Assyrians discovers Holofernes' fate

So efficient was the escape that Judith has returned and told her people all that she had done, without the Assyrians realizing that their commander was destroyed. Judith specifically asked for Achior the Ammonite to be brought to them to reveal to him what had happened. Soon after, Achior converted to become an Israelite.

Under Judith's instructions, the Israelites showed themselves advancing, to prompt the Assyrians to rouse their commander. Only at this point that the Assyrians found their commander had been tricked and destroyed.



14 Judith’s Counsel
Then Judith said to them, “Listen to me, my brethren, and take this head and hang it upon the parapet of your wall. 2 And as soon as morning comes and the sun rises, let every valiant man take his weapons and go out of the city, and set a captain over them, as if you were going down to the plain against the Assyrian outpost; only do not go down. 3 Then they will seize their arms and go into the camp and rouse the officers of the Assyrian army; and they will rush into the tent of Holofer′nes, and will not find him. Then fear will come over them, and they will flee before you, 4 and you and all who live within the borders of Israel shall pursue them and cut them down as they flee. 5 But before you do all this, bring Ach′ior the Am′monite to me, and let him see and recognize the man who despised the house of Israel and sent him to us as if to his death.”

6 So they summoned Ach′ior from the house of Uzzi′ah. And when he came and saw the head of Holofer′nes in the hand of one of the men at the gathering of the people, he fell down on his face and his spirit failed him. 7 And when they raised him up he fell at Judith’s feet, and knelt before her, and said, “Blessed are you in every tent of Judah! In every nation those who hear your name will be alarmed. 8 Now tell me what you have done during these days.”

Then Judith described to him in the presence of the people all that she had done, from the day she left until the moment of her speaking to them. 9 And when she had finished, the people raised a great shout and made a joyful noise in their city. 10 And when Ach′ior saw all that the God of Israel had done, he believed firmly in God, and was circumcised, and joined the house of Israel, remaining so to this day.

Holofernes’ Death Is Discovered
11 As soon as it was dawn they hung the head of Holofer′nes on the wall, and every man took his weapons, and they went out in companies to the passes in the mountains. 12 And when the Assyrians saw them they sent word to their commanders, and they went to the generals and the captains and to all their officers. 13 So they came to Holofer′nes’ tent and said to the steward in charge of all his personal affairs, “Wake up our lord, for the slaves have been so bold as to come down against us to give battle, in order to be destroyed completely.”

14 So Bago′as went in and knocked at the door of the tent, for he supposed that he was sleeping with Judith. 15 But when no one answered, he opened it and went into the bedchamber and found him thrown down on the platform dead, with his head cut off and missing. 16 And he cried out with a loud voice and wept and groaned and shouted, and rent his garments. 17 Then he went to the tent where Judith had stayed, and when he did not find her he rushed out to the people and shouted, 18 “The slaves have tricked us! One Hebrew woman has brought disgrace upon the house of King Nebuchadnez′zar! For look, here is Holofer′nes lying on the ground, and his head is not on him!”

19 When the leaders of the Assyrian army heard this, they rent their tunics and were greatly dismayed, and their loud cries and shouts arose in the midst of the camp.

The climax of Judith

This chapter is the climax of the story of Judith. Up to this point, there could be doubt as to Judith's motive for her apparent defection, and her motive towards Holofernes. By the end of the chapter, the great military commander who was planning to ravage Judith, laid drunk and helpness. Finally here we see Judith's true intentions and her plans coming to fruition.She knew of Holofernes' attraction towards her and seduced him to the point of getting him drunk. The true allegiance of Judith is revealed as she struck off Holoferness with seeming ruthlessness, since Holofernes was on the verge of destroying her nation and people.

In addition, she wrapped up his head and escaped with her maid back to Israel. When she broke the news to king Uzziah and the Israelites, they thanked and worshipped God for their salvation. A footnote also revealed Judith's conversation with Achior whom Holofenes had threatened previously.


13 Judith Beheads Holofernes
When evening came, his slaves quickly withdrew, and Bago′as closed the tent from outside and shut out the attendants from his master’s presence; and they went to bed, for they all were weary because the banquet had lasted long. 2 So Judith was left alone in the tent , with Holofer′nes stretched out on his bed, for he was overcome with wine.

3 Now Judith had told her maid to stand outside the bedchamber and to wait for her to come out, as she did every day; for she said she would be going out for her prayers. And she had said the same thing to Bago′as. 4 So every one went out, and no one, either small or great, was left in the bedchamber. Then Judith, standing beside his bed, said in her heart, “O Lord God of all might, look in this hour upon the work of my hands for the exaltation of Jerusalem. 5 For now is the time to help thy inheritance, and to carry out my undertaking for the destruction of the enemies who have risen up against us.”

6 She went up to the post at the end of the bed, above Holofer′nes’ head, and took down his sword that hung there. 7 She came close to his bed and took hold of the hair of his head, and said, “Give me strength this day, O Lord God of Israel!” 8 And she struck his neck twice with all her might, and severed his head from his body. 9 Then she tumbled his body off the bed and pulled down the canopy from the posts; after a moment she went out, and gave Holofer′nes’ head to her maid, 10 who placed it in her food bag.

Judith Returns to Bethulia
Then the two of them went out together, as they were accustomed to go for prayer; and they passed through the camp and circled around the valley and went up the mountain to Bethu′lia and came to its gates. 11 Judith called out from afar to the watchmen at the gates, “Open, open the gate! God, our God, is still with us, to show his power in Israel, and his strength against our enemies, even as he has done this day!”

12 When the men of her city heard her voice, they hurried down to the city gate and called together the elders of the city. 13 They all ran together, both small and great, for it was unbelievable that she had returned; they opened the gate and admitted them, and they kindled a fire for light, and gathered around them. 14 Then she said to them with a loud voice, “Praise God, O praise him! Praise God, who has not withdrawn his mercy from the house of Israel, but has destroyed our enemies by my hand this very night!”

15 Then she took the head out of the bag and showed it to them, and said, “See, here is the head of Holofer′nes, the commander of the Assyrian army, and here is the canopy beneath which he lay in his drunken stupor. The Lord has struck him down by the hand of a woman. 16 As the Lord lives, who has protected me in the way I went, it was my face that tricked him to his destruction, and yet he committed no act of sin with me, to defile and shame me.”

17 All the people were greatly astonished, and bowed down and worshiped God, and said with one accord, “Blessed art thou, our God, who hast brought into contempt this day the enemies of thy people.”

18 And Uzzi′ah said to her, “O daughter, you are blessed by the Most High God above all women on earth; and blessed be the Lord God, who created the heavens and the earth, who has guided you to strike the head of the leader of our enemies. 19 Your hope will never depart from the hearts of men, as they remember the power of God. 20 May God grant this to be a perpetual honor to you, and may he visit you with blessings, because you did not spare your own life when our nation was brought low, but have avenged our ruin, walking in the straight path before our God.” And all the people said, “So be it, so be it!”[a]

Footnotes:
13.20 Vulgate adds (verses 27-31): “27 And Achior being called for came, and Judith said to him: The God of Israel, to whom thou gavest testimony, that lie revengeth himself of his enemies, he hath cut off the head of all the unbelievers this night by my hand. 28 And that thou mayest find that it is so, behold the head of Holofernes, who in the contempt of his pride despised the God of Israel, and threatened thee with death, saying: When the people of Israel shall be taken, I will command thy sides to be pierced with a sword. 29 Then Achior, seeing the head of Holofernes, being seized with a great fear he fell on his face upon the earth, and his soul swooned away. 30 But after he had recovered his spirits, he fell down at her feet, and reverenced her, and said: 31 Blessed art thou by thy God in every tabernacle of Jacob, for in every nation which shall hear thy name, the God of Israel shall be magnified on occasion of thee.”

Judith Rebukes King Uzziah

In this eighth chapter of the Book of Judith, the person and character of Judith is finally revealed. She is a wealthy widow, attractive, devoted to God and respected. The King Uzziah had just recently promised the people that God will deliver them.

When Judith heard about this, she summoned the king - this action itself shows her standing in the kingdom. Furthermore she rebuked the king and his councils that it is not right to make such an oath to test and force God to deliver the people. She recognized the sovereignty of God and that the people should pray to God for deliverane rather than put God to the test.

Finally, seemingly to correct the wrong, she promised the king that she would do something about it. She may be preparing to leave the city but did not tell the king of her plans, but did promise to deliver Israel.


Judith 8 (NRSV)

The Character of Judith
8 Now in those days Judith heard about these things: she was the daughter of Merari son of Ox son of Joseph son of Oziel son of Elkiah son of Ananias son of Gideon son of Raphain son of Ahitub son of Elijah son of Hilkiah son of Eliab son of Nathanael son of Salamiel son of Sarasadai son of Israel. 2 Her husband Manasseh, who belonged to her tribe and family, had died during the barley harvest. 3 For as he stood overseeing those who were binding sheaves in the field, he was overcome by the burning heat, and took to his bed and died in his town Bethulia. So they buried him with his ancestors in the field between Dothan and Balamon. 4 Judith remained as a widow for three years and four months 5 at home where she set up a tent for herself on the roof of her house. She put sackcloth around her waist and dressed in widow’s clothing. 6 She fasted all the days of her widowhood, except the day before the sabbath and the sabbath itself, the day before the new moon and the day of the new moon, and the festivals and days of rejoicing of the house of Israel. 7 She was beautiful in appearance, and was very lovely to behold. Her husband Manasseh had left her gold and silver, men and women slaves, livestock, and fields; and she maintained this estate. 8 No one spoke ill of her, for she feared God with great devotion.

Judith and the Elders
9 When Judith heard the harsh words spoken by the people against the ruler, because they were faint for lack of water, and when she heard all that Uzziah said to them, and how he promised them under oath to surrender the town to the Assyrians after five days, 10 she sent her maid, who was in charge of all she possessed, to summon Uzziah and[a] Chabris and Charmis, the elders of her town. 11 They came to her, and she said to them:

“Listen to me, rulers of the people of Bethulia! What you have said to the people today is not right; you have even sworn and pronounced this oath between God and you, promising to surrender the town to our enemies unless the Lord turns and helps us within so many days. 12 Who are you to put God to the test today, and to set yourselves up in the place of[b] God in human affairs? 13 You are putting the Lord Almighty to the test, but you will never learn anything! 14 You cannot plumb the depths of the human heart or understand the workings of the human mind; how do you expect to search out God, who made all these things, and find out his mind or comprehend his thought? No, my brothers, do not anger the Lord our God. 15 For if he does not choose to help us within these five days, he has power to protect us within any time he pleases, or even to destroy us in the presence of our enemies. 16 Do not try to bind the purposes of the Lord our God; for God is not like a human being, to be threatened, or like a mere mortal, to be won over by pleading. 17 Therefore, while we wait for his deliverance, let us call upon him to help us, and he will hear our voice, if it pleases him.

18 “For never in our generation, nor in these present days, has there been any tribe or family or people or town of ours that worships gods made with hands, as was done in days gone by. 19 That was why our ancestors were handed over to the sword and to pillage, and so they suffered a great catastrophe before our enemies. 20 But we know no other god but him, and so we hope that he will not disdain us or any of our nation. 21 For if we are captured, all Judea will be captured and our sanctuary will be plundered; and he will make us pay for its desecration with our blood. 22 The slaughter of our kindred and the captivity of the land and the desolation of our inheritance—all this he will bring on our heads among the Gentiles, wherever we serve as slaves; and we shall be an offense and a disgrace in the eyes of those who acquire us. 23 For our slavery will not bring us into favor, but the Lord our God will turn it to dishonor.

24 “Therefore, my brothers, let us set an example for our kindred, for their lives depend upon us, and the sanctuary—both the temple and the altar—rests upon us. 25 In spite of everything let us give thanks to the Lord our God, who is putting us to the test as he did our ancestors. 26 Remember what he did with Abraham, and how he tested Isaac, and what happened to Jacob in Syrian Mesopotamia, while he was tending the sheep of Laban, his mother’s brother. 27 For he has not tried us with fire, as he did them, to search their hearts, nor has he taken vengeance on us; but the Lord scourges those who are close to him in order to admonish them.”

28 Then Uzziah said to her, “All that you have said was spoken out of a true heart, and there is no one who can deny your words. 29 Today is not the first time your wisdom has been shown, but from the beginning of your life all the people have recognized your understanding, for your heart’s disposition is right. 30 But the people were so thirsty that they compelled us to do for them what we have promised, and made us take an oath that we cannot break. 31 Now since you are a God-fearing woman, pray for us, so that the Lord may send us rain to fill our cisterns. Then we will no longer feel faint from thirst.”

32 Then Judith said to them, “Listen to me. I am about to do something that will go down through all generations of our descendants. 33 Stand at the town gate tonight so that I may go out with my maid; and within the days after which you have promised to surrender the town to our enemies, the Lord will deliver Israel by my hand. 34 Only, do not try to find out what I am doing; for I will not tell you until I have finished what I am about to do.”

35 Uzziah and the rulers said to her, “Go in peace, and may the Lord God go before you, to take vengeance on our enemies.” 36 So they returned from the tent and went to their posts.

Esau and Moab plans siege against Israel using the Assyrians

The general of the Assyrian army Holoferness started the invasion as his amassed forces marches against Bethulia. The immense forces marched out across the valleys and plains before Bethulia where the Israelites saw in fear. However, the Israelites were still in a geographically strategic position since they were on higher ground. A significant change in strategy was brought by the people of Esau and the Moabites who convinced Holofernes, that it is strategically better to cut out the water supply and lay siege rather than a frontal assault.

Strategically, Esau and Moab's plans made sense to Holofernes. Besides giving this free advice, they also offered to stay on the mountains to keep watch if the Israelites tried to escape. This devastating siege of the Israelites, was keenly participated by Esau and Moab because perhaps of their long hatred and jealousy of their distant relatives, the Israelites. They would later on meet their justice with God.


Judith 7
The Campaign against Bethulia
The next day Holofer′nes ordered his whole army, and all the allies who had joined him, to break camp and move against Bethu′lia, and to seize the passes up into the hill country and make war on the Israelites. 2 So all their warriors moved their camp that day; their force of men of war was one hundred and seventy thousand infantry and twelve thousand cavalry, together with the baggage and the foot soldiers handling it, a very great multitude. 3 They encamped in the valley near Bethu′lia, beside the spring, and they spread out in breadth over Dothan as far as Balba′im and in length from Bethu′lia to Cyamon, which faces Esdrae′lon.

4 When the Israelites saw their vast numbers they were greatly terrified, and every one said to his neighbor, “These men will now lick up the face of the whole land; neither the high mountains nor the valleys nor the hills will bear their weight.” 5 Then each man took up his weapons, and when they had kindled fires on their towers they remained on guard all that night.

6 On the second day Holofer′nes led out all his cavalry in full view of the Israelites in Bethu′lia, 7 and examined the approaches to the city, and visited the springs that supplied their water, and seized them and set guards of soldiers over them, and then returned to his army.

8 Then all the chieftains of the people of Esau and all the leaders of the Mo′abites and the commanders of the coastland came to him and said, 9 “Let our lord hear a word, lest his army be defeated. 10 For these people, the Israelites, do not rely on their spears but on the height of the mountains where they live, for it is not easy to reach the tops of their mountains. 11 Therefore, my lord, do not fight against them in battle array, and not a man of your army will fall. 12 Remain in your camp, and keep all the men in your forces with you; only let your servants take possession of the spring of water that flows from the foot of the mountain— 13 for this is where all the people of Bethu′lia get their water. So thirst will destroy them, and they will give up their city. We and our people will go up to the tops of the nearby mountains and camp there to keep watch that not a man gets out of the city. 14 They and their wives and children will waste away with famine, and before the sword reaches them they will be strewn about in the streets where they live. 15 So you will pay them back with evil, because they rebelled and did not receive you peaceably.”

16 These words pleased Holofer′nes and all his servants, and he gave orders to do as they had said. 17 So the army of the Am′monites moved forward, together with five thousand Assyrians, and they encamped in the valley and seized the water supply and the springs of the Israelites. 18 And the sons of Esau and the sons of Ammon went up and encamped in the hill country opposite Dothan; and they sent some of their men toward the south and the east, toward Acr′aba, which is near Chusi beside the brook Mochmur. The rest of the Assyrian army encamped in the plain, and covered the whole face of the land, and their tents and supply trains spread out in great number, and they formed a vast multitude.

The Distress of the Israelites
19 The people of Israel cried out to the Lord their God, for their courage failed, because all their enemies had surrounded them and there was no way of escape from them. 20 The whole Assyrian army, their infantry, chariots, and cavalry, surrounded them for thirty-four days, until all the vessels of water belonging to every inhabitant of Bethu′lia were empty; 21 their cisterns were going dry, and they did not have enough water to drink their fill for a single day, because it was measured out to them to drink. 22 Their children lost heart, and the women and young men fainted from thirst and fell down in the streets of the city and in the passages through the gates; there was no strength left in them any longer.

23 Then all the people, the young men, the women, and the children, gathered about Uzzi′ah and the rulers of the city and cried out with a loud voice, and said before all the elders, 24 “God be judge between you and us! For you have done us a great injury in not making peace with the Assyrians. 25 For now we have no one to help us; God has sold us into their hands, to strew us on the ground before them with thirst and utter destruction. 26 Now call them in and surrender the whole city to the army of Holofer′nes and to all his forces, to be plundered. 27 For it would be better for us to be captured by them;[a] for we will be slaves, but our lives will be spared, and we shall not witness the death of our babes before our eyes, or see our wives and children draw their last breath. 28 We call to witness against you heaven and earth and our God, the Lord of our fathers, who punishes us according to our sins and the sins of our fathers. Let him not do this day the things which we have described!”

29 Then great and general lamentation arose throughout the assembly, and they cried out to the Lord God with a loud voice. 30 And Uzzi′ah said to them, “Have courage, my brothers! Let us hold out for five more days; by that time the Lord our God will restore to us his mercy, for he will not forsake us utterly. 31 But if these days pass by, and no help comes for us, I will do what you say.”

32 Then he dismissed the people to their various posts, and they went up on the walls and towers of their city. The women and children he sent home. And they were greatly depressed in the city.

Israelites honoured Achior and prayed, worshipped God

Previously we read that Achior, who told the invading Assyrians under Holofer'nes the general that the Israelites were winning victories with God's help and the favour of God was dependent on the obedience of the Israelites, was now being referred to by Holofer'nes as a hireling of the Israelites or E'phraim. Instead the Assyrians put up their king, Nebuchadnez'zar to god-status, claiming that with him, their side is invincible. Countless kingdoms, cultures, empires have put their leaders in such god-like positions, but none of them survived.

As an act of humiliation and punishment for Ach'ior who dared mention that another god was more powerful than the Assyrian king-god Nebuchanez'zar, Holofer'nes threatened Ach'ior with revenge and abandoned him in Israelite territory. As a contrast, the Israelites who found Ach'ior treated him with great hospitality although Ach'ior's people the Ammonites have been at war with the Israelites on different occasions. The Israelites held a banquet for Ach'ior as well as repented before Almighty God with all night prayer and petition.


Judith 6 
Achior Handed over to the Israelites
When the disturbance made by the men outside the council died down, Holofer′nes, the commander of the Assyrian army, said to Ach′ior and all the Mo′abites in the presence of all the foreign contingents:

2 “And who are you, Ach′ior, and you hirelings of E′phraim, to prophesy among us as you have done today and tell us not to make war against the people of Israel because their God will defend them? Who is God except Nebuchadnez′zar? 3 He will send his forces and will destroy them from the face of the earth, and their God will not deliver them—we the king’s[a] servants will destroy them as one man. They cannot resist the might of our cavalry. 4 We will burn them up,[b] and their mountains will be drunk with their blood, and their fields will be full of their dead. They[c] cannot withstand us, but will utterly perish. So says King Nebuchadnez′zar, the lord of the whole earth. For he has spoken; none of his words shall be in vain.

5 “But you, Ach′ior, you Am′monite hireling, who have said these words on the day of your iniquity, you shall not see my face again from this day until I take revenge on this race that came out of Egypt. 6 Then the sword of my army and the spear[d] of my servants shall pierce your sides, and you shall fall among their wounded, when I return. 7 Now my slaves are going to take you back into the hill country and put you in one of the cities beside the passes, 8 and you will not die until you perish along with them. 9 If you really hope in your heart that they will not be taken, do not look downcast! I have spoken and none of my words shall fail.”

10 Then Holofer′nes ordered his slaves, who waited on him in his tent, to seize Ach′ior and take him to Bethu′lia and hand him over to the men of Israel. 11 So the slaves took him and led him out of the camp into the plain, and from the plain they went up into the hill country and came to the springs below Bethu′lia. 12 When the men of the city saw them,[e] they caught up their weapons and ran out of the city to the top of the hill, and all the slingers kept them from coming up by casting stones at them. 13 However, they got under the shelter of the hill and they bound Ach′ior and left him lying at the foot of the hill, and returned to their master.

14 Then the men of Israel came down from their city and found him; and they untied him and brought him into Bethu′lia and placed him before the magistrates of their city, 15 who in those days were Uzzi′ah the son of Micah, of the tribe of Sim′eon, and Chabris the son of Gothon′iel, and Charmis the son of Mel′chiel. 16 They called together all the elders of the city, and all their young men and their women ran to the assembly; and they set Ach′ior in the midst of all their people, and Uzzi′ah asked him what had happened. 17 He answered and told them what had taken place at the council of Holofer′nes, and all that he had said in the presence of the Assyrian leaders, and all that Holofer′nes had said so boastfully against the house of Israel. 18 Then the people fell down and worshiped God, and cried out to him, and said,

19 “O Lord God of heaven, behold their arrogance, and have pity on the humiliation of our people, and look this day upon the faces of those who are consecrated to thee.”

20 Then they consoled Ach′ior, and praised him greatly. 21 And Uzzi′ah took him from the assembly to his own house and gave a banquet for the elders; and all that night they called on the God of Israel for help.

Uzziah of Judah Grew Strong But Pride Let to Leprosy

After several predecessors who started by walking right with God, then fell, King Uzziah of Judah also seemed to start off correctly with God, and did so for most of his reign. Note that the scripture pointed out that "as long as he sought the LORD, God made him prosper" - this should apply to us all too.

He went out to subdue the Philistines after they had rebelled during the previous kings of Judah. Uzziah was successful in this because he LORD was on his side, and he also managed to have victories against the Arabians and the Meunites. The Ammonites continued to bring tributes to him and his strength became well known.

Among other reforms were fortifying Jerusalem and Judah. For agriculture, he dug more wells for the livestock and expanded the farmers and vinedresses to the mountains and in Carmel. He strengthened the military of Judah and promoted the invention of new war machines and developed new warfare skills.

His downfall came after being so successful that he allowed pride to influence him. Instead of attributing his fortunes to God, he became arrogant to the point that he went into the Temple of the LORD to burn incense at the altar of incense. This particular task had been clearly restricted to the assigned priests who were descendants of Aaron. When he refused to leave by the order of Azariah the priest, Uzziah immediately began to develop leprosy. The leprosy stayed with him for the rest of his life. From then on, he was separated from others and his son Jotham performed his royal duties.



2 Chronicles 26

Uzziah Reigns in Judah

 1 Now all the people of Judah took Uzziah,[a] who was sixteen years old, and made him king instead of his father Amaziah. 2 He built Elath[b] and restored it to Judah, after the king rested with his fathers.
3 Uzziah was sixteen years old when he became king, and he reigned fifty-two years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jecholiah of Jerusalem. 4 And he did what was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father Amaziah had done. 5 He sought God in the days of Zechariah, who had understanding in the visions[c] of God; and as long as he sought the LORD, God made him prosper.
6 Now he went out and made war against the Philistines, and broke down the wall of Gath, the wall of Jabneh, and the wall of Ashdod; and he built cities around Ashdod and among the Philistines. 7 God helped him against the Philistines, against the Arabians who lived in Gur Baal, and against the Meunites. 8 Also the Ammonites brought tribute to Uzziah. His fame spread as far as the entrance of Egypt, for he became exceedingly strong.
9 And Uzziah built towers in Jerusalem at the Corner Gate, at the Valley Gate, and at the corner buttress of the wall; then he fortified them. 10 Also he built towers in the desert. He dug many wells, for he had much livestock, both in the lowlands and in the plains; he also had farmers and vinedressers in the mountains and in Carmel, for he loved the soil.
11 Moreover Uzziah had an army of fighting men who went out to war by companies, according to the number on their roll as prepared by Jeiel the scribe and Maaseiah the officer, under the hand of Hananiah, one of the king’s captains. 12 The total number of chief officers[d] of the mighty men of valor was two thousand six hundred. 13 And under their authority was an army of three hundred and seven thousand five hundred, that made war with mighty power, to help the king against the enemy. 14 Then Uzziah prepared for them, for the entire army, shields, spears, helmets, body armor, bows, and slings to cast stones. 15 And he made devices in Jerusalem, invented by skillful men, to be on the towers and the corners, to shoot arrows and large stones. So his fame spread far and wide, for he was marvelously helped till he became strong.

The Penalty for Uzziah’s Pride
 
16 But when he was strong his heart was lifted up, to his destruction, for he transgressed against the LORD his God by entering the temple of the LORD to burn incense on the altar of incense. 17 So Azariah the priest went in after him, and with him were eighty priests of the LORD—valiant men. 18 And they withstood King Uzziah, and said to him, “It is not for you, Uzziah, to burn incense to the LORD, but for the priests, the sons of Aaron, who are consecrated to burn incense. Get out of the sanctuary, for you have trespassed! You shall have no honor from the LORD God.”
19 Then Uzziah became furious; and he had a censer in his hand to burn incense. And while he was angry with the priests, leprosy broke out on his forehead, before the priests in the house of the LORD, beside the incense altar. 20 And Azariah the chief priest and all the priests looked at him, and there, on his forehead, he was leprous; so they thrust him out of that place. Indeed he also hurried to get out, because the LORD had struck him.
21 King Uzziah was a leper until the day of his death. He dwelt in an isolated house, because he was a leper; for he was cut off from the house of the LORD. Then Jotham his son was over the king’s house, judging the people of the land.
22 Now the rest of the acts of Uzziah, from first to last, the prophet Isaiah the son of AmozUzziah rested with his fathers, and they buried him with his fathers in the field of burial which belonged to the kings, for they said, “He is a leper.” Then Jotham his son reigned in his place.