2 Chronicles 25:16-20

25:16 While he was speaking, Amaziah ¹  said to him, “Did we appoint you to be a royal counselor? Stop prophesying or else you will be killed!” ²  So the prophet stopped, but added, “I know that the Lord has decided ³  to destroy you, because you have done this thing and refused to listen to my advice.”

25:17 After King Amaziah of Judah consulted with his advisers, ⁴  he sent this message to the king of Israel, Joash son of Jehoahaz, the son of Jehu, “Come, face me on the battlefield.” ⁵  25:18 King Joash of Israel sent this message back to King Amaziah of Judah, “A thorn bush in Lebanon sent this message to a cedar in Lebanon, ‘Give your daughter to my son as a wife.’ Then a wild animal of Lebanon came by and trampled down the thorn bush. ⁶  25:19 You defeated Edom ⁷  and it has gone to your head. ⁸  Gloat over your success, ⁹  but stay in your palace. Why bring calamity on yourself? Why bring down yourself and Judah along with you?” ¹⁰ 

25:20 But Amaziah did not heed the warning, ¹¹  for God wanted to hand them over to Joash because they followed the gods of Edom. ¹² 

[25:16]  ¹ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Amaziah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[25:16]  ² tn Heb “Stop yourself! Why should they strike you down?”

[25:16]  ³ tn The verb יָעַץ (ya’ats, “has decided”) is from the same root as יוֹעֵץ (yo’ets, “counselor”) in v. 16 and עֵצָה (’etsah, “advice”) later in v. 16. The wordplay highlights the appropriate nature of the divine punishment. Amaziah rejected the counsel of God’s prophet; now he would be the victim of God’s “counsel.”

[25:17]  ⁴ tn The words “with his advisers” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[25:17]  ⁵ tn Heb “let us look at each other [in the] face.” The expression refers here not to a visit but to meeting in battle. See v. 21.

[25:18]  ⁶ sn The thorn bush in the allegory is Judah. Amaziah’s success had deceived him into thinking he was on the same level as the major powers in the area (symbolized by the cedar). In reality he was not capable of withstanding an attack by a real military power such as Israel (symbolized by the wild animal).

[25:19]  ⁷ tn Heb “you say [to yourself], ‘look, you have defeated Edom.’”

[25:19]  ⁸ tn Heb “and your heart is lifted up.”

[25:19]  ⁹ tn Heb “to glorify.”

[25:19]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “Why get involved in calamity and fall, you and Judah with you?”

[25:20]  ¹¹ tn Heb “did not listen.”

[25:20]  ¹² tn Heb “because it was from God in order to give them into the hand because they sought the gods of Edom.”