Amaziah King of Judah
1In the second year of Jehoash14:1 Hebrew Joash, a variant of Jehoash; also in verses 13, 23 and 27 son of Jehoahaz king of Israel, Amaziah son of Joash king of Judah began to reign. 2He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem twenty-nine years. His mother’s name was Jehoaddan; she was from Jerusalem. 3He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, but not as his father David had done. In everything he followed the example of his father Joash. 4The high places, however, were not removed; the people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense there.
5After the kingdom was firmly in his grasp, he executed the officials who had murdered his father the king. 6Yet he did not put the children of the assassins to death, in accordance with what is written in the Book of the Law of Moses where the Lord commanded: “Parents are not to be put to death for their children, nor children put to death for their parents; each will die for their own sin.”14:6 Deut. 24:16
7He was the one who defeated ten thousand Edomites in the Valley of Salt and captured Sela in battle, calling it Joktheel, the name it has to this day.
8Then Amaziah sent messengers to Jehoash son of Jehoahaz, the son of Jehu, king of Israel, with the challenge: “Come, let us face each other in battle.”
9But 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. 10You have indeed defeated Edom and now you are arrogant. Glory in your victory, but stay at home! Why ask for trouble and cause your own downfall and that of Judah also?”
11Amaziah, however, would not listen, so Jehoash king of Israel attacked. He and Amaziah king of Judah faced each other at Beth Shemesh in Judah. 12Judah was routed by Israel, and every man fled to his home. 13Jehoash king of Israel captured Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Joash, the son of Ahaziah, at Beth Shemesh. Then Jehoash went to Jerusalem and broke down the wall of Jerusalem from the Ephraim Gate to the Corner Gate—a section about four hundred cubits long.14:13 That is, about 600 feet or about 180 meters 14He took all the gold and silver and all the articles found in the temple of the Lord and in the treasuries of the royal palace. He also took hostages and returned to Samaria.
15As for the other events of the reign of Jehoash, what he did and his achievements, including his war against Amaziah king of Judah, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Israel? 16Jehoash rested with his ancestors and was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel. And Jeroboam his son succeeded him as king.
17Amaziah son of Joash king of Judah lived for fifteen years after the death of Jehoash son of Jehoahaz king of Israel. 18As for the other events of Amaziah’s reign, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Judah?
19They conspired against him in Jerusalem, and he fled to Lachish, but they sent men after him to Lachish and killed him there. 20He was brought back by horse and was buried in Jerusalem with his ancestors, in the City of David.
21Then all the people of Judah took Azariah,14:21 Also called Uzziah who was sixteen years old, and made him king in place of his father Amaziah. 22He was the one who rebuilt Elath and restored it to Judah after Amaziah rested with his ancestors.
Jeroboam II King of Israel
23In the fifteenth year of Amaziah son of Joash king of Judah, Jeroboam son of Jehoash king of Israel became king in Samaria, and he reigned forty-one years. 24He did evil in the eyes of the Lord and did not turn away from any of the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he had caused Israel to commit. 25He was the one who restored the boundaries of Israel from Lebo Hamath to the Dead Sea,14:25 Hebrew the Sea of the Arabah in accordance with the word of the Lord, the God of Israel, spoken through his servant Jonah son of Amittai, the prophet from Gath Hepher.
26The Lord had seen how bitterly everyone in Israel, whether slave or free, was suffering;14:26 Or Israel was suffering. They were without a ruler or leader, and there was no one to help them. 27And since the Lord had not said he would blot out the name of Israel from under heaven, he saved them by the hand of Jeroboam son of Jehoash.
28As for the other events of Jeroboam’s reign, all he did, and his military achievements, including how he recovered for Israel both Damascus and Hamath, which had belonged to Judah, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Israel? 29Jeroboam rested with his ancestors, the kings of Israel. And Zechariah his son succeeded him as king.
亞瑪謝做猶大王
1約哈斯的兒以色列王子約阿施執政第二年，猶大王約阿施的兒子亞瑪謝登基。 2他二十五歲登基，在耶路撒冷執政二十九年。他母親叫約耶但，是耶路撒冷人。 3亞瑪謝做耶和華視為正的事，雖不如他祖先大衛，但事事效法他父親約阿施。 4然而，他沒有拆除邱壇，人們仍在那裡獻祭燒香。 5他鞏固王位後，立即處死了殺他父王的臣僕， 6但沒有處死他們的孩子，好遵行耶和華在摩西律法書中的吩咐：「不可因孩子犯罪而處死父親，也不可因父親犯罪而處死孩子。各人要自負罪責。」14·6 申命記24·16。 7亞瑪謝曾在鹽谷殺了一萬以東人，攻佔了西拉，把西拉改名為約帖，沿用至今。
8後來，亞瑪謝差遣使者對耶戶的孫子、約哈斯的兒子、以色列王約阿施說：「來，我們戰場上見。」 9以色列王約阿施派人回覆猶大王亞瑪謝說：「黎巴嫩的蒺藜派使者去對黎巴嫩的香柏樹說，『將你女兒嫁給我兒子吧。』後來黎巴嫩的一隻野獸經過，把那蒺藜踐踏在腳下。 10你打敗了以東人就趾高氣揚，還是待在家裡慶祝勝利吧，何必惹禍上身，使你和猶大一同滅亡呢？」
11但亞瑪謝不理會他的勸告。於是，以色列王約阿施起兵攻打猶大王亞瑪謝，兩王會戰於猶大的伯·示麥。 12猶大人被以色列人打敗，兵將都各自逃回家去了。 13以色列王約阿施在伯·示麥擒獲亞哈謝的孫子、約阿施的兒子猶大王亞瑪謝，然後前往耶路撒冷，拆毀從以法蓮門到角門約一百八十米長的耶路撒冷城牆， 14搶走耶和華殿裡和王宮庫房裡的所有金銀和器皿，並帶著人質返回撒瑪利亞。 15約阿施其他的事和功業，包括他英勇對抗猶大王亞瑪謝的事蹟，都記在《以色列列王史》上。 16約阿施與祖先同眠後，葬在撒瑪利亞的以色列王陵。他兒子耶羅波安繼位。
17約哈斯的兒子以色列王約阿施死後，猶大王約阿施的兒子亞瑪謝又活了十五年。 18亞瑪謝其他的事都記在《猶大列王史》上。 19耶路撒冷有人謀反，亞瑪謝就逃到拉吉，但叛黨派人追到那裡殺了他。 20有人用馬將他的屍體馱回耶路撒冷，葬在大衛城他的祖墳裡。 21猶大民眾擁立亞瑪謝十六歲的兒子亞撒利雅14·21 「亞撒利雅」即烏西雅。為王。 22亞瑪謝與祖先同眠後，亞撒利雅為猶大收回了以拉他，並重新修建。
耶羅波安二世
23約阿施的兒子猶大王亞瑪謝執政第十五年，以色列王約阿施的兒子耶羅波安在撒瑪利亞登基，執政四十一年。 24他做耶和華視為惡的事，沒有離開尼八的兒子耶羅波安使以色列人犯的那些罪。 25他收復了從哈馬口到死海14·25 「死海」希伯來文是「亞拉巴海」。一帶的以色列邊境，正如以色列的上帝耶和華藉祂僕人迦特希弗人亞米太的兒子約拿先知所言。 26因為耶和華看見以色列人，無論自由人還是奴隸都十分痛苦，沒有人幫助他們。 27耶和華沒有說要從世上抹去以色列的名，因此祂藉著約阿施的兒子耶羅波安拯救他們。 28耶羅波安其他的事及一切所為和功業，包括他英勇收復大馬士革和一度屬猶大國的哈馬的事蹟，都記在《以色列列王史》上。 29耶羅波安與祖先——以色列的先王們同眠後，他兒子撒迦利雅繼位。
