1Tinha Jothão vinte e cinco annos d'edade, quando começou a reinar, e dezeseis annos reinou em Jerusalem: e era o nome de sua mãe Jerusa, filha de Zadok.
2E fez o que era recto aos olhos do Senhor, conforme a tudo o que fizera Uzias, seu pae, excepto que não entrou no templo do Senhor. E ainda o povo se corrompia.
3Este edificou a porta alta da casa do Senhor, e tambem edificou muito sobre o muro d'Ophel.
4Tambem edificou cidades nas montanhas de Judah, e edificou nos bosques castellos e torres.
5Elle tambem guerreou contra o rei dos filhos d'Ammon, e prevaleceu sobre elles, de modo que os filhos d'Ammon n'aquelle anno lhe deram cem talentos de prata, e dez mil coros de trigo, e dez mil de cevada: isto lhe trouxeram os filhos d'Ammon tambem o segundo e o terceiro anno.
6Assim se fortificou Jothão, porque dirigiu os seus caminhos na presença do Senhor seu Deus.
7O resto pois dos successos de Jothão, e todas as suas guerras e os seus caminhos eis que está escripto no livro dos reis d'Israel e de Judah.
8Tinha vinte e cinco annos d'edade, quando começou a reinar, e dezeseis annos reinou em Jerusalem.
9E dormiu Jothão com seus paes, e o sepultaram na cidade de David: e Achaz, seu filho, reinou em seu logar.
📖 Chapter study
Summary
Jotham, son of Uzziah, becomes king and follows his father's right ways, but without committing the same mistake of entering the temple. He strengthens the kingdom with building projects, defeats the Ammonites in battle, and is described consistently in a positive light throughout his reign.
Explanation
Jotham is one of the few kings described without major recorded failures, apparently learning from his father Uzziah's fatal mistake and maintaining proper respect for the boundaries between royal authority and priestly function. The text briefly notes that, despite Jotham's personal faithfulness, 'the people did yet corruptly,' acknowledging that one leader's righteousness does not automatically guarantee the spiritual transformation of an entire nation. His brief sixteen-year reign is described succinctly but consistently positively, serving as a relatively stable interlude before the disastrous reign of his son Ahaz, which will be described in the following chapter.
Fun facts
- The text briefly mentions that Jotham 'entered not into the temple of the LORD,' a phrase scholars interpret as a direct and deliberate reference to the specific mistake made by his father Uzziah, showing that he had clearly learned that lesson.
- Despite his generally positive reign, this is one of the shortest chapters dedicated to a single king in all of 2 Chronicles, suggesting that his stability, though commendable, did not generate events as dramatic as those of other kings mentioned in the book.