Ahaz King of Judah
1Ahaz began to rule as king over Judah. It was in the 17th year of the rule of Pekah, the son of Remaliah. Ahaz was the son of Jotham. 2Ahaz was 20 years old when he became king. He ruled in Jerusalem for 16 years. Ahaz didn’t do what was right in the eyes of the Lord his God. He didn’t do what King David had done. 3He followed the ways of the kings of Israel. He even sacrificed his son in the fire to another god. He followed the practices of the nations. The Lord hated those practices. He had driven out those nations to make room for the Israelites. 4Ahaz offered sacrifices and burned incense at the high places. He also did it on the tops of hills and under every green tree.
5Rezin and Pekah marched up to Jerusalem and surrounded it. Rezin was king of Aram. Pekah, the son of Remaliah, was king of Israel. They attacked Ahaz. But they couldn’t overpower him. 6At that time Rezin, the king of Aram, won back Elath for Aram. He drove out the people of Judah. Then the people of Edom moved into Elath. And they still live there to this day.
7Ahaz sent messengers to Tiglath-Pileser. He was king of Assyria. The message of Ahaz said, “I am your servant. You are my master. Come up and save me from the power of the kings of Aram and Israel. They are attacking me.” 8Ahaz took the silver and gold that were in the Lord’s temple. He also took the silver and gold that were among the treasures in the royal palace. He sent all of it as a gift to the king of Assyria. 9So the king of Assyria did what Ahaz asked him to do. He attacked the city of Damascus and captured it. He sent its people away to Kir. And he put Rezin to death.
10Then King Ahaz went to Damascus. He went there to see Tiglath-Pileser, the king of Assyria. Ahaz saw an altar in Damascus. He sent a drawing of it to Uriah the priest. Ahaz also sent him plans for building it. 11So Uriah the priest built an altar. He followed all the plans King Ahaz had sent from Damascus. He finished it before Ahaz returned. 12The king came back from Damascus. When he saw the altar, he approached it. Then he offered sacrifices on it. 13He offered up his burnt offering and grain offering. He poured out his drink offering. And he splashed the blood from his friendship offerings against the altar. 14The bronze altar for burnt offerings stood in front of the Lord. It was between the new altar and the Lord’s temple. Ahaz took the bronze altar away from the front of the temple. He put it on the north side of the new altar.
15Then King Ahaz gave orders to Uriah the priest. He said, “Offer sacrifices on the large new altar. Offer the morning burnt offering and the evening grain offering. Offer my burnt offering and my grain offering. Offer the burnt offering of all the people of the land. Offer their grain offering and their drink offering. Splash against this altar the blood from all the burnt offerings and sacrifices. But I will use the bronze altar to look for advice and direction.” 16Uriah the priest did just as King Ahaz had ordered.
17Ahaz cut off the sides of the bronze stands. He removed the bowls from the stands. He removed the huge bowl from the bronze bulls it stood on. He placed the bowl on a stone base. 18He took away the covered area that had been used on the Sabbath day. It had been built at the Lord’s temple. He removed the royal entrance that was outside the temple. Ahaz did all these things to honor the king of Assyria.
19The other events of the rule of Ahaz are written down. Everything he did is written in the official records of the kings of Judah. 20Ahaz joined the members of his family who had already died. He was buried in the family tomb in the City of David. Ahaz’s son Hezekiah became the next king after him.
亚哈斯做犹大王
1利玛利的儿子比加执政第十七年，犹大王约坦的儿子亚哈斯登基。 2他二十岁登基，在耶路撒冷统治十六年。他没有效法他祖先大卫做耶和华视为正的事， 3反而步以色列诸王的后尘，效法耶和华在以色列人面前赶走的外族人的可憎行径，把自己的儿子焚烧献作祭物。 4他在丘坛、山冈和绿树下献祭烧香。
5亚兰王利汛和利玛利的儿子以色列王比加前来攻打耶路撒冷，围住亚哈斯，但屡攻不下。 6当时，亚兰王利汛收复以拉他，赶走城内的犹大人。亚兰人至今居住在那里。 7亚哈斯差遣使者去见亚述王提革拉·毗列色，对他说：“我是你的仆人、你的儿子，现在亚兰王和以色列王攻打我，求你从他们手中拯救我。” 8亚哈斯把耶和华殿里和王宫库房里的金银送给亚述王。 9亚述王答应了他，起兵攻陷大马士革，杀了利汛，把城中的居民掳到吉珥。
10亚哈斯王在大马士革见亚述王提革拉·毗列色的时候，看到一座坛，便派人将坛的模型和详细的制造方法送到乌利亚祭司那里。 11乌利亚祭司按照送来的模型，在亚哈斯王返回之前建造了一座坛。 12王从大马士革回来，看见那座坛，就到上面献祭。 13他在上面献上燔祭、素祭和奠祭，又将平安祭祭牲的血洒在坛上。 14他把献给耶和华的铜坛从耶和华的殿前搬到新坛的北边，铜坛原来放在殿和新坛之间。 15他吩咐乌利亚祭司：“要在这座大坛上献早晨的燔祭、晚上的素祭，王的燔祭、素祭，国中民众的燔祭、素祭和奠祭，燔祭牲和平安祭牲的血也要洒在上面，但铜坛要供我个人求问之用。” 16乌利亚祭司遵命而行。
17亚哈斯王拆掉盆座的镶板，搬走盆，将铜海从铜牛背上搬下来，放在铺石的地上。 18为了亚述王，他挪走耶和华殿里为安息日而盖的走廊，封闭了王从外面进耶和华殿的入口。
19亚哈斯其他的事都记在犹大的列王史上。 20亚哈斯与祖先同眠后，葬在大卫城他的祖坟里。他儿子希西迦继位。
