King Ahaz of Judah
(2 Chronicles 28.1-27)1 Ahaz son of Jotham became king of Judah in the seventeenth year of Pekah's rule in Israel. 2 He was 20 years old at the time, and he ruled from Jerusalem for 16 years.
Ahaz wasn't like his ancestor David. Instead, he disobeyed the Lord 3 and was even more sinful than the kings of Israel. He sacrificed his own son, which was a disgusting custom of the nations that the Lord had forced out of Israel. 4 Ahaz offered sacrifices at the local shrines, as well as on every hill and in the shade of large trees.
5-6 While Ahaz was ruling Judah, the king of Edom recaptured the town of Elath from Judah and forced out the people of Judah. Edomites then moved into Elath, and they still live there.
About the same time, King Rezin of Syria and King Pekah of Israel marched to Jerusalem and attacked, but they could not capture it.
7 Ahaz sent a message to King Tiglath Pileser of Assyria that said, “Your Majesty, King Rezin and King Pekah are attacking me, your loyal servant. Please come and rescue me.” 8 Along with the message, Ahaz sent silver and gold from the Lord's temple and from the palace treasury as a gift for the Assyrian king.
9 As soon as Tiglath Pileser received the message, he and his troops marched to Syria. He captured the capital city of Damascus, then he took the people living there to the town of Kir as prisoners and killed King Rezin.
10 Later, Ahaz went to Damascus to meet Tiglath Pileser. And while Ahaz was there, he saw an altar and sent a model of it back to Uriah the priest, along with the plans for building one. 11 Uriah followed the plans and built an altar exactly like the one in Damascus, finishing it just before Ahaz came back.
12 When Ahaz returned, he went to see the altar and to offer sacrifices on it. He walked up to the altar 13 and poured wine over it. Then he offered sacrifices to please the Lord, to give him thanks, and to ask for his blessings. 14 After that, he had the bronze altar moved aside, so his new altar would be right in front of the Lord's temple. 15 He told Uriah the priest:
From now on, the morning and evening sacrifices as well as all gifts of grain and wine are to be offered on this altar. The sacrifices for the people and for the king must also be offered here. Sprinkle the blood from all the sacrifices on it, but leave the bronze altar for me to use for prayer and finding out what God wants me to do.
16 Uriah did everything Ahaz told him.
17 Ahaz also had the side panels and the small bowls taken off the movable stands in the Lord's temple. He had the large bronze bowl, called the Sea, removed from the bronze bulls on which it rested and had it placed on a stand made of stone. 18 He took down the special tent that was used for worship on the Sabbath and closed up the private entrance that the kings of Judah used for going into the temple. He did all these things to please Tiglath Pileser.
19 Everything else Ahaz did while he was king is written in The History of the Kings of Judah. 20 Ahaz died and was buried beside his ancestors in Jerusalem, and his son Hezekiah became king.
Mambo Ahazi we Juda
(2 Zwiyitikalo 28:1-27)1 Mu gole le bugumi lina ali kutendeka (17) le mbuso wa Peka nkololo wa Remaliya, Ahazi nkololo wa Jothamu mambo we Juda katangisa busa. 2 Ahazi wakatangisa kubusa ana makole ali makumi mabili (20) ngono kabusa makole ali gumi lina ali matathatu (16) mu Jerusalema. Ngono kathama tjisakalulwama mu mesho a Yahwe Ndzimu uwe, kusi sa tate babe Dafite, 3 koga katola zila ya bomambo be Iziraela, kabuya kapisa mwana uwe kuli tjibhayilo, kuyendidzana nge zwiyito zwinoshimisa zwe njudzi dzakatatiwa ndi Yahwe mbeli kwe Baiziraela. 4 Ngono kadusa zwibhayilo kapisila ne motsha mu magalo akatuthumala ne mu matombo na kusi kwe nti mmwe ne mmwe ntala. 5 Ipapo Rezini mambo we Siriya na Peka nkololo wa Remaliya mambo we Iziraela, bakayenda bakanonginilila Jerusalema ngono bakakomba Ahazi nge ngwa koga bakasinkunde. 6 Nge tjibaka itjetjo Rezini mambo we Siriya kabgwiliza nzi we Elati ku Siriya nge kutata Bajuta, ngono Baedomu bakazha ku Elati kwabagele na nasi. 7 Ndizo Ahazi katuma batumwa kuna Tigilati Pilesa mambo we Asiriya eti, “Ndi nlanda uwo ne nkololo uwo. Buya undisunungule mu maboko a mambo we Siriya ne mu maboko a mambo we Iziraela banondinginilila.” 8 Ngono Ahazi katola siliva ne golide yakawang'wa mu ng'umba ya Yahwe ne mu matula e ng'umba ya mambo kazwitumila kuli tjipo kuna mambo we Asiriya. 9 Ngono mambo we Asiriya kadumilana naye kanginilila Damasiko kaitapa, katapila bagali bayo ku Kiri ngono kabulaya Rezini.
10 Kwakati Mambo Ahazi ayenda ku Damasiko kunoshangana na Tigilati Pilesa mambo we Asiriya, kabona tjibeso tjinopisigwa zwibhayilo tjakabe tjili mu Damaseko katumila ntutshi we tjibeso tjinopisigwa zwibhayilo ne tjilakidzo tjekuti tjibakiwe tjini kuna Uriya we mpirisiti. 11 Ngono Uriya we mpirisiti kabaka tjibeso tjinopisigwa zwibhayilo kuyendidzana na sekwa akalakidziwa ndi Mambo Ahazi kudwa ku Damasiko ngono katjifidza Mambo Ahazi asathu kashanduka ku Damaseko. 12 Ngono kwakati mambo edwa ku Damasiko kabona tjibeso tjinopisigwa zwibhayilo, kasedzela pejo natjo ngono katjitatha, 13 ngono kapisila tjibhayilo tjitje tjinopisiwa ne tjibhayilo tje tjipo tje mathunde ngono katebula tjibhayilo tje tjing'o kanyasa malopa mu tjibhayilo tjitje tje mbakisano mu tjibeso tjinopisigwa zwibhayilo. 14 Tjibeso tjinopisigwa zwibhayilo tje phangula tjakabe tjili mbeli kwa Yahwe katjidusa mbeli kwe ng'umba pakati kwe tjibeso tjitje tjinopisigwa zwibhayilo ne ng'umba ya Yahwe, katjibiga ku bunandzwa gwe tjibeso tjitje tjinopisigwa zwibhayilo. 15 Mambo Ahazi kadwa Uriya we mpirisiti kati, “Mu tjibeso tjinopisigwa zwibhayilo tjikulu u pise tjibhayilo tjinopisiwa tje mangwanana ne zwipo zwe madekwana zwe mathunde ne tjibhayilo tja mambo tjinopisiwa ne tjipo tjitje tje mathunde ne zwipo zwabo zwe zwing'o, malopa wose e zwibhayilo zwinopisiwa ne e zwibhayilo zwimwe u anyase mu tjibeso tjinopisigwa zwibhayilo, koga tjibeso tje phangula ndowotjishingisa kushaka gumbuludzo.” 16 Uriya we mpirisiti kathama tjalebgwa ndi Mambo Ahazi.
17 Mambo Ahazi kadusa makwasayile e tjigadziko, kadusa ne bhavu mu tjili, ngono kadusa tanka ye vula mu ngabe dze phangula dzakabe dzili kusi kwayo ngono kayibiga pezhugwi kwe thiwa dze mabgwe. 18 Kadusa zijana ye Sabata yakabe yakathuligwa yabakwa mu ng'umba ye bushe, ne nkoba utjakuzhe wa mambo we ng'umba ya Yahwe, ngekwa mambo we Asiriya. 19 Mimwe mishingo ya Ahazi ne zwaakathama zwakakwagwa mu lukwalo gwe Zwiyitikalo gwa bomambo be Juda. 20 Ahazi kalala na botate babe ngono kabiganyigwa pa bali mu nzi nkulu wa Dafite. Hezekiya nkololo uwe kan'gala thaka.