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AFTER the death of Amaziah all the people of Judah took Uzziah his son, who was sixteen years old, and made him king in the room of his father.

In the twenty and seventh year of Jeroboam king of Israel began Uzziah son of Amaziah, king of Judah, to reign.

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Sixteen years old was Uzziah when he began to reign. And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father Amaziah did in the beginning of his reign.

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,

And he went forth and warred against the Philistines, and God helped him against the Philistines.

And the Ammonites gave gifts to Uzziah: and his name spread abroad even to the entering in of Egypt: for he strengthened himself exceedingly.

Also he built towers in Jerusalem, and in the desert, and digged many wells for he had much cattle, and vine dressers; for he loved husbandry.

And he had an host of fighting men: the whole number of the chief of the fathers of the mighty men of

valour were two thousand and six hundred.

And under their hand was an army, three hundred thousand and seven thousand and five hundred that made

* 2 Kings, xv. Į.

war

war with mighty power, to help, the king against the. enemy.

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And Uzziah prepared for them, throughout all the host, shields, and spears, and helmets, and habergeons, and bows, and slings to cast stones.

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And he made in Jerusalem engines invented by cunning men to be on the towers and upon the bulwärks, to shoot arrows and great stones withal And his name spread far abroad: for he was marvellously helped till he was strong.

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.

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And Azariah the priest went in after him, and with him fourscore priests of the LORD that were valiant men : 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.

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.

And Azariah the high priest, and all the priests looked upon him, and behold, he was leprous in his forehead, and they thrust him out from thence yea, him self hasted also to go out; because the LORD had smit ten him.ne!

And Uzziah the king was a leper unto the day of his death, and dwelt in a several house, being a leper; for

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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.

Now the rest of the acts of Uzziah, first and last, did Isaiah the prophet the son of Amos write.

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.

ANNOTATIONS AND REFLECTIONS.

The reign and character of Uzziah bear so great a resemblance to those of former kings, that it is needless to enlarge much upon them. He does not appear to have been at any time given to idolatrous practices, but to have grown careless in the discharge of his religious duties, after the death of Zechariah. Who this good man was, to whom the king was so much indebted, we are not told; but some imagine he was the son of that Zechariah who was murdered by king Joash.

Uzziah was the means of raising the kingdom of Judah, through the blessing of GoD, to such a pitch of eminence as it had not known for a number of years; for he attended to every particular which constitutes the temporal greatness of a nation. From the punishment inflicted upon this king we learn that it is a very presumptuous act for any who are not properly consecrated to invade the priest's office; and we find that Uzziah was humbled in a most exemplary manner: he could no longer contest with the priests, for they had an undoubted right to exclude all lepers from the congregation, and even from society.

We understand, from some passages in Scripture, that

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in the days of Uzziah there was a terrible earthquake (foretold by Amos two years before), a plague of locusts, and a great drought, mixed with dreadful flashes of fire.

SECTION LXXXIII.

PART OF THE PROPHECY OF ISAIAH.

From Chap. i.

THE vision of Isaiah the son of Amos, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.

Hear, O heavens; and give ear, O earth: for the LORD hath spoken: I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against me.

The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master's crib but Israel doth not know, my people doth not consider:

Ah sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evil doers, children that are corrupters! They have forsaken the LORD, they have provoked the HOLY ONE OF ISRAEL unto anger, they are gone away backward. Why should ye be stricken any more? ye will revolt more and more; the whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint.

From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it; but wounds and bruises, and putri fying sores; they have not been closed, neither bound up, neither mollified with ointment.

Your country is desolate, your cities are burned with fire

your land, strangers devour it in your presence, and. it is desolate as overthrown by strangers.

And the daughter of Zion is left as a cottage in a vineyard, as a lodge in a garden of cucumbers, as a besieged city.

Except the LORD of hosts had left unto us a very small remnant, we should have been as Sodom, and we should have been like unto Gomorrah.

Hear the word of the LORD ye rulers of Sodom ; give ear unto the law of our Gon, ye people of Gomorrah; to what purpose is the mu itude of your sacrifices unto me? saith the FORD: I am full of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he goats.

When ye come to appear before me, who hath required this at your hand to tread my courts? Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto me; the new moons and sabbaths, the calling of assem blies, I cannot away with; it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting.

Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hateth they are a trouble unto me; I am weary to bear them.

When ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you; yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear your hands are full of blood.

Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil; learn to do well seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow.

Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be white as snow though they be red as crimson, they shall be as wool.

If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land; but if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.

How is the faithful city become an harlot! it was full

of

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