2 Chronicles Chapter 26
Showing all 23 verses for 2 Chronicles Chapter 26.
The People's Bible is written by people, for the people. Each verse below shows:
"Then all the people of Judah took Uzziah, who was sixteen years old, and made him king in the room of his father Amaziah. "
"Then all the people of Judah took Uzziah, who was sixteen years old, and made him king in place of his father Amaziah."
A rough or painful ending doesn't have to define what comes next. I can bring good, fresh starts even out of situations marked by loss or upheaval - don't assume the story is over just because one chapter ended badly.
"He built Eloth, and restored it to Judah, after that the king slept with his fathers. "
"Uzziah built up Eloth and restored it to Judah, after his father Amaziah had died and been buried."
After loss, rebuilding is possible - piece by piece, project by project. I want you to see setbacks not as permanent verdicts but as starting points for restoration, however long that takes.
"Sixteen years old was Uzziah when he began to reign, and he reigned fifty and two years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name also was Jecoliah of Jerusalem. "
"Uzziah was sixteen years old when he began to reign, and he reigned fifty-two years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Jecoliah, from Jerusalem."
Steady, long-term faithfulness tends to build something substantial over time. I'm less interested in dramatic short bursts of devotion than a life sustained in the right direction, year after year.
"And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father Amaziah did. "
"He did what was right in the LORD's sight, just as his father Amaziah had done."
Learning from the patterns in your family's story - the good and the flawed - is real wisdom. I want you to carry forward what worked and consciously choose differently where it didn't, rather than repeating it blindly.
"And he sought God in the days of Zechariah, who had understanding in the visions of God: and as long as he sought the LORD, God made him to prosper. "
"He sought God during the days of Zechariah, who understood the visions of God, and as long as he sought the LORD, God made him prosper."
Having someone wise in your life who helps you stay oriented towards what's good is a real gift - don't be too proud to need a mentor. But notice too: it's the seeking, not the past success, that keeps you steady. Keep seeking, always.
"And he went forth and warred against the Philistines, and brake down the wall of Gath, and the wall of Jabneh, and the wall of Ashdod, and built cities about Ashdod, and among the Philistines. "
"He went out and fought against the Philistines, tore down the walls of Gath, Jabneh, and Ashdod, and built new towns around Ashdod and elsewhere among the Philistines."
When you're aligned with what's right, real, lasting good can follow - not just a fleeting win but something that reshapes your circumstances for the better long-term. I want that kind of durable good for you, not just quick victories.
"And God helped him against the Philistines, and against the Arabians that in Gurbaal, and the Mehunims. "
💡 Highlighted words feature Jacobean 1611 tooltips to clarify shifted 17th-century English terms.
"God helped him against the Philistines, against the Arabians who lived in Gurbaal, and against the Meunites."
When things go well, remember the many hands and much grace behind your success - not to diminish your effort, but to keep you humble and grateful rather than self-important. That gratitude is what keeps success from turning into pride.
"And the Ammonites gave gifts to Uzziah: and his name spread abroad even to the entering in of Egypt; for he strengthened himself exceedingly. "
"The Ammonites paid tribute to Uzziah, and his fame spread as far as the border of Egypt, because he had become very powerful."
Real influence and a good reputation can grow from a life rightly ordered - but as I'll keep reminding you through this story, how you carry that influence matters just as much as gaining it.
"Moreover Uzziah built towers in Jerusalem at the corner gate, and at the valley gate, and at the turning of the wall, and fortified them. "
"Uzziah also built towers in Jerusalem at the Corner Gate, the Valley Gate, and at the turning of the wall, and fortified them."
Real strength isn't only about winning fights - it's also about the patient, unglamorous work of building something durable and protective for the people who depend on you. I value that quiet faithfulness as much as any dramatic victory.
"Also he built towers in the desert, and digged many wells: for he had much cattle, both in the low country, and in the plains: husbandmen also, and vine dressers in the mountains, and in Carmel: for he loved husbandry. "
"He also built towers in the wilderness and dug many wells, because he had large herds of livestock, both in the lowlands and on the plains, and he had farmers and vinedressers in the hills and in fertile country - because he loved working the land."
Greatness doesn't have to look like domination - it can look like loving the ordinary, life-giving work of growing food and caring for the land and the people who work it. I honour that kind of quiet, nurturing labour just as much as any grand achievement.
"Moreover Uzziah had an host of fighting men, that went out to war by bands, according to the number of their account by the hand of Jeiel the scribe and Maaseiah the ruler, under the hand of Hananiah, one of the king’s captains. "
"Uzziah also had an army of fighting men who went out to war in organised divisions, according to a count kept by Jeiel the scribe and Maaseiah the officer, under the authority of Hananiah, one of the king's commanders."
Real, sustainable strength is built by many hands doing careful, faithful work behind the scenes, not just by the person who gets the glory. I see and value the people who do the quiet, essential jobs that make everything else possible.
"The whole number of the chief of the fathers of the mighty men of valour were two thousand and six hundred. "
"The total number of leading family heads among the mighty warriors was two thousand six hundred."
Precision and care in the details of your responsibilities, even ones that seem dry or unglamorous, reflect real integrity. I notice faithfulness in the small, exact things, not only in the big dramatic ones.
"And under their hand was an army, three hundred thousand and seven thousand and five hundred, that made war with mighty power, to help the king against the enemy. "
"Under their command was an army of three hundred and seven thousand five hundred men, who fought with great power to help the king against his enemies."
However large your resources or your team, none of it replaces the need for humility and a right heart. I want you to notice: the size of what you've built is never the real measure of whether you're walking rightly.
"And Uzziah prepared for them throughout all the host shields, and spears, and helmets, and habergeons, and bows, and slings to cast stones. "
"Uzziah supplied the whole army with shields, spears, helmets, armour, bows, and slingstones."
Preparing well and equipping the people who depend on you - practically, not just in words - is a real form of care. I value the effort put into making sure others are actually protected and capable, not just told they should be.
"And he made in Jerusalem engines, invented by cunning men, to be on the towers and upon the bulwarks, to shoot arrows and great stones withal. And his name spread far abroad; for he was marvellously helped, till he was strong. "
"In Jerusalem he made machines designed by skilled engineers to be mounted on the towers and corners, for shooting arrows and large stones. His fame spread far and wide, because he was helped in remarkable ways until he became strong."
Innovation, cleverness, and hard work are gifts to be used well, not evidence that you did it all alone. I want you to hold your achievements with open hands, remembering the help - seen and unseen - that got you there.
"But when he was strong, his heart was lifted up to his destruction: for he transgressed against the LORD his God, and went into the temple of the LORD to burn incense upon the altar of incense. "
"But once he had become strong, his pride led him towards his own downfall - he broke faith with the LORD his God by going into the LORD's temple to burn incense on the incense altar."
The very success I help you build can become the thing that trips you up, if it convinces you the rules that apply to others don't apply to you. Stay especially humble right when things are going well - that's when overreach is most tempting and least noticed by you.
"And Azariah the priest went in after him, and with him fourscore priests of the LORD, that were valiant men: "
"Azariah the priest went in after him, along with eighty priests of the LORD, courageous men."
Speaking truth to power, especially to someone used to getting their way, takes real courage - and I honour that kind of bravery highly. Don't wait for someone else to speak up if you're the one positioned to say what needs saying.
"And they withstood Uzziah the king, and said unto him, It appertaineth not unto thee, Uzziah, to burn incense unto the LORD, but to the priests the sons of Aaron, that are consecrated to burn incense: go out of the sanctuary; for thou hast trespassed; neither shall it be for thine honour from the LORD God. "
"They confronted King Uzziah and said to him, 'It is not for you, Uzziah, to burn incense to the LORD - that belongs to the priests, the descendants of Aaron, who are consecrated for that task. Leave the sanctuary, for you have broken faith, and this will not bring you honour from the LORD God.'"
When you need to correct someone, do it the way these priests did - directly, specifically, without cruelty, but without softening the truth either. I want you to be both honest and kind at the same time; neither one should be sacrificed for the other.
"Then Uzziah was wroth, and had a censer in his hand to burn incense: and while he was wroth with the priests, the leprosy even rose up in his forehead before the priests in the house of the LORD, from beside the incense altar. "
"Uzziah was furious, and while he stood there with a censer in his hand, angry at the priests, leprosy broke out on his forehead in front of them, right there in the LORD's house beside the incense altar."
Anger at being corrected, instead of honest reflection, tends to make things worse, not better. I ask you to notice that instinctive flash of defensive fury when you're challenged - it's usually a signal to pause and listen, not to dig in harder.
"And Azariah the chief priest, and all the priests, looked upon him, and, behold, he was leprous in his forehead, and they thrust him out from thence; yea, himself hasted also to go out, because the LORD had smitten him. "
"Azariah the chief priest and all the priests looked at him and saw that he was indeed leprous on his forehead. They hurried him out of there, and he himself hurried to leave too, because the LORD had struck him."
I would always rather you accept correction while there's still a choice in it, than be forced into humility by hard consequences. But even when it takes a painful wake-up call, it's never too late to finally listen.
"And Uzziah the king was a leper unto the day of his death, and in a several house, being a leper; for he was cut off from the house of the LORD: and Jotham his son was over the king’s house, judging the people of the land. "
💡 Highlighted words feature Jacobean 1611 tooltips to clarify shifted 17th-century English terms.
"King Uzziah remained a leper until the day he died. He lived in a separate house, being a leper, cut off from the LORD's house, while his son Jotham took charge of the palace and governed the people of the land."
Some consequences of pride and overreach linger far longer than the moment of the mistake itself. I still want you to know: even in a long, hard consequence, life continues, purpose can continue as it did for Jotham, and you are never simply discarded.
"Now the rest of the acts of Uzziah, first and last, did Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, write. "
"The rest of Uzziah's deeds, from beginning to end, were written down by Isaiah the prophet, son of Amoz."
Your life's story is being witnessed and remembered, often by people and in ways you don't fully realise at the time. Live in a way that would stand up well to that kind of honest witness.
"So Uzziah slept with his fathers, and they buried him with his fathers in the field of the burial which belonged to the kings; for they said, He is a leper: and Jotham his son reigned in his stead. "
"So Uzziah died and was buried with his ancestors, but in a separate field belonging to the royal burial ground, because people said, 'He is a leper.' His son Jotham became king in his place."
I want you to remember this: your worst moment doesn't have to define your whole life to me, even if the world keeps attaching a label to it. Live wisely enough that pride doesn't get the final word on your story, but if it ever does, know that grace and worth remain, regardless of the label others give you.