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King Jotham of Judah^(a)

¹ Jotham became king at the age of twenty-five, and he ruled in Jerusalem for sixteen years. His mother was Jerushah, the daughter of Zadok. ² He did what was pleasing to the Lord, just as his father had done; but unlike his father he did not sin by burning incense^[a] in the Temple. The people, however, went on sinning.

³ It was Jotham who built the North Gate of the Temple and did extensive work on the city wall in the area of Jerusalem called Ophel. ⁴ In the mountains of Judah he built cities, and in the forests he built forts and towers. ⁵ He fought against the king of Ammon and his army and defeated them. Then he forced the Ammonites to pay him the following tribute each year for three years: four tons of silver, fifty thousand bushels of wheat, and fifty thousand bushels of barley. ⁶ Jotham grew powerful because he faithfully obeyed the Lord his God. ⁷ The other events of Jotham's reign, his wars, and his policies, are all recorded in The History of the Kings of Israel and Judah.

⁸ Jotham was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he ruled in Jerusalem for sixteen years. ⁹ He died and was buried in David's City and his son Ahaz succeeded him as king.