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.
Ahas ohamba yaJuda
1 Momudo omutimulongo nomutiheyali waPeka yaRemalja, Ahas yaJotam a ninga ohamba yaJuda. 2 Omido daAhas da li omilongo mbali, ye eshi a ninga ohamba, nokwa pangela omido omulongo nahamano muJerusalem, ndele ina ninga osho sha yuka momesho Omwene Kalunga kaye, ngaashi xe David, 3 ndelenee okwa enda nondjila yeehamba daIsrael. Heeno, ye mwene okwa endifila omona waye momundilo paififahoni yoiwana oyo Omwene e i taataa komesho yaIsrael. 4 Nokwa twimina yo koikulundu nokomitune nopomuti keshe mutalala.
5 Opo nee Resin, ohamba yaAram, naPeka yaRemalja, ohamba yaIsrael, da ya kuJerusalem di ka lwe, Ndele da fitikinina Ahas. Ndelenee da nyengwa oku shi nangala. 6 Pomafiku tuu enya Resin, ohamba yaAram, ya alulila Aram Elat, ndele ya taataa mo Ovajuda muElat, nOvaedom ve uya muElat eshi omo va kala fiyo onena eli. 7 Opo nee Ahas ta tumu ovatumwa kuTiglat-Pileser, ohamba yaAsiria va tye: “Aame omupiya woye nomumwoye. Ila u mangulule nge momake ohamba yaAram nomomake ohamba yaIsrael, odo tadi lwifa nge.” 8 Ndele Ahas okwa kufa oshisiliveli noshingoldo osho sha monika mongulu yOmwene nomomalimba emona ongulu yohamba, ndele e shi tuma omulongelo kohamba yaAsiria. 9 Nohamba yaAsiria ye mu uda. Nohamba yaAsiria ya ya kuDamaskus ndele ye shi nangala ndele ye va twala moukwatwa kuKir, ndele ya dipaa Resin.
10 Opo nee Ahas a ya kuDamaskus a ka shakene naTiglat-Pileser, ohamba yaAsiria. Ndele eshi a mona oaltari ya li muDamaskus, ohamba Ahas ya tuma kuUria, omupristeli, efano noshihongwafano shoaltari pakuyeleka kwayo. 11 Nomupristeli Uria okwa tunga oaltari naanaa palombwelo lohamba Ahas yokuDamaskus. Osho ngaha omupristeli Uria a ninga, fimbo Ahas ina aluka kuDamaskus. 12 Nohamba eshi ya dja kuDamaskus ndele tai mono oaltari, yo ya ehena popepi noaltari ndele tai londo kuyo. 13 Ndele ya xwikila po exwikiloyambo layo neendjayambo dayo ndele ya tila ko epanduloyambo layo, nohonde yomapanduloyambo ayo vene ye i tila koaltari. 14 Ndelenee oaltari yoshikushu, oyo ya li koshipala shOmwene, yo ye i lundulula po kombinga yokomesho yongulu, pokati koaltari yayo nongulu yOmwene, ndele ye i tula kombinga yokoumbangalanhu woaltari yayo. 15 Nohamba Ahas ya lombwela omupristeli Uria ndele tai ti: “Xwikila moaltari inene exwikiloyambo longula neendjayambo donguloshi nexwikiloyambo lohamba neendjayambo dayo nexwikiloyambo loshiwana ashishe shoshilongo neendjayambo dasho, noikunwayambo yasho. Nohonde aishe yomatomenoyambo i tila kusho. Ndelenee handi ka diladila nhumbi oaltari yoshikushu tai ka ningwa.” 16 Nomupristeli Uria osho a ninga ngaashi ohamba Ahas ye mu lombwela. 17 Nohamba Ahas ya tetifa eembinga doweendifotemba voshikushu ndele ya kufa muwo eembalisha. Nefuta yo ye li yelulifa po keengobe doshikushu da li koshi yalo, ndele ye li tula kolupanda lomamanya. 18 Epandavanda lefiku lEshabata la li li nonduda, lo la ningwa potembeli, noshivelo shopondje sha dikilwa ohamba, yo ye shi ehenifa ko kule ongulu yOmwene omolwohamba yaAsiria. 19 Noinima imwe tai hepaulula Ahas, oyo e i ninga, inai shangelwa mbela membo lomafimbo eehamba daJuda? 20 Ndele Ahas okwa ka nangala pooxe nokwa pakwa pooxe moshilando shaDavid, nomona waye Hiskia a ninga ohamba ponhele yaye.
