猶大王烏西雅

26 全體猶大人立十六歲的烏西雅為王,繼承他父親亞瑪謝的王位。 亞瑪謝與祖先同眠後,烏西雅為猶大收復了以祿城,並重新修建。 烏西雅十六歲登基,在耶路撒冷執政五十二年。他母親叫耶可利雅,是耶路撒冷人。 他效法他父親亞瑪謝,做耶和華視為正的事。 撒迦利亞在世之日,烏西雅尋求上帝,撒迦利亞教導他敬畏上帝。當他尋求上帝時,上帝就使他亨通。

他出兵攻打非利士人,把迦特、雅比尼和亞實突的城牆夷平後,在亞實突境內及非利士人的其他地區興建城邑。 上帝幫助他攻打非利士人和住在姑珥·巴力的阿拉伯人及米烏尼人。 亞捫人向他進貢,烏西雅的名聲傳到埃及,因他極其強大。

烏西雅在耶路撒冷的角門、谷門和城牆拐角的地方建造城樓,並加固城樓, 10 又在曠野建造瞭望塔,挖了許多水井,因為他在高原和平原有很多牲畜。他雇人在山區和沃野為他耕種和照料葡萄園,因為他喜愛農耕。

11 烏西雅有支可以隨時列隊出戰的軍兵,歸書記耶利和官長瑪西雅召集,由王的將軍哈拿尼雅統領。 12 率領戰士的族長有兩千六百名, 13 他們手下有三十萬七千五百精兵,隨時幫助王攻打敵人。 14 烏西雅為全軍備有盾牌、矛槍、頭盔、鎧甲、弓箭和投石器用的石頭, 15 又讓巧匠在耶路撒冷設計和製造兵器,安放在城樓和角樓上,用來發射弓箭和石頭。烏西雅威名遠揚,因為他得到非常的幫助,極其強盛。

16 烏西雅強盛後,便心高氣傲,以致走向滅亡。他干犯他的上帝耶和華,擅自進入耶和華的殿在香壇上燒香。 17 祭司亞撒利雅率領八十位耶和華勇敢的祭司跟著進殿, 18 阻止烏西雅王,說:「烏西雅啊,給耶和華燒香不是你可以做的事,乃是承受聖職做祭司的亞倫子孫的事。離開聖所吧!你已干犯耶和華上帝,必不能從祂那裡得榮耀。」 19 手拿香爐要燒香的烏西雅大怒,正當他在耶和華殿裡的香壇旁向眾祭司發怒的時候,他額頭上突然患了痲瘋病。 20 亞撒利雅大祭司和眾祭司見狀,就催促他出殿,他急忙出去了,因為耶和華降災給他。 21 烏西雅王到死一直有痲瘋病。他被隔離在別的宮中,不得進耶和華的殿。他兒子約坦管理王室,治理國家。

22 烏西雅其他的事蹟,自始至終都是亞摩斯的兒子以賽亞先知記載的。 23 烏西雅與祖先同眠後,葬在他祖墳附近、王室的墳場,因為他有痲瘋病。他兒子約坦繼位。

Uzziah rules Judah as king

26 All the people of Judah chose Uzziah to be their king instead of his father, King Amaziah. Uzziah was 16 years old.[a] He built Elath again after King Amaziah had died. He made it a part of Judah again.

Uzziah was 16 years old when he became king. And he ruled in Jerusalem for 52 years. His mother's name was Jecoliah. She came from Jerusalem. Uzziah did things that the Lord said were good, as his father Amaziah had done. He served God faithfully all the time that Zechariah was alive. Zechariah taught him to respect and obey God. As long as Uzziah served the Lord faithfully, God gave him success.

God helps Uzziah

Uzziah took his army to attack the Philistines. He destroyed the walls of their cities, Gath, Jabneh and Ashdod. Then he made the towns near Ashdod strong, as well as other towns where the Philistines lived. God helped him to win battles against the Philistines, against the Arabs who lived in Gur-Baal, and against the Meunites. The people from Ammon paid taxes to Uzziah. He became very powerful. So everyone as far as the border of Egypt knew that he was a great king.

Uzziah built strong towers on Jerusalem's walls to make the city safe. He built them at the Corner Gate, at the Valley Gate and at the place where the wall turned. 10 He also built towers in the desert. He dug holes in the ground to contain water. He needed water for his animals on the low hills and in the valleys, because he had many of them. He also enjoyed growing crops. He had men who worked in the fields and in the vineyards. These were on the hills and in places where crops would grow well.

Uzziah's army

11 Uzziah had an army of soldiers who were ready to fight battles. The king's secretary, Jeiel, and his officer, Maaseiah, put the soldiers into groups. They counted the soldiers in each group. Hananiah was the army captain who had authority over them. 12 There were 2,600 family leaders who led the groups of soldiers. 13 Together they led 307,500 soldiers who knew how to fight well. They were a powerful army that could keep the king safe against his enemies. 14 Uzziah gave shields, spears, helmets and armour to the whole army. He also gave them bows and arrows, and stones to put in their slings.

15 Men in Jerusalem who had special skills built machines that could shoot arrows and big stones. Uzziah put them on the towers and at the corners of the walls around Jerusalem. God helped him in many ways, so that he became very famous and powerful.

Uzziah becomes proud and God punishes him

16 Uzziah was so powerful that he became proud. That caused him to lose his power. He began to turn away from the Lord his God. He went into the Lord's temple to burn incense on the special altar there. 17 Azariah and 80 other brave priests of the Lord went into the temple after him. 18 They warned King Uzziah. They said to him, ‘It is not right for you, Uzziah, to offer incense to the Lord. Only the priests, Aaron's descendants, may do that. They are the people that God has chosen to offer incense to him. So you must leave this Holy Place because you have done something that is wrong. As a result, the Lord God will not give you any honour.’

19 Then Uzziah became angry. In his hand, he was holding a pot with hot coals and incense in it. He was standing in the Lord's temple, near the special altar for incense. The priests were there with him. When he started to shout at the priests, a bad disease suddenly appeared on the skin of his face. 20 Azariah, the leader of the priests, and all the other priests turned towards Uzziah. They saw the terrible disease on the skin at the front of his head. So they quickly took him out of the temple. Uzziah himself was also in a hurry to leave, because the Lord had punished him with this disease.[b]

King Uzziah dies

21 King Uzziah had the terrible disease on his skin until the day that he died. He lived in his own house, away from other people. He could not go into the Lord's temple because of his disease. His son Jotham had authority in the palace and he ruled the people of Judah.

22 All the other things that happened while Uzziah was king are written in a book. The prophet Isaiah, Amoz's son, wrote down those things. 23 Uzziah died and they buried him near his ancestors. Because he had the terrible disease on his skin, they did not bury him beside the other kings that had died. Instead they buried him in a field for graves that belonged to the kings of Judah.

His son Jotham became king after him.

Footnotes

  1. 26:1 Uzziah was also called Azariah. He ruled in Jerusalem from about 790 BC.
  2. 26:20 The bad disease on Uzziah's skin was probably leprosy. If anyone had leprosy, they had to keep away from other people.

Uzziah King of Judah(A)(B)

26 Then all the people of Judah(C) took Uzziah,[a] who was sixteen years old, and made him king in place of his father Amaziah. He was the one who rebuilt Elath and restored it to Judah after Amaziah rested with his ancestors.

Uzziah was sixteen years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem fifty-two years. His mother’s name was Jekoliah; she was from Jerusalem. He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, just as his father Amaziah had done. He sought God during the days of Zechariah, who instructed him in the fear[b] of God.(D) As long as he sought the Lord, God gave him success.(E)

He went to war against the Philistines(F) and broke down the walls of Gath, Jabneh and Ashdod.(G) He then rebuilt towns near Ashdod and elsewhere among the Philistines. God helped him against the Philistines and against the Arabs(H) who lived in Gur Baal and against the Meunites.(I) The Ammonites(J) brought tribute to Uzziah, and his fame spread as far as the border of Egypt, because he had become very powerful.

Uzziah built towers in Jerusalem at the Corner Gate,(K) at the Valley Gate(L) and at the angle of the wall, and he fortified them. 10 He also built towers in the wilderness and dug many cisterns, because he had much livestock in the foothills and in the plain. He had people working his fields and vineyards in the hills and in the fertile lands, for he loved the soil.

11 Uzziah had a well-trained army, ready to go out by divisions according to their numbers as mustered by Jeiel the secretary and Maaseiah the officer under the direction of Hananiah, one of the royal officials. 12 The total number of family leaders over the fighting men was 2,600. 13 Under their command was an army of 307,500 men trained for war, a powerful force to support the king against his enemies. 14 Uzziah provided shields, spears, helmets, coats of armor, bows and slingstones for the entire army.(M) 15 In Jerusalem he made devices invented for use on the towers and on the corner defenses so that soldiers could shoot arrows and hurl large stones from the walls. His fame spread far and wide, for he was greatly helped until he became powerful.

16 But after Uzziah became powerful, his pride(N) led to his downfall.(O) He was unfaithful(P) to the Lord his God, and entered the temple of the Lord to burn incense(Q) on the altar of incense. 17 Azariah(R) the priest with eighty other courageous priests of the Lord followed him in. 18 They confronted King Uzziah and said, “It is not right for you, Uzziah, to burn incense to the Lord. That is for the priests,(S) the descendants(T) of Aaron,(U) who have been consecrated to burn incense.(V) Leave the sanctuary, for you have been unfaithful; and you will not be honored by the Lord God.”

19 Uzziah, who had a censer in his hand ready to burn incense, became angry. While he was raging at the priests in their presence before the incense altar in the Lord’s temple, leprosy[c](W) broke out on his forehead. 20 When Azariah the chief priest and all the other priests looked at him, they saw that he had leprosy on his forehead, so they hurried him out. Indeed, he himself was eager to leave, because the Lord had afflicted him.

21 King Uzziah had leprosy until the day he died. He lived in a separate house[d](X)—leprous, and banned from the temple of the Lord. Jotham his son had charge of the palace and governed the people of the land.

22 The other events of Uzziah’s reign, from beginning to end, are recorded by the prophet Isaiah(Y) son of Amoz. 23 Uzziah(Z) rested with his ancestors and was buried near them in a cemetery that belonged to the kings, for people said, “He had leprosy.” And Jotham his son succeeded him as king.(AA)

Footnotes

  1. 2 Chronicles 26:1 Also called Azariah
  2. 2 Chronicles 26:5 Many Hebrew manuscripts, Septuagint and Syriac; other Hebrew manuscripts vision
  3. 2 Chronicles 26:19 The Hebrew for leprosy was used for various diseases affecting the skin; also in verses 20, 21 and 23.
  4. 2 Chronicles 26:21 Or in a house where he was relieved of responsibilities