaron. You will have to leave! You have sinned against the Lord, and so he will no longer bless you.”
19 Uzziah, who was standing next to the incense altar at the time, was holding the incense burner, ready to offer incense to the Lord. He became very angry when he heard Azariah's warning, and leprosy suddenly appeared on his forehead! 20 Azariah and the other priests saw it and immediately told him to leave the temple. Uzziah realized that the Lord had punished him, so he hurried to get outside.
21 Uzziah had leprosy the rest of his life. He was no longer allowed in the temple or in his own palace. That's why his son Jotham lived there and ruled in his place.
22 Everything else Uzziah did while he was king is in the records written by the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz. 23 Since Uzziah had leprosy, he could not be buried in the royal tombs. Instead, he was buried in a nearby cemetery that the kings owned. His son Jotham then became king.
Judab gao-aob Usiab
(2 Gao-aogu 14:21-222 15:1-7)1 Hoaraga ǁaes Judab dis ge Amasiab di disiǃnaniǀa kurixa ǀgôab, Usiaba ǁîb soas ǃnâ gao-aose ge ǁhûi. 2 Usiab ge ǁîb îb di ǁōb khaoǃgâ Elatsa ǁkhawa ū-oa tsî ge ǂnubikhâi.
3 Usiab ge disiǃnaniǀa kurixab a hîa ge gao-ao kai, tsîb ge korodisiǀgamǀa kuriga Jerusalems ǃnâ ge ǂgaeǂgui. ǁÎb îs ge Jekolias Jerusalems di ge isa. 4 ǁÎb ge ǁîb îb Amasiab ǁkhāb khami ǃKhūba a ǃgâibana gere dī. 5 ǁÎb di ǀapemā-aob Saxariab ûi hâs kōseb ge ǁîba, ǃKhūba ǂgomǂgomsase gere ǃoaba tsîb ge Elob xa ge ǀkhaehe.
6 Usiab ge Filisteǁîn ǃoagub nî torodīse ǃgûǂoa tsî Gats, Jamnias tsî Asdods tsîdi ǂnubiǂgoaga khôaǁnâ, tsî omǂnamisa ǃāde Asdods ǂnamipeb tsî nau ǃâb Filisteǃhūb dib tsîn ǃnâ ge ǂnubi. 7 Elob di huib ǀkhab ge Filisteǁîn, Arabiaǁîn, Gurbaali ǃnâ ge ǁan hâ in tsî Meunǁîn tsîna ge dan. 8 Amonǁîn ge ǁgui-aimarisa Usiaba gere matare tsîb ge ǁnātikōse ge ǀgai, gommi âb ge Egipteb kōse sīs kōse.
9 Usiab ge Jerusalemsa ǃaruǀî ge ǀgaiǀgai, ǁaposa ǂgō-omga ǁHôas-Dao-ams tsî ǃGoaǃnāb-Dao-ams tsî ǂnubiǂgoab di ǁhôas tsîgu tawa kurus ǀkha. 10 ǁÎb ge ǁkhāti ǂgō-omga ǃaub ǃnâ kuru tsî ǂgui tsaugu tsîna ge khao, ǂgui goman tsî ǀgoan tsînab ge ǃgoaǃnāgu ǃnâs tsî ǂgāgu ais tsîna ūhâ i xui-ao. ǃHanaǂgābab ge ǀnam i xui-aob ge ǃhanasîsenaogu tsî draibeǃhanasîsenaogu tsîga ǃnâuxa ǀkharib tsî ǂûtanixa ǃhūb ǃnâ ge ūhâ i.
11 Usiab ge kai toroǂnubis, torob ǃoa ǂhomisasa ge ūhâ i. ǁÎs di ǃgôab tsî ǀgoraǂgādi ge gao-aob ǂamkhoegu di ǀguib, Hananjab mûǂams ǃnaka, ǁîb di xoa-aokha Jeieli tsî Maasejab tsîkha xa gere dīhe. 12 Toroǂnubis ge ǀgamǀoadisi tsî ǃnanikaidisi ǂamkhoegu xa gere ǂgaeǂguihe. 13 ǁÎgu ǂgaeǂguis ǃnaka gu ge ǃnonakaidisihûǀoadisi tsî korokaidisi toroǃkhamaogu, gao-aoba khākhoen ǃoagu ǃkhamba ǁkhāga ge hâ i. 14 Usiab ge hoaraga toroǂnubisa ǁkhaukhōdi, ǁhâigôagu, toroǀgapadi, torosaran, khādi tsî ǂāgu tsî slengers ǀuidi tsîna gere mā. 15 Jerusalems ǃnâ gu ge ǂansa ūhâ khoegu ǁîb diga, ǂnoa-ūxūna ge kuru hâ i, ǂāga ǁkhâus tsî kai ǀuide ǂgō-omgu tsî ǂnubiǂgoagu ǁhôade xu ǂnoas ǃaroma. ǁÎb di gommi ge hoa ǃkhaidi ai ge ǁnâuhe tsîb ge kaise ge ǀgai, Eloba xub ge huiba gere hō xui-ao.
Usiab ge ǀgapiǂâixasib âb ǂama ra ǁkharahe
16 Xaweb ge gao-aob Usiaba ǀgaib geo, kaise ge ǀgapiǂâixa, tsîs ge ǁnā ǃkhaisa ǁîb ǁnāsa ge ǃaroma. ǁÎb ge ǃKhūb ǁîb di Eloba ge ǃharaxū, Tempeli ǃnâ ǂgâ tsîb ge ǀanǀanaltars ai sī ǀanǀanǁguibasa dī ǃkhais ǀkha. 17 Ob ge prister Asariaba, ǁkhaisadisi ǁkhoaǂgaoxa pristergu ǃKhūb digu ǀkha gao-aoba ge sao 18 ǁîba gu nî mâǃoase tsî ge mî: “Usiatse, sats ge ǃKhūba ǀanǀanǁguibasa hā-ūbasa mā-amsa tama hâ. Aronni surib di pristergu ǀguigu ge ǁnāsa gu nî dīse a khaisa. Nē ǃanu ǃkhaiba xu ǂoa. Sats ge ǃKhūb Eloba go mâǃoa tsîts ge ǁîb di ǀkhaeba ǃaruǀî ūhâ tama hâ.”
19 Usiab ge Tempeli ǃnâ ǀanǀanxūn xapasa ǃomǁae ūhâse ǀanǀanaltars xōǀkhā ge mâ i. ǁÎb ge pristergu ǀkha ge ǁaixa tsîb ge ǁnātimîsi khōǀaesenna ǃūs âb ai ge ǂoaxa. 20 Asariab tsî nau pristergu tsîgu ge ǁîba kō tsî gu ge nē ǀaeba ǃūs âb ai mûo, ǁîba ǃhaese Tempela xu ge ǃhaeǂui. ǁÎb ǂûb ge ǃnoesase ge ǂoa, ǃKhūb ge ǁkhara bi xui-ao.
21 ǁÎb di ǁōb kōseb ge Usiaba ǃomamaxase ge hâ. ǁÎb ge ǃomamaxab a xui-ao ǀguri hâ oms ǃnâ gere hâ tsî Tempeli ǃnâ ǂgâsa ge mā-amhe tama hâ i. ǁÎb ôab Jotammi ge ǃhūb di ǂgaeǂguisa ge ū.
22 Nau xūn hoan, gao-aob Usiab ge ǁîb ǂgaeǂguis ǁaeb ǃnâ dīn ge ǂgurona xu ǀunigan kōse Amosi ôab, kēbo-aob Jesajab xa ge xoamâihe. 23 Usiab ge ǁō tsî gao-aogu ǀhobadiǂgās tawa ge ǁkhōhe, xaweb ge ǃomamaxab ge i xui-ao, gao-aogu ǀhobadi ǃnâ ǁkhōhe tama ge i. ǁÎb ôab Jotammi ge ǁîba gao-aose ge saoǃgon.
