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.
Ahazi Mfumu ya Yuda
1Mʼchaka cha 17 cha Peka mwana wa Remaliya, Ahazi mwana wa Yotamu mfumu ya Yuda anayamba kulamulira. 2Ahazi anakhala mfumu ali ndi zaka makumi awiri ndipo analamulira mu Yerusalemu zaka 16. Iye sanachite zabwino pamaso pa Yehova Mulungu wake monga momwe Davide kholo lake ankachitira. 3Iye anayenda mʼnjira ya mafumu a Israeli mpaka kupereka mwana wake wamwamuna pa moto ngati nsembe yopsereza, potsatira zonyansa za anthu a mitundu imene Yehova anayipirikitsa mʼdzikomo Aisraeli asanafike. 4Iyeyo ankapereka nsembe ndi kufukiza lubani pa malo opembedzera mafano, pa mapiri ndi pansi pa mtengo uliwonse wa masamba ambiri.
5Ndipo Rezini mfumu ya Aramu ndi Peka mwana wa Remaliya mfumu ya Israeli anapita kukachita naye nkhondo ku Yerusalemu ndipo anazinga Ahazi, koma sanathe kumugonjetsa. 6Nthawi imeneyo Rezini mfumu ya Aramu anatenganso Elati ndi kumubwezera kwa Aaramu, nathamangitsa anthu a ku Yuda mu Elatimo. Aedomu anapita kukakhala ku Elati ndipo akukhalako mpaka lero lino.
7Ahazi anatuma amithenga kwa Tigilati-Pileseri mfumu ya ku Asiriya kuti, “Ine ndine mtumiki wanu ndipo ndili pansi panu. Bwerani mudzandipulumutse mʼdzanja la mfumu ya Aramu ndiponso mʼdzanja la mfumu ya Israeli amene akundithira nkhondo.” 8Ndipo Ahazi anatenga siliva ndi golide amene anamupeza mʼNyumba ya Yehova ndi mosungira chuma cha nyumba ya mfumu ndi kutumiza ngati mphatso kwa mfumu ya ku Asiriya. 9Mfumu ya ku Asiriya inamvera pokathira nkhondo mzinda wa Damasiko ndi kuwulanda. Anthu a mu mzindamo anawatumiza ku Kiri ndipo anapha Rezini.
10Kenaka mfumu Ahazi inapita ku Damasiko kukakumana ndi Tigilati-Pileseri mfumu ya ku Asiriya. Iye anaona guwa lansembe ku Damasiko kuja ndipo anatumiza chitsanzo chake kwa wansembe Uriya, osasiyapo nʼkanthu komwe kuti athe kulimanga. 11Choncho wansembe Uriya anamanga guwa lansembe molingana ndi chitsanzo chimene anamutumizira Mfumu Ahazi kuchokera ku Damasiko ndipo anatsiriza kumanga guwalo Ahazi asabwere kuchokera ku Damasiko kuja. 12Mfumu itabwera kuchokera ku Damasiko kuja ndi kuona guwalo, inasendera pafupi ndi kupereka nsembe paguwapo. 13Mfumu inapereka nsembe yopsereza ndi nsembe ya chakudya. Inapereka nsembe yachakumwa ndi kuwaza magazi a nsembe yake yachiyanjano paguwapo. 14Guwa lamkuwa limene linali pamaso pa Yehova analichotsa kutsogolo kwa nyumbayo, kulichotsa pakati pa guwa latsopano ndi Nyumba ya Yehova ndi kukaliyika cha kumpoto kwa guwa latsopanolo.
15Pamenepo Mfumu Ahazi inalamula wansembe Uriya kuti, “Pa guwa lalikulu latsopano uziperekapo nsembe yopsereza ya mmawa ndi nsembe ya chakudya ya madzulo, nsembe yopsereza ya mfumu ndi nsembe yake ya chakudya ndiponso nsembe za anthu onse a mʼdziko, za chakudya ndi chakumwa. Pa guwali uziwazapo magazi a nsembe zonse zopsereza ndi nsembe zina zonse. Koma ine ndizigwiritsa ntchito guwa lansembe lamkuwa pofuna kufunsira nzeru.” 16Ndipo wansembe Uriya anachita monga analamulira Mfumu Ahazi.
17Mfumu Ahazi anachotsa maferemu a maphaka nachotsapo mabeseni. Iye anatsitsa mbiya yayikulu imene inali pamwamba pa ngʼombe zamkuwa ndipo anayika pansi pa chiwundo cha miyala. 18Iye anachotsa kadenga ka pa Sabata kamene kanamangidwa mʼkati mwa Nyumba ya Yehova ndiponso anatseka chipata cholowera mfumu cha kunja kwa nyumba ya Yehova pofuna kukondweretsa mfumu ya ku Asiriya.
19Ntchito zina za Ahazi ndi zonse zimene anachita, kodi sizinalembedwe mʼbuku la mbiri ya mafumu a Yuda? 20Ahazi anamwalira ndipo anayikidwa mʼmanda pamodzi ndi makolo ake mu Mzinda wa Davide. Ndipo Hezekiya mwana wake analowa ufumu mʼmalo mwake.
