Then all the people of Judah took Uzziah, who was 16 years old, and made him king in the place of his father Amaziah.
He built Eloth and restored it to Judah after King Amaziah slept with his fathers.
Uzziah was 16 years old when he began to reign, and he reigned 52 years in Jerusalem, and his mother’s name was Jechiliah of Jerusalem.
He did what was right in the eyes of Yahweh just as all that his father Amaziah had done.
And he continued to seek God in the days of Zechariah, who instructed him in the fear of God, and as long as he sought Yahweh, God made him to prosper.
He went out and battled against the Philistines and broke down the wall of Gath and the wall of Jabneh and the wall of Ashdod, and he built cities in the area of Ashdod and among the Philistines.
God helped him against the Philistines, and against the Arabians who lived in Gur-baal, and against the Meunim.
The Ammonites brought tribute to Uzziah, and his fame spread as far as the border of Egypt, for he grew exceeding strong.
And Uzziah built towers in Jerusalem at the Corner Gate and at the Valley Gate and at the turning of the wall, and fortified them.
He built towers in the wilderness and dug many cisterns, for he had much livestock in the Shephelah and also in the plain, and he had farmers and vineyard keepers in the mountains and in the fruitful fields, for he loved farming.
And Uzziah had an army of fighting men who went out to war by divisions, according to the number of the ordering made by Jeiel the scribe and Maaseiah the officer under the hand of Hananiah, one of the king’s commanders.
The whole number of the heads of fathers’ households, the mighty men of valor, was 2,600.
Under their authority was an army, 307,500 who made war with mighty power to help the king against the enemy.
Uzziah prepared for them—for all the army—shields, and spears, and helmets, and coats of mail, and bows, and stones for slinging.
In Jerusalem he made war machines designed by skillful men, to be on the towers and on the corners, for shooting arrows and large stones. His fame spread out far and wide, for he was wonderfully helped until he was strong.
Uzziah's Pride and Punishment
But when he was strong his heart was lifted up to his destruction; and he was unfaithful to Yahweh his God and went into the Temple of Yahweh to burn incense on the altar of incense.
Azariah the priest went in after him, and with him were 80 priests of Yahweh who were valiant men,
and they stood up against Uzziah the king and said to him, “It is not for you, Uzziah, to burn incense to Yahweh, but for the priests, the sons of Aaron, who are consecrated to burn incense. Go out of the sanctuary, for you have been unfaithful, and you will have no honor from Yahweh God.”
Then Uzziah, who had a censer in his hand to burn incense, became angry. But while he was angry at the priests, leprosy broke out on his forehead in the presence of the priests in the house of Yahweh beside the altar of incense.
Azariah the chief priest, and all the priests, looked at him and, behold, he was leprous on his forehead. So they thrust him out of there quickly, and also he hurried to go out, because Yahweh had struck him.
Uzziah the king was a leper to the day of his death and being a leper he lived in a separate house, for he was cut off from the house of Yahweh. And Jotham his son was over the king’s house, judging the people of the land.
Now the rest of the acts of Uzziah, first and last, are recorded by Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz.
So Uzziah slept with his fathers, and they buried him with his fathers in the burial field that belonged to the kings, for they said, “He is a leper.” And Jotham his son reigned in his place.