SARAH
（《历代志下》15章）
(2 Chronicles 15)
那时候，亚撒王带着犹大人打完仗，正准备回去。
At that time, King Asa had finished fighting alongside the people of Judah and was getting ready to return.
这时候，神的灵感动了一个先知，叫亚撒利雅。
At that moment, the Spirit of God came upon a prophet named Azariah.
亚撒利雅赶紧去迎接亚撒王，对他说：
Azariah quickly went out to meet King Asa and said to him:
“亚撒王，还有犹大人、便雅悯人，你们都听我说！
“King Asa, and all you people of Judah and Benjamin, listen to me!
你们要是好好跟着耶和华，神就跟你们在一起。
If you truly follow the Lord, God will be with you.
你们要是真心找神，肯定能找到他。
If you sincerely seek God, you will surely find Him.
但是你们要是把神不当回事儿，那神也不会强求你。”
But if you do not take God seriously, God will not force you.”
亚撒利雅接着说：
Azariah continued:
“你们看看以前的以色列人，离开神的那段时间。
“Think about the time when the people of Israel had turned away from God.
老百姓的生活迷惘蹉跎。整个国家处于无序状态。
The people lived in confusion and wasted away their days. The whole nation was in a state of disorder.
出门也不平安，到哪儿都不太平。战争不断
There was no peace when they went out, and there was trouble everywhere they went. Wars never stopped.
这个国家打那个国家，这个城市打那个城市，大家互相撕，谁也别想安生。
One nation fought against another, one city fought against another, and everyone was tearing each other apart. Nobody could live in peace.
就在那候，他们实在走投无路了，又想起找神。
At that time, when they had nowhere else to turn, they remembered to seek God again.
他们一回头寻找耶和华，神就让他们重新找到他。
When they turned back and sought the Lord, God allowed them to find Him again.
所以现在我告诉你们：
So now I tell you:
你们应该昂起胸膛，别因为困难就泄气！
You should hold your heads high and do not lose heart because of difficulties!
你们现在为神做的这些事，神都看在眼里，将来一定会有赏赐。”
God sees everything you are doing for Him, and you will surely receive a reward.”
亚撒王听完这番话，心里一下就有底了。
After hearing these words, King Asa was encouraged and became confident.
他想：
He thought:
“行！既然神都这么说了，那我就不能只听不做！”
“Alright! Since God has said this, I cannot just listen without taking action!”
于是亚撒王马力开足开始整顿全国。
So King Asa went all out and began to reform the entire nation.
犹大地、便雅悯地，还有以法莲山区那些已经被他占领的城，他都去清理。
He went throughout the land of Judah and Benjamin, as well as the cities he had captured in the hill country of Ephraim, and cleaned them up.
那些乱七八糟的偶像，该砸的砸，该清掉的清掉，一个不留。
He destroyed the idols and removed all those things that should not have been there, leaving none behind.
然后他又把耶和华的祭坛重新修了修。
Then he repaired the altar of the Lord.
这一下，百姓们都看到了：亚撒王的决心，他要带着大家走上信神的好日子。
Now everyone could see King Asa’s determination: he wanted to lead everyone into a good life of faith in God.
亚撒王又把犹大和便雅悯的人都召集起来。
King Asa then gathered together all the people of Judah and Benjamin.
不光是他们，还有一些从以法莲、玛拿西、西缅来的以色列人，也一起过来了。
Not only them, but also some Israelites from Ephraim, Manasseh, and Simeon came as well.
为什么这些人都愿意来？
Why were all these people willing to come?
因为他们看见一件事：
Because they saw one thing:
耶和华真的跟亚撒在一起。
The Lord was truly with Asa.
所以越来越多的人愿意跟着亚撒，一起寻求神。
So more and more people were willing to follow Asa and seek God together.
到了亚撒作王第十五年夏天，大家都聚集到了耶路撒冷。
In the summer of the fifteenth year of Asa’s reign, everyone gathered together in Jerusalem.
那一天，大家把战利品拿出来献给神。
On that day, they brought out the spoils of war and offered them to God.
他们献上了七百头牛，还有七千只羊。
They offered seven hundred cattle and seven thousand sheep.
然后所有人一起做了一个非常重要的决定：
Then everyone made a very important decision together:
“从今天开始，我们要一心一意地寻找耶和华，就是我们祖先的神！”
“From this day forward, we will wholeheartedly seek the Lord, the God of our ancestors!”
大家又吹号，又吹角，又大声欢呼。
They blew trumpets and horns and shouted with joy.
那场面真是一个气派，热闹。因此可以看到每一个人跟随神的决心。
It was truly a grand and lively scene. You could see everyone’s determination to follow God.
大家因为这个约兴奋得不得了。
Everyone was extremely excited because of this covenant.
他们真心实意地寻求神，神也让他们重新经历了他的同在。
They sincerely sought God, and God allowed them to experience His presence again.
圣经说：
The Bible says:
“耶和华就被他们寻见，且赐他们四境平安。”
“The Lord let them find Him, and He gave them peace on every side.”
但是亚撒王还没有结束。
But King Asa was not finished yet.
他回头一看，发现自己的亲祖母玛迦太后还在拜偶像。
When he looked around, he discovered that his own grandmother, Queen Mother Maacah, was still worshiping idols.
而且她还造了一个很大的亚舍拉偶像。
She had even made a large Asherah idol.
虽然她是自己的亲祖母，可亚撒没有避重就轻。反而一视同仁。
Although she was his own grandmother, Asa did not make an exception for her. Instead, he treated her the same as anyone else.
他把玛迦太后的太后位置给废了。
He removed Maacah from her position as queen mother.
然后把她造的那个偶像砍下来，砸个稀巴烂，最后拿到汲沦溪边烧掉。
Then he cut down the idol she had made, smashed it to pieces, and finally burned it beside the Kidron Valley.
这么做意义非凡，人们看到连亚撒的亲祖母玛迦太后也不例外，亚撒王“大义灭亲” 。所以鼓舞了当时所有人的信心。
What Asa did was very significant. The people saw that even his own grandmother, Queen Mother Maacah, was not an exception. King Asa put faithfulness to God above family ties, and this encouraged the faith of everyone at that time.
虽然当时还有一些邱坛没有完全除掉，但是总体来说，亚撒这一生是诚心跟随神。
Although some high places had not yet been completely removed, overall, Asa sincerely followed God throughout his life.
他还把父亲留下来分别为圣的金银和各种器皿，都送回到神的殿里。
He also brought the silver, gold, and various vessels that his father had set apart as holy and placed them in the temple of God.
就这样，亚撒继续做王。
And so Asa continued to reign as king.
一直到了他作王第三十五年，国家都没有再发生战争。
Until the thirty-fifth year of his reign, the nation experienced no more war.
百姓也享受了一段很长的平安日子。
The people also enjoyed a long period of peace.