أمصيا ملك يهوذا
(2مل 14:1-7)1 وكانَ أمَصْيا ابنَ خمسٍ وعِشرينَ سنَةً حينَ ملَكَ، وملَكَ تِسْعا وعِشرينَ سنَةً بأورُشليمَ، وكانَ اسمُ أمِّهِ يوعدَّانَ مِنْ أورُشليمَ. 2 وعَمِلَ ما هوَ قويمٌ في نظَرِ الرّبِّ، لكِنْ لا مِنْ كُلِّ قلبِهِ. 3 ولمَّا استَتَبَّ لَه المُلْكَ قتَلَ الخدَمَ الّذينَ قَتَلوا أباهُ. 4 وأمَّا أبناؤُهُم فلم يَقتُلْهُم عمَلا بما جاءَ في كِتابِ شَريعةِ موسى، حيثُ قالَ الرّبُّ: «لا يموتُ الآباءُ بِـخطيئةِ البَنينَ، ولا يموتُ البَنونَ بِـخطيئةِ الآباءِ، بل كُلُّ إنسانٍ بِـخطيئَتِهِ يموتُ».
محاربة آرام
5 وأحصى أمَصْيا رِجالَ يَهوذا وبنيامينَ مِنِ ابنِ عِشرينَ سنَةً فما فَوقُ، ونَظَّمَهُم بِـحسَبِ عشائِرِهِم، وأقامَ علَيهِم قادَةَ ألوفٍ وقادَةَ مِئاتٍ، فكانوا ثَلاثَ مئَةِ ألفِ مُدَرَّبٍ على القِتالِ بِالرُّمْحِ والتُّرْسِ. 6 واستَأجَرَ مِنْ إِسرائيلَ مئَةَ ألفِ جُنديٍّ بنَحوِ ستَّةَ عشَرَ قِنطارا مِنَ الفِضَّةِ. 7 فجاءَهُ أحدُ أنبـياءِ اللهِ وقالَ لَه: «أيُّها المَلِكُ، لا تأخُذْ هؤلاءِ الإسرائيليِّينَ معَكَ إلى الحربِ، لأنَّ الرّبَّ لا يَنصُرُهم ولا يَنصُرُ أحدا مِنْ بَني أفرايمَ. 8 وإذا كُنتَ تَظُنُّ أنَّهُم يَدعَمونَكَ في القِتالِ، فإنَّ اللهَ يَهزِمُكَ أمامَ الأعداءِ لأنَّ في يَدِهِ وحدَهُ النَّصرَ والهزيمةَ». 9 فقالَ أمَصْيا لِنَبـي اللهِ: «وماذا تَعمَلُ بالسِتَّةَ عشَرَ قِنطارا مِنَ الفِضَّةِ الّتي استَأجَرْتُ بِها الجُنودَ الإِسرائيليِّينَ؟» فأجابَهُ: «الرّبُّ قادرٌ أنْ يُعطيَكَ أكثَرَ مِنْ ذلِكَ بِكثرةٍ».
10 فصَرَفَ أمَصْيا الجُنودَ الإِسرائيليِّينَ إلى حَيثُ جاؤوا مِنْ أفرايمَ، فرَجَعوا وهُم في غضَبٍ شديدٍ على يَهوذا. 11 وأمَّا أمَصْيا فتَشَجَّعَ وخرَجَ على رأسِ جيشِهِ إلى وادي المِلْحِ وحارَبَ بَني سعيرَ وقتَلَ مِنهُم عشَرَةَ آلافِ رَجُلٍ. 12 وأسَرَ رِجالُ يَهوذا عشَرَةَ آلافٍ آخَرينَ وجاؤوا بِهِم إلى مدينةِ سالِـعَ ورَمَوهُم مِنْ رأسِ صخرَةٍ هُناكَ فتَحَطَّموا كُلُّهم. 13 أمَّا الجُنودُ الّذينَ رَدَّهُم أمَصْيا ولم يأخُذْهُم معَهُ إلى القِتالِ، فاجْتاحوا مُدُنَ يَهوذا، مِنَ السَّامِرةِ إلى بَيتَ حورونَ، وقَتَلوا ثَلاثةَ آلافِ رَجُلٍ وأخَذوا غَنائِمَ كثيرةً.
(2مل 14:8-14)14 ولمَّا رَجَع أمَصْيا مِنْ مُحارَبةِ الأدوميِّينَ، جاءَ بآلِهَةِ بَني سعيرَ وأقامَها آلهَةً لَه، وسجَدَ أمامَها وأحرَقَ لها البَخورَ. 15 فغَضِبَ علَيهِ الرّبُّ وأرسلَ نَبـيًّا يقولُ لَه: «لِماذا تَعبُدُ آلِهَةً لم تقدِرْ أنْ تُنقِذَ عابِديها مِنْ يَدِكَ؟» 16 وفيما هوَ يتَكلَّمُ قالَ لَه المَلِكُ: «ومَنْ جعَلَكَ مُستَشارا لِلمَلِكِ؟ أسكُتْ لِئلاَّ أقتُلَكَ». فَسكَتَ النَّبـيُّ بَعدَ أنْ قالَ: «عَلِمتُ الآنَ أنَّ اللهَ قضى بِهَلاكِكَ، لأنَّكَ فعَلْتَ هذا، ولم تَسمعْ لِمَشورَتي».
محاربة إسرائيل
17 وبَعدَ استِشارةِ حاشيَتِهِ أرسلَ أمَصْيا مَلكُ يَهوذا إلى يوآشَ بنِ يوآحازَ بنِ ياهو مَلكِ بَني إِسرائيلَ يقولُ: «تَعالَ نتَحارَبْ لِنَرى مَنْ هوَ الأقوى»، 18 فأجابَهُ يوآشُ: «العوسَجُ الّذي في لبنانَ أرسلَ إلى الأرزِ في لبنانَ يقولُ: زَوِّجِ ابنَتَكَ لابني. فمَرَّ وحشُ البرِّيَّةِ هُناكَ وداسَ العوسَجَ. 19 وأنتَ قُلتَ لِنَفْسِكَ: غلَبتُ أدومَ، فاندَفَعَ قلبُكَ إلى الغُرورِ فالزَمْ بَيتَكَ. لِماذا تُعَرِّضُ نفْسَكَ لِلمُشكِلاتِ فتَسقُطَ أنتَ ويَهوذا معَكَ؟»
20 لكِنَّ أمَصْيا لم يستَمِعْ لِهذا الكلامِ. فمشيئَةُ اللهِ كانَت أنْ يُسَلِّمَهُ إلى يَدِ عَدُوِّهِ لأنَّهُ عبَدَ آلِهَةَ أدومَ. 21 فصَعِدَ يوآشُ مَلِكُ إسرائيلَ وحارَبَ أمَصْيا مَلِكَ يَهوذا في معرَكةٍ عِندَ بـيتَ شمسَ الّتي في يَهوذا. 22 فانكسَرَت يَهوذا أمامَ إِسرائيلَ، وهرَبَ كُلُّ واحدٍ إلى بَيتِهِ. 23 وقبَضَ يوآشُ على أمَصْيا في بَيتَ شمسَ وجاءَ بهِ إلى أورُشليمَ، وهدَمَ سُورَها مِنْ بابِ أفرايمَ إلى بابِ الزَّاويةِ، على طولِ أربَعِ مئةِ ذِراعٍ، 24 وأخذَ جميعَ الذَّهبِ والفِضَّةِ والآنيةِ الّتي وجَدَها في الهَيكلِ بِـحِراسةِ عوبـيدَ أدومَ، وفي خزائِنِ قَصرِ المَلِكِ، ورجَعَ إلى السَّامِرةِ ومعَهُ عدَدٌ مِنَ الرَّهائِنِ.
(2مل 14:15-20)25 وبَعدَ أنْ ماتَ يوآشُ بنُ يوآحازَ مَلِكُ إِسرائيلَ عاشَ أمَصْيا بنُ يوآشَ مَلِكُ يَهوذا خمسَ عَشْرَةَ سنَةً. 26 وما تبَقَّى مِن أخبارِ أمَصْيا، مِنْ أوَّلِها إلى آخِرِها، مُدَوَّنٌ في سِفرِ مُلوكِ يَهوذا وإِسرائيلَ. 27 ومُنذُ أنْ حادَ أمَصْيا عَنِ اتِّباعِ الرّبِّ تآمرَ علَيهِ خُصومُهُ في أورُشليمَ فهَربَ إلى لَخيشَ فلحِقوا بهِ وقَتَلوهُ هُناكَ. 28 وحُمِلَ على فرَسٍ ودُفِنَ معَ آبائِهِ في مدينةِ داوُدَ.
King Amaziah of Judah
(2 Kings 14.1-6)1 Amaziah was 25 years old when he became king, and he ruled 29 years from Jerusalem, the hometown of his mother Jehoaddin.
2 Even though Amaziah obeyed the Lord by doing right, he refused to be completely faithful. 3 For example, as soon as he had control of Judah, he arrested and killed the officers who had murdered his father. 4 But the children of those officers were not killed; the Lord had commanded in the Law of Moses that only the people who sinned were to be punished.
Edom Is Defeated
(2 Kings 14.7)5 Amaziah sent a message to the tribes of Judah and Benjamin and called together all the men who were 20 years old and older. Three hundred thousand men went to Jerusalem, all of them ready for battle and able to fight with spears and shields. Amaziah grouped these soldiers according to their clans and put them under the command of his army officers. 6 Amaziah also paid about 3.4 tons of silver to hire 100,000 soldiers from Israel.
7 One of God's prophets said, “Your Majesty, don't let these Israelite soldiers march into battle with you. The Lord has refused to help anyone from the northern kingdom of Israel, 8 and so he will let your enemies defeat you, even if you fight hard. He is the one who brings both victory and defeat.”
9 Amaziah replied, “What am I supposed to do about all the silver I paid those troops?”
“The Lord will give you back even more than you paid,” the prophet answered.
10 Amaziah ordered the troops from Israel to go home, but when they left, they were furious with the people of Judah.
11 After Amaziah got his courage back, he led his troops to Salt Valley, where he killed 10,000 Edomite soldiers in battle. 12 He captured 10,000 more soldiers and dragged them to the top of a high cliff. Then he pushed them over the side, and they all were killed on the rocks below.
13 Meanwhile, the Israelite troops that Amaziah had sent home, raided the towns in Judah between Samaria and Beth-Horon. They killed 3,000 people and carried off their possessions.
14 After Amaziah had defeated the Edomite army, he returned to Jerusalem. He took with him the idols of the Edomite gods and set them up. Then he bowed down and offered them sacrifices. 15 This made the Lord very angry, and he sent a prophet to ask Amaziah, “Why would you worship these foreign gods that couldn't even save their own people from your attack?”
16 But before the prophet finished speaking, Amaziah interrupted and said, “You're not one of my advisors! Don't say another word, or I'll have you killed.”
The prophet stopped. But then he added, “First you sinned and now you've ignored my warning. It's clear that God has decided to punish you!”
Israel Defeats Judah
(2 Kings 14.8-14)17 King Amaziah of Judah talked with his officials, then sent a message to King Jehoash of Israel: “Come out and face me in battle!”
18 Jehoash sent back a reply that said:
Once upon a time, a small thornbush in Lebanon arranged the marriage between his son and the daughter of a large cedar tree. But a wild animal came along and trampled the small bush.
19 Amaziah, you think you're so powerful because you defeated Edom. But stay at home and do your celebrating. If you cause any trouble, both you and your kingdom of Judah will be destroyed.
20 God made Amaziah stubborn because he was planning to punish him for worshiping the Edomite gods. Amaziah refused to listen to Jehoash's warning, 21 so Jehoash led his army to the town of Beth-Shemesh in Judah to attack Amaziah and his troops. 22 During the battle, Judah's army was crushed. Every soldier from Judah ran back home, 23 and Jehoash captured Amaziah.
Jehoash took Amaziah with him when he went to attack Jerusalem. Jehoash broke down the city wall from Ephraim Gate to Corner Gate, a section nearly 200 meters long. 24 He carried away the gold, the silver, and all the valuable furnishings from God's temple where the descendants of Obed-Edom stood guard. He robbed the king's treasury, took hostages, then returned to Samaria.
Amaziah Is Killed
(2 Kings 14.15-20)25 Amaziah lived 15 years after Jehoash died. 26 Everything else Amaziah did while he was king is written in The History of the Kings of Judah and Israel.
27 As soon as Amaziah started disobeying the Lord, some people in Jerusalem plotted against Amaziah. He was able to escape to the town of Lachish, but another group of people caught him and killed him there. 28 His body was taken to Jerusalem on horseback and buried beside his ancestors.
