Bilingual reading

Ahaz was twenty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. He didn’t do that which was right in the LORD’s eyes, like David his father,

but he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, and also made molten images for the Baals.

Moreover he burned incense in the valley of the son of Hinnom, and burned his children in the fire, according to the abominations of the nations whom the LORD cast out before the children of Israel.

He sacrificed and burned incense in the high places, and on the hills, and under every green tree.

Therefore the LORD his God delivered him into the hand of the king of Syria. They struck him, and carried away from him a great multitude of captives, and brought them to Damascus. He was also delivered into the hand of the king of Israel, who struck him with a great slaughter.

For Pekah the son of Remaliah killed in Judah one hundred twenty thousand in one day, all of them valiant men, because they had forsaken the LORD, the God of their fathers.

Zichri, a mighty man of Ephraim, killed Maaseiah the king’s son, Azrikam the ruler of the house, and Elkanah who was next to the king.

The children of Israel carried away captive of their brothers two hundred thousand women, sons, and daughters, and also took away much plunder from them, and brought the plunder to Samaria.

But a prophet of the LORD was there, whose name was Oded; and he went out to meet the army that came to Samaria, and said to them, “Behold, because the LORD, the God of your fathers, was angry with Judah, he has delivered them into your hand, and you have slain them in a rage which has reached up to heaven.

Now you intend to degrade the children of Judah and Jerusalem as male and female slaves for yourselves. Aren’t there even with you trespasses of your own against the LORD your God?

Now hear me therefore, and send back the captives that you have taken captive from your brothers, for the fierce wrath of the LORD is on you.”

Then some of the heads of the children of Ephraim, Azariah the son of Johanan, Berechiah the son of Meshillemoth, Jehizkiah the son of Shallum, and Amasa the son of Hadlai, stood up against those who came from the war,

and said to them, “You must not bring in the captives here, for you intend that which will bring on us a trespass against the LORD, to add to our sins and to our guilt; for our guilt is great, and there is fierce wrath against Israel.”

So the armed men left the captives and the plunder before the princes and all the assembly.

The men who have been mentioned by name rose up and took the captives, and with the plunder clothed all who were naked among them, dressed them, gave them sandals, gave them something to eat and to drink, anointed them, carried all the feeble of them on donkeys, and brought them to Jericho, the city of palm trees, to their brothers. Then they returned to Samaria.

At that time King Ahaz sent to the kings of Assyria to help him.

For again the Edomites had come and struck Judah, and carried away captives.

The Philistines also had invaded the cities of the lowland and of the South of Judah, and had taken Beth Shemesh, Aijalon, Gederoth, Soco with its villages, Timnah with its villages, and also Gimzo and its villages; and they lived there.

For the LORD brought Judah low because of Ahaz king of Israel, because he acted without restraint in Judah and trespassed severely against the LORD.

Tilgath-pilneser king of Assyria came to him and gave him trouble, but didn’t strengthen him.

For Ahaz took away a portion out of the LORD’s house, and out of the house of the king and of the princes, and gave it to the king of Assyria; but it didn’t help him.

In the time of his distress, he trespassed yet more against the LORD, this same King Ahaz.

For he sacrificed to the gods of Damascus which had defeated him. He said, “Because the gods of the kings of Syria helped them, I will sacrifice to them, that they may help me.” But they were the ruin of him and of all Israel.

Ahaz gathered together the vessels of God’s house, cut the vessels of God’s house in pieces, and shut up the doors of the LORD’s house; and he made himself altars in every corner of Jerusalem.

In every city of Judah he made high places to burn incense to other gods, and provoked the LORD, the God of his fathers, to anger.

Now the rest of his acts, and all his ways, first and last, behold, they are written in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel.

Ahaz slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city, even in Jerusalem, because they didn’t bring him into the tombs of the kings of Israel; and Hezekiah his son reigned in his place.

كانَ آحازُ ٱبنَ عِشْرينَ سَنَةً حينَ مَلَك، ومَلَكَ سِتَّ عَشرَةَ سَنَةً في أُورَشَليمَ، ولم يَصنَعِ القَويمَ في عَينَيِ الرَّبّ، مِثلَ داوُدَ أَبيه

بل سارَ في طُرُقِ مُلوكِ إِسْرائيل، وصَنَعَ أَيضًا مَسْبوكاتٍ لِلبَعْل

وأَحرَقَ البَخورَ في وادي ٱبنِ هِنُّوم، وأَمرَّ بَنيه بالنَّار، على حَسَبِ قَبائِحِ الأُمَمِ الَّتي طَرَدَها الرَّبُّ مِن وَجهِ بَني إِسْرائيل

وذَبَحَ وأَحرَقَ البَخورَ على المَشارِفِ والتِّلالِ وتَحتَ كُلِّ شَجَرَةٍ خَضْراء

فأَسلَمَه الرَّبُّ إِلٰهُه إِلى يَدِ مَلِكِ الأَرامِيِّين، فضَرَبوه وأَسَروا مِنه جَمْعًا عَظيمًا وجاؤُوا بِه إِلى دِمَشق. وأُسلِمَ أَيضًا إِلى يَدِ مَلِكِ إِسْرائيل، فضَرَبَه ضَربَةً عَظيمَة

وقَتَلَ فاقَحُ بنُ رَمَلْيا في يَهوذا مِئَةً وعِشْرينَ أَلفًا في يَومٍ واحِد، كُلُّهم ذَوو بَأس، لِأَنَّهم تَرَكوا الرَّبَّ إِلٰهَ آبائِهم

وقَتَلَ زِكْري، بَطَلُ أَفْرائيم، معَسْيا ٱبنَ المَلِكِ وعَزْريقامَ قَيِّمَ البَيتِ وأَلْقانَةَ ثانِيَ المَلِك

وأَسَرَ بَنو إِسْرائيلَ مِن إِخوَتِهم مِئَتَي أَلفٍ مِنَ النِّساءِ والبَنينَ والبَنات، وسَلَبوا أَيضًا مِنهم غَنائِمَ كَثيرة وجاؤُوا بِالغَنائِمِ إِلى السَّامِرَة

وكانَ هُناكَ نَبِيٌّ لِلرَّبِّ ٱسمُه عوديد، فخَرَجَ لِلِقاءِ الجَيش، وهو قادِمٌ إِلى السَّامِرَة، وقالَ لَهم: «إِنَّه بسَبَبِ غَضَبِ الرَّبِّ إِلٰهِ آبائِكم على بَني يَهوذا أَسلَمَهم إِلى أَيديكم فقَتَلتُموهم بِسُخطٍ بَلَغَ السَّماء

والآنَ فإِنَّكم عازِمونَ على إِخضاعِ بَني يَهوذا وأُورَشَليمَ عَبيدًا وإِماءً لَكم. أَفَلَستُم أَنتُمُ الآثِمينَ أَمامَ الرَّبِّ إِلٰهِكم؟

فالآنَ ٱسمَعوا لي ورُدُّوا الأَسْرى الَّذينَ أَسَرتُموهم مِن إِخوَتِكم، لِأَنَّ غَضَبَ الرَّبِّ مُضطَرِمٌ علَيكم»

فقامَ بَعضٌ مِن رُؤَساءِ بَني أَفْرائيم، وهم عَزَرْيا بنُ يوحانانَ وبَرَكْيا بنُ مَشِلَّموتَ ويَحَزقِيَّا ٱبنُ شَلُّومَ وعَمَاسا بنُ حِدْلايَ، على الَّذينَ قَدِموا مِنَ الحَربِ

وقالوا لَهم: «لا تُدخِلوا الأَسرى إِلى هٰهُنا، لِأَنَّه يَكونُ علَينا إِثمٌ أَمامَ الرَّبّ، وأَنتُم عازِمونَ أَن تَزيدوا على خَطاينا وآثامِنا، فإِنَّ إِثمَنا عَظيمٌ والغَضَبَ مُضطَرِمٌ على إِسْرائيل»

فتَخَلَّى المُسَلَّحونَ عنِ الأَسْرى والسَّلَبِ قُدَّامَ الرُّؤَساءِ والجَماعَةِ كُلِّها

وقامَ الرِّجالُ الّذينَ عُيِّنوا بِأَسمائِهم وأَخَذوا الأَسرى وأَلبَسوا مِنَ السَّلَبِ جَميعَ العُراةِ بَينَهم وكَسَوهم وأَلبَسوهم أَحذِيَةً وأَطعَموهم وسَقوهم ودَهَنوهم، وحَمَلوا جَميعَ العُرْجانِ مِنهم على حَمير، وجاؤُوا بِهِم إِلى أَريحا، مَدينَةِ النَّخل، إِلى إِخوَتِهم، ثُمَّ رَجَعوا إِلى السَّامِرَة

في ذٰلك الوَقْت، أَرسَلَ المَلِكُ آحازُ إِلى مُلوكِ أَشُّورَ لِيُنجِدوه

وقد زَحَفَ الأَدومِيُّونَ وضَرَبوا يَهوذا وأَخذوا أَسْرى

وٱنتَشَرَ الفَلِسطينِيُّونَ في مُدُنِ السَّهلِ ونَقَبِ يَهوذا، وٱستَولَوا على بَيتَ شَمسَ وأَيَّالونَ وجَديروتَ وسوكُوَ وتَوابِعِها وتِمْنَةَ وتَوابِعِها وجِمْزُوَ وتَوابِعِها، وسَكَنوا هُناك

لِأَنَّ الرَّبَّ أَذَلَّ يَهوذا بِسَبَبِ آحاز، مَلِكِ إِسْرائيل، لِأَنَّه أَطلَقَ العِنانَ لِيَهوذا وخالَفَ الرَّبَّ مُخالَفَةً شَديدَة

فزَحَفَ علَيه تجلَتَ فِلآسَر، مَلِكُ أشُّور، وضَيَّقَ علَيه ولم يُؤَيِّدْه

فأَخَذَ آحازُ قِسمًا مِن بَيتِ الرَّبِّ وبَيتِ المَلِكِ ومِنَ الرُّؤَساء، وأَعْطاه لِمَلِكِ أَشُّور، فلم يُجدِه ذٰلك نَفعًا

وفي وَقتِ التَّضييقِ علَيه، اِزْدادَ المَلِكُ آحازُ هٰذا مُخالَفَةً لِلرَّبّ

فذَبَحَ لِآلِهَةِ دِمَشقَ الَّتي ضَرَبَته وقال: «بِمَا أَنَّ آلِهَةَ مُلوكِ أَرامَ تَنصُرُهم، فأَنا أَذبَحُ لَها فتَنصُرُني»، ولَكِنَّها كانَت مَعثَرَةً لَه ولِكُلِّ إِسْرائيل

وجَمَعَ آحازُ آنِيَةَ بَيتِ اللهِ وحَطَّمَها، وأَغلَقَ أَبْوابَ بَيتِ الرَّبّ، وصَنَعَ لَه مَذابِحَ في كُلِّ زاوِيَةٍ في أُورَشَليم

وفي كُلِّ مَدينَةٍ لِيَهوذا، مَدينَةٍ فمَدينَة، أَقامَ مَشارِفَ لِيُحرِقَ البَخورَ لِآلِهَةٍ أُخْرى، وأَسخَطَ الرَّبَّ إِلٰهَ آبائِه

وبَقِيَّةُ أَخْبارِه وجَميعُ مَشاريعِه الأُولى والأَخيرَةِ هي مَكْتوبَةٌ في سِفرِ مُلوكِ يَهوذا وإِسْرائيل

وٱضطَجَعَ آحازُ مع آبائِه ودَفَنوه في مَدينَةِ داوُد، في أُورَشَليم، ولم يُدخِلوه مَقابِرَ مُلوكِ إِسْرائيل. ومَلَكَ حِزقِيَّا ٱبنُه مَكانَه