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.
Ahas ma rire ombara mOjuda
(2Ozo 16:1-4)1 Ahas wa rira ombara tja ri nozombura omirongo vivari; neye wa honapara mOjerusalem oure wozombura omurongo na hamboumwe. Eye ka horerere kotjikaro otjiwa tjaihe mukururume ombara David; moruveze rwanao wa tjita imbi mbyaa vi ha tjata ku Muhona, 2 na horere kovikaro vyozombara za Israel. Eye wa ungurisa oviserekarera vyovitenda vya Baal, 3 na twimisire ovyomoro omuwa momukutu wa Ben-Hinom; nu wina wa punguha ovanatje ve omuini ovazandu ve rire ozombunguhiro ozoningiririsiwa kovisenginina, ama horere kovitjitwa oviyaukise vyoviwaṋa Muhona mbya rambere mehi, Ovaisrael tji ve ya. 4 Ahas wa punguhira ozombunguhiro na twimisire ovyomoro omuwa poṋa pekepeke pomerikotameneno kovisenginina kozondundu na kehi yomiti avihe vyomizire wina.
Ovita kuna Ovasirie nOvaisrael
(2Ozo 16:5)5 Motjimbe tjourunde wombara Ahas mbwa tjita, Muhona, Ndjambi we, we mu yandja momake wombara ya Sirie, noyo ye mu havera nai huura ovandu ve ovengi, nai ve twara kOdamaskus otja ovakamburwa. Eye wina wa yandjewa momake wombara ya Israel ndje mu havera tjinene. 6 Pekah, omuzandu wa Remalja, wa zepa ovarwe ozombangaṋe 120,000 meyuva rimwe mOjuda, tjinga ava nakaura Muhona, Ndjambi wooihe mukururume. 7 Omuisrael umwe omurwe wovita wena Sikri wa zepa Maaseja, omuzandu wombara Ahas, na Asrikam, omutye wondjuwo youhona, na Elkana, ngwa ri omukuramenepo wombara. 8 Nangarire kutja Ovajuda va ri ovomuhoko umwe nOvaisrael, otjimbumba tjOvaisrael tjovita tja huura ovakazendu novanatje vawo 200,000 natji ve twara kOsamaria puna ovihuurwa ovingi.
Omuprofete Obed
9 Omurumendu ngwa rukirwe Obed, omuprofete wa Muhona, wa turire mOsamaria. Eye wa hakaena notjimbumba tjOvaisrael tjovita, ama tji kotoka. Nu tji tja ri pokuhita motjihuro wa tja nai: “Muhona, Ndjambi wooiho mukururume, wa pindika nOvajuda, nu wa tjita kutja mu ve havere; nungwari eṋe mwe ve zepa momazenge omanene. 10 Nambano eṋe mwe rimana okutjita ovarumendu novakazendu va Jerusalem nova Judea ve rire ovakarere veṋu. Kamu nokutjiwa kutja eṋe wina mwa tjita ouvi ku Muhona, Ndjambi weṋu, are? 11 Purateneye ku ami. Ovahuurwa mba owo omarumbi novaṱena kweṋu. Ve eseye ve yaruke, Muhona tjapo ngee mu vere momazenge we.”
12 Ovarumendu ozohongora vane vomuhoko wa Efraim, okutja ooAsarja, omuzandu wa Johanan, na Berekja, omuzandu wa Mesilemot, na Jehiskija, omuzandu wa Salum, na Amasa, omuzandu wa Hadlai, va sekamena ozondjito zotjimbumba tjOvaisrael tjovita. 13 Owo va tja nai: “Amu eta ovahuurwa mba nguno! Eṱe twa tjita ourunde rukuru komurungu wa Muhona, nu twe mu pindikisa, nga tja yenene okutuvera. Ondjo yetu onene rukuru, nambano mamu vanga okutjita otjiṋa tji matji weza ondjo yetu.” 14 Komuhingo mbwi otjimbumba tjovita tja isa imba ovahuurwa novihuurwa momurungu wotjiwaṋa novanane vatjo, 15 novarumendu mba vane va zikwa okuyandja ozombanda kovahuurwa okuza movihuurwa. Owo ve ve pa ozombanda nozongaku okuzara, nave ve pe ovikurya mbya yenena okurya nokunwa, nave twa omaze womiṋinga movirwaro vyawo. Imba mba ri ovingundi tjinene okukayenda va kavirisiwa kousino; novahuurwa avehe otji va yarurwa kOjeriko, otjihuro tjomavare. NOvaisrael va yaruka konganda kOsamaria.
Ahas ma ningire ombatero kOvasirie
(2Ozo 16:7-9)16 Moruveze ndo ombara Ahas wa hinda ombuze okuningira ombatero kombara ya Asirie, 17 Ovaedom tjinga ava rwisire nave havere Ovajuda rukwao nave ve twara mouhuura. 18 Moruveze tjingero ndo Ovafilisti va huura ovihuro mbya ri mEhi-erari na mOnegeb ra Juda. Ovihuro mbi vya ri ooBet-Semes na Ajalon na Gederot; wina va huura ovihuro Soko na Timna na Gimso puna ovirongo vyavyo, nave tura mu vyo ongarerere; 19 orondu Muhona wa susuparisa Juda mena ra Ahas, ombara ya Juda, eye tjinga a tjita ezunganeno mOjuda ne ha ṱakamene mu Ndjambi. 20 Komuhingo mbwi Tiglat-Pileser, ombara ya Asirie, moruveze rwokuvatera Ahas we mu sekamena ne mu etere oumba. 21 Ahas otja toora ovihuze vyondjuwo ya Muhona novyondjuwo youhona novyozondjuwo zovahongore votjiwaṋa, ne vi yandja kombara ya Asirie, nungwari mokutjita nai wina kape vaterere.
Omauvi wa Ahas
22 Oviwonga vye tji vya rira ovinene, ombara Ahas wa tura ondjo komurungu wa Muhona komeho yarutenga. 23 Ahas wa punguhira ozombunguhiro koomukuru vovisenginina vOvasirie mbe mu haverere, ama tja nai: “Oomukuru vOvasirie va vatera ozombara za Sirie; nami tji mbe ze punguhire ozombunguhiro, ngahino maze ndji vatere wina.” Nungwari ihi tja eta onyoneno ku ye na kotjiwaṋa tje. 24 Ahas wa toora oviungurise avihe vyondjuwo ya Muhona ne vi nyanyaura. Eye wa pata ondjuwo ya Ndjambi na ziki ovipunguhiro momivanda avihe vya Jerusalem. 25 Motjihuro na motjirongo atjihe mOjuda eye wa tunga poṋa pomerikotameneno kovisenginina pu mape twimisirwa ovyomoro omuwa koomukuru vovisenginina. Komuhingo mbwi otje riyetera omuni omazenge wa Muhona, Ndjambi wooihe mukururume.
26 Ovitjitwa avihe vyouhonapare we okuza kombutiro nga kondjandero vya tjangwa mEmbo rEkuruhungi rOzombara za Juda noza Israel. 27 Ombara Ahas wa koka na pakwa mOjerusalem, nungwari ka pakerwe momaendo wouhona. Omuzandu we Hiskija we mu pingena okurira ombara.
