Ahaziah King of Judah
1The people of Jerusalem made Ahaziah, Jehoram’s youngest son, king in his place, since the raiders, who came with the Arabs into the camp, had killed all the older sons. So Ahaziah son of Jehoram king of Judah began to reign.
2Ahaziah was twenty-two22:2 Some Septuagint manuscripts and Syriac (see also 2 Kings 8:26); Hebrew forty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem one year. His mother’s name was Athaliah, a granddaughter of Omri.
3He too followed the ways of the house of Ahab, for his mother encouraged him to act wickedly. 4He did evil in the eyes of the Lord, as the house of Ahab had done, for after his father’s death they became his advisers, to his undoing. 5He also followed their counsel when he went with Joram22:5 Hebrew Jehoram, a variant of Joram; also in verses 6 and 7 son of Ahab king of Israel to wage war against Hazael king of Aram at Ramoth Gilead. The Arameans wounded Joram; 6so he returned to Jezreel to recover from the wounds they had inflicted on him at Ramoth22:6 Hebrew Ramah, a variant of Ramoth in his battle with Hazael king of Aram.
Then Ahaziah22:6 Some Hebrew manuscripts, Septuagint, Vulgate and Syriac (see also 2 Kings 8:29); most Hebrew manuscripts Azariah son of Jehoram king of Judah went down to Jezreel to see Joram son of Ahab because he had been wounded.
7Through Ahaziah’s visit to Joram, God brought about Ahaziah’s downfall. When Ahaziah arrived, he went out with Joram to meet Jehu son of Nimshi, whom the Lord had anointed to destroy the house of Ahab. 8While Jehu was executing judgment on the house of Ahab, he found the officials of Judah and the sons of Ahaziah’s relatives, who had been attending Ahaziah, and he killed them. 9He then went in search of Ahaziah, and his men captured him while he was hiding in Samaria. He was brought to Jehu and put to death. They buried him, for they said, “He was a son of Jehoshaphat, who sought the Lord with all his heart.” So there was no one in the house of Ahaziah powerful enough to retain the kingdom.
Athaliah and Joash
10When Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she proceeded to destroy the whole royal family of the house of Judah. 11But Jehosheba,22:11 Hebrew Jehoshabeath, a variant of Jehosheba the daughter of King Jehoram, took Joash son of Ahaziah and stole him away from among the royal princes who were about to be murdered and put him and his nurse in a bedroom. Because Jehosheba,22:11 Hebrew Jehoshabeath, a variant of Jehosheba the daughter of King Jehoram and wife of the priest Jehoiada, was Ahaziah’s sister, she hid the child from Athaliah so she could not kill him. 12He remained hidden with them at the temple of God for six years while Athaliah ruled the land.
猶大王亞哈謝
1耶路撒冷的居民擁立約蘭的小兒子亞哈謝22·1 「亞哈謝」即21·17提到的「約哈斯」。為王。因為約蘭的其他兒子都被那些與阿拉伯人同來攻營的匪徒殺了，於是猶大王約蘭的兒子亞哈謝做了王。 2亞哈謝二十二歲22·2 參考《七十士譯本》、敘利亞譯本和列王紀下8·26。希伯來文是「四十二歲」。登基，在耶路撒冷執政一年。他母親叫亞她利雅，是暗利的孫女。 3他步亞哈家的後塵，因為他母親唆使他作惡。 4他像亞哈家一樣做耶和華視為惡的事，因為他父親死後，亞哈家便唆使他作惡，使他走向滅亡。 5他照亞哈家的主意，與以色列王亞哈的兒子約蘭一起去基列的拉末與亞蘭王哈薛交戰。亞蘭人擊傷約蘭， 6約蘭便回到耶斯列養傷。約蘭的兒子猶大王亞哈謝22·6 「亞哈謝」希伯來文是「亞撒利雅」。下到耶斯列探望他，因為他病了。
7亞哈謝去見約蘭，遇害身亡，這事出於上帝。原來他到那裡後便與約蘭去攻擊寧示的孫子耶戶。耶戶是耶和華膏立去毀滅亞哈家的人。 8耶戶討伐亞哈家的時候，遇見猶大眾首領和亞哈謝的眾侄兒，他們都是服侍亞哈謝的，耶戶就把他們全部殺掉。 9然後耶戶搜捕亞哈謝，民眾找到躲在撒瑪利亞的亞哈謝，把他押到耶戶那裡殺了。他們念他是全心尋求耶和華的約沙法的孫子，就把他埋葬了。這樣，亞哈謝家無人能保住王位。
亞她利雅篡權
10亞哈謝的母親亞她利雅見兒子死了，便動手除掉整個猶大王室。 11但約蘭王的女兒、亞哈謝的妹妹約示巴把亞哈謝的兒子約阿施從將要被殺的王子中偷出來，把他和他的乳母藏在一間臥室裡，才躲過亞她利雅的殺戮。約示巴是耶何耶大祭司的妻子。 12約阿施和他們在上帝的殿裡藏了六年。那時亞她利雅當政。
