CHAPTER 26
1 Forsooth all the people of Judah made Uzziah, his son, of sixteen years of age, king for his father Amaziah.
2 He builded Eloth, and restored it to the lordship of Judah, after that the king slept with his fathers.
3 Uzziah was of sixteen years, when he began to reign; and he reigned two and fifty years in Jerusalem; and the name of his mother was Jecoliah, of Jerusalem.
4 And he did that, that was rightful [or right] in the sight of the Lord, by all things which Amaziah, his father, had done.
5 And he sought the Lord in the days of Zechariah, understanding and seeing God; and when he sought God, God ruled him in all things.
6 And he went out, and fought against Philistines, and destroyed the wall of Gath, and the wall of Jabneh, and the wall of Ashdod; and he builded strong places in Ashdod, and in Philistines.
7 And the Lord helped him both against Philistines, and against Arabians that dwelled in Gurbaal, and against Ammonites.
8 [And] Ammonites paid gifts to Uzziah, and his name was published unto the entering of Egypt for his oft victories.
9 And Uzziah builded towers in Jerusalem over the gate of the corner, and over the gate of the valley, and other towers in the same side of the wall; and he made those steadfast, or strong.
10 Also he builded towers in the wilderness, and digged full many cisterns; for he had many beasts, as well in the field places, as in the vastness of desert. Also he had vineries [or vines], and tillers of vines in the hills, and in Carmel or the great mountains; for he was a man given to earth-tilling.
11 And he had the host of his warriors, that went forth to battles, under the hand of Jeiel, scribe, and of Maaseiah, the teacher, and under the hand of Hananiah, that was of the dukes of the king.
12 and all the number of princes, by their meines, was of strong men two thousand and six hundred.
13 And under them was all the host, three hundred thousand and seven thousand and five hundred, that were able to battle, and fought for the king against adversaries.
14 And Uzziah made ready to them, that is, to all the host, shields, and spears, and basinets, and habergeons, and bows, and slings to cast stones.
15 And he made in Jerusalem engines of diverse kind, which he set in towers, and in the corners of walls, that those [or they] should cast out arrows and great stones; and his name went out far, for the Lord helped him, and had made him strong.
16 But when he was made strong, his heart was raised up into his perishing; and he despised the Lord his God; and he entered into the temple of the Lord, and would burn incense upon the altar of incense.
17 And anon Azariah, the priest, entered after him, and with him sixty priests of the Lord, men full noble;
18 which against-stood the king, and said to him, Uzziah, it is not of thine office, that thou burn incense to the Lord, but of the priests of the Lord, that is, the sons of Aaron, that be hallowed to such service; go thou out of the saintuary; and despise thou not God; for this thing shall not be areck-oned of the Lord God to thee into glory.
19 And Uzziah was wroth, and he held in his hand the censer for to offer incense, and he menaced [or threat-ened] the priests; and anon leprosy was sprung forth in his forehead, before the priests in the house of the Lord, upon the altar of incense.
20 And when Azariah, the bishop, had beheld him, and also all the other priests, they saw leprosy in his fore-head, and anon they putted [or put] the king out of the temple; but also he was afeared, and hasted to go out; for he feeled anon the vengeance of the Lord.
21 Therefore king Uzziah was leprous unto the day of his death, and dwelled in an house by itself, and he was full of leprosy; for which he was cast out of the house of the Lord. And Jotham, his son, governed the house of the king, and deemed the people of the land.
22 And Isaiah, the prophet, the son of Amoz, wrote the residue of the former and of the last words of Uzziah.
23 And Uzziah slept with his fathers, and they buried not him in the field of the kings’ sepulchres, for he was leprous; and Jotham, his son, reigned for him.