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Saturday, August 2nd, 2025
the Week of Proper 12 / Ordinary 17
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Read the Bible

THE MESSAGE

2 Kings 14:13

Jehoash king of Israel captured Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Joash, the son of Ahaziah, at Beth Shemesh. But Jehoash didn't stop there; he went on to attack Jerusalem. He demolished the wall of Jerusalem all the way from the Ephraim Gate to the Corner Gate—a stretch of about six hundred feet. He looted the gold, silver, and furnishings—anything he found that was worth taking—from both the palace and The Temple of God . And, for good measure, he took hostages. Then he returned to Samaria.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Beth-Shemesh;   Ephraim;   Israel, Prophecies Concerning;   Jehoash;   Jerusalem;   Thompson Chain Reference - Ephraim;   Gates;   Israel;   Jerusalem;   Jews;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Jerusalem;   Kings;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Beth-Shemesh;   Jerusalem;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - City;   Jehoash;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Amaziah;   Benjamin;   Beth-Shemesh;   Corner;   Ephraim, Gate of;   Jehoash;   Jerusalem;   Obadiah, Book of;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Bethshemesh;   Hananeel, Tower of;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Beth-Shemesh;   Corner Gate;   Ephraim Gate;   Old Gate;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Beth-Shemesh;   Jerusalem;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Amaziah ;   Bethshemesh ;   Ephraim, Gate of;   Joash ;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Amaziah;   Ephraim;   Smith Bible Dictionary - E'phra-Im, Gate of,;   Jeho'ash;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Amaziah;   Jehoash;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Amaziah, King of Judah;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
King Jehoash of Israel captured Judah’s King Amaziah son of Joash, son of Ahaziah, at Beth-shemesh. Then Jehoash went to Jerusalem and broke down two hundred yards of Jerusalem’s wall from the Ephraim Gate to the Corner Gate.
Hebrew Names Version
Yeho'ash king of Yisra'el took Amatzyah king of Yehudah, the son of Yeho'ash the son of Achazyah, at Beit-Shemesh, and came to Yerushalayim, and broke down the wall of Yerushalayim from the gate of Efrayim to the corner gate, four hundred cubits.
King James Version
And Jehoash king of Israel took Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Jehoash the son of Ahaziah, at Bethshemesh, and came to Jerusalem, and brake down the wall of Jerusalem from the gate of Ephraim unto the corner gate, four hundred cubits.
English Standard Version
And Jehoash king of Israel captured Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Jehoash, son of Ahaziah, at Beth-shemesh, and came to Jerusalem and broke down the wall of Jerusalem for four hundred cubits, from the Ephraim Gate to the Corner Gate.
New Century Version
At Beth Shemesh Jehoash king of Israel captured Amaziah king of Judah. (Amaziah was the son of Joash, who was the son of Ahaziah.) Jehoash went up to Jerusalem and broke down the wall of Jerusalem from the Gate of Ephraim to the Corner Gate, which was about six hundred feet.
New English Translation
King Jehoash of Israel captured King Amaziah of Judah, son of Jehoash son of Ahaziah, in Beth Shemesh. He attacked Jerusalem and broke down the wall of Jerusalem from the Gate of Ephraim to the Corner Gate—a distance of about six hundred feet.
Amplified Bible
Then Jehoash king of Israel captured Amaziah the king of Judah, the son of Jehoash (Joash), the son of Ahaziah, at Beth-shemesh, and came to Jerusalem and broke through the wall of Jerusalem from the Gate of Ephraim to the Corner Gate, 400 cubits (600 feet).
New American Standard Bible
Then Jehoash king of Israel captured Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Jehoash the son of Ahaziah, at Beth-shemesh, and came to Jerusalem and tore down the wall of Jerusalem from the Gate of Ephraim to the Corner Gate, four hundred cubits.
Geneva Bible (1587)
But Iehoash King of Israel tooke Amaziah King of Iudah, the sonne of Iehoash the sonne of Ahaziah, at Beth-shemesh, and came to Ierusalem, and brake downe the wall of Ierusalem from the gate of Ephraim to the corner gate, foure hundreth cubites.
Legacy Standard Bible
Then Jehoash king of Israel seized Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Jehoash the son of Ahaziah, at Beth-shemesh, and came to Jerusalem and broke down the wall of Jerusalem from the Gate of Ephraim to the Corner Gate, 400 cubits.
Contemporary English Version
and Jehoash captured Amaziah. Jehoash then marched to Jerusalem and broke down the city wall from Ephraim Gate to Corner Gate, a section about six hundred feet long.
Complete Jewish Bible
Y'ho'ash king of Isra'el took Amatzyah king of Y'hudah, the son of Y'ho'ash the son of Achazyah, prisoner at Beit-Shemesh. Then he went to Yerushalayim and demolished the wall of Yerushalayim between the Gate of Efrayim and the Corner Gate, a section 600 feet long.
Darby Translation
And Jehoash king of Israel took Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Jehoash son of Ahaziah, at Beth-shemesh, and came to Jerusalem, and broke down the wall of Jerusalem from the gate of Ephraim to the corner-gate, four hundred cubits.
Easy-to-Read Version
At Beth Shemesh, King Jehoash of Israel captured King Amaziah of Judah, the son of Joash, the son of Ahaziah. Jehoash took Amaziah to Jerusalem. Jehoash broke down the wall of Jerusalem from the Gate of Ephraim to the Corner Gate, about 600 feet.
George Lamsa Translation
And Jehoash king of Israel captured Amaziah king of Judah at Beth-shemesh, and he entered Jerusalem and broke down the wall of Jerusalem from the gate of Ephraim to the corner gate, four hundred cubits.
Good News Translation
Jehoash took Amaziah prisoner, advanced on Jerusalem, and tore down the city wall from Ephraim Gate to the Corner Gate, a distance of two hundred yards.
Lexham English Bible
Jehoash king of Israel captured Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Jehoash, the son of Ahaziah, at Beth-Shemesh. Then they came to Jerusalem, and he broke down the wall of Jerusalem from the Gate of Ephraim up to the Corner Gate, four hundred cubits!
Literal Translation
And Jehoash the king of Israel caught Amaziah the king of Judah, the son of Joash, the son of Ahaziah, in Beth-shemesh. And they came in to Jerusalem, and he broke through the wall of Jerusalem at the Gate of Ephraim to the Corner Gate, four hundred cubits.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And Ioas the kynge of Israel toke Amasias the kynge of Iuda, the sonne of Ioas the sonne of Ochosias at Beth Semes, and came to Ierusalem, and brake downe ye wall of Ierusalem from ye porte of Ephraim vnto the corner porte, euen foure hundreth cubites loge:
American Standard Version
And Jehoash king of Israel took Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Jehoash the son of Ahaziah, at Beth-shemesh, and came to Jerusalem, and brake down the wall of Jerusalem from the gate of Ephraim unto the corner gate, four hundred cubits.
Bible in Basic English
And Jehoash, king of Israel, made Amaziah, king of Judah, the son of Jehoash, son of Ahaziah, prisoner at Beth-shemesh, and came to Jerusalem, and had the wall of Jerusalem pulled down from the doorway of Ephraim to the door in the angle, four hundred cubits.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And Iehoas king of Israel toke Amaziahu king of Iuda the sonne of Iehoas the sonne of Ahaziahu at Bethsames, and came to Hierusalem, & brake downe the wall of Hierusalem, from the gate of Ephraim, to the corner gate, foure hundred cubites.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And Jehoash king of Israel took Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Jehoash the son of Ahaziah, at Beth-shemesh, and came to Jerusalem, and broke down the wall of Jerusalem from the gate of Ephraim unto the corner gate, four hundred cubits.
King James Version (1611)
And Iehoash king of Israel tooke Amaziah king of Iudah, the sonne of Iehoash the sonne of Ahaziah at Bethshemesh, and came to Ierusalem, and brake downe the wall of Ierusalem, from the gate of Ephraim, vnto the corner gate, foure hundred cubites.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And Joas king of Israel took Amessias the son of Joas the son of Ochozias, in Baethsamys; and he came to Jerusalem, and broke down the wall of Jerusalem, beginning at the gate of Ephraim as far as the gate of the corner, four hundred cubits.
English Revised Version
And Jehoash king of Israel took Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Jehoash the son of Ahaziah, at Beth–shemesh, and came to Jerusalem, and brake down the wall of Jerusalem from the gate of Ephraim unto the corner gate, four hundred cubists.
Berean Standard Bible
There at Beth-shemesh, Jehoash king of Israel captured Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Joash, the son of Ahaziah. Then Jehoash went to Jerusalem and broke down the wall of Jerusalem from the Ephraim Gate to the Corner Gate-a section of four hundred cubits.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Sotheli Joas, kyng of Israel, took in Bethsames Amasie, kyng of Juda, the sone of Joas, sone of Ocozie, and brouyte hym in to Jerusalem; and he brak the wal of Jerusalem, fro the yate of Effraym `til to the yate of the corner, bi foure hundrid cubitis.
Young's Literal Translation
And Amaziah king of Judah, son of Jehoash son of Ahaziah, caught hath Jehoash king of Israel in Beth-Shemesh, and they come in to Jerusalem, and he bursteth through the wall of Jerusalem, at the gate of Ephraim unto the gate of the corner, four hundred cubits,
Update Bible Version
And Jehoash king of Israel took Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Jehoash the son of Ahaziah, at Beth-shemesh, and came to Jerusalem, and broke down the wall of Jerusalem from the gate of Ephraim to the corner gate, four hundred cubits.
Webster's Bible Translation
And Jehoash king of Israel took Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Jehoash the son of Ahaziah, at Beth-shemesh, and came to Jerusalem, and broke down the wall of Jerusalem from the gate of Ephraim to the corner gate, four hundred cubits.
World English Bible
Jehoash king of Israel took Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Jehoash the son of Ahaziah, at Beth-shemesh, and came to Jerusalem, and broke down the wall of Jerusalem from the gate of Ephraim to the corner gate, four hundred cubits.
New King James Version
Then Jehoash king of Israel captured Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Jehoash, the son of Ahaziah, at Beth Shemesh; and he went to Jerusalem, and broke down the wall of Jerusalem from the Gate of Ephraim to the Corner Gate--four hundred cubits.
New Living Translation
King Jehoash of Israel captured Judah's king, Amaziah son of Joash and grandson of Ahaziah, at Beth-shemesh. Then he marched to Jerusalem, where he demolished 600 feet of Jerusalem's wall, from the Ephraim Gate to the Corner Gate.
New Life Bible
King Jehoash of Israel took Amaziah king of Judah, son of Jehoash the son of Ahaziah, at Beth-shemesh. Then he came to Jerusalem and tore down the city wall, from the Gate of Ephraim to the Corner Gate. He tore down the wall as far as 200 long steps.
New Revised Standard
King Jehoash of Israel captured King Amaziah of Judah son of Jehoash, son of Ahaziah, at Beth-shemesh; he came to Jerusalem, and broke down the wall of Jerusalem from the Ephraim Gate to the Corner Gate, a distance of four hundred cubits.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
and, upon Amaziah, king of Judah, son of Jehoash son of Ahaziah, did Jehoash king of Israel, seize, in Beth-shemesh, - and entered Jerusalem, and brake down the wall of Jerusalem, at the gate of Ephraim, as far as the corner gate, four hundred cubits;
Douay-Rheims Bible
But Joas, king of Israel, took Amasias, king of Juda, the son of Joas, the son of Ochozias, in Bethsames, and brought him into Jerusalem; and he broke down the wall of Jerusalem, from the gate of Ephraim to the gate of the corner, four hundred cubits.
Revised Standard Version
And Jeho'ash king of Israel captured Amazi'ah king of Judah, the son of Jeho'ash, son of Ahazi'ah, at Beth-she'mesh, and came to Jerusalem, and broke down the wall of Jerusalem for four hundred cubits, from the E'phraim Gate to the Corner Gate.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
Then Jehoash king of Israel captured Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Jehoash the son of Ahaziah, at Beth-shemesh, and came to Jerusalem and tore down the wall of Jerusalem from the Gate of Ephraim to the Corner Gate, 400 cubits.

Contextual Overview

8 One day Amaziah sent envoys to Jehoash son of Jehoahaz, the son of Jehu, king of Israel, challenging him to a fight: "Come and meet with me—dare you. Let's have it out face-to-face!" 9Jehoash king of Israel replied to Amaziah king of Judah, "One day a thistle in Lebanon sent word to a cedar in Lebanon, ‘Give your daughter to my son in marriage.' But then a wild animal of Lebanon passed by and stepped on the thistle, crushing it. Just because you've defeated Edom in battle, you now think you're a big shot. Go ahead and be proud, but stay home. Why press your luck? Why bring defeat on yourself and Judah?" 11 Amaziah wouldn't take No for an answer. So Jehoash king of Israel gave in and agreed to a battle between him and Amaziah king of Judah. They met at Beth Shemesh, a town of Judah. 12 Judah was thoroughly beaten by Israel—all their soldiers ran home in defeat. 13Jehoash king of Israel captured Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Joash, the son of Ahaziah, at Beth Shemesh. But Jehoash didn't stop there; he went on to attack Jerusalem. He demolished the wall of Jerusalem all the way from the Ephraim Gate to the Corner Gate—a stretch of about six hundred feet. He looted the gold, silver, and furnishings—anything he found that was worth taking—from both the palace and The Temple of God . And, for good measure, he took hostages. Then he returned to Samaria.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

took Amaziah: 2 Kings 25:6, 2 Chronicles 33:11, 2 Chronicles 36:6, 2 Chronicles 36:10, Job 40:11, Job 40:12, Proverbs 16:18, Proverbs 29:23, Isaiah 2:11, Isaiah 2:12, Daniel 4:37, Luke 14:11

the gate of Ephraim: 2 Chronicles 25:23, 2 Chronicles 25:24, Nehemiah 8:16, Nehemiah 12:39

the corner: Jeremiah 31:38, Zechariah 14:10

Reciprocal: 2 Chronicles 26:9 - the corner gate

Cross-References

Genesis 43:32
Joseph was served at his private table, the brothers off by themselves and the Egyptians off by themselves (Egyptians won't eat at the same table with Hebrews; it's repulsive to them). The brothers were seated facing Joseph, arranged in order of their age, from the oldest to the youngest. They looked at one another wide-eyed, wondering what would happen next. When the brothers' plates were served from Joseph's table, Benjamin's plate came piled high, far more so than his brothers. And so the brothers feasted with Joseph, drinking freely.
Exodus 2:11
Time passed. Moses grew up. One day he went and saw his brothers, saw all that hard labor. Then he saw an Egyptian hit a Hebrew—one of his relatives! He looked this way and then that; when he realized there was no one in sight, he killed the Egyptian and buried him in the sand.
Numbers 21:21
Israel sent emissaries to Sihon, king of the Amorites, saying, "Let us cross your land. We won't trespass into your fields or drink water in your vineyards. We'll keep to the main road, the King's Road, until we're through your land."
1 Samuel 4:12
Immediately, a Benjaminite raced from the front lines back to Shiloh. Shirt torn and face smeared with dirt, he entered the town. Eli was sitting on his stool beside the road keeping vigil, for he was extremely worried about the Chest of God. When the man ran straight into town to tell the bad news, everyone wept. They were appalled. Eli heard the loud wailing and asked, "Why this uproar?" The messenger hurried over and reported. Eli was ninety-eight years old then, and blind. The man said to Eli, "I've just come from the front, barely escaping with my life." "And so, my son," said Eli, "what happened?"
Jonah 1:9
He told them, "I'm a Hebrew. I worship God , the God of heaven who made sea and land."
2 Corinthians 11:22
Pseudo-Servants of God Will you put up with a little foolish aside from me? Please, just for a moment. The thing that has me so upset is that I care about you so much—this is the passion of God burning inside me! I promised your hand in marriage to Christ, presented you as a pure virgin to her husband. And now I'm afraid that exactly as the Snake seduced Eve with his smooth patter, you are being lured away from the simple purity of your love for Christ. It seems that if someone shows up preaching quite another Jesus than we preached—different spirit, different message—you put up with him quite nicely. But if you put up with these big-shot "apostles," why can't you put up with simple me? I'm as good as they are. It's true that I don't have their voice, haven't mastered that smooth eloquence that impresses you so much. But when I do open my mouth, I at least know what I'm talking about. We haven't kept anything back. We let you in on everything. I wonder, did I make a bad mistake in proclaiming God's Message to you without asking for something in return, serving you free of charge so that you wouldn't be inconvenienced by me? It turns out that the other churches paid my way so that you could have a free ride. Not once during the time I lived among you did anyone have to lift a finger to help me out. My needs were always supplied by the believers from Macedonia province. I was careful never to be a burden to you, and I never will be, you can count on it. With Christ as my witness, it's a point of honor with me, and I'm not going to keep it quiet just to protect you from what the neighbors will think. It's not that I don't love you; God knows I do. I'm just trying to keep things open and honest between us. And I'm not changing my position on this. I'd die before taking your money. I'm giving nobody grounds for lumping me in with those money-grubbing "preachers," vaunting themselves as something special. They're a sorry bunch—pseudo-apostles, lying preachers, crooked workers—posing as Christ's agents but sham to the core. And no wonder! Satan does it all the time, dressing up as a beautiful angel of light. So it shouldn't surprise us when his servants masquerade as servants of God. But they're not getting by with anything. They'll pay for it in the end. Let me come back to where I started—and don't hold it against me if I continue to sound a little foolish. Or if you'd rather, just accept that I am a fool and let me rant on a little. I didn't learn this kind of talk from Christ. Oh, no, it's a bad habit I picked up from the three-ring preachers that are so popular these days. Since you sit there in the judgment seat observing all these shenanigans, you can afford to humor an occasional fool who happens along. You have such admirable tolerance for impostors who rob your freedom, rip you off, steal you blind, put you down—even slap your face! I shouldn't admit it to you, but our stomachs aren't strong enough to tolerate that kind of stuff. Since you admire the egomaniacs of the pulpit so much (remember, this is your old friend, the fool, talking), let me try my hand at it. Do they brag of being Hebrews, Israelites, the pure race of Abraham? I'm their match. Are they servants of Christ? I can go them one better. (I can't believe I'm saying these things. It's crazy to talk this way! But I started, and I'm going to finish.)
Philippians 2:5
Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself. He had equal status with God but didn't think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what. Not at all. When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human! Having become human, he stayed human. It was an incredibly humbling process. He didn't claim special privileges. Instead, he lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death—and the worst kind of death at that—a crucifixion.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And Jehoash king of Israel took Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Jehoash the son of Ahaziah, at Bethshemesh,.... And then they looked one another in the face indeed, but Amaziah must look very silly:

and came to Jerusalem; the metropolis of Judah, with his royal prisoner:

and broke down the wall of Jerusalem; in at the breach of which he went with his chariot, as Josephus says e, in triumph:

from the gate of Ephraim unto the corner gate, four hundred cubits; the gate of Ephraim was to the north of the city, towards the tribe of Ephraim, from whence it had its name; and the corner gate was that which joined the northern and western walls together, or rather the northern and eastern walls; for Rauwolff says f, there is still the corner gate in its old place, where the north and east walls meet on large and high rocks, and is still called by some the gate of Naphtali.

e Antiqu. l. 9. c. 9. sect. 3. f Travels, par. 3. ch. 3. p. 228. by Ray.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The object of breaking down the wall was to leave Jerusalem at the mercy of her rival; and it must have been among the conditions of the peace that the breach thus made should not be repaired.

Gates in Oriental cities are named from the places to which they lead. The gate of Ephraim must therefore have been a north gate: perhaps also known, later on, by the name of the “gate of Benjamin” Jeremiah 37:13; Zechariah 14:10. The corner gate was probably a gate at the northwest angle of the city, where the north wall approached the Valley of Hinnom. The entire breach was thus in the north wall, on the side where Jerusalem was naturally the weakest. Josephus says that Joash drove his chariot through the breach into the town, a practice not unusual with conquerors.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 2 Kings 14:13. Took Amaziah king of Judah — It is plain that Amaziah afterwards had his liberty; but how or on what terms he got it, is not known. See on the 2 Kings 14:13.


 
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