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.
Āhāzs valda pār Jūdu
(2L 28:1–27)1 Pekaha, Remaljāhu dēla, septiņpadsmitajā valdīšanas gadā Jūdā sāka valdīt Āhāzs, Jotāma dēls. 2 Āhāzs sāka valdīt divdesmit gadu vecumā. Viņš valdīja Jeruzālemē sešpadsmit gadus, bet nedarīja to, kas tīkams Kungam, viņa Dievam, kā viņa tēvs Dāvids. 3 Viņš staigāja Israēla ķēniņu ceļu un pat savu dēlu sadedzināja, tāpat kā tās pretīgās tautas, kuras Kungs bija izdzinis, Israēla dēliem ienākot. 4 Viņš upurēja un kvēpināja augstieņu altāros, pakalnos un zem katra zaļoksna koka. 5 Toreiz Arāmas ķēniņš Recīns un Israēla ķēniņš Pekahs, Remaljāhu dēls, devās karot pret Jeruzālemi, tie aplenca Āhāzu, bet nespēja uzvarēt. 6 Tolaik Arāmas ķēniņš Recīns pievienoja Ēlatu Arāmam. Viņš izdzina jūdus no Ēlatas, aramieši ienāca Ēlatā un dzīvo tur līdz šai dienai.
7 Āhāzs sūtīja vēstnešus pie Asīrijas ķēniņa Tiglat-Pilēsera un sacīja: “Es esmu tavs kalps un tavs dēls – nāc un glāb mani no Arāmas ķēniņa un Israēla ķēniņa, kuri man uzbrūk!” 8 Āhāzs ņēma Kunga nama sudrabu un zeltu, kā arī ķēniņa nama dārgumus un nosūtīja tās kā dāvanu Asīrijas ķēniņam. 9 Asīrijas ķēniņš uzklausīja viņu. Asīrijas ķēniņš cēlās pret Damasku, ieņēma to un tās iemītniekus aizveda trimdā uz Kīru. Recīnu viņš lika nonāvēt.
10 Ķēniņš Āhāzs gāja uz Damasku satikt Asīrijas ķēniņu Tiglat-Pilēseru. Damaskā ķēniņš Āhāzs ieraudzīja altāri un aizsūtīja priesterim Ūrijam altāra attēlu un paraugu – kā tas bija darināts. 11 Priesteris Ūrija uzcēla altāri tieši tā, kā ķēniņš Āhāzs bija rakstījis no Damaskas. Priesteris Ūrija to pabeidza, pirms ķēniņš Āhāzs pārnāca no Damaskas. 12 Kad ķēniņš pārnāca no Damaskas un ieraudzīja altāri, viņš piegāja pie tā un upurēja. 13 Viņš kvēpināja sadedzināmo upuri un labības dāvanu un izlēja lejamo upuri, un slacīja pār altāri miera upura asinis. 14 Vara altāri, kas bija Kunga priekšā starp jauno altāri un Kunga namu, viņš aiznesa no tempļa priekšpuses un nolika sānis, ziemeļu pusē savam altārim. 15 Ķēniņš Āhāzs pavēlēja priesterim Ūrijam: “Lielajā altārī kvēpini rīta sadedzināmo upuri un vakara labības dāvanu, ķēniņa sadedzināmo upuri un labības dāvanu un visas tautas labības dāvanu, un sadedzināmo upuri, un lejamo upuri un slacini tur visu sadedzināmo upuru asinis un visu kaujamo upuru asinis. Bet par vara altāri es vēl padomāšu!” 16 Priesteris Ūrija visu darīja tā, kā ķēniņš Āhāzs pavēlēja.
17 Ķēniņš Āhāzs nocirta pamatņu līstes, nocēla no tām vara katlus, noņēma jūru no vara vēršiem, uz kuriem tā balstījās, un nolika uz akmens grīdas. 18 Asīrijas ķēniņa dēļ viņš novāca templī uzcelto sabata aizslietni un pārvietoja Kunga nama ķēniņa ieeju.
19 Pārējie Āhāza darbi un viss, ko viņš darīja, – vai tad par to nav rakstīts Jūdas ķēniņu Laiku grāmatā? 20 Āhāzs apgūlās pie tēviem, un viņu apbedīja pie tēviem Dāvida pilsētā. Viņa dēls Hizkija sāka valdīt pēc viņa.
