عزيا ملك يهوذا
(2مل 14:21-22؛ 2مل 15:1-3)1 وأقامَ جميعُ شعبِ يَهوذا عُزيَّا مَلِكا مكانَ أبـيهِ أمَصْيا، وكانَ ابنَ سِتَّ عَشْرَةَ سنَةً. 2 واستَرَدَّ عُزيَّا إيلَةَ يَهوذا وأعادَ بِناءَها بَعدَما ماتَ أبوهُ. 3 وكانَ عُزيَّا ابنَ سِتَّ عَشْرَةَ سنَةً حينَ ملَكَ، وملَكَ اثنَتينِ وخمسينَ سنَةً في أورُشليمَ. وكانَ اسمُ أمِّهِ يَكلْيا مِنْ أورُشليمَ.
4 وعَمِلَ ما هوَ قَويمٌ في نظَرِ الرّبِّ مُقتَديا بأمَصْيا أبـيهِ. 5 وعبَدَ اللهَ في أيّامِ زَكريّا الّذي كانَ يُرشِدُهُ إلى التَّقوى، وظَلَّ مُوفَّقا ما دامَ يَتَّقي الرّبَّ.
6 وحارَبَ عُزيَّا الفِلسطيِّينَ وهدَمَ أسوارَ مُدُنِ جِتَّ ويَبنَةَ وأشدودَ وبَنى مُدُنا في جِوارِ أشدودَ وسائِرِ أرضِ الفِلسطيِّينَ. 7 وأعانَهُ اللهُ على الفِلسطيِّينَ وعلى العربِ المُقيمينَ بِـجورَ بَعلَ، وعلى المعونيِّينَ. 8 ودفَعَ العَمُّونيُّونَ جِزْيةً إلى عُزيَّا، وامتَدَّت شُهرتُهُ إلى حُدودِ مِصْرَ لأنَّهُ صارَ قويًّا جدًّا. 9 وبَنى عُزيَّا أبراجا في أورُشليمَ، عِندَ بابِ الزَّاويَةِ وبابِ الوادي ومُنعَطَفِ السُّورِ. 10 وبَنى أيضا أبراجا في البرِّيَّةِ، وحفَرَ آبارا كثيرةً إذ كانَت لَه ماشيةٌ كثيرةٌ في السَّاحِلِ والسَّهلِ، وكانَ عِندَهُ فلاَّحونَ وكرَّامونَ في الجِبالِ وفي الكرمَلِ لأنَّهُ كانَ مُحِبًّا لِلزراعةِ. 11 وكانَ لَه جيشٌ كبـيرٌ يَخرُجونَ لِلقِتالِ في فِرَقٍ مُنَظَّمَةٍ بِـحسَبِ إحصائِهِم على يَدِ يَعيئيلَ الكاتِبِ ومَعَسْيا الضَّابِطِ بِمُراقَبةِ حَنَنْيا، أحدِ أركانِ جيشِ المَلِكِ. 12 وكانَ الجيشُ بِقيادةِ ألفَينِ وسِتِّ مئَةٍ مِنَ المُحارِبـينَ الأشِدَّاءِ، 13 وتَحتَ إمرَتِهِم جيشٌ مُؤَلَّفٌ مِنْ ثَلاثِ مئَةٍ وسَبعَةِ آلافٍ وخمسِ مئةِ رَجُلٍ يُقاتِلونَ بِشجاعةٍ لِنُصرَةِ المَلِكِ على أعدائِهِ. 14 وجَهَّزَ لهُم عُزيَّا تُروسا ورِماحا وخُوَذا ودُروعا وأقواسا وحجارةَ مَقاليعَ. 15 وصنَعَ رِجالٌ مَهَرَةٌ مَنجَنيقاتٍ في أورُشليمَ توضَعُ على الأبراجِ وزَوايا السُّورِ لِرَمْي السِّهامِ والحِجارةِ الضَّخمةِ. وانتشَرَ اسمُهُ إلى بعيدٍ بِمَعونةِ الرّبِّ الّتي جعَلَتْهُ قويًّا جدًّا.
عقاب عزيا على كبريائه
16 لكِنَّهُ حينَ قويَ، تعَجرَفَ وعَمِلَ ما هوَ فاسِدٌ، وهوَ ما أدَّى إلى هَلاكِهِ، وتحَدَّى الرّبَّ إلهَهُ لأنَّهُ دخَلَ الهَيكلَ ليَحرُقَ البَخورَ على مذبَحِ البَخورِ، 17 فتَبِــعَهُ عزَرْيا الكاهنُ ومعَهُ ثَمانونَ كاهِنا أشِدَّاءُ 18 وقاوَموهُ وقالوا لَه: «لا يَحِقُّ لكَ يا عُزيَّا المَلِكُ أنْ تَحرُقَ البَخورَ لِلرّبِّ، فهذا مِنْ حقِّ الكهَنةِ بَني هرونَ المُكرَّسينَ لِذلِكَ. أُخرُجْ مِنْ هذا المكانِ المُقَدَّسِ، لأنَّكَ تحَدَّيتَ الرّبَّ الإلهَ ولم يَعُدْ لكَ كرامَةٌ عِندَهُ». 19 فغَضِبَ عُزيَّا على الكهَنةِ وكانَت في يَدِهِ مِجمَرةُ البَخورِ، وعِندَ غضَبِهِ علَيهِمِ انفَجَرَ البَرَصُ في جبهَتِهِ قُدَّامَ الكهَنةِ في الهَيكلِ وهوَ على مَذبَحِ البَخورِ. 20 فالتَفَتَ إليهِ عزَرْيا وسائِرُ الكهَنةِ، فإذا البَرَصُ على جَبهَتِهِ، فأسرَعوا في إخراجِهِ مِنْ هُناكَ، كذلِكَ بادَرَ هوَ إلى الخُروجِ لأنَّ الرّبَّ ضرَبَهُ بِالبَرَصِ. 21 وبَقيَ عُزيَّا المَلِكُ أبرَصَ إلى يومِ وفاتِهِ، وسَكنَ في بـيتٍ مُنفَرِدٍ لِبَرصِهِ وحُرِمَ مِنَ الدُّخولِ إلى الهَيكلِ. وتَولَّى ابنُهُ يوثامُ شُؤونَ القصرِ والحُكْمِ في البِلادِ.
22 وما تبَقَّى مِنْ أخبارِ عُزيَّا، مِنْ أوَّلِها إلى آخِرِها، كَتَبَهُ أشَعيا بنُ آموصَ النَّبـيُّ. 23 وماتَ عُزيَّا ولم يُدفَنْ معَ آبائِهِ في مَقبَرةِ المُلوكِ، بل في حَقلِ المَغبَرةِ لأنَّهُ كانَ أبرَصَ وملَكَ يوثامُ ابنُهُ مكانَهُ.
1 Then all the people of Judah took Uzziah, who was sixteen years old, and made him king in the room of his father Amaziah. 2 He built Eloth, and restored it to Judah, after that the king slept with his fathers. 3 Sixteen years old was Uzziah when he began to reign, and he reigned fifty and two years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name also was Jecoliah of Jerusalem. 4 And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father Amaziah did. 5 And he sought God in the days of Zechariah, who had understanding in the visions of God: and as long as he sought the LORD, God made him to prosper. 6 And he went forth and warred against the Philistines, and brake down the wall of Gath, and the wall of Jabneh, and the wall of Ashdod, and built cities about Ashdod, and among the Philistines. 7 And God helped him against the Philistines, and against the Arabians that dwelt in Gur-baal, and the Mehunims. 8 And the Ammonites gave gifts to Uzziah: and his name spread abroad even to the entering in of Egypt; for he strengthened himself exceedingly. 9 Moreover Uzziah built towers in Jerusalem at the corner gate, and at the valley gate, and at the turning of the wall , and fortified them. 10 Also he built towers in the desert, and digged many wells: for he had much cattle, both in the low country, and in the plains: husbandmen also , and vine dressers in the mountains, and in Carmel: for he loved husbandry. 11 Moreover Uzziah had an host of fighting men, that went out to war by bands, according to the number of their account by the hand of Jeiel the scribe and Maaseiah the ruler, under the hand of Hananiah, one of the king’s captains. 12 The whole number of the chief of the fathers of the mighty men of valour were two thousand and six hundred. 13 And under their hand was an army, three hundred thousand and seven thousand and five hundred, that made war with mighty power, to help the king against the enemy. 14 And Uzziah prepared for them throughout all the host shields, and spears, and helmets, and habergeons, and bows, and slings to cast stones. 15 And he made in Jerusalem engines, invented by cunning men, to be on the towers and upon the bulwarks, to shoot arrows and great stones withal. And his name spread far abroad; for he was marvellously helped, till he was strong.
16 ¶ But when he was strong, his heart was lifted up to his destruction: for he transgressed against the LORD his God, and went into the temple of the LORD to burn incense upon the altar of incense. 17 And Azariah the priest went in after him, and with him fourscore priests of the LORD, that were valiant men: 18 And they withstood Uzziah the king, and said unto him, It appertaineth not unto thee, Uzziah, to burn incense unto the LORD, but to the priests the sons of Aaron, that are consecrated to burn incense: go out of the sanctuary; for thou hast trespassed; neither shall it be for thine honour from the LORD God. 19 Then Uzziah was wroth, and had a censer in his hand to burn incense: and while he was wroth with the priests, the leprosy even rose up in his forehead before the priests in the house of the LORD, from beside the incense altar. 20 And Azariah the chief priest, and all the priests, looked upon him, and, behold, he was leprous in his forehead, and they thrust him out from thence; yea, himself hasted also to go out, because the LORD had smitten him. 21 And Uzziah the king was a leper unto the day of his death, and dwelt in a several house, being a leper; for he was cut off from the house of the LORD: and Jotham his son was over the king’s house, judging the people of the land.
22 ¶ Now the rest of the acts of Uzziah, first and last, did Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, write. 23 So Uzziah slept with his fathers, and they buried him with his fathers in the field of the burial which belonged to the kings; for they said, He is a leper: and Jotham his son reigned in his stead.