Ii Paralipomenon 28
1 Viginti annorum erat Achaz cum regnare cœpisset: et sedecim annis regnavit in Ierusalem: non fecit rectum in conspectu Domini sicut David pater eius:
Ahaz was 20 years old when he became the king [of Judah]. He ruled from Jerusalem for 16 years. His ancestor King David was a good king, but Ahaz was not like David. He constantly disobeyed Yahweh
2 sed ambulavit in viis regum Israel, insuper et statuas fudit Baalim.
and was as sinful as the kings of Israel had been. He made idols of the god Baal.
3 Ipse est, qui adolevit incensum in Valle Benennom, et lustravit filios suos in igne iuxta ritum gentium, quas interfecit Dominus in adventu filiorum Israel.
He burned incense in Hinnom Valley. He even [killed some of] his own sons [and] offered [them] as sacrifices to be completely burned. That imitated the disgusting customs of the people-groups who previously lived there, people whom Yahweh had expelled as the Israelis advanced through the land.
4 Sacrificabat quoque, et thymiama succendebat in excelsis, et in collibus, et sub omni ligno frondoso.
Ahaz offered sacrifices [to idols] at shrines on hilltops and under every big green tree.
5 Tradiditque eum Dominus Deus eius in manu regis Syriæ, qui percussit eum, magnamque prædam cepit de eius imperio, et adduxit in Damascum: manibus quoque regis Israel traditus est, et percussus plaga grandi.
Therefore Yahweh his God allowed his army to be defeated by the army of the king of Syria. They captured many soldiers of Judah and took them as prisoners to Damascus. The army of the king of Israel also defeated the army of Judah and killed very many of their soldiers.
6 Occiditque Phacee, filius Romeliæ, de Iuda centum viginti millia in die uno, omnes viros bellatores: eo quod reliquissent Dominum Deum patrum suorum.
In one day the army of Remaliah’s son, King Pekah [of Israel], killed 120,000 soldiers in Judah. That happened because [the people of] Judah had abandoned Yahweh, the God whom their ancestors [worshiped].
7 Eodem tempore occidit Zechri, vir potens ex Ephraim, Maasiam filium regis, et Ezricam ducem domus eius, Elcanam quoque secundum a rege.
Zicri, a warrior from the tribe of Ephraim, killed king Ahaz’s son Maaseiah, Azrikam the officer in charge of the palace, and Elkanah, the king’s assistant.
8 Ceperuntque filii Israel de fratribus suis ducenta millia mulierum, puerorum, et puellarum, et infinitam prædam: pertuleruntque eam in Samariam.
The soldiers of Israel captured 200,000 of the people of Judah, including many wives and sons and daughters [of the soldiers of Judah]. They also seized and took back to Samaria many valuable things.
9 Ea tempestate erat ibi propheta Domini, nomine Oded: qui egressus obviam exercitui venienti in Samariam, dixit eis: Ecce iratus Dominus Deus patrum vestrorum contra Iuda, tradidit eos in manibus vestris, et occidistis eos atrociter, ita ut ad cælum pertingeret vestra crudelitas.
But a prophet of Yahweh whose name was Obed was there [in Samaria]. He went out of the city to meet the army when it returned to Samaria. He said to them, “Because Yahweh, the God whom your ancestors [belonged to], was angry with [the people of] Judah, he allowed you to defeat them. But God has seen the cruel way that you slaughtered them.
10 Insuper filios Iuda, et Ierusalem vultis vobis subiicere in servos et ancillas, quod nequaquam facto opus est: peccastis enim super hoc Domino Deo vestro.
And now you want to [sin by] causing men and women from Judah to become your slaves, but you have certainly also sinned against Yahweh our God!
11 Sed audite consilium meum, et reducite captivos, quos adduxistis de fratribus vestris, quia magnus furor Domini imminet vobis.
So listen to me! Send back [to Judah] your fellow-countrymen whom you have captured, because Yahweh is extremely angry with you [for what you did to them].”
12 Steterunt itaque viri de principibus filiorum Ephraim, Azarias filius Iohanam, Barachias filius Mosollamoth, Ezechias filius Sellum, et Amasa filius Adali, contra eos, qui veniebant de prælio,
Then some of the leaders of [the tribe of] Ephraim—Azariah the son of Jehohanan, Berekiah the son of Meshillemoth, Jehizkiah the son of Shallum, and Amasa the son of Hadlai—rebuked those who were returning from the battle.
13 et dixerunt eis: Non introducetis huc captivos, ne peccemus Domino. Quare vultis adiicere super peccata nostra, et vetera cumulare delicta? Grande quippe peccatum est, et ira furoris Domini imminet super Israel.
They said to them, “You must not bring those prisoners here! If you do that, Yahweh will consider that we are guilty of sinning. We are already guilty of committing many sins; do you want to cause us to be even more guilty by committing another sin? God is already very angry with [us people of] Israel!”
14 Dimiseruntque viri bellatores prædam, et universa quæ ceperant coram principibus, et omni multitudine.
So, while their leaders and others were watching, the soldiers released the prisoners, and also gave back to them the valuable things that they had captured.
15 Steteruntque viri, quos supra memoravimus, et apprehendentes captivos, omnesque qui nudi erant, vestierunt de spoliis: cumque vestissent eos, et calceassent, et refecissent cibo ac potu, unxissentque propter laborem, et adhibuissent eis curam: quicumque ambulare non poterant, et erant imbecillo corpore, imposuerunt eos iumentis, et adduxerunt Iericho Civitatem Palmarum ad fratres eorum, ipsique reversi sunt in Samariam.
The leaders who were selected took some of the clothes that the soldiers had taken from the prisoners and gave those clothes back to the people who were naked. They also gave to the prisoners sandals and other clothes and things to eat and drink, and they gave them olive oil to rub on their wounds. They gave donkeys to those who were very weak, in order that they could ride on them. Then they led them all to Jericho, the city that had many palm trees. Then those leaders [of Israel] returned to Samaria.
16 Tempore illo misit rex Achaz ad regem Assyriorum, postulans auxilium.
About that time, King Ahaz sent [a message] to the king of Assyria requesting help.
17 Veneruntque Idumæi, et percusserunt multos ex Iuda, et ceperunt prædam magnam.
[He did that because the army from] the Edom people-group had come again and attacked Judah and taken away many of the people of Judah as prisoners.
18 Philisthiim quoque diffusi sunt per urbes campestres, et ad Meridiem Iuda: ceperuntque Bethsames, et Aialon, et Gaderoth, Socho quoque, et Thamnan, et Gamzo, cum viculis suis, et habitaverunt in eis.
At the same time, men from Philistia had raided/attacked towns in the foothills and in the southern desert of Judah. They had captured Beth-Shemesh, Aijalon, and Gederoth [cities], as well as Soco, Timnah and Gimzo [towns] and the nearby villages.
19 Humiliaverat enim Dominus Iudam propter Achaz regem Iuda, eo quod nudasset eum auxilio, et contemptui habuisset Dominum.
Yahweh [allowed those things to happen in order to] humble king Ahaz, because he had encouraged the people of Judah to do wicked things and had disobeyed Yahweh very much.
20 Adduxitque contra eum Thelgathphalnasar regem Assyriorum, qui et afflixit eum, et nullo resistente vastavit.
Tiglath-Pileser, the king of Assyria, sent [his army saying that they would] help Ahaz, but instead of helping him, they caused him to experience trouble.
21 Igitur Achaz spoliata domo Domini, et domo regum, ac principum, dedit regi Assyriorum munera, et tamen nihil ei profuit.
Ahaz’s [soldiers] took some of the [valuable] things from the temple and from the king’s palace and from other leaders of Judah and sent them to the king of Assyria [to pay him to help them], but the king of Assyria refused to help Ahaz.
22 Insuper et tempore angustiæ suæ auxit contemptum in Dominum, ipse per se rex Achaz,
While King Ahaz was experiencing those troubles, he disobeyed Yahweh even more.
23 immolavit diis Damasci victimas percussoribus suis, et dixit: dii regum Syriæ auxiliantur eis, quos ego placabo hostiis, et aderunt mihi, cum econtrario ipsi fuerint ruinæ ei, et universo Israel.
He offered sacrifices to the gods that were worshiped in Damascus, whose [army] had defeated his [army]. He thought, “The gods that are worshiped by the kings of Syria have helped them, so I will offer sacrifices to those gods in order that they will help me.” But worshiping those gods caused Ahaz and all of Israel to be ruined.
24 Direptis itaque Achaz omnibus vasis domus Dei, atque confractis, clausit ianuas templi Dei, et fecit sibi altaria in universis angulis Ierusalem.
Ahaz gathered all the furnishings [that were used] in the temple and broke them into pieces. He locked the doors of the temple and set up altars [for worshiping idols] at every street corner in Jerusalem.
25 In omnibus quoque urbibus Iuda extruxit aras ad cremandum thus, atque ad iracundiam provocavit Dominum Deum patrum suorum.
In every town in Judah, his workers built shrines to burn sacrifices to other gods, and that caused Yahweh, the God whom their ancestors [worshiped], to be very angry.
26 Reliqua autem sermonum eius, et omnium operum suorum priorum et novissimorum scripta sunt in Libro regum Iuda et Israel.
A record of the other things that Ahaz did while he was the king, from when he started to rule until he died, is written in the scroll called ‘The History of the Kings of Judah and Israel’.
27 Dormivitque Achaz cum patribus suis, et sepelierunt eum in civitate Ierusalem: neque enim receperunt eum in sepulchra regum Israel. Regnavitque Ezechias filius eius pro eo.
Ahaz died and was buried in Jerusalem, but he was not buried in the tombs where the other kings [had been buried]. Then his son Hezekiah became the king.
