The reign of Azarias, and Joatham in Juda: and of Zacharias, Sellum, Manahem, Phaceia, and Phacee in Israel.

¹ In the twenty-seventh year of Jeroboam, the king of Israel: Azariah, the son of Amaziah, reigned as king of Judah.¹

1. 15:1Azarias: Otherwise called Ozias.(Challoner)

² He was sixteen years old when he had begun to reign, and he reigned for fifty-two years in Jerusalem. The name of his mother was Jecoliah of Jerusalem.

³ And he did what was pleasing before the Lord, in accord with all that his father, Amaziah, did.

⁴ Yet truly, he did not demolish the high places. And still the people were sacrificing, and burning incense, in the high places.

⁵ Now the Lord struck the king, and he became a leper, even until the day of his death. And he was living in a separate house by himself. And truly, Jotham, the son of the king, governed the palace, and he judged the people of the land.¹

1. 15:5A leper: In punishment of his usurping the priestly function. 2 Par. 26.(Challoner)

⁶ Now the rest of the words of Azariah, and all that he did, have these not been written in the book of the words of the days of the kings of Judah?

⁷ And Azariah slept with his fathers, and they buried him with his ancestors in the city of David. And Jotham, his son, reigned in his place.

⁸ In the thirty-eighth year of Azariah, the king of Judah: Zechariah, the son of Jeroboam, reigned over Israel, in Samaria, for six months.

⁹ And he did what is evil before the Lord, just as his fathers had done. He did not withdraw from the sins of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, who caused Israel to sin.

¹⁰ Then Shallum, the son of Jabesh, conspired against him. And he struck him openly, and killed him. And he reigned in his place.

¹¹ Now the rest of the words of Zechariah, have these not been written in the book of the words of the days of the kings of Israel?

¹² This was the word of the Lord, which he spoke to Jehu, saying: “Your sons, even to the fourth generation, shall sit upon the throne of Israel.” And so it happened.

¹³ Shallum, the son of Jabesh, reigned in the thirty-ninth year of Azariah, the king of Judah. And he reigned for one month, in Samaria.

¹⁴ And Menahem, the son of Gadi, ascended from Tirzah. And he went into Samaria, and he struck Shallum, the son of Jabesh, in Samaria. And he killed him, and reigned in his place.

¹⁵ Now the rest of the words of Shallum, and his conspiracy, by which he carried out treachery, have these not been written in the book of the words of the days of the kings of Israel?

¹⁶ Then Menahem struck Tirzah, and all who were in it, and its borders around Tirzah. For they were not willing to open to him. And he killed all of its pregnant women, and he tore them open.

¹⁷ In the thirty-ninth year of Azariah, the king of Judah: Menahem, son of Gadi, reigned over Israel for ten years, in Samaria.

¹⁸ And he did what was evil before the Lord. He did not withdraw from the sins of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, who caused Israel to sin, during all his days.

¹⁹ Then Pul, the king of the Assyrians, came into the land. And Menahem gave Pul one thousand talents of silver, so that he would be a help to him, and so that he might strengthen his kingdom.

²⁰ And Menahem proclaimed a tax upon Israel, on all who were powerful and wealthy, so that each one would give to the king of the Assyrians fifty shekels of silver. Then the king of the Assyrians turned back, and he did not remain in the land.

²¹ Now the rest of the words of Menahem, and all that he did, have these not been written in the book of the words of the days of the kings of Israel?

²² And Menahem slept with his fathers. And Pekahiah, his son, reigned in his place.

²³ In the fiftieth year of Azariah, the king of Judah: Pekahiah, the son of Menahem, reigned over Israel, in Samaria, for two years.

²⁴ And he did what was evil before the Lord. He did not withdraw from the sins of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, who caused Israel to sin.¹

1. 15:24Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, was the leader after Solomon, when Israel became divided, who led ten of the 12 tribes of Israel, and who had them worship apart from Jerusalem. This is a figure for Protestantism, and for every type of heresy and schism.(Conte)

²⁵ Then Pekah, the son of Remaliah, his commander, conspired against him. And he struck him in Samaria, in the tower of the king’s house, near Argob and Arieh, and with him fifty men from the sons of the Gileadites. And he killed him, and reigned in his place.

²⁶ Now the rest of the words of Pekahiah, and all that he did, have these not been written in the book of the words of the days of the kings of Israel?

²⁷ In the fifty-second year of Azariah, the king of Judah: Pekah, the son of Remaliah, reigned over Israel, in Samaria, for twenty years.

²⁸ And he did what was evil before the Lord. He did not withdraw from the sins of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, who caused Israel to sin.

²⁹ In the days of Pekah, the king of Israel, Tiglath-pileser, the king of Assyria, arrived and captured Ijon, and Abel Bethmaacah, and Janoah, and Kedesh, and Hazor, and Gilead, and Galilee, and the entire land of Naphtali. And he took them away into Assyria.

³⁰ Then Hoshea, the son of Elah, conspired and carried out treachery against Pekah, the son of Remaliah. And he struck him, and killed him. And he reigned in his place, in the twentieth year of Jotham, the son of Uzziah.¹

1. 15:30In the twentieth year of Joatham: That is, in the twentieth year, from the beginning of Joatham’s reign. The sacred writer chooses rather to follow here this date than to speak of the years of Achaz, who had not yet been mentioned.(Challoner)

³¹ Now the rest of the words of Pekah, and all that he did, have these not been written in the book of the words of the days of the kings of Israel?

³² In the second year of Pekah, the son of Remaliah, the king of Israel: Jotham, son of Uzziah, reigned as king of Judah.

³³ He was twenty-five years old when he had begun to reign, and he reigned for sixteen years in Jerusalem. The name of his mother was Jerusha, the daughter of Zadok.

³⁴ And he did what was pleasing before the Lord. In accord with all that his father, Uzziah, had done, so he did.

³⁵ Yet truly, he did not take away the high places. And still the people were immolating, and burning incense, in the high places. But he edified the gate of the house of the Lord to be very sublime.¹

1. 15:35The house of the Lord, with all its gates, was certainly completed long before his reign. So the meaning is not that he built the gate, but that he improved it, so that it became very sublime, that is, very magnificent.(Conte)

³⁶ Now the rest of the words of Jotham, and all that he did, have these not been written in the book of the words of the days of the kings of Judah?

³⁷ In those days, the Lord began to send, into Judah, Rezin, the king of Syria, and Pekah, the son of Remaliah.

³⁸ And Jotham slept with his fathers, and he was buried with them in the city of David, his father. And Ahaz, his son, reigned in his place.