2 Chronicles 26

1Then all the people of the land took Ozias, and he was sixteen years old, and they made him king in the room of his father Amasias.

2He built Ælath, he recovered it to Juda, after the king slept with his fathers.

3Ozias began to reign at the age of sixteen years, and he reigned fifty-two years in Jerusalem: and his mother's name was Jechelia of Jerusalem.

4And he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that Amasias his father did.

5And he sought the Lord in the days of Zacharias, who understood the fear of the Lord; and in his days he sought the Lord, and the Lord prospered him.

6And he went out and fought against the Philistines, and pulled down the walls of Geth, and the walls of Jabner, and the walls of Azotus, and he built cities [near] Azotus, and among the Philistines.

7And the Lord strengthened him against the Philistines, and against the Arabians that dwelt on the rock, and against the Minæans.

8And the Minæans gave gifts to Ozias; and his fame spread as far as the entering in of Egypt, for he strengthened [himself] exceedingly.

9And Ozias built towers in Jerusalem, both at the gate of the corner and at the valley gate, and at the corners, and he fortified them.

10And he built towers in the wilderness, and dug many wells, for he had many cattle in the low country and in the plain; and vinedressers in the mountain country and in Carmel: for he was a husbandman.

11And Ozias had a host of warriors, and that went out orderly to war, and returned orderly in number; and their number was [made] by the hand of Jeiel the scribe, and Maasias the judge, by the hand of Ananias the king's deputy.

12The whole number of the chiefs of families of the mighty men of war [was] two thousand six hundred;

13and with them was a warrior force, three hundred thousand and seven thousand and five hundred: these waged war mightily to help the king against [his] enemies.

14And Ozias prepared for them, [even] for all the host, shields, and spears, and helmets, and breastplates, and bows, and slings for stones.

15And he made in Jerusalem machines invented by a wise contriver, to be upon the towers and upon the corners, to cast darts and great stones: and [the fame] of their preparation was heard at a distance; for he was wonderfully helped, till he was strong.

16And when he was strong, his heart was lifted up to his destruction; and he transgressed against the Lord his God, and went into the temple of the Lord to burn incense on the altar of incense.

17And there went in after him Azarias the priest, and with him eighty priests of the Lord, mighty men.

18And they withstood Ozias the king, and said to him, [It is] not for thee, Ozias, to burn incense to the Lord, but only for the priests the sons of Aaron, who are consecrated to sacrifice: go forth of the sanctuary, for thou hast departed from the Lord; and this shall not be for glory to thee from the Lord God.

19And Ozias was angry, and in his hand [was] the censer to burn incense in the temple: and when he was angry with the priests, then the leprosy rose up in his forehead before the priests in the house of the Lord, over the altar of incense.

20And Azarias the chief priest, and the [other] priests, turned [to look] at him, and, behold, he [was] leprous in his forehead; and they got him hastily out thence, for he also hasted to go out, because the Lord had rebuked him.

21And Ozias the king was a leper to the day of his death, and he dwelt [as] a leper in a separate house; for he was cut off from the house of the Lord: and Joathan his son [was set] over his kingdom, judging the people of the land.

22And the rest of the acts of Ozias, the first and the last, [are] written by Jessias the prophet.

23And Ozias slept with his fathers, and they buried him with his fathers in the field of the burial [place] of the kings, for they said, He is a leper; and Joatham his son reigned in his stead.