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亞瑪謝作猶大王(A)

25 亞瑪謝登基的時候是二十五歲,他在耶路撒冷作王二十九年。他的母親名叫約耶但,是耶路撒冷人。 亞瑪謝行耶和華看為正的事,只是心不專一。 他鞏固了王位以後,就把擊殺他父王的臣僕殺了。 他卻沒有處死他們的兒子,因為照著摩西律法書上所記,耶和華曾吩咐:“不可因兒子的罪處死父親,也不可因父親的罪處死兒子;各人要因自己的罪被處死。”

出兵攻打以東(B)

亞瑪謝召集了猶大人,按著他們的家族為全猶大和便雅憫人,設立千夫長和百夫長,又數點他們的數目,從二十歲起,能出去打仗,能拿槍持盾的精兵,共有三十萬。 又用了三千四百公斤銀子,從以色列中雇了十萬英勇的戰士。 有一位神人來見亞瑪謝,說:“王啊,請不要領以色列的軍隊和你同去,因為耶和華不和以色列人,不和任何以法蓮的子孫同在。 即使你一定要去,奮勇爭戰, 神也會使你在敵人面前覆滅,因為 神有能力幫助人,也有能力使人覆滅。” 亞瑪謝問神人:“我給以色列雇傭兵的那三千四百公斤銀子怎麼辦呢?”神人回答:“耶和華能把比這更多賜給你。” 10 於是亞瑪謝把那從以法蓮來的雇傭兵解散了,遣送他們回家;因此他們非常惱怒猶大人,就氣沖沖地回家去了。

11 亞瑪謝鼓起勇氣,率領他的人民到鹽谷去,擊殺了一萬西珥人。 12 猶大人又生擒了一萬人,帶到一處崖頂,從崖頂把他們拋下去,使他們都摔得肢離破碎。 13 但亞瑪謝打發回去、不許和他一同作戰的雇傭兵,竟侵入猶大各城,從撒瑪利亞直到伯.和崙,擊殺了三千人,又掠去了很多財物。

亞瑪謝拜偶像受責備(C)

14 亞瑪謝擊敗了以東人回來的時候,把西珥人的神像也帶回來,立為自己的神,在它們面前叩拜,又向它們燒香。 15 因此,耶和華向亞瑪謝發怒,於是差派一位先知去見他,對他說:“這民族的神不能拯救自己的人民脫離你的手,你為甚麼還尋求它們呢?” 16 先知向王講話的時候,王對他說:“我們立了你作王的謀士嗎?住口吧!你要挨打嗎?”先知就住口,可是又說:“我知道 神已定意消滅你,因為你作了這事,又不聽從我的勸戒。”

17 猶大王亞瑪謝和群臣商議以後,就派人去見耶戶的孫子、約哈斯的兒子、以色列王約阿施,說:“來吧,我們在戰場上相見吧!” 18 以色列王約阿施派人去見猶大王亞瑪謝,說:“黎巴嫩的蒺藜派人去見黎巴嫩的香柏樹,說:‘把你的女兒給我的兒子作妻子吧!’後來有一隻黎巴嫩的野獸從那裡經過,把蒺藜踐踏了。 19 你心裡說你擊敗了以東人,你就心裡驕傲,以這事誇口。現在你留在家裡吧,為甚麼要惹禍,使猶大和你一同覆亡呢?”

亞瑪謝戰敗逃走(D)

20 亞瑪謝卻不聽從;這原是出於 神,好把他們交在約阿施手裡,因為他們尋求以東的神。 21 於是以色列王約阿施上來,在猶大的伯.示麥,和猶大王亞瑪謝相會於戰場上。 22 猶大人在以色列人面前被擊敗,各自逃回家去了。 23 以色列王約阿施在伯.示麥捉住了約哈斯的孫子、約阿施的兒子、猶大王亞瑪謝,把他帶到耶路撒冷,又拆毀耶路撒冷的城牆,從以法蓮門直到角門,共兩百公尺。 24 又把俄別.以東負責看守神殿裡的一切金銀和一切器皿,以及王宮裡的寶物都掠去,又擄走人質,然後回撒瑪利亞去了。

亞瑪謝在拉吉被弒(E)

25 以色列王約哈斯的兒子約阿施死後,猶大王約阿施的兒子亞瑪謝還活了十五年。 26 亞瑪謝其餘的事蹟,一生的始末,不是都記在猶大和以色列諸王記上嗎? 27 自從亞瑪謝離棄耶和華以後,在耶路撒冷有人要謀害他;他就逃到拉吉去。謀害他的人派人追到拉吉,在那裡把他殺死。 28 然後用馬把他的屍體運回來,埋葬在大衛城(按照《馬索拉文本》的大部分抄本,“大衛”作“猶大”;現參照其他抄本和各古譯本翻譯;參王下14:20)裡,和他的列祖一起。

King Amaziah of Judah

(2 Kings 14.1-6)

25 Amaziah was 25 years old when he became king, and he ruled 29 years from Jerusalem, the hometown of his mother Jehoaddin.[a]

Even though Amaziah obeyed the Lord by doing right, he refused to be completely faithful. For example, as soon as he had control of Judah, he arrested and killed the officers who had murdered his father. (A) But the children of those officers were not killed; the Lord had commanded in the Law of Moses that only the people who sinned were to be punished.[b]

Edom Is Defeated

(2 Kings 14.7)

Amaziah sent a message to the tribes of Judah and Benjamin and called together all the men who were 20 years old and older. Three hundred thousand men went to Jerusalem, all of them ready for battle and able to fight with spears and shields. Amaziah grouped these soldiers according to their clans and put them under the command of his army officers. Amaziah also paid about 3.4 tons of silver to hire 100,000 soldiers from Israel.

One of God's prophets said, “Your Majesty, don't let these Israelite soldiers march into battle with you. The Lord has refused to help anyone from the northern kingdom of Israel, and so he will let your enemies defeat you, even if you fight hard. He is the one who brings both victory and defeat.”

Amaziah replied, “What am I supposed to do about all the silver I paid those troops?”

“The Lord will give you back even more than you paid,” the prophet answered.

10 Amaziah ordered the troops from Israel to go home, but when they left, they were furious with the people of Judah.

11 After Amaziah got his courage back, he led his troops to Salt Valley, where he killed 10,000 Edomite soldiers in battle. 12 He captured 10,000 more soldiers and dragged them to the top of a high cliff. Then he pushed them over the side, and they all were killed on the rocks below.

13 Meanwhile, the Israelite troops that Amaziah had sent home, raided the towns in Judah between Samaria and Beth-Horon. They killed 3,000 people and carried off their possessions.

14 After Amaziah had defeated the Edomite army, he returned to Jerusalem. He took with him the idols of the Edomite gods and set them up. Then he bowed down and offered them sacrifices. 15 This made the Lord very angry, and he sent a prophet to ask Amaziah, “Why would you worship these foreign gods that couldn't even save their own people from your attack?”

16 But before the prophet finished speaking, Amaziah interrupted and said, “You're not one of my advisors! Don't say another word, or I'll have you killed.”

The prophet stopped. But then he added, “First you sinned and now you've ignored my warning. It's clear that God has decided to punish you!”

Israel Defeats Judah

(2 Kings 14.8-14)

17 King Amaziah of Judah talked with his officials, then sent a message to King Jehoash[c] of Israel: “Come out and face me in battle!”

18 Jehoash sent back a reply that said:

Once upon a time, a small thornbush in Lebanon arranged the marriage between his son and the daughter of a large cedar tree. But a wild animal came along and trampled the small bush.

19 Amaziah, you think you're so powerful because you defeated Edom. But stay at home and do your celebrating. If you cause any trouble, both you and your kingdom of Judah will be destroyed.

20 God made Amaziah stubborn because he was planning to punish him for worshiping the Edomite gods. Amaziah refused to listen to Jehoash's warning, 21 so Jehoash led his army to the town of Beth-Shemesh in Judah to attack Amaziah and his troops. 22 During the battle, Judah's army was crushed. Every soldier from Judah ran back home, 23 and Jehoash captured Amaziah.

Jehoash took Amaziah with him when he went to attack Jerusalem. Jehoash broke down the city wall from Ephraim Gate to Corner Gate, a section nearly 200 meters long. 24 He carried away the gold, the silver, and all the valuable furnishings from God's temple where the descendants of Obed-Edom stood guard. He robbed the king's treasury, took hostages, then returned to Samaria.

Amaziah Is Killed

(2 Kings 14.15-20)

25 Amaziah lived 15 years after Jehoash died. 26 Everything else Amaziah did while he was king is written in The History of the Kings of Judah and Israel.

27 As soon as Amaziah started disobeying the Lord, some people in Jerusalem plotted against Amaziah. He was able to escape to the town of Lachish, but another group of people caught him and killed him there. 28 His body was taken to Jerusalem on horseback and buried beside his ancestors.

Footnotes

  1. 25.1 Jehoaddin: The Hebrew text has “Jehoaddan,” another spelling of the name.
  2. 25.4 the Lord had commanded … punished: See Deuteronomy 24.16.
  3. 25.17 King Jehoash: The Hebrew text has “King Joash son of Jehoahaz son of Jehu”; Jehoash is another spelling for the name Joash.