2 Chronicles 26:1-15

The Reign of Uzziah

26¹ Then all the people of Judah took Uzziah, who was sixteen years old, and made him king in place of his father Amaziah. ² He was the builder of Eloth, which he got back for Judah after the death of the king. ³ Uzziah was sixteen years old when he became king, and he was ruling in Jerusalem for fifty-two years; his mother's name was Jechiliah of Jerusalem. ⁴ He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, as his father Amaziah had done. ⁵ He gave himself to searching after God in the days of Zechariah, who made men wise in the fear of God; and as long as he was true to the Lord, God made things go well for him. ⁶ He went out and made war against the Philistines, pulling down the walls of Gath and Jabneh and Ashdod, and building towns in the country round Ashdod and among the Philistines. ⁷ And God gave him help against the Philistines, and against the Arabians living in Gur-baal, and against the Meunim. ⁸ The Ammonites gave offerings to Uzziah: and news of him went out as far as the limit of Egypt; for he became very great in power. ⁹ Uzziah made towers in Jerusalem, at the doorway in the angle and at the doorway in the valley and at the turn of the wall, arming them. ¹⁰ And he put up towers in the waste land and made places for storing water, for he had much cattle, in the low hills and in the table land; and he had farmers and vine-keepers in the mountains and in the fertile land, for he was a lover of farming. ¹¹ In addition, Uzziah had an army of fighting-men who went out to war in bands, as they had been listed by Jeiel the scribe and Maaseiah the ruler, under the authority of Hananiah, one of the king's captains. ¹² The heads of families, the strong men of war, were two thousand, six hundred. ¹³ And under their orders was a trained army of three hundred and seven thousand, five hundred, of great strength in war, helping the king against any who came against him. ¹⁴ And Uzziah had all these forces armed with body-covers and spears and head-covers and coats of metal and bows and stones for sending from leather bands. ¹⁵ And in Jerusalem he made machines, the invention of expert men, to be placed on the towers and angles of the walls for sending arrows and great stones. And his name was honoured far and wide; for he was greatly helped till he was strong.