army of Israel? and the man of GoD answered, The LORD is able to give thee much more than this.

Then Amaziah separated them, to wit, the army that was come to him out of Ephraim, to go home again: wherefore their anger was greatly kindled against Judah, and they returned home in great anger.

And Amaziah strengthened himself, and led forth his people, and went to the valley of salt, and smote of the children of Seir ten thousand.

And other ten thousand left alive did the children of Judah carry away captive, and brought them unto the top of the rock, and cast them down from the top of the rock, that they were broken all in pieces.

But the soldiers of the army which Amaziah sent back, that they should not go with him to battle, fell upon the cities of Judah, from Samaria even unto Beth. horon, and smote three thousand of them, and took much spoil.

Now it came to pass, after that Amaziah was come from the slaughter of the Edomites, that he brought the gods of the children of Seir, and set them up to be his gods, and bowed down himself before them, and burned incense unto them.

Wherefore the anger of the LORD was kindled against Amaziah, and he sent unto him a prophet, which said unto him, Why hast thou sought after the gods of the people, which could not deliver their own people out of

thine hand.

And it came to pass as he talked with him, that the king said unto him, Art thou made of the king's counsel? forbear; why shouldest thou be smitten? Then the prophet førbare, and said, I know that God hath determined to destroy thee, because thou hast done this, and hast not hearkened unto my counsel.

Then Amaziah king of Judah took advice, and sent to

Jehoash,

Jehoash, the son of Jehoahaz, the son of Jehu, king of Israel, saying, Come, let us see one another in the face.

And Jehoash king of Israel sent to Amaziah king of Judah, saying, The thistle that was in Lebanon sent to the cedar that was in Lebanon, saying, Give thy daughter to my son to wife and their passed by a wild beast that was in Lebanon, and trode down the thistle.

Thou sayest, Lo thou hast smitten the Edomitės, and thine heart lifteth thee up to boast: abide now at home; why shouldest thou meddle to thine hurt that thou shouldest fall, even thou, and Judah with thee? ~

But Amaziah would not hear: for it came of God that he might deliver them into the hand of their enemies, because they sought after the gods of Edom.

So Jehoash the king of Israel went up; and they saw one another in the face, both he and Amaziah king of Judah, at Beth-shemesh, which belongeth to Judah.

And Judah was put to the worse before Israel, and they fled every man to his tent.

And Jehoash the king of Israel took Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Jehoash, the son of Jehoahaz, at Bethshemesh, and brought him to Jerusalem, and brake down the wall of Jerusalem, from the gate of Ephraim to the corner gate, four hundred cubits.

And he took all the gold and the silver, and all the vessels that were found in the house of God with Obededom, and the treasures of the king's house, the hostages also, and returned to Samaria.

And Amaziah the son of Jehoash king of Judah lived after the death of Jehoash, son of Jehoahaz king of Israel, fifteen years. And he reigned twenty and nine years in Jerusalem.

Now after the time that Amaziah did turn away from following the LORD, they made a conspiracy against him

in Jerusalem; and he fled to Lachish; but they sent to Lachish after him, and slew him there.

And they brought him upon horses, and buried him with his fathers in the city of Judah.

ANNOTATIONS AND REFLECTIONS. Amaziah had lately seen such severe judgments inflicted upon his father Jehoash, for his apostasy, that, in the beginning of his reign, he was intimidated from following idols. He worshipped the true God, and kept up the Temple service, but he had not a perfect heart ; from which we may understand, that he was not a man of serious piety himself, nor had he any zeal for the ordinances of religion, He was not an enemy, but a cool and indiffe rent friend.

It was Amaziah's duty to call his father's murderers to account; for, though they intended to avenge the death of the prophet. Zechariah, they were not authorized to kill their sovereign,

We read, in the history of Jehoram king of Judah, that he Edomites (who from the days of David had been governed by a deputy) revolted, and set up a king of their own, Amaziah resolved to attempt reducing them; and thinking his own army insufficient*, he resolved to hire auxiliaries. The proper step for him to have taken in such a case would have been to consult a prophet of the LORD. That, he might not run headlong into destruction, a prophet was, notwithstanding his neglect, graciously sent by the LORD to warn him of the danger of an alliance with Israel; and he dismissed the troops. His obedience was rewarded with success against the Edomites.

Why GOD permitted the Israelites to commit such devastations, in their return home, we are not told; but we may suppose that the inhabitants of the cities in Judah, who were thus given up to their rage, were idolators.

* In the days of Jehoshaphat there were four times as many.

It

It is shocking to read of Amaziah's cruelty, to the Edomites, and not easy to be accounted for in so mixed a character. What he did on his return was evidently a great act of sin and folly; yet the goodness of the LORD was still extended towards him, but he was deaf to the kind remonstrances of the prophet, and we cannot wonder at the adversity which afterwards befel him.

By whom Amaziah was advised to shew resentment to the king of Israel, for the devastations his subjects had made, we are not told; but they proved to be evil counsellors. Jehoash had by this time gained the three victories over the Syrians, foretold by the prophet Elisha, which had doubtless elated him; and he could not forbear expressing the utmost contempt at Amaziah's arrogant challenge. The answer Jehoash returned was couched in the most scornful and mortifying terms, under the allegory of a despicable thistle, which having aspired to an alliance with the noble cedar, had, for its ambition, been crushed under the feet of a wild beast: he concluded with advising Amaziah to rest contented with his Tate petty victories, and not to suffer his ambition to drive him into desperate attempts, which would, most likely, end in the total loss of his kingdom.

Josephus, an ancient Jewish author, informs us, that Amaziah's army was seized with sudden terror, and turned their backs on Israel, without striking one stroke; and left their king to the mercy of the conqueror, who led him prisoner to Jerusalem, where he obliged him to purchase his freedom at the expence of all the gold and silver which were found, either in the Temple or his own treasury; after which, having demolished a part of the city wall, and taken hostages, he returned to Samaria.

As for Amaziah, though he out-lived his disgrace about fifteen years, we do not read that he performed any

.

memorable

memorable action; but continuing to follow idolatrous practices, the favour of the LORD was totally withdrawn from him, he fell by the hands of his own subjects, and his corpse was treated with indignity, but at length buried. with his ancestors.

SECTION LXXX.

THE REIGN OF JERÓBOAM THE SECOND, KING OF ISRAEL.

From 2 Kings, Chap. xiv.

In the fifteenth year of Amaziah the son of Joash king of Judah, Jeroboam the son of Jehoash king of Israel began to reign in Samaria.

He restored the coast of Israel, from the entering of Hamath unto the sea of the plain, according to the word of the LORD GOD of Israel, which he spake by the hand of his servant Jonah, the son of Amittai, the prophet, which was of Gath-heper.

For the LORD saw the affliction of Israel, that it was bitter for there was not any shut up, nor any left, nor any helper for Israel.

very

And the LORD said not that he would blot out the name of Israel from under heaven: but he saved them by the hand of Jeroboam the son of Jehoash.

So Jeroboam warred and recovered for Israel Hamath and Damascus, wich belonged to Judah.

And Jeroboam reigned forty-one years, and he slept with his fathers, even with the kings of Israel: and Zachariah his son reigned in his stead.

ANNOTATIONS AND REFLECTIONS.

Though the reign of this king is long, the history of it is related in few words. Jeroboam was a very valiant and

politic