歷代志下21:1-20

 

21:1 約沙法與他列祖同睡，葬在大衛城他列祖的墳地裡。他兒子約蘭接續他作王。
21:2 約蘭有幾個兄弟，就是約沙法的兒子亞撒利雅、耶歇、撒迦利雅、亞撒列夫、米迦勒、示法提雅。這都是猶大王約沙法的兒子。
21:3 他們的父親將許多金銀、財寶，和猶大地的堅固城賜給他們；但將國賜給約蘭，因為他是長子。
21:4 約蘭興起坐他父的位，奮勇自強，就用刀殺了他的眾兄弟和以色列的幾個首領。
21:5 約蘭登基的時候年三十二歲，在耶路撒冷作王八年。
21:6 他行以色列諸王的道，與亞哈家一樣；因他娶了亞哈的女兒為妻，行耶和華眼中看為惡的事。
21:7 耶和華卻因自己與大衛所立的約，不肯滅大衛的家，照他所應許的，永遠賜燈光與大衛和他的子孫。
21:8 約蘭年間，以東人背叛猶大，脫離他的權下，自己立王。
21:9 約蘭就率領軍長和所有的戰車，夜間起來，攻擊圍困他的以東人和車兵長。
21:10 這樣，以東人背叛猶大，脫離他的權下，直到今日。那時，立拿人也背叛了，因為約蘭離棄耶和華─他列祖的上帝。
21:11 他又在猶大諸山建築邱壇，使耶路撒冷的居民行邪淫，誘惑猶大人。
21:12 先知以利亞達信與約蘭說：「耶和華─你祖大衛的上帝如此說：『因為你不行你父約沙法和猶大王亞撒的道，
21:13 乃行以色列諸王的道，使猶大人和耶路撒冷的居民行邪淫，像亞哈家一樣，又殺了你父家比你好的諸兄弟。
21:14 故此，耶和華降大災與你的百姓和你的妻子、兒女，並你一切所有的。
21:15 你的腸子必患病，日加沉重，以致你的腸子墜落下來。』」
21:16 以後，耶和華激動非利士人和靠近古實的阿拉伯人來攻擊約蘭。
21:17 他們上來攻擊猶大，侵入境內，擄掠了王宮裡所有的財貨和他的妻子、兒女，除了他小兒子約哈斯（又名亞哈謝）之外，沒有留下一個兒子。
21:18 這些事以後，耶和華使約蘭的腸子患不能醫治的病。
21:19 他患此病纏綿日久，過了二年，腸子墜落下來，病重而死。他的民沒有為他燒甚麼物件，像從前為他列祖所燒的一樣。
21:20 約蘭登基的時候年三十二歲，在耶路撒冷作王八年。他去世無人思慕，眾人葬他在大衛城，只是不在列王的墳墓裡。

 

Then Jehoshaphat rested with his ancestors and was buried with them in the City of David. And Jehoram his son succeeded him as king. ² Jehoram’s brothers, the sons of Jehoshaphat, were Azariah, Jehiel, Zechariah, Azariahu, Michael and Shephatiah. All these were sons of Jehoshaphat king of Israel.^{[a] 3} Their father had given them many gifts of silver and gold and articles of value, as well as fortified cities in Judah, but he had given the kingdom to Jehoram because he was his firstborn son.

⁴ When Jehoram established himself firmly over his father’s kingdom, he put all his brothers to the sword along with some of the officials of Israel. ⁵ Jehoram was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eight years. ⁶ He followed the ways of the kings of Israel, as the house of Ahab had done, for he married a daughter of Ahab. He did evil in the eyes of the Lord. ⁷ Nevertheless, because of the covenant the Lord had made with David, the Lord was not willing to destroy the house of David. He had promised to maintain a lamp for him and his descendants forever.

⁸ In the time of Jehoram, Edom rebelled against Judah and set up its own king. ⁹ So Jehoram went there with his officers and all his chariots. The Edomites surrounded him and his chariot commanders, but he rose up and broke through by night. ¹⁰ To this day Edom has been in rebellion against Judah.

Libnah revolted at the same time, because Jehoram had forsaken the Lord, the God of his ancestors. ¹¹ He had also built high places on the hills of Judah and had caused the people of Jerusalem to prostitute themselves and had led Judah astray.

¹² Jehoram received a letter from Elijah the prophet, which said:

“This is what the Lord, the God of your father David, says: ‘You have not followed the ways of your father Jehoshaphat or of Asa king of Judah. ¹³ But you have followed the ways of the kings of Israel, and you have led Judah and the people of Jerusalem to prostitute themselves, just as the house of Ahab did. You have also murdered your own brothers, members of your own family, men who were better than you. ¹⁴ So now the Lord is about to strike your people, your sons, your wives and everything that is yours, with a heavy blow. ¹⁵ You yourself will be very ill with a lingering disease of the bowels, until the disease causes your bowels to come out.’”

¹⁶ The Lord aroused against Jehoram the hostility of the Philistines and of the Arabs who lived near the Cushites. ¹⁷ They attacked Judah, invaded it and carried off all the goods found in the king’s palace, together with his sons and wives. Not a son was left to him except Ahaziah,^[b] the youngest.

¹⁸ After all this, the Lord afflicted Jehoram with an incurable disease of the bowels. ¹⁹ In the course of time, at the end of the second year, his bowels came out because of the disease, and he died in great pain. His people made no funeral fire in his honor, as they had for his predecessors.

²⁰ Jehoram was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eight years. He passed away, to no one’s regret, and was buried in the City of David, but not in the tombs of the kings.

 

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    約沙法王和以色列王的「良好關係」造成了遺害猶大國，首先是他的兒子約蘭接續做王之後行以色列諸王的道，與亞哈家一樣，就是因為「政治婚姻」，因他娶了亞哈的女兒為妻！

 

    也因為這樣，猶大國的國力大失，許多屬國背叛！如以東人背叛猶大，脫離他的權下，自己立王。立拿人也背叛了，因為約蘭離棄耶和華─他列祖的上帝。

 

    他又在猶大諸山建築邱壇，使耶路撒冷的居民行邪淫，誘惑猶大人。先知以利亞寫信與約蘭說：「耶和華─你祖大衛的上帝如此說：『因為你不行你父約沙法和猶大王亞撒的道，乃行以色列諸王的道，使猶大人和耶路撒冷的居民行邪淫，像亞哈家一樣，又殺了你父家比你好的諸兄弟。故此，耶和華降大災與你的百姓和你的妻子、兒女，並你一切所有的。你的腸子必患病，日加沉重，以致你的腸子墜落下來。』」

 

    最後他就是因為腸子墜落下來而死！更淒慘的是：他去世無人思慕，眾人葬他在大衛城，只是不在列王的墳墓裡。

 

    約蘭王的事蹟今日就成了我們的警戒，也讓我們清楚離開上帝是多麼悽慘的狀態！