25:1 亞瑪謝登基的時候年二十五歲，在耶路撒冷作王二十九年。他母親名叫約耶但，是耶路撒冷人。
25:2 亞瑪謝行耶和華眼中看為正的事，只是心不專誠。
25:3 國一堅定，就把殺他父王的臣僕殺了，
25:4 卻沒有治死他們的兒子，是照摩西律法書上耶和華所吩咐的說：「不可因子殺父，也不可因父殺子，各人要為本身的罪而死。」
25:5 亞瑪謝招聚猶大人，按著猶大和便雅憫的宗族設立千夫長、百夫長，又數點人數，從二十歲以外，能拿槍拿盾牌出去打仗的精兵共有三十萬；
25:6 又用銀子一百他連得，從以色列招募了十萬大能的勇士。
25:7 有一個神人來見亞瑪謝，對他說：「王啊，不要使以色列的軍兵與你同去，因為耶和華不與以色列人以法蓮的後裔同在。
25:8 你若一定要去，就奮勇爭戰吧！但上帝必使你敗在敵人面前；因為上帝能助人得勝，也能使人傾敗。」
25:9 亞瑪謝問神人說：「我給了以色列軍的那一百他連得銀子怎麼樣呢？」神人回答說：「耶和華能把更多的賜給你。」
25:10 於是亞瑪謝將那從以法蓮來的軍兵分別出來，叫他們回家去。故此，他們甚惱怒猶大人，氣忿忿地回家去了。
25:11 亞瑪謝壯起膽來，率領他的民到鹽谷，殺了西珥人一萬。
25:12 猶大人又生擒了一萬帶到山崖上，從那裡把他們扔下去，以致他們都摔碎了。
25:13 但亞瑪謝所打發回去、不許一同出征的那些軍兵攻打猶大各城，從撒馬利亞直到伯．和崙，殺了三千人，搶了許多財物。
25:14 亞瑪謝殺了以東人回來，就把西珥的神像帶回，立為自己的神，在它面前叩拜燒香。
25:15 因此，耶和華的怒氣向亞瑪謝發作，就差一個先知去見他，說：「這些神不能救它的民脫離你的手，你為何尋求它呢？」
25:16 先知與王說話的時候，王對他說：「誰立你作王的謀士呢？你住口吧！為何找打呢？」先知就止住了，又說：「你行這事，不聽從我的勸戒，我知道上帝定意要滅你。」
25:17 猶大王亞瑪謝與群臣商議，就差遣使者去見耶戶的孫子、約哈斯的兒子、以色列王約阿施，說：「你來，我們二人相見於戰場。」
25:18 以色列王約阿施差遣使者去見猶大王亞瑪謝，說：「黎巴嫩的蒺藜差遣使者去見黎巴嫩的香柏樹，說：『將你的女兒給我兒子為妻。』後來黎巴嫩有一個野獸經過，把蒺藜踐踏了。
25:19 你說：『看哪，我打敗了以東人』，你就心高氣傲，以致矜誇。你在家裡安居就罷了，為何要惹禍使自己和猶大國一同敗亡呢？」
25:20 亞瑪謝卻不肯聽從。這是出乎上帝，好將他們交在敵人手裡，因為他們尋求以東的神。
25:21 於是以色列王約阿施上來，在猶大的伯‧示麥與猶大王亞瑪謝相見於戰場。
25:22 猶大人敗在以色列人面前，各自逃回家裡去了。
25:23 以色列王約阿施在伯‧示麥擒住約哈斯（就是亞哈謝）的孫子、約阿施的兒子、猶大王亞瑪謝，將他帶到耶路撒冷，又拆毀耶路撒冷的城牆，從以法蓮門直到角門，共四百肘；
25:24 又將俄別‧以東所看守上帝殿裡的一切金銀和器皿，與王宮裡的財寶都拿了去，並帶人去為質，就回撒馬利亞去了。
25:25 以色列王約哈斯的兒子約阿施死後，猶大王約阿施的兒子亞瑪謝又活了十五年。
25:26 亞瑪謝其餘的事，自始至終不都寫在猶大和以色列諸王記上嗎？
25:27 自從亞瑪謝離棄耶和華之後，在耶路撒冷有人背叛他，他就逃到拉吉；叛黨卻打發人到拉吉，將他殺了。
25:28 人就用馬將他的屍首馱回，葬在猶大京城他列祖的墳地裡。
Amaziah was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem twenty-nine years. His mother’s name was Jehoaddan; she was from Jerusalem. 2 He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, but not wholeheartedly. 3 After the kingdom was firmly in his control, he executed the officials who had murdered his father the king. 4 Yet he did not put their children to death, but acted in accordance with what is written in the Law, in the Book of Moses, where the Lord commanded: “Parents shall not be put to death for their children, nor children be put to death for their parents; each will die for their own sin.”[a]
5 Amaziah called the people of Judah together and assigned them according to their families to commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds for all Judah and Benjamin. He then mustered those twenty years old or more and found that there were three hundred thousand men fit for military service, able to handle the spear and shield. 6 He also hired a hundred thousand fighting men from Israel for a hundred talents[b] of silver.
7 But a man of God came to him and said, “Your Majesty, these troops from Israel must not march with you, for the Lord is not with Israel—not with any of the people of Ephraim. 8 Even if you go and fight courageously in battle, God will overthrow you before the enemy, for God has the power to help or to overthrow.”
9 Amaziah asked the man of God, “But what about the hundred talents I paid for these Israelite troops?”
The man of God replied, “The Lord can give you much more than that.”
10 So Amaziah dismissed the troops who had come to him from Ephraim and sent them home. They were furious with Judah and left for home in a great rage.
11 Amaziah then marshaled his strength and led his army to the Valley of Salt, where he killed ten thousand men of Seir. 12 The army of Judah also captured ten thousand men alive, took them to the top of a cliff and threw them down so that all were dashed to pieces.
13 Meanwhile the troops that Amaziah had sent back and had not allowed to take part in the war raided towns belonging to Judah from Samaria to Beth Horon. They killed three thousand people and carried off great quantities of plunder.
14 When Amaziah returned from slaughtering the Edomites, he brought back the gods of the people of Seir. He set them up as his own gods, bowed down to them and burned sacrifices to them. 15 The anger of the Lord burned against Amaziah, and he sent a prophet to him, who said, “Why do you consult this people’s gods, which could not save their own people from your hand?”
16 While he was still speaking, the king said to him, “Have we appointed you an adviser to the king? Stop! Why be struck down?”
So the prophet stopped but said, “I know that God has determined to destroy you, because you have done this and have not listened to my counsel.”
17 After Amaziah king of Judah consulted his advisers, he sent this challenge to Jehoash[c] son of Jehoahaz, the son of Jehu, king of Israel: “Come, let us face each other in battle.”
18 But Jehoash king of Israel replied to Amaziah king of Judah: “A thistle in Lebanon sent a message to a cedar in Lebanon, ‘Give your daughter to my son in marriage.’ Then a wild beast in Lebanon came along and trampled the thistle underfoot. 19 You say to yourself that you have defeated Edom, and now you are arrogant and proud. But stay at home! Why ask for trouble and cause your own downfall and that of Judah also?”
20 Amaziah, however, would not listen, for God so worked that he might deliver them into the hands of Jehoash, because they sought the gods of Edom. 21 So Jehoash king of Israel attacked. He and Amaziah king of Judah faced each other at Beth Shemesh in Judah. 22 Judah was routed by Israel, and every man fled to his home. 23 Jehoash king of Israel captured Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Joash, the son of Ahaziah,[d] at Beth Shemesh. Then Jehoash brought him to Jerusalem and broke down the wall of Jerusalem from the Ephraim Gate to the Corner Gate—a section about four hundred cubits[e] long. 24 He took all the gold and silver and all the articles found in the temple of God that had been in the care of Obed-Edom, together with the palace treasures and the hostages, and returned to Samaria.
25 Amaziah son of Joash king of Judah lived for fifteen years after the death of Jehoash son of Jehoahaz king of Israel. 26 As for the other events of Amaziah’s reign, from beginning to end, are they not written in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel? 27 From the time that Amaziah turned away from following the Lord, they conspired against him in Jerusalem and he fled to Lachish, but they sent men after him to Lachish and killed him there. 28 He was brought back by horse and was buried with his ancestors in the City of Judah.
**********
從猶大王的亞瑪謝一生，讓我們看見人性的軟弱與敗壞！雖然因為祂父親的下場讓他從重新信靠上帝，然而卻為了聽上帝的話而造成了以色列人在他的國中作亂，就離棄上帝拜起以東的神明，甚至不聽先知的勸告還恐嚇先知！
這也讓我們看見世人的本相，就是悖逆上帝，以自我為中心。信靠上帝不是因為敬畏上帝而遵守的命令，而是相藉由信靠上帝得著能力和利益，好成就心中所預設的目標。要是上帝沒有照他們的想法成就，他們就將上帝丟棄，把上帝的僕人趕走！
親愛的弟兄姊妹，不要怕福音難傳，人的本性就是離棄上帝、悖逆上帝，不僅不聽先知的話，更是棄絕基督――上帝的兒子，不然主耶穌也不會被釘在十字架上！除非聖靈工作，讓人認出唯有透過基督才可以與上帝和好，成為上帝的兒女，享受永生的福樂！
也因為這樣，我們信主耶穌的人，不要以為是人會尊重我們，正如保羅說：「被人毀謗，我們就善勸。直到如今，人還把我們看作世界上的污穢，萬物中的渣滓。」（哥林多前書4:13）
因此，我們真正的安慰不是得世人的尊重，或是世上的成就與收入，而是從主的救恩來的！
沒有留言:
張貼留言