2 Tawarikh 25:15-17

25:15 The Lord was angry at Amaziah and sent a prophet to him, who said, “Why are you following ¹  these gods ²  that could not deliver their own people from your power?” ³  25:16 While he was speaking, Amaziah ⁴  said to him, “Did we appoint you to be a royal counselor? Stop prophesying or else you will be killed!” ⁵  So the prophet stopped, but added, “I know that the Lord has decided ⁶  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, ⁷  he sent this message to the king of Israel, Joash son of Jehoahaz, the son of Jehu, “Come, face me on the battlefield.” ⁸ 

[25:15]  ¹ tn Heb “seeking,” perhaps in the sense of “consulting [an oracle from].”

[25:15]  ² tn Heb “the gods of the people.”

[25:15]  ³ tn Heb “hand.”

[25:16]  ⁴ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Amaziah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[25:16]  ⁵ tn Heb “Stop yourself! Why should they strike you down?”

[25:16]  ⁶ 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]  ⁷ tn The words “with his advisers” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[25:17]  ⁸ 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.