Mambo Ahazi we Juda
(2 Bomambo 16:1-4)1 Ahazi wakabe ana makole ali makumi mabili (20) tjibaka tjaakatangisa busa. Ngono wakabusa makole ali gumi lina kutathatu (16) mu Jerusalema. Wakathama mbipo mu mesho a Yahwe, kasitobele Yahwe nge buzhalo, sekwa batategulu babe Dafite bakabe bethama. 2 Koga wakatobela zila dzabo mambo be Iziraela ebuya ebezha zwifano zwa bo Bhaale, 3 kakale kapisa motsha ku nkuku we Bhenihinomi kabuya kapisa bakololo babe bali zwibhayilo zwinopisiwa etobela zwiyito zwakabipa zwe njudzi dzakabe dzatatiwa ndi Yahwe bedzitatila kutjena ne Baiziraela. 4 Kadusa zwibhayilo kakale kapisa motsha mu magalo apezhugwi, ne ku matuthu ne kusi kwe miti mimwe ne mimwe ye bgwelele.
Ngwa ye Siriya ne Iziraela
(2 Bomambo 16:5)5 Ndizo Yahwe Ndzimu uwe bakanlonga mu maboko a mambo we Aramu. Ngono Baaramu bakankunda bakatapa bathu babe bali banjinji ngono kabayisa ku Damasiko. Wakalongwa mu maboko a mambo we Iziraela kakale, mambo we Iziraela wakankunda kwakabangalala kubi, 6 ngoti Peka nkololo wa Ramaliya wakabe abulaya babhayani bali zwiwulu zwili zana lina makumu mabili (120 000) mu Juda mu zhuba ling'ompela bose ibaba bakabulawa bakabe bali babhayani bakasima koga yakabe kuli kuti bakafupatila Yahwe Ndzimu wa bobatategulu babo. 7 Ngono Zikiri nlume wakasima we Ifureimi iye kabulaya Maaseya nkololo wa mambo na Azirikamu nlauli we ng'umba ya mambo na Elikana iye wakabe etobela mambo nge mamo. 8 Baiziraela bakatapa bakanyi kwabo be bayisa kubusungwa bali zwiwulu zwili mazana mabili (200 000) bali bakadzi ne bakololo ne bakololokadzi ngono bakatapa thundu dzabo dzisishoma bakadziyisa ku Samariya.
9 Koga kwakabe kuna nlebesambeli wa Yahwe wakabe edang'wa Odedi ikoko, ngono wakabhuda kanoshanganidza babhayani bakabe bebuya ku Samariya ngono kabadwa kati, “Ngoti Yahwe Ndzimu wa bobatategulu benyu babe bakagwadzilamoyo Juda bakailonga mu maboko enyu, ngono imwi makababulaya nge bushongola gwakadza gukaswika kudzimu. 10 Ngono ngwenu moshakathama balume ne bakadzi be Juda ne Jerusalema balanda benyu. Koga apa namwi amuzothamila Yahwe Ndzimu wenyu jinyo kene? 11 Ndizo ngwenu mundibhulutane kwazo! Bgwilizani basungwa bose ibaba, kusakajalo bushongola gwa Yahwe gowodelukila mu muli.”
12 Batungamili bamwe mubali kuli balume be Ifureimi Azariya nkololo wa Johanani na Bherekiya nkololo wa Meshilemoti na Jehizikiya nkololo wa Shalumu na Amasa nkololo wa Hadilayi bakamililana na ibabo bakabe bedwa ku ngwa, 13 ngono bakabadwa bakati, “Musizhise basungwa ibaba ngeno, ngoti mungadwa muthama kuti tibe ne nlandu pakati kwedu na Yahwe pezhugwi kwe zwibi ne nlandu zwatinazo kale ngwenu. Nlandu wedu nkulu kale, kakale bushongola gwakadelukila Iziraela kuli kale.”
14 Ndizo babhayani bakasiya basungwa ne thundu mbeli kwe makulukota ne gubungano lose. 15 Ngono balume ibabo bakalebgwa nge mazina bakatola basungwa, bakatola zwiambalo mu thundu yakabe yatapiwa ngono bakapa bakabe basakaambala kuti baambale. Bakabapa zwiambalo ne shangu ne zojiwa ne vula ne mafuta anozhogwa. Ngono bose ibabo bakabe bekong'wa bakatathisiwa madonki. Ndizo basungwa bakabgwiliziwa kuna bakanyi kwabo ku Jerikho nzi nkulu we milala. Ipapo Baiziraela bakabgwilila ku Samariya.
Ahazi unokumbila bhatsho ku Asiriya
(2 Bomambo 16:7-9)16 Mu tjibaka itjetjo Mambo Ahazi katuma bathu kuna mambo we Asiriya kuti wombhatsha. 17 Baedomu bakabe banginilila Juda kakale babayisa ku busungwa. 18 Bafilisitiya bakabe banginilila mizi mikulu ye kwakakungulukila mu Juda ne ye Negebu. Bakatola bakabuya bakagala mu Bhetishemeshi ne Aijaloni ne Gederoti ne Soko ne mizi yayo yakaipoteleka ne Timina ne mizi yayo yakaipoteleka ne Gimuzo ne mizi yayo yakaipoteleka. 19 Ngobe Yahwe bakabe beyisa Juda pasi ngekwa Ahazi mambo we Iziraela ngobe wakabe akwebela Juda ku tjibi kakale asingagalebgwe ndodwa muna Yahwe. 20 Ngono Tiligati Filineseri mambo we Asiriya kammukila ngono kan'zhisila mang'oni pana kuti ambhatshe. 21 Ngobe Ahazi wakabe akatola zwimwe zwija mu Ng'umba ya Yahwe ne ng'umba ye bushe ne ye makulukota ngono kadusila mambo we Asiriya zwipo koga ikoku akuzom'bhatsha nge tjimwe.
22 Mu tjibaka tjitje tje mang'oni iyawa kusagalikabgwe kwa Mambo Ahazi muna Yahwe kukakula, 23 ngobe wakadusila midzimu ye Damasiko zwibhayilo iyo yakabe yankunda ekumbula eti, “Ngoti midzimu ya bomambo be Siriya ndiyo yababhatsha, ndowoyidusila zwibhayilo kuti ndizo indibhatshe.” Koga yakabe bhelelo lile ne Baiziraela bose.
24 Ahazi kakubunganya zwishingisiwa zose zwe Ng'umba ye Ndzimu ngono kazwithubulila zwikasala zwili zwipithu pithu ngono kazhalila mikoba ye Ng'umba ya Yahwe, kazwithamila tjibeso tjinopisigwa zwibhayilo ku ndzibo mmwe ne mmwe mu Jerusalema. 25 Mu nzi nkulu mmwe ne mmwe kabaka magalo a pezhugwi anopisigwa zwibhayilo kupisigwa midzimu ngono kabe atanga Yahwe Ndzimu wa bobatategulu babe.
26 Mimwe mishingo ye mbuso uwe nenge zila dzidze dzose kudwa mu kutangisa kunoti ku bupelo yakakwagwa mu Hwalo dza Bomambo be Juda ne Iziraela. 27 Ahazi kafa ngono kanobiganyiwa ku nzi nkulu we Jerusalema koga kusi ku zwikumbu zwa bomambo be Iziraela. Hezekiya nkololo uwe kan'gala thaka.
King Ahaz of Judah
(2 Kings 16.1-4)1 Ahaz became king at the age of twenty, and he ruled in Jerusalem for sixteen years. He did not follow the good example of his ancestor King David; instead, he did what was not pleasing to the Lord 2 and followed the example of the kings of Israel. He had metal images of Baal made, 3 burned incense in Hinnom Valley, and even sacrificed his own sons as burnt offerings to idols, imitating the disgusting practice of the people whom the Lord had driven out of the land as the Israelites advanced. 4 At the pagan places of worship, on the hills, and under every shady tree Ahaz offered sacrifices and burned incense.
War with Syria and Israel
(2 Kings 16.5)5-6 Because King Ahaz sinned, the Lord his God let the king of Syria defeat him and take a large number of Judeans back to Damascus as prisoners. The Lord also let the king of Israel, Pekah son of Remaliah, defeat Ahaz and kill 120,000 of the bravest Judean soldiers in one day. The Lord, the God of their ancestors, permitted this to happen, because the people of Judah had abandoned him. 7 An Israelite soldier named Zichri killed King Ahaz' son Maaseiah, the palace administrator Azrikam, and Elkanah, who was second in command to the king. 8 Even though the Judeans were their own relatives, the Israelite army captured 200,000 women and children as prisoners and took them back to Samaria, along with large amounts of loot.
The Prophet Oded
9 A man named Oded, a prophet of the Lord, lived in the city of Samaria. He met the returning Israelite army with its Judean prisoners as it was about to enter the city, and he said, “The Lord God of your ancestors was angry with Judah and let you defeat them, but now he has heard of the vicious way you slaughtered them. 10 And now you intend to make the men and women of Jerusalem and Judah your slaves. Don't you know that you also have committed sins against the Lord your God? 11 Listen to me! These prisoners are your brothers and sisters. Let them go, or the Lord will punish you in his anger.”
12 Four of the leading men of the Northern Kingdom, Azariah son of Jehohanan, Berechiah son of Meshillemoth, Jehizkiah son of Shallum, and Amasa son of Hadlai also opposed the actions of the army. 13 They said, “Don't bring those prisoners here! We have already sinned against the Lord and made him angry enough to punish us. Now you want to do something that will increase our guilt.” 14 So then the army handed the prisoners and the loot over to the people and their leaders, 15 and the four men were appointed to provide the prisoners with clothing from the captured loot. They gave them clothes and sandals to wear, gave them enough to eat and drink, and put olive oil on their wounds. Those who were too weak to walk were put on donkeys, and all the prisoners were taken back to Judean territory at Jericho, the city of palm trees. Then the Israelites returned home to Samaria.
Ahaz Asks Assyria for Help
(2 Kings 16.7-9)16-17 The Edomites began to raid Judah again and captured many prisoners, so King Ahaz asked Tiglath Pileser, the emperor of Assyria, to send help. 18 At this same time the Philistines were raiding the towns in the western foothills and in southern Judah. They captured the cities of Beth Shemesh, Aijalon, and Gederoth, and the cities of Soco, Timnah, and Gimzo with their villages, and settled there permanently. 19 Because King Ahaz of Judah had violated the rights of his people and had defied the Lord, the Lord brought troubles on Judah. 20 The Assyrian emperor, instead of helping Ahaz, opposed him and caused him trouble. 21 So Ahaz took the gold from the Temple, the palace, and the homes of the leaders of the people, and gave it to the emperor, but even this did not help.
The Sins of Ahaz
22 When his troubles were at their worst, that man Ahaz sinned against the Lord more than ever. 23 He offered sacrifices to the gods of the Syrians, who had defeated him. He said, “The Syrian gods helped the kings of Syria, so if I sacrifice to them, they may help me too.” This brought disaster on him and on his nation. 24 In addition, he took all the Temple equipment and broke it in pieces. He closed the Temple and set up altars in every part of Jerusalem. 25 In every city and town in Judah he built pagan places of worship, where incense was to be burned to foreign gods. In this way he brought on himself the anger of the Lord, the God of his ancestors.
26 All the other events of his reign, from beginning to end, are recorded in The History of the Kings of Judah and Israel. 27 King Ahaz died and was buried in Jerusalem, but not in the royal tombs. His son Hezekiah succeeded him as king.