Judah picks one fight too many
Judah crushes Edom then Israel crushes Judah
Judah's king Amaziah is just 25 years old when he takes the throne in Jerusalem. Eager for glory, he crushes Edom's army. Then full of himself, the king of Judah picks a fight with Israel.
Edom, first battle
The king sent his soldiers to fight the neighboring nation of Edom. Judah’s army killed 10,000 people of Edom and overran the Edom city of Sela.
Israel, bad choice
Amaziah sent Israel’s King Jehoash an invitation to a fight. The message said, “Let’s settle our differences king to king on the battlefield.” Jehoash sent his reply: “You defeated Edom and you’re feeling pretty good about yourself. Enjoy the glory of victory. Why risk the agony of defeat? If you go down, so does Judah.” Amaziah pressed, so Jehoash complied. The two Israelite armies fought on Judah’s tribal land at the town of Beth-shemesh.
Agony of defeat
Judah lost the battle, and their soldiers raced home. Israel’s King Jehoash captured Judah’s King Amaziah, the son of King Jehoash and grandson of King Ahaziah. Israel’s King Jehoash marched into Jerusalem and tore down 200 yards of the city walls, from the Ephraim Gate to the Corner Gate. He raided treasuries of the Temple and the king’s palace. He took all the silver and gold, including the sacred utensils and furnishings in the Temple. And he kidnapped some citizens and took them back to his capital city of Samaria.
Where to find more Bible maps
The Casual English Bible® has more than 900 Bible maps, many in 3D style. You can search for maps by place name, such as "Sea of Galilee."
Dedicated Bible map search engine
But you can also search for maps by Bible book, such as searching for all the maps in the book of Joshua. In addition, you can search by country, region, or era on a timeline, such as when Israel had kings or when Jesus was on earth. Here's a link to the dedicated Map Search Engine.
