28:1 亞哈斯登基的時候年二十歲，在耶路撒冷作王十六年；不像他祖大衛行耶和華眼中看為正的事，
28:2 卻行以色列諸王的道，又鑄造巴力的像，
28:3 並且在欣嫩子谷燒香，用火焚燒他的兒女，行耶和華在以色列人面前所驅逐的外邦人那可憎的事；
28:4 並在邱壇上、山岡上、各青翠樹下獻祭燒香。
28:5 所以，耶和華─他的上帝將他交在亞蘭王手裡。亞蘭王打敗他，擄了他許多的民，帶到大馬士革去。上帝又將他交在以色列王手裡，以色列王向他大行殺戮。
28:6 利瑪利的兒子比加一日殺了猶大人十二萬，都是勇士，因為他們離棄了耶和華─他們列祖的上帝。
28:7 有一個以法蓮中的勇士，名叫細基利，殺了王的兒子瑪西雅和管理王宮的押斯利甘，並宰相以利加拿。
28:8 以色列人擄了他們的弟兄，連婦人帶兒女共有二十萬，又掠了許多的財物，帶到撒馬利亞去了。
28:9 但那裡有耶和華的一個先知，名叫俄德，出來迎接往撒馬利亞去的軍兵，對他們說：「因為耶和華─你們列祖的上帝惱怒猶大人，所以將他們交在你們手裡，你們竟怒氣沖天，大行殺戮。
28:10 如今你們又有意強逼猶大人和耶路撒冷人作你們的奴婢，你們豈不也有得罪耶和華─你們上帝的事嗎？
28:11 現在你們當聽我說，要將擄來的弟兄釋放回去，因為耶和華向你們已經大發烈怒。」
28:12 於是，以法蓮人的幾個族長─就是約哈難的兒子亞撒利雅、米實利末的兒子比利家、沙龍的兒子耶希西家、哈得萊的兒子亞瑪撒─起來攔擋出兵回來的人，
28:13 對他們說：「你們不可帶進這被擄的人來！你們想要使我們得罪耶和華，加增我們的罪惡過犯？因為我們的罪過甚大，已經有烈怒臨到以色列人了。」
28:14 於是帶兵器的人將擄來的人口和掠來的財物都留在眾首領和會眾的面前。
28:15 以上提名的那些人就站起，使被擄的人前來；其中有赤身的，就從所掠的財物中拿出衣服和鞋來，給他們穿，又給他們吃喝，用膏抹他們；其中有軟弱的，就使他們騎驢，送到棕樹城耶利哥他們弟兄那裡；隨後就回撒馬利亞去了。
28:16 那時，亞哈斯王差遣人去見亞述諸王，求他們幫助；
28:17 因為以東人又來攻擊猶大，擄掠子民。
28:18 非利士人也來侵佔高原和猶大南方的城邑，取了伯‧示麥、亞雅崙、基低羅，梭哥和屬梭哥的鄉村，亭納和屬亭納的鄉村，瑾鎖和屬瑾鎖的鄉村，就住在那裡。
28:19 因為以色列王亞哈斯在猶大放肆，大大干犯耶和華，所以耶和華使猶大卑微。
28:20 亞述王提革拉‧毘列色上來，卻沒有幫助他，反倒欺凌他。
28:21 亞哈斯從耶和華殿裡和王宮中，並首領家內所取的財寶給了亞述王，這也無濟於事。
28:22 這亞哈斯王在急難的時候，越發得罪耶和華。
28:23 他祭祀攻擊他的大馬士革之神，說：「因為亞蘭王的神幫助他們，我也獻祭與他，他好幫助我。」但那些神使他和以色列眾人敗亡了。
28:24 亞哈斯將上帝殿裡的器皿都聚了來，毀壞了，且封鎖耶和華殿的門；在耶路撒冷各處的拐角建築祭壇，
28:25 又在猶大各城建立邱壇，與別神燒香，惹動耶和華─他列祖上帝的怒氣。
28:26 亞哈斯其餘的事和他的行為，自始至終都寫在猶大和以色列諸王記上。
28:27 亞哈斯與他列祖同睡，葬在耶路撒冷城裡，沒有送入以色列諸王的墳墓中。他兒子希西家接續他作王。
Ahaz
was twenty years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem sixteen
years. Unlike David his father, he did not do what was right in the eyes of the
Lord. 2 He
followed the ways of the kings of Israel and also made idols for worshiping the
Baals. 3 He burned sacrifices in the Valley of Ben Hinnom and
sacrificed his children in the fire, engaging in the detestable practices of
the nations the Lord had driven
out before the Israelites. 4 He offered sacrifices and burned
incense at the high places, on the hilltops and under every spreading tree.
5 Therefore
the Lord his God delivered him
into the hands of the king of Aram. The Arameans defeated him and took many of
his people as prisoners and brought them to Damascus.
He
was also given into the hands of the king of Israel, who inflicted heavy
casualties on him. 6 In one day Pekah son of Remaliah killed a
hundred and twenty thousand soldiers in Judah—because Judah had forsaken the Lord, the God of their ancestors. 7 Zikri,
an Ephraimite warrior, killed Maaseiah the king’s son, Azrikam the officer in
charge of the palace, and Elkanah, second to the king. 8 The
men of Israel took captive from their fellow Israelites who were from Judah two
hundred thousand wives, sons and daughters. They also took a great deal of
plunder, which they carried back to Samaria.
9 But
a prophet of the Lord named Oded
was there, and he went out to meet the army when it returned to Samaria. He
said to them, “Because the Lord,
the God of your ancestors, was angry with Judah, he gave them into your hand.
But you have slaughtered them in a rage that reaches to heaven. 10 And
now you intend to make the men and women of Judah and Jerusalem your slaves.
But aren’t you also guilty of sins against the Lord
your God? 11 Now listen to me! Send back your fellow Israelites
you have taken as prisoners, for the Lord’s
fierce anger rests on you.”
12 Then
some of the leaders in Ephraim—Azariah son of Jehohanan, Berekiah son of
Meshillemoth, Jehizkiah son of Shallum, and Amasa son of Hadlai—confronted
those who were arriving from the war. 13 “You must not bring
those prisoners here,” they said, “or we will be guilty before the Lord. Do you intend to add to our sin
and guilt? For our guilt is already great, and his fierce anger rests on
Israel.”
14 So
the soldiers gave up the prisoners and plunder in the presence of the officials
and all the assembly. 15 The men designated by name took the
prisoners, and from the plunder they clothed all who were naked. They provided
them with clothes and sandals, food and drink, and healing balm. All those who
were weak they put on donkeys. So they took them back to their fellow
Israelites at Jericho, the City of Palms, and returned to Samaria.
16 At
that time King Ahaz sent to the kings[a] of Assyria
for help. 17 The Edomites had again come and attacked Judah and
carried away prisoners, 18 while the Philistines had raided
towns in the foothills and in the Negev of Judah. They captured and occupied
Beth Shemesh, Aijalon and Gederoth, as well as Soko, Timnah and Gimzo, with
their surrounding villages. 19 The Lord had humbled Judah because of Ahaz king of Israel,[b] for he had
promoted wickedness in Judah and had been most unfaithful to the Lord. 20 Tiglath-Pileser[c] king of
Assyria came to him, but he gave him trouble instead of help. 21 Ahaz
took some of the things from the temple of the Lord
and from the royal palace and from the officials and presented them to the king
of Assyria, but that did not help him.
22 In
his time of trouble King Ahaz became even more unfaithful to the Lord. 23 He offered
sacrifices to the gods of Damascus, who had defeated him; for he thought,
“Since the gods of the kings of Aram have helped them, I will sacrifice to them
so they will help me.” But they were his downfall and the downfall of all
Israel.
24 Ahaz
gathered together the furnishings from the temple of God and cut them in
pieces. He shut the doors of the Lord’s
temple and set up altars at every street corner in Jerusalem. 25 In
every town in Judah he built high places to burn sacrifices to other gods and
aroused the anger of the Lord, the
God of his ancestors.
26 The
other events of his reign and all his ways, from beginning to end, are written
in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel. 27 Ahaz rested
with his ancestors and was buried in the city of Jerusalem, but he was not
placed in the tombs of the kings of Israel. And Hezekiah his son succeeded him
as king.
**********
亞哈斯因為沒有信靠耶和華，以至於讓猶大國的處境十分悽慘！其實不只國家是如此，個人的生命也是如此。我們的生命不尋求耶和華就必枯乾而死亡，因為沒有與耶和華連結，生命就失去供應了，就必敗亡！
那我們如何與上帝聯結呢？就是一定要靠主耶穌，不是靠屬靈的操練，也不靠生活上例行律法。我們不要忘記猶太人之所以無法享受上帝的救恩，就是因為拒絕主耶穌，不認主耶穌是基督！
同樣今日看見教會中許多的人偏離真道，也是同樣的問題，就是把許多人看為美好的事物當成偶像，高舉超過主耶穌，以至於空有基督徒之名，無基督徒之時，最後的結局也是身敗名裂，尤其是一些教會的領袖！
親愛的弟兄姊妹小心我們若不以耶穌基督為主，我們就成了偶像的製造者，害人害己和亞哈斯一樣！
