Acaz, rei de Judá
(2 Cr 28.1-27)
1-2O novo rei de Judá foi Acaz. O seu pai foi o rei Jotão. Começou a reinar aos 20 anos. O seu reinado durou 16 anos, com a capital em Jerusalém. Em Israel nessa altura reinava Peca, filho de Remalias, que foi rei durante 17 anos. Ao contrário do seu antepassado David, Acaz não fez o que era reto aos olhos do Senhor, seu Deus. 3Foi tão mau como os reis de Israel. Chegou ao ponto de oferecer em sacrifício aos deuses o seu próprio filho, segundo o costume pagão das nações vizinhas de Judá; nações que o Senhor expulsara quando levou o seu povo Israel para a terra que lhe prometera. 4Fez sacrifícios e queimou incenso nos santuários pagãos sobre as colinas, e debaixo de cada árvore verde.
5O rei Rezim de Aram e o rei Peca de Israel, filho de Remalias, declararam guerra a Acaz e puseram cerco a Jerusalém, mas não puderam conquistá-la. 6Contudo, por essa ocasião, o rei de Aram, Rezim, conseguiu recuperar a cidade de Elate, depois de ter expulsado os judeus que ali viviam. Os edomitas regressaram a Elate, onde ficaram até ao dia de hoje.
7Acaz enviou mensageiros a Tiglate-Pileser, rei da Assíria, dizendo: “Eu sou teu servo e teu filho! Rogo-te que venhas livrar-me dos reis de Aram e de Israel, que estão a atacar-me.” 8Ao mesmo tempo, pegou na prata e no ouro do templo e dos cofres reais e mandou-o como presente ao rei da Assíria. 9Desta forma, o rei da Assíria atacou Damasco, a capital de Aram, levou cativa a população, reinstalando-a em Quir, e matou Rezim, o rei de Aram.
10Acaz foi até Damasco para se encontrar com Tiglate-Pileser. Enquanto ali se encontrava, reparou num altar invulgar, num templo pagão. Logo fez um desenho com as medidas exatas e enviou-o a Urias, o sacerdote, acompanhado de uma descrição detalhada. 11Urias mandou construir um altar igual, segundo a descrição feita, e aprontou-o de forma que, 12quando o rei regressou de Damasco, pôde inaugurá-lo, oferecendo ali um sacrifício. 13O rei apresentou nele um holocausto e uma oferta de cereais, derramou sobre ele uma oferta de bebida e aspergiu-o com o sangue das ofertas de paz. 14Depois mandou remover o antigo altar de bronze de diante do templo, que tinha ficado entre a entrada do templo e o novo altar, mandando colocá-lo a norte deste último.
15Deu também instruções ao sacerdote Urias para usar o novo altar nos sacrifícios de holocaustos e de ofertas de cereais, assim como nas ofertas do povo, incluindo as ofertas de vinho. O sangue dos holocaustos e dos sacrifícios deveria ser igualmente aspergido sobre o novo altar. Desta forma, o antigo altar passaria a ser usado unicamente para inquirir de Deus daquilo que respeitava ao futuro. “O antigo altar”, disse ele, “será apenas para meu uso pessoal.”
16O sacerdote Urias obedeceu às instruções dadas pelo rei Acaz. 17Depois disso, o soberano mandou desmantelar as rodas das bases das bacias do templo, fez remover os suportes e os recipientes que estavam sobre eles, tal como o grande tanque que se apoiava sobre o dorso dos bois em bronze, colocando-o sobre o pavimento. 18Por causa do rei da Assíria mandou também remover a passagem festiva que tinha sido construída entre a casa real e o templo.
19O resto dos acontecimentos do reinado de Acaz está relatado no Livro das Crónicas dos Reis de Judá. 20Quando Acaz morreu, foi enterrado no cemitério real, no sector de Jerusalém chamado Cidade de David. O seu filho Ezequias reinou em seu lugar.
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.
