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 ohamba yaJuda
1 Omido daAhas da li omilongo mbali ye eshi a ninga ohamba, nokwa pangela muJerusalem omido omulongo nanhano ndele ina ninga osho sha yuka momesho Omwene ngaashi xe David a ninga. 2 Ndelenee okwa enda neendjila deehamba daIsrael nokwa ningila Baal oitelekwafano. 3 Nokwa xwika omayambo mefilu laHinnom novana vaye e va xwika po nomundilo paixuna yoiwana ya tewa po kOmwene komesho yovana vaIsrael. 4 Nokwa yamba ndele ta twiminine oitwiminifo koikulundu nokomitune nopomuti keshe mutalala. 5 Onghee hano Omwene Kalunga kaye e mu yandja meke lohamba yaAram. Ndele vo ove mu ta ndele va kwata movakwaita vaye ongudu inene yeenghwate ndele ve va twala kuDamaskus. Ndele okwa yandjwa yo meke lohamba yaIsrael, ndele yo oye mu ta molwoodi linene. 6 Peka yaRemalja okwa dipaa muJuda mefiku limwe alike ovalumenhu ovaladi omayovi efele nomilongo mbali, shaashi vo ove liteeka Omwene, Kalunga kooxe. 7 Ndele Sikri, omuladi wokuEfraim, okwa dipaa Maasea, omona wohamba, naAsrikam, elenga leumbo lohamba, naElkana, ou a kala pohamba. 8 Novana vaIsrael va kwata ovamwaina vovakainhu novana ovamati noukadona ve fike pomayovi omafele avali ndele ve va twala eenghwate. Ndele va kufa kuvo oixuulwa ihapu ndele ve i twala kuSamaria.
9 Ndele oko kwa li omuxunganeki wOmwene, edina laye Oded. Nokwa ya okushakeneka omatanga ovakwaita ava ve uya kuSamaria, ndele ta ti kuvo: “Taleni, omolwoupyuhandu wOmwene, Kalunga kooxo eshi a handukila Juda, Ye okwe va yandja momake eni, ndele nye mwe va dipaa nehandu linene tali hange fiyo okeulu. 10 Ndele paife tamu diladila okuninga ovana vaJuda novaJerusalem ovapika veni ovalumenhu novakainhu. Kamu na nokuli mbela omanyonauno mahapu koshipala shOmwene Kalunga keni? 11 Pwilikinei nge paife, mu lekele eenghwate odo mwe di kufa kovamwaxo, va shune ko. Osheshi ehandu lOmwene li li kombada yeni!” 12 Opo nee ovalumenhu vamwe vomovakulunhu vovana vaEfraim va twa eemhata naava va dja koita nokutya, Asaria yaJohanan, Berekia yaMesillemot naJehiskia yaSallum naAmasa yaHadlai, 13 ndele tave va lombwele: “Inamu eta oku eenghwate, osheshi tamu tu velifa ombedi koshipala shOmwene. Osheshi okunyona kwetu okunene nehandu laye li li kombada yaIsrael.” 14 Ava va dililwa va efa hano eenghwate noixuulwa moipafi yovakulunhu noyoshiongalele ashishe. 15 Novalumenhu ava va tumbulwa pamadina avo va fikama ndele va tambula eenghwate ve di file oshisho, naaveshe ovo va li hamunghele mokati kavo va pewa oikutu yomoixuulwa. Ndele vo va pewa kuvo oikutu neenghaku ndele ve va pa okulya nokunwa ndele ve va vaeka ndele aveshe ava va loloka va londekwa keendongi ndele va twalwa kovamwaxe fiyo okuJeriko, oshilando shomilunga. Opo va shuna kuSamaria.
Ehandu lOmwene tali hange Ahas
16 Pefimbo tuu olo ohamba Ahas ya tuma keehamba daAsiria, do di i kwafe. 17 Osheshi nOvaedom yo ve uya ndele va ta Juda ndele va kufa eenghwate. 18 NOvafilisti va luwa oilando yomoshilongo shoumbangalanhu waJuda. Ndele va nangala Bet-Semes naAijalon naGederot naSoko naTimna naGimso nomikunda dado ndele tava tula mo. 19 Osheshi Omwene a ninipika Juda omolwaAhas, ohamba yaIsrael, shaashi a tandavelifa okuhadulika ndele a kala ina diinina Omwene. 20 Ndele Tiglat-Pileser, ohamba yaAsiria, oye mu homona ndele ye mu fininika, ndele inai mu kwafa. 21 Osheshi Ahas okwa tinha ongulu yOmwene nongulu yohamba neengulu dovakulunhu, ndele oinima e i tuma kohamba yaAsiria, nande inya inai mu kwafa sha.
22 Nomefimbo tuu olo, eshi va fininika unene ohamba Ahas, yo ya nyona unene kOmwene, 23 ye okwa yambela oikalunga yomuDamaskus, oyo ya li ye mu taataa, ndele ta ti: “Shaashi oikalunga yeehamba daAram ye di kwafa, naame yo ohandi i yambele, opo i kwafe nge!” Ndelenee oyo tuu oyo ye mu twala noya twala Israel ashishe menyonauko. 24 Ndele Ahas okwa ongela oinima aishe yomongulu yaKalunga, noinima yomongulu yaKalunga e i teyaula po nokwa vika oivelo yongulu yOmwene, nokwe litungila eealtari monhele keshe yomuJerusalem. 25 Nomoilando aishe yomuJuda yo okwa tunga oikulundu yokuyambela oikalunga yoilongo nosho a handukifa Omwene Kalunga kooxe.
26 Noinima imwe tai mu hepaulula noilonga yaye aishe, yotete noyaxuuninwa, tala, oya shangwa membo leehamba daJuda nodaIsrael. 27 Ndele Ahas okwa ka nangala pooxe nokwa pakwa moshilando muJerusalem, osheshi inave mu paka meembila deehamba daIsrael. Nomona waye Hiskia okwa ninga ohamba ponhele yaye.
