Amaziya Mfumu ya Yuda
1Amaziya anali wa zaka 25 pamene anakhala mfumu, ndipo analamulira mu Yerusalemu kwa zaka 29. Dzina la amayi ake linali Yehoyadini wa ku Yerusalemu. 2Iye anachita zolungama pamaso pa Yehova, koma osati ndi mtima wonse. 3Pamene mphamvu zonse zaufumu zinali mʼmanja mwake, iye anapha akuluakulu amene anapha abambo ake, mfumu ija. 4Komabe iye sanaphe ana awo koma anatsatira zolembedwa mʼbuku la Mose, mʼmene Yehova analamula kuti, “Makolo sadzaphedwa chifukwa cha ana awo kapena ana kuphedwa chifukwa cha makolo awo. Aliyense adzafera machimo ake.”
5Amaziya anasonkhanitsa anthu a ku Yuda ndipo anawapatsa zochita molingana ndi mabanja awo kukhala anthu olamulira 1,000, ndi olamulira 100 pa Ayuda onse ndi Benjamini. Ndipo iye anawerenga amene anali ndi zaka makumi awiri kapena kupitirirapo napeza kuti analipo amuna 300,000 okonzeka kugwira ntchito ya usilikali, okhoza kugwiritsa ntchito mkondo ndi chishango. 6Iye analembanso ntchito anthu odziwa nkhondo 100,000 ochokera ku Israeli pa mtengo wa makilogalamu 3,400 a siliva.
7Koma munthu wa Mulungu anabwera kwa iye ndipo anati, “Inu mfumu, asilikali awa ochokera ku Israeli asapite ndi inu, pakuti Yehova sali ndi Israeli kapena ndi aliyense wa anthu a Efereimu. 8Ngakhale mupite ndi kuchita nkhondo molimba mtima, Mulungu adzakugonjetsani pamaso pa adani anu, pakuti Mulungu ali ndi mphamvu yothandiza kapena kugonjetsa.”
9Amaziya anafunsa munthu wa Mulungu kuti, “Koma nanga za makilogalamu aja a siliva amene ndapereka kwa asilikali a Israeli?”
Munthu wa Mulungu anayankha kuti, “Yehova atha kukupatsani zambiri kuposa zimenezo.”
10Choncho Amaziya anachotsa asilikali amene anabwera kwa iye kuchokera ku Efereimu ndipo anawatumiza kwawo. Iwo anakwiyira anthu a ku Yuda ndipo anapita kwawo atapsa mtima kwambiri.
11Ndipo Amaziya analimba mtima ndipo anatsogolera gulu lake lankhondo ku Chigwa cha Mchere, kumene anapha anthu 10,000 a ku Seiri. 12Gulu la ankhondo la Yuda linagwiranso anthu amoyo 10,000, napita nawo pamwamba pa thanthwe ndipo anawaponya pansi kotero kuti onse ananyenyeka.
13Pa nthawi imeneyi asilikali amene Amaziya anawabweza ndipo sanawalole kuti achite nawo nkhondo, anakathira nkhondo mizinda ya Yuda kuyambira ku Samariya mpaka ku Beti-Horoni. Iwo anapha anthu 3,000 ndipo anafunkha katundu wambiri.
14Amaziya atabwerera kuja anakapha Aedomu, anabweretsa milungu ya anthu a ku Seiri. Ndipo anayika kuti ikhale milungu yake, ankayipembedza ndi kupereka nsembe zopsereza. 15Yehova anakwiyira Amaziya, ndipo anamutumizira mneneri amene anati, “Nʼchifukwa chiyani mukupembedza milungu ya anthu awa, imene sinathe kupulumutsa anthu ake mʼdzanja lanu?”
16Iye ali kuyankhula, mfumu inati, “Kodi ife takusankha iwe kuti ukhale mlangizi wa mfumu? Khala chete! Ufuna kuphedweranji?”
Choncho mneneriyo analeka koma anati, “Ine ndikudziwa kuti Mulungu watsimikiza kukuwonongani chifukwa mwachita izi ndipo simunamvere uphungu wanga.”
17Amaziya mfumu ya ku Yuda, atafunsa alangizi ake, anatumiza mawu awa kwa Yowasi mwana wa Yehowahazi mwana wa Yehu, mfumu ya Israeli: “Bwera udzakumane nane maso ndi maso.”
18Koma Yowasi mfumu ya Israeli inayankha Amaziya mfumu ya Yuda kuti, “Nthawi ina kamtengo kaminga ka ku Lebanoni kanatumiza mawu kwa mkungudza wa ku Lebanoni kuti, ‘Pereka mwana wako wamkazi kwa mwana wanga kuti amukwatire!’ Koma chirombo cha ku Lebanoni chinabwera ndi kupondaponda mtengo wa minga uja. 19Iwe ukuti wagonjetsa Edomu, ndipo tsopano ukudzikuza ndi kudzitamandira, koma khala kwanu komweko! Nʼchifukwa chiyani ukufuna mavuto ndi kudzichititsa kuti ugwe pamodzinso ndi Yuda?”
20Komabe Amaziya sanamvere pakuti ndi Mulungu amene anakonzeratu kuti awapereke kwa Yehowasi, chifukwa iwo amapembedza milungu ya ku Edomu. 21Kotero Yowasi mfumu ya Israeli inakamuthira nkhondo. Iye ndi Amaziya anayangʼanana maso ndi maso ku Beti-Semesi ku Yuda. 22Yuda anagonjetsedwa ndi Israeli ndipo munthu aliyense anathawira kwawo. 23Yehowahazi mfumu ya Israeli inagwira Amaziya mfumu ya Yuda, mwana wa Yowasi, mwana wa Ahaziya ku Beti-Semesi. Yehowasi anabwera naye ku Yerusalemu ndipo anagwetsa khoma la Yerusalemu kuyambira pa Chipata cha Efereimu mpaka ku Chipata Chapangodya, khoma lotalika mamita 180. 24Iye anatenga golide ndi siliva yense ndi zida zonse zimene zimapezeka mʼNyumba ya Mulungu zimene ankazisamalira Obedi-Edomu, pamodzinso ndi chuma cha mʼnyumba yaufumu ndipo anatenga anthu ngati chikole.
25Amaziya mwana wa Yowasi mfumu ya Yuda anakhala ndi moyo kwa zaka khumi ndi zisanu atamwalira Yehowasi mwana wa Yehowahazi mfumu ya Israeli. 26Ntchito zina za mfumu Amaziya, kuyambira pachiyambi mpaka pa mapeto, kodi sizinalembedwe mʼbuku la mafumu a Yuda ndi Israeli? 27Kuyambira nthawi imene Amaziya analeka kutsatira Yehova anthu anamukonzera chiwembu mu Yerusalemu ndipo anathawira ku Lakisi, koma adaniwo anatumiza anthu ku Lakisiko ndipo anamupha komweko. 28Iwo anabwera naye ali pa kavalo ndipo anayikidwa mʼmanda ndi makolo ake mu mzinda wa Yuda.
Amaziah king of Judah
1Amaziah was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem for twenty-nine years. His mother’s name was Jehoaddan; she was from Jerusalem. 2He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, but not wholeheartedly. 3After the kingdom was firmly in his control, he executed the officials who had murdered his father the king. 4Yet he did not put their children to death, but acted in accordance with what is written in the Law, in the Book of Moses, where the Lord commanded: ‘Parents shall not be put to death for their children, nor children be put to death for their parents; each will die for their own sin.’25:4 Deut. 24:16
5Amaziah called the people of Judah together and assigned them according to their families to commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds for all Judah and Benjamin. He then mustered those twenty years old or more and found that there were three hundred thousand men fit for military service, able to handle the spear and shield. 6He also hired a hundred thousand fighting men from Israel for a hundred talents25:6 That is, about 3.4 metric tons; also in verse 9 of silver.
7But a man of God came to him and said, ‘Your Majesty, these troops from Israel must not march with you, for the Lord is not with Israel – not with any of the people of Ephraim. 8Even if you go and fight courageously in battle, God will overthrow you before the enemy, for God has the power to help or to overthrow.’
9Amaziah asked the man of God, ‘But what about the hundred talents I paid for these Israelite troops?’
The man of God replied, ‘The Lord can give you much more than that.’
10So Amaziah dismissed the troops who had come to him from Ephraim and sent them home. They were furious with Judah and left for home in a great rage.
11Amaziah then marshalled his strength and led his army to the Valley of Salt, where he killed ten thousand men of Seir. 12The army of Judah also captured ten thousand men alive, took them to the top of a cliff and threw them down so that all were dashed to pieces.
13Meanwhile the troops that Amaziah had sent back and had not allowed to take part in the war raided towns belonging to Judah from Samaria to Beth Horon. They killed three thousand people and carried off great quantities of plunder.
14When Amaziah returned from slaughtering the Edomites, he brought back the gods of the people of Seir. He set them up as his own gods, bowed down to them and burned sacrifices to them. 15The anger of the Lord burned against Amaziah, and he sent a prophet to him, who said, ‘Why do you consult this people’s gods, which could not save their own people from your hand?’
16While he was still speaking, the king said to him, ‘Have we appointed you an advisor to the king? Stop! Why be struck down?’
So the prophet stopped but said, ‘I know that God has determined to destroy you, because you have done this and have not listened to my counsel.’
17After Amaziah king of Judah consulted his advisors, he sent this challenge to Jehoash25:17 Hebrew Joash, a variant of Jehoash; also in verses 18, 21, 23 and 25 son of Jehoahaz, the son of Jehu, king of Israel: ‘Come, let us face each other in battle.’
18But Jehoash king of Israel replied to Amaziah king of Judah, ‘A thistle in Lebanon sent a message to a cedar in Lebanon, “Give your daughter to my son in marriage.” Then a wild beast in Lebanon came along and trampled the thistle underfoot. 19You say to yourself that you have defeated Edom, and now you are arrogant and proud. But stay at home! Why ask for trouble and cause your own downfall and that of Judah also?’
20Amaziah, however, would not listen, for God so worked that he might deliver them into the hands of Jehoash, because they sought the gods of Edom. 21So Jehoash king of Israel attacked. He and Amaziah king of Judah faced each other at Beth Shemesh in Judah. 22Judah was routed by Israel, and every man fled to his home. 23Jehoash king of Israel captured Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Joash, the son of Ahaziah,25:23 Hebrew Jehoahaz, a variant of Ahaziah at Beth Shemesh. Then Jehoash brought him to Jerusalem and broke down the wall of Jerusalem from the Ephraim Gate to the Corner Gate – a section about four hundred cubits25:23 That is, about 180 metres long. 24He took all the gold and silver and all the articles found in the temple of God that had been in the care of Obed-Edom, together with the palace treasures and the hostages, and returned to Samaria.
25Amaziah son of Joash king of Judah lived for fifteen years after the death of Jehoash son of Jehoahaz king of Israel. 26As for the other events of Amaziah’s reign, from beginning to end, are they not written in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel? 27From the time that Amaziah turned away from following the Lord, they conspired against him in Jerusalem and he fled to Lachish, but they sent men after him to Lachish and killed him there. 28He was brought back by horse and was buried with his ancestors in the City of Judah.25:28 Most Hebrew manuscripts; some Hebrew manuscripts, Septuagint, Vulgate and Syriac (see also 2 Kings 14:20) David
