27:1 Jotham was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned for sixteen years in Jerusalem. 1 His mother was Jerusha the daughter of Zadok. 27:2 He did what the Lord approved, just as his father Uzziah had done. 2 (He did not, however, have the audacity to enter the temple.) 3 Yet the people were still sinning.
27:3 He built the Upper Gate to the Lord’s temple and did a lot of work on the wall in the area known as Ophel. 4 27:4 He built cities in the hill country of Judah and fortresses and towers in the forests.
27:5 He launched a military campaign 5 against the king of the Ammonites and defeated them. That year the Ammonites paid him 100 talents 6 of silver, 10,000 kors 7 of wheat, and 10,000 kors 8 of barley. The Ammonites also paid this same amount of annual tribute the next two years. 9
27:6 Jotham grew powerful because he was determined to please the Lord his God. 10 27:7 The rest of the events of Jotham’s reign, including all his military campaigns and his accomplishments, are recorded in the scroll of the kings of Israel and Judah. 11 27:8 He was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned for sixteen years in Jerusalem. 27:9 Jotham passed away 12 and was buried in the City of David. 13 His son Ahaz replaced him as king.