列王紀上15:9-24

 

 15:9 以色列王耶羅波安二十年，亞撒登基作猶大王，
15:10 在耶路撒冷作王四十一年。他祖母名叫瑪迦，是押沙龍的女兒。
15:11 亞撒效法他祖大衛行耶和華眼中看為正的事，
15:12 從國中除去孌童，又除掉他列祖所造的一切偶像；
15:13 並且貶了他祖母瑪迦太后的位，因她造了可憎的偶像亞舍拉。亞撒砍下她的偶像，燒在汲淪溪邊，
15:14 只是邱壇還沒有廢去。亞撒一生卻向耶和華存誠實的心。
15:15 亞撒將他父親所分別為聖與自己所分別為聖的金銀和器皿都奉到耶和華的殿裡。
15:16 亞撒和以色列王巴沙在世的日子常常爭戰。
15:17 以色列王巴沙上來要攻擊猶大，修築拉瑪，不許人從猶大王亞撒那裡出入。
15:18 於是亞撒將耶和華殿和王宮府庫裡所剩下的金銀都交在他臣僕手中，打發他們往住大馬士革的亞蘭王─希旬的孫子、他伯利們的兒子便‧哈達那裡去，
15:19 說：「你父曾與我父立約，我與你也要立約。現在我將金銀送你為禮物，求你廢掉你與以色列王巴沙所立的約，使他離開我。」
15:20 便‧哈達聽從亞撒王的話，派軍長去攻擊以色列的城邑；他們就攻破以雲、但、亞伯‧伯‧瑪迦、基尼烈全境、拿弗他利全境。
15:21 巴沙聽見，就停工不修築拉瑪了，仍住在得撒。
15:22 於是亞撒王宣告猶大眾人，不准一個推辭，吩咐他們將巴沙修築拉瑪所用的石頭、木頭都運去，用以修築便雅憫的迦巴和米斯巴。
15:23 亞撒其餘的事，凡他所行的，並他的勇力與他所建築的城邑，都寫在猶大列王記上。亞撒年老的時候，腳上有病。
15:24 亞撒與他列祖同睡，葬在他祖大衛城他列祖的墳地裡。他兒子約沙法接續他作王。

 

 ⁹ In the twentieth year of Jeroboam king of Israel, Asa became king of Judah, ¹⁰ and he reigned in Jerusalem forty-one years. His grandmother’s name was Maakah daughter of Abishalom.

¹¹ Asa did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, as his father David had done. ¹² He expelled the male shrine prostitutes from the land and got rid of all the idols his ancestors had made. ¹³ He even deposed his grandmother Maakah from her position as queen mother, because she had made a repulsive image for the worship of Asherah. Asa cut it down and burned it in the Kidron Valley. ¹⁴ Although he did not remove the high places, Asa’s heart was fully committed to the Lord all his life. ¹⁵ He brought into the temple of the Lord the silver and gold and the articles that he and his father had dedicated.

¹⁶ There was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel throughout their reigns. ¹⁷ Baasha king of Israel went up against Judah and fortified Ramah to prevent anyone from leaving or entering the territory of Asa king of Judah.

¹⁸ Asa then took all the silver and gold that was left in the treasuries of the Lord’s temple and of his own palace. He entrusted it to his officials and sent them to Ben-Hadad son of Tabrimmon, the son of Hezion, the king of Aram, who was ruling in Damascus. ¹⁹ “Let there be a treaty between me and you,” he said, “as there was between my father and your father. See, I am sending you a gift of silver and gold. Now break your treaty with Baasha king of Israel so he will withdraw from me.”

²⁰ Ben-Hadad agreed with King Asa and sent the commanders of his forces against the towns of Israel. He conquered Ijon, Dan, Abel Beth Maakah and all Kinnereth in addition to Naphtali. ²¹ When Baasha heard this, he stopped building Ramah and withdrew to Tirzah. ²² Then King Asa issued an order to all Judah—no one was exempt—and they carried away from Ramah the stones and timber Baasha had been using there. With them King Asa built up Geba in Benjamin, and also Mizpah.

²³ As for all the other events of Asa’s reign, all his achievements, all he did and the cities he built, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Judah? In his old age, however, his feet became diseased. ²⁴ Then Asa rested with his ancestors and was buried with them in the city of his father David. And Jehoshaphat his son succeeded him as king.

 

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     亞撒王的出現讓我們感覺一點慰藉，因為好不容易記載一位好王，就是敬畏上帝的王。正如經文的敘述：「亞撒效法他祖大衛行耶和華眼中看為正的事，從國中除去孌童，又除掉他列祖所造的一切偶像；並且貶了他祖母瑪迦太后的位，因她造了可憎的偶像亞舍拉。亞撒砍下她的偶像，燒在汲淪溪邊，只是邱壇還沒有廢去。亞撒一生卻向耶和華存誠實的心。亞撒將他父親所分別為聖與自己所分別為聖的金銀和器皿都奉到耶和華的殿裡。」

 

    當然他不僅在信仰上有所作為，在治理國家的是也有作為。他使猶大國不受以色列王的作為影響而使國家分裂，運用外交手法止息國家的危機，也如所羅王一般是有智慧的王！

 

    在這裡我們看見上帝仍然眷顧大衛的子孫，堅固亞撒王的地位。使猶大王一直是大衛的子孫來擔任，成就祂與大衛所立的約！