The Skeptics Annotated Bible (393 page)

(26.6-7) “He … warred against the Philistines … And God helped him against the Philistines, and against the Arabians.”

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

9 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.

10 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.

11 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.

12 The whole number of the chief of the fathers of the mighty men of valour were two thousand and six hundred.

13 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.

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

15 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.

(26.16-21) God makes Uzziah a leper for burning incense without a license.

16 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.

(26.16)
“He transgressed against the LORD his God, and went into the temple of the LORD to burn incense upon the altar of incense.”

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

18 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.

(26.18)
“It appertaineth not unto thee, Uzziah, to burn incense unto the LORD, but to the priests.”

19 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.

(26.19) “The leprosy even rose up in his forehead.”

20 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.

(26.20) “Behold, he was leprous in his forehead … because the LORD had smitten him.”

21
And Uzziah the king was a leper unto the day of his death
, and dwelt 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.

(26.21) “And Uzziah the king was a leper unto the day of his death.”

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

23 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.

27
Jotham
was twenty and five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name also was Jerushah, the daughter of Zadok.

2 And he
did that which was right in the sight of the LORD
, according to all that his father Uzziah did: howbeit he entered not into the temple of the LORD. And the people did yet corruptly.

3 He built the high gate of the house of the LORD, and on the wall of Ophel he built much.

4 Moreover he built cities in the mountains of Judah, and in the forests he built castles and towers.

5
He fought
also
with the king of the Ammonites, and prevailed against them.
And the children of Ammon gave him the same year an hundred talents of silver, and ten thousand measures of wheat, and ten thousand of barley. So much did the children of Ammon pay unto him, both the second year, and the third.

(27.1-5) “Jothan … did that which was right in the sight of the LORD … He fought … with the king of the Ammonites, and prevailed against them.”

6 So Jotham became mighty, because he prepared his ways before the LORD his God.

7 Now the rest of the acts of Jotham, and all his wars, and his ways, lo, they are written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah.

8 He was five and twenty years old when he began to reign, and reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem.

9 And Jotham slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city of David: and Ahaz his son reigned in his stead.

28
Ahaz was twenty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem: but he did not that which was right in the sight of the LORD, like David his father:

2 For he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, and made also molten images for Baalim.

3 Moreover he burnt incense in the valley of the son of Hinnom, and burnt his children in the fire, after the abominations of the heathen whom the LORD had cast out before the children of Israel.

4 He sacrificed also and burnt incense in the high places, and on the hills, and under every green tree.

(28.5-8) Pekah killed 120,000 people in one day and enslaved 200,000 women and children “because they had forsaken the Lord God of their fathers.”
God’s 128th Killing