Add parallel Print Page Options

亞哈斯作猶大王(A)

16 利瑪利的兒子比加在位第十七年,猶大王約坦的兒子亞哈斯登基作王。 亞哈斯登基的時候是二十歲,他在耶路撒冷作王十六年。但是他不像他祖宗大衛行耶和華他的 神看為正的事, 反倒跟隨以色列諸王的道路,甚至焚燒他的兒子為祭,好像耶和華在以色列人面前驅逐的外族人所行可憎惡的事, 並且在邱壇上,在山岡上和所有青翠的樹下獻祭和焚香。

亞蘭王與以色列王聯盟(B)

那時,亞蘭王利汛與以色列王利瑪利的兒子比加上來攻打耶路撒冷。他們把亞哈斯圍困起來,卻不能戰勝他。 當時,亞蘭王利汛收復以拉他歸與亞蘭。他把猶大人逐出以拉他,亞蘭人來到以拉他住在那裡,直到今日。

亞哈斯向亞述王求助(C)

於是亞哈斯差派使者去見亞述王提革拉.毘列色,說:“我是你的臣僕,你的兒子,求你上來,救我脫離那起來攻擊我的亞蘭王和以色列王的手。” 亞哈斯拿耶和華殿裡和王宮寶庫內找到的金子和銀子,送給亞述王作禮物。 於是亞述王答應了他。亞述王上去攻打大馬士革,把城攻取,把居民擄到吉珥,又把利汛殺死了。

亞哈斯擅自更改祭壇和祭禮(D)

10 亞哈斯王到大馬士革會見亞述王提革拉.毘列色,看見在大馬士革的祭壇。亞哈斯王就派人把祭壇的圖樣、結構和詳盡的做法送到烏利亞祭司那裡。 11 於是烏利亞祭司按著亞哈斯王從大馬士革送回來的一切指示建造祭壇。在亞哈斯王從大馬士革回來以前,烏利亞祭司就照樣做了。 12 王從大馬士革回來,看見了那祭壇,於是王走到祭壇旁邊,登上臺階, 13 燒他的燔祭和素祭,又澆上他的奠祭,並且把他的平安祭牲的血灑在祭壇上。 14 至於耶和華面前的銅祭壇,他把它從殿前,從新壇與耶和華殿中間移至新壇的北邊。 15 亞哈斯王吩咐烏利亞祭司說:“要在這大祭壇上焚燒早晨的燔祭、黃昏的素祭、王的燔祭牲和素祭、所有國民的燔祭和素祭;也要在壇上澆上他們的奠祭,以及所有燔祭牲和平安祭牲的血。至於銅祭壇,我要用來求問 神。” 16 烏利亞祭司就照著亞哈斯王一切所吩咐的去行。

擅自挪移聖殿的器皿(E)

17 亞哈斯又砍掉盆座的邊緣,把洗濯盆拿下來,又把銅海從馱著銅海的銅牛上取下來,放在鋪了石的地上。 18 又因亞述王的緣故,他把耶和華殿裡為安息日而建造的廊子,和王從外邊進殿的廊子,從耶和華的殿內拆除。 19 亞哈斯所行其餘的事蹟,不是都寫在猶大列王的年代誌上嗎? 20 亞哈斯和他的祖先一同長眠,葬在大衛城和他的祖先在一起。他的兒子希西家接續他作王。

Ahaz’s Reign over Judah

16 In the seventeenth year of the reign of Pekah son of Remaliah, Jotham’s son Ahaz became king over Judah. Ahaz was twenty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned for sixteen years in Jerusalem. He did not do what pleased the Lord his God, in contrast to his ancestor David.[a] He followed in the footsteps of[b] the kings of Israel. He passed his son through the fire,[c] a horrible sin practiced by the nations[d] whom the Lord drove out from before the Israelites. He offered sacrifices and burned incense on the high places, on the hills, and under every green tree.

At that time King Rezin of Syria and King Pekah son of Remaliah of Israel attacked Jerusalem.[e] They besieged Ahaz,[f] but were unable to conquer him.[g] (At that time King Rezin of Syria[h] recovered Elat for Syria; he drove the Judahites from there.[i] Syrians[j] arrived in Elat and live there to this very day.) Ahaz sent messengers to King Tiglath-Pileser of Assyria, saying, “I am your servant and your dependent.[k] March up and rescue me from the power[l] of the king of Syria and the king of Israel, who have attacked[m] me.” Then Ahaz took the silver and gold that were[n] in the Lord’s temple and in the treasuries of the royal palace and sent it as tribute[o] to the king of Assyria. The king of Assyria responded favorably to his request;[p] he[q] attacked Damascus and captured it. He deported the people[r] to Kir and executed Rezin.

10 When King Ahaz went to meet with King Tiglath-Pileser of Assyria in Damascus, he saw the altar there.[s] King Ahaz sent to Uriah the priest a drawing of the altar and a blueprint for its design.[t] 11 Uriah the priest built an altar in conformity to the plans King Ahaz had sent from Damascus.[u] Uriah the priest finished it before King Ahaz arrived back from Damascus.[v] 12 When the king arrived back from Damascus and[w] saw the altar, he approached it[x] and offered a sacrifice on it.[y] 13 He offered his burnt sacrifice and his grain offering. He poured out his libation and sprinkled the blood from his peace offerings on the altar. 14 He moved the bronze altar that stood in the Lord’s presence from the front of the temple (between the altar and the Lord’s temple) and put it on the north side of the new[z] altar. 15 King Ahaz ordered Uriah the priest, “On the large altar[aa] offer the morning burnt sacrifice, the evening grain offering, the royal burnt sacrifices and grain offering, the burnt sacrifice for all the people of the land, their grain offering, and their libations. Sprinkle all the blood of the burnt sacrifice and other sacrifices on it. The bronze altar will be for my personal use.”[ab] 16 So Uriah the priest did exactly as[ac] King Ahaz ordered.

17 King Ahaz took off the frames of the movable stands, and removed the basins from them. He took “The Sea”[ad] down from the bronze bulls that supported it[ae] and put it on the stone pavement. 18 He also removed the Sabbath awning[af] that had been built[ag] in the temple and the king’s outer entranceway to the Lord’s temple, on account of the king of Assyria.[ah]

19 The rest of the events of Ahaz’s reign, including his accomplishments, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Judah.[ai] 20 Ahaz passed away[aj] and was buried with his ancestors in the City of David. His son Hezekiah replaced him as king.

Footnotes

  1. 2 Kings 16:2 tn Heb “and he did not do what was proper in the eyes of the Lord his God, like David his father.”
  2. 2 Kings 16:3 tn Heb “he walked in the way of.”
  3. 2 Kings 16:3 sn This may refer to child sacrifice, though some interpret it as a less drastic cultic practice. For discussion see M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 266-67.
  4. 2 Kings 16:3 tn Heb “like the abominable practices of the nations.”
  5. 2 Kings 16:5 tn Heb “went up to Jerusalem for battle.”
  6. 2 Kings 16:5 tn That is, Jerusalem, Ahaz’s capital city.
  7. 2 Kings 16:5 tn Heb “they were unable to fight.” The object must be supplied from the preceding sentence. Elsewhere when the Niphal infinitive of לָחָם (lakham) follows the verb יָכֹל (yakhol), the infinitive appears to have the force of “prevail against.” See Num 22:11; 1 Sam 17:9; and the parallel passage in Isa 7:1.
  8. 2 Kings 16:6 tc Some prefer to read “the king of Edom” and “for Edom” here. The names Syria (Heb “Aram,” אֲרָם, ʾaram) and Edom (אֱדֹם, ʾedom) are easily confused in the Hebrew consonantal script.
  9. 2 Kings 16:6 tn Heb “from Elat.”
  10. 2 Kings 16:6 tc The consonantal text (Kethib), supported by many medieval Hebrew mss, the Syriac version, and some mss of the Targum and Vulgate, read “Syrians” (Heb “Arameans”). The marginal reading (Qere), supported by the LXX, Targums, and Vulgate, reads “Edomites.”
  11. 2 Kings 16:7 tn Heb “son.” Both terms (“servant” and “son”) reflect Ahaz’s subordinate position as Tiglath-Pileser’s subject.
  12. 2 Kings 16:7 tn Heb “hand, palm.”
  13. 2 Kings 16:7 tn Heb “who have arisen against.”
  14. 2 Kings 16:8 tn Heb “that was found.”
  15. 2 Kings 16:8 tn Or “bribe money.”
  16. 2 Kings 16:9 tn Heb “listened to him.”
  17. 2 Kings 16:9 tn Heb “the king of Assyria.”
  18. 2 Kings 16:9 tn Heb “it.”
  19. 2 Kings 16:10 tn Heb “in Damascus.”
  20. 2 Kings 16:10 tn Heb “the likeness of the altar and its pattern for all its work.”
  21. 2 Kings 16:11 tn Heb “according to all that King Ahaz sent from Damascus.”
  22. 2 Kings 16:11 tn Heb “so Uriah the priest did, until the arrival of King Ahaz from Damascus.”
  23. 2 Kings 16:12 tn Heb “and the king.”
  24. 2 Kings 16:12 tn Heb “the altar.”
  25. 2 Kings 16:12 tn Or “ascended it.”
  26. 2 Kings 16:14 tn The word “new” is added in the translation for clarification.
  27. 2 Kings 16:15 tn That is, the newly constructed altar.
  28. 2 Kings 16:15 tn Heb “for me to seek.” The precise meaning of בָּקַר (baqar), “seek,” is uncertain in this context. For discussion see M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 189.
  29. 2 Kings 16:16 tn Heb “according to all that.”
  30. 2 Kings 16:17 sn See the note at 1 Kgs 7:23.
  31. 2 Kings 16:17 tn Heb “that [were] under it.”
  32. 2 Kings 16:18 tn The precise meaning of the Hebrew term מוּסַךְ (musakh; Qere) / מִיסַךְ (misakh; Kethib) is uncertain. For discussion see HALOT 557 s.v. מוּסַךְ and M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 189-90.
  33. 2 Kings 16:18 tn Heb “that they built.”
  34. 2 Kings 16:18 sn It is doubtful that Tiglath-Pileser ordered these architectural changes. Ahaz probably made these changes so he could send some of the items and materials to the Assyrian king as tribute. See M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 190, 193.
  35. 2 Kings 16:19 tn Heb “As for the rest of the events of Ahaz, and that which he did, are they not written on the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Judah?”
  36. 2 Kings 16:20 tn Heb “lay down with his fathers.”