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So Uzziah the king was a leper. He could not enter the Lord 's Temple. His son Jotham controlled the king's palace and became governor for the people.

Uzziah died and was buried near his ancestors in the field near the king's burial places. This was because the people said, "Uzziah has leprosy." And Uzziah's son Jotham became the new king in his place.

Jotham was 25 years old when he became king. He ruled 16 years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Jerusha. Jerusha was Zadok's daughter.

Jotham did what the Lord wanted him to do. He obeyed God just as his father Uzziah had done. But Jotham did not enter the Lord 's Temple to burn incense as his father had. But the people continued doing wrong.

Jotham also fought against the king of the Ammonites and his army and defeated them. So each year for three years the Ammonites gave Jotham 3 3/4 tons of silver, 62,000 bushels of wheat, and 62,000 bushels of barley.

Jotham became powerful because he faithfully obeyed the Lord his God.

Everything else Jotham did and all his wars are written in the book, The History of the Kings of Israel and Judah.

Then Jotham died and was buried with his ancestors. The people buried him in the City of David. Jotham's son Ahaz became king in his place.

Ahaz was 20 years old when he became king. He ruled 16 years in Jerusalem. He did not live right, as David his ancestor had done. Ahaz did not do what the Lord wanted him to do.

He burned incense in the Valley of Ben Hinnom and sacrificed his own sons by burning them in the fire. He did the same terrible sins that the peoples living in that land did. The Lord had forced them out when the Israelites entered that land.

Because Ahaz did these things, the Lord his God let the king of Aram defeat him. The king and his army defeated Ahaz and took many people of Judah as prisoners to the city of Damascus. Ahaz also suffered a terrible defeat by the king of Israel, Pekah son of Remaliah. Pekah and his army killed 120,000 of the bravest soldiers in Judah in one day. All this happened because the people of Judah had turned away from the Lord , the God their ancestors worshiped.

In every town in Judah Ahaz made high places for burning incense to worship other gods. Ahaz made the Lord , the God his ancestors obeyed, very angry.

Ahaz died and was buried with his ancestors. The people buried him in the city of Jerusalem. But they didn't bury him in the same burial place where the kings of Israel were buried. Ahaz's son Hezekiah became the new king in his place.

Hezekiah became king when he was 25 years old. He ruled 29 years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Abijah. Abijah was Zechariah's daughter.

Hezekiah did what the Lord wanted him to do. He did what was right just as David his ancestor had done.

King Hezekiah put the Levites in the Lord 's Temple with cymbals, harps, and lyres as David, Gad, the king's seer, and the prophet Nathan had commanded. This command came from the Lord through his prophets.

King Hezekiah and his officials ordered the Levites to give praise to the Lord . They sang songs that David and Asaph the seer had written. They praised God and became happy. They all bowed and worshiped God.

Hezekiah and the people were very happy about the things God prepared for his people. And they were happy he did it so quickly!

King Hezekiah agreed with all his officials and all the assembly in Jerusalem to have the Passover in the second month.

Don't be stubborn as your ancestors were. But obey the Lord with a willing heart. Come to the Temple that he has made to be holy forever. Serve the Lord your God. Then his fearful anger will turn away from you.