猶大王約坦

27 約坦二十五歲登基,在耶路撒冷執政十六年。他母親叫耶路莎,是撒督的女兒。 約坦效法他父親烏西雅,做耶和華視為正的事,只是沒有進耶和華的殿。民眾仍繼續敗壞。 約坦建造耶和華殿的上門,大力修建俄斐勒的城牆。 他還在猶大山區建造城邑,在樹林中建造營寨和瞭望塔。 他與亞捫人的王交戰,打敗了他們。在以後的三年中,亞捫人每年進貢三點四噸銀子、小麥和大麥各二百二十萬公升。 約坦日漸強盛,因為他堅守他的上帝耶和華的道。 約坦其他的事蹟、所有戰事和作為都記在以色列和猶大的列王史上。 他二十五歲登基,在耶路撒冷執政十六年。 約坦與祖先同眠後,葬在大衛城。他兒子亞哈斯繼位。

Jotham’s Reign

27 Jotham was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned for sixteen years in Jerusalem. His mother[a] was Jerusha the daughter of Zadok. He did what the Lord approved, just as his father Uzziah had done.[b] (He did not, however, have the audacity to enter the temple.)[c] Yet the people were still sinning.

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.[d] He built cities in the hill country of Judah and fortresses and towers in the forests.

He launched a military campaign[e] against the king of the Ammonites and defeated them. That year the Ammonites paid him 100 talents[f] of silver, 10,000 cors[g] of wheat, and 10,000 cors[h] of barley. The Ammonites also paid this same amount of annual tribute the next two years.[i]

Jotham grew powerful because he was determined to please the Lord his God.[j] 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.[k] He was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned for sixteen years in Jerusalem. Jotham passed away[l] and was buried in the City of David.[m] His son Ahaz replaced him as king.

Footnotes

  1. 2 Chronicles 27:1 tn Heb “the name of his mother.”
  2. 2 Chronicles 27:2 tn Heb “he did what was proper in the eyes of the Lord, according to all which Uzziah his father had done.”
  3. 2 Chronicles 27:2 tn Heb “except he did not enter the house of the Lord.”
  4. 2 Chronicles 27:3 tn Heb “wall of Ophel.” See HALOT 861 s.v. II עֹפֶל.
  5. 2 Chronicles 27:5 tn Heb “he fought with.”
  6. 2 Chronicles 27:5 tn The Hebrew word כִּכַּר (kikkar, “circle”) refers generally to something that is round. When used of metals it can refer to a disk-shaped weight made of the metal or, by extension, to a standard unit of weight. According to the older (Babylonian) standard the “talent” weighed 130 lbs. (58.9 kg), but later this was lowered to 108.3 lbs. (49.1 kg). More recent research suggests the “light” standard talent was 67.3 lbs. (30.6 kg). Using this as the standard for calculation, the weight of the silver was 6,730 lbs. (3,060 kg).
  7. 2 Chronicles 27:5 sn As a unit of dry measure a cor was roughly equivalent to six bushels (about 220 liters).
  8. 2 Chronicles 27:5 tn Heb “10,000 cors of wheat and 10,000 of barley.” The unit of measure of the barley is omitted in the Hebrew text, but is understood to be “cors,” the same as the measures of wheat.
  9. 2 Chronicles 27:5 tn Heb “This the sons of Ammon brought to him, and in the second year and the third.”
  10. 2 Chronicles 27:6 tn Heb “because he established his ways before the Lord his God.”
  11. 2 Chronicles 27:7 tn Heb “As for the rest of the events of Jotham, and his battles and his ways, look, they are written on the scroll of the kings of Israel and Judah.”
  12. 2 Chronicles 27:9 tn Heb “lay down with his fathers.”
  13. 2 Chronicles 27:9 sn The phrase the City of David refers here to the fortress of Zion in Jerusalem, not to Bethlehem. See 2 Sam 5:7.

Jotham King of Judah(A)

27 Jotham(B) was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem sixteen years. His mother’s name was Jerusha daughter of Zadok. He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, just as his father Uzziah had done, but unlike him he did not enter the temple of the Lord. The people, however, continued their corrupt practices. Jotham rebuilt the Upper Gate of the temple of the Lord and did extensive work on the wall at the hill of Ophel.(C) He built towns in the hill country of Judah and forts and towers in the wooded areas.

Jotham waged war against the king of the Ammonites(D) and conquered them. That year the Ammonites paid him a hundred talents[a] of silver, ten thousand cors[b] of wheat and ten thousand cors[c] of barley. The Ammonites brought him the same amount also in the second and third years.

Jotham grew powerful(E) because he walked steadfastly before the Lord his God.

The other events in Jotham’s reign, including all his wars and the other things he did, are written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah. He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem sixteen years. Jotham rested with his ancestors and was buried in the City of David. And Ahaz his son succeeded him as king.

Footnotes

  1. 2 Chronicles 27:5 That is, about 3 3/4 tons or about 3.4 metric tons
  2. 2 Chronicles 27:5 That is, probably about 1,800 tons or about 1,600 metric tons of wheat
  3. 2 Chronicles 27:5 That is, probably about 1,500 tons or about 1,350 metric tons of barley