歴代誌Ⅱ 14
1 アビヤはその先祖たちと共に眠って、ダビデの町に葬られ、その子アサが代って王となった。アサの治世に国は十年の間、穏やかであった。
When Abijah died, he was buried in [the part of Jerusalem called] ‘The City of David’. His son Asa became the king. While Asa was ruling, there was peace in Judah for ten years.
2 アサはその神、主の目に良しと見え、また正しと見えることを行った。
Asa did things that Yahweh his God considers to be right and good.
3 彼は異なる祭壇と、もろもろの高き所を取り除き、石柱をこわし、アシラ像を切り倒し、
His workers got rid of the altars to worship foreign gods that were on the high hills. They smashed the sacred stone pillars and cut down the poles for worshiping [the goddess] Asherah.
4 ユダに命じてその先祖たちの神、主を求めさせ、おきてと戒めとを行わせ、
Asa commanded the people of Judah to worship [only] Yahweh, the God whom their ancestors worshiped, and to obey his laws and commands.
5 ユダのすべての町々から、高き所と香の祭壇とを取り除いた。そして国は彼のもとに穏やかであった。
His workers destroyed all the shrines on the hilltops and the altars for burning incense [to idols] in every town in Judah. As a result, there was peace while Asa ruled the kingdom [of Judah].
6 彼は国が穏やかであったので、要害の町数個をユダに建てた。また主が彼に平安を賜わったので、この年ごろ戦争がなかった。
His workers built cities and constructed walls around them. No army attacked Judah during that time, because Yahweh enabled them to have peace.
7 彼はユダに言った、「われわれはこれらの町を建て、その周囲に石がきを築き、やぐらを建て、門と貫の木を設けよう。われわれがわれわれの神、主を求めたので、この国はなおわれわれのものであり、われわれが彼を求めたので、四方において、われわれに平安を賜わった」。こうして彼らは滞りなく建て終った。
Asa said to the people of Judah, “We should protect these towns by building walls around them, with watchtowers and gates that have bars. This country still belongs to us because we have requested Yahweh our God to help us. We requested him for his help, and he has given us peace in our entire country.” So they built buildings and prospered.
8 アサの軍隊はユダから出た者三十万人あって、盾とやりをとり、ベニヤミンから出た者二十八万人あって、小盾をとり、弓を引いた。これはみな大勇士であった。
Asa had an army of 300,000 men from Judah. They all carried large shields and spears. He also had 280,000 men from the tribe of Benjamin [in his army]. They carried [smaller] shields, and bows [and arrows]. They were all brave soldiers.
9 エチオピヤびとゼラが、百万の軍隊と三百の戦車を率いて、マレシャまで攻めてきた。
Zerah, a man from Ethiopia/Sudan, marched with a huge army and 300 chariots to attack [the army of Judah and Benjamin]. They went as far as [the town of] Mareshah [about 25 miles/southwest of Jerusalem].
10 アサは出て、これを迎え、マレシャのゼパタの谷に戦いの備えをした。
Asa went [with his army] to fight against them, and both armies took their positions in the Zephathah Valley.
11 時にアサはその神、主に向かって呼ばわって言った、「主よ、力のある者を助けることも、力のない者を助けることも、あなたにおいては異なることはありません。われわれの神、主よ、われわれをお助けください。われわれはあなたに寄り頼み、あなたの名によってこの大軍に当ります。主よ、あなたはわれわれの神です。どうぞ人をあなたに勝たせないでください」。
Then Asa cried out to Yahweh his God, saying, “Yahweh, there is no one like you who can help those who have very little power to resist a mighty army. Yahweh our God, help us, because we are relying on you; and trusting in you we have come [to fight] against this huge army. Yahweh, you are our God; do not allow anyone to defeat you.”
12 そこで主はアサの前とユダの前でエチオピヤびとを撃ち敗られたので、エチオピヤびとは逃げ去った。
Then Yahweh enabled Asa and the army of Judah to defeat the army from Ethiopia. They fled,
13 アサと彼に従う民は彼らをゲラルまで追撃したので、エチオピヤびとは倒れて、生き残った者はひとりもなかった。主と主の軍勢の前に撃ち破られたからである。ユダの人々の得たぶんどり物は非常に多かった。
and Asa and his army pursued them [to the southwest] as far as Gerar. A huge number of the soldiers from Ethiopia were killed, with the result that those [who were not killed] were unable to fight any more. They were greatly defeated by Yahweh and his army, and the men of Judah carried away a great amount of their possessions.
14 彼らはまた、ゲラルの周囲の町々をことごとく撃ち破った。主の恐れが彼らの上に臨んだからである。そして彼らはそのすべての町をかすめ奪った。その内に多くの物があったからである。
The men of Judah were able to destroy the people in villages near Gerar because Yahweh had caused the people there to become terrified [and unable to fight]. The army of Judah took away all the valuable things from those villages.
15 また家畜をもっている者の天幕を襲い、多くの羊とらくだを奪い取って、エルサレムに帰った。
They also attacked the places where the local people who took care of domestic animals had set up their tents, and they took away big herds of sheep and goats and camels. Then they returned to Jerusalem.
