King Ahaz of Judah
(2 Chronicles 28.1-27)1 In the seventeenth year of the reign of Pekah son of Remaliah as king of Israel, Ahaz son of Jotham became king of Judah 2 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 his God 3 and followed the example of the kings of Israel. He even sacrificed his own son as a burnt offering 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.
5 King Rezin of Syria and King Pekah of Israel attacked Jerusalem and besieged it, but could not defeat Ahaz. ( 6 At the same time the king of Edom regained control of the city of Elath and drove out the Judeans who lived there. The Edomites settled in Elath and still live there.) 7 Ahaz sent men to Tiglath Pileser, the emperor of Assyria, with this message: “I am your devoted servant. Come and rescue me from the kings of Syria and of Israel, who are attacking me.” 8 Ahaz took the silver and gold from the Temple and the palace treasury, and sent it as a present to the emperor. 9 Tiglath Pileser, in answer to Ahaz' plea, marched out with his army against Damascus, captured it, killed King Rezin, and took the people to Kir as prisoners.
10 When King Ahaz went to Damascus to meet Emperor Tiglath Pileser, he saw the altar there and sent back to Uriah the priest an exact model of it, down to the smallest details. 11 So Uriah built an altar just like it and finished it before Ahaz returned. 12 On his return from Damascus, Ahaz saw that the altar was finished, 13 so he burned animal sacrifices and grain offerings on it and poured a wine offering and the blood of a fellowship offering on it. 14 The bronze altar dedicated to the Lord was between the new altar and the Temple, so Ahaz moved it to the north side of his new altar. 15 Then he ordered Uriah: “Use this large altar of mine for the morning burnt offerings and the evening grain offerings, for the burnt offerings and grain offerings of the king and the people, and for the people's wine offerings. Pour on it the blood of all the animals that are sacrificed. But keep the bronze altar for me to use for divination.” 16 Uriah did as the king commanded.
17 King Ahaz took apart the bronze carts used in the Temple and removed the basins that were on them. He also took the bronze tank from the backs of the twelve bronze bulls and placed it on a stone foundation. 18 And in order to please the Assyrian emperor, Ahaz also removed from the Temple the platform for the royal throne and closed up the king's private entrance to the Temple.
19 Everything else that King Ahaz did is recorded in The History of the Kings of Judah. 20 Ahaz died and was buried in the royal tombs in David's City, and his son Hezekiah succeeded him as king.
آحاز يخلف يوثام
(2أخ 28:1-27)1 في السَّنةِ السَّابعةَ عَشْرَةَ لِفَقْحَ بنِ رَمَلْيا، ملَكَ آحازُ بنُ يوثامَ على يَهوذا. 2 وكانَ آحازُ ابنَ عشرينَ سنَةً، ودامَ مُلْكُهُ سِتَّ عَشْرَةَ سَنةً بِأورُشليمَ ولم يكُنْ صالِحا في نظَرِ الرّبِّ إلهِهِ مِثلَ داوُدَ جَدِّهِ، 3 بَلِ اقْتَدى بِمُلوكِ إِسرائيلَ، حتّى إنَّهُ أحرقَ ابنَهُ في النَّارِ قُربانا لِلبَعلِ. وهذِهِ رجاسةٌ مارسَها الأمَمُ الّذينَ طَرَدَهُمُ الرّبُّ مِنْ وجهِ بَني إِسرائيلَ. 4 وذبَحَ لِلبَعلِ وبخَّرَ لَه على المُرتَفَعاتِ والتِّلالِ وتَحتَ كُلِّ شجَرةٍ خضراءَ.
5 وهاجَمَ رَصينُ مَلِكُ آرامَ وفَقْحُ بنُ رَمَلْيا مَلِكُ إِسرائيلَ مدينةَ أورُشليمَ وحاصَراها، فلم يقدِرا أنْ يَغلِبا أحازَ. 6 وفي ذلِكَ الوقتِ استَرَدَّ مَلِكُ أدومَ أيلَةَ وجاءَ الأدوميُّونَ إليها وطَرَدوا مِنها بَني يَهوذا وأقاموا هُناكَ إلى هذا اليومِ. 7 وأرسلَ أحازُ إلى تَغلَثَ فلاسَرَ مَلِكِ أشُّورَ يقولُ: «أنا عبدُكَ وابنُكَ، تَعالَ وخلِّصْني مِنْ مَلِكِ آرام ومِنْ ومَلِكِ إِسرائيلَ». 8 وأخذَ أحازُ ما وجَدَهُ مِنَ الفضَّةِ والذَّهبِ في هَيكلِ الرّبِّ وخزائِنِ قصرِ المَلِكِ وأرسلَهُ هديَّةً إلى مَلِكِ أشورَ. 9 فلَبَّـى مَلِكُ أشورَ طلَبَهُ وزحَفَ على دِمَشقَ فاحتَلَّها وسَبى سُكَّانَها إلى قِـيرَ، وقتلَ المَلِكَ رَصينَ.
10 ولمَّا ذهبَ المَلِكُ آحازُ لِـيَستَقبِلَ تَغْلَثَ فَلاسَرَ مَلِكَ أشُّورَ بِدِمَشقَ رَأى المذبَحَ هُناكَ وأُعجِبَ بهِ، فأرسلَ إلى أوريَّا الكاهنِ شَكْلَ المذبَحِ مرسوما بِـجميعِ تفاصيلِهِ. 11 فبَنى أوريَّا الكاهنُ مذبَحا مِثلَه، وأكمَلَهُ قَبلَ رُجوعِ المَلِكِ آحازَ مِنْ دِمَشقَ. 12 فلمَّا عادَ آحازُ رَأى المذبَحَ، فاقتَرَبَ مِنهُ وصَعِدَ علَيهِ 13 وأحرقَ ذبـيحةً وقَدَّمَ الدَّقيقَ والخمرَ، ورَشَّ ذبـيحةَ سلامَتِه على المذبَحِ. 14 وكانَ مذبَحُ النُّحاسِ الّذي قُدَّامَ الرّبِّ بَينَ المذبَحِ الجديدِ وهَيكلِ الرّبِّ، فنَقَلَهُ أحازُ مِنْ هُناكَ ووضَعَهُ على جانِبِ المذبَحِ مِنْ ناحيةِ الشَّمالِ. 15 وقالَ أحازُ لأوريَّا الكاهنِ: «مِنَ الآنَ فصاعِدا، صباحا ومساءً على هذا المذبَحِ الكبـيرِ تحرُقُ الذبـيحةَ وتُقَدِّمُ الدَّقيقَ والخمرَ عنِّي وعَنِ الشَّعبِ وتَرُشُّ دِماءَ الذَّبائِـحِ. أمَّا مذبَحُ النُّحاسِ فيكونُ لِمَعرِفَةِ الغَيـبِ». 16 فعَمِلَ أوريَّا الكاهنُ بِما أمرَهُ المَلِكُ أحازُ.
17 وفَكَّ المَلِكُ آحازُ عجَلاتِ النُّحاسِ الّتي في هَيكلِ بَيتِ الرّبِّ وأزاحَ المَغاسِلَ عَنها، وأنزَلَ الحَوضَ عَنْ ثِـيرانِ النُّحاسِ الّتي تَحتَهُ ووضَعَهُ على حجارةٍ مَرصوفةٍ. 18 مِنْ هَيكلِ الرّبِّ أزالَ رِواقَ السَبْتِ، وأغلَقَ مَدخَلَ المَلِكِ، تَذَلُّلا لِمَلِكِ أشُّورَ. 19 وما بَقيَ مِنْ أخبارِ آحازَ وأعمالِهِ مُدَوَّنٌ في سِفْرِ أخبارِ الأّيّامِ لِمُلوكِ يَهوذا. 20 وماتَ آحازُ ودُفِنَ معَ آبائِهِ في مدينةِ داوُدَ، وملَكَ حَزْقيَّا ابنُهُ مكانَهُ.