2 Tavaareekh 20

ammoniyon ka yahoodaah par hamlaa

¹kuchh der kay baad moaabee, ammonee aur kuchh maoonee yahoosafat say jang karnay kay liyay niklay. ²ek qaasid nay a kar baadshaah ko ittila dee, “mulk-ay-adom say ek badee fauj aap say ladnay kay liyay a rahee hai. vah baheera-ay-murdaar kay doosray kinaaray say badhtee badhtee is vaqt hassoon-tamar pahunch chukee hai” (hassoon ain-jadee ka doosra naam hai).

³yah sun kar yahoosafat ghabra gaya. us nay rabb say raahanumaaee maangnay ka faisla karkay elaan kiya ki tamaam yahoodaah roza rakhay. ⁴yahoodaah kay tamaam shaheron say log yarooshalam aaay taaki mil kar madad kay liyay rabb say dua maangen. ⁵vah rabb kay ghar kay naay sahen men jama huay aur yahoosafat nay saamnay a kar ⁶dua kee,

“ai rabb, hamaaray baapdaada kay khuda! too hee aasmaan par takhtnasheen khuda hai, aur too hee duniya kay tamaam mamaalik par hukoomat karta hai. teray haath men qudrat aur taaqat hai. koee bhee tera muqaabla naheen kar sakta. ⁷ai hamaaray khuda, too nay is mulk kay puraanay baashindon ko apnee qaum israaeel kay aagay say nikaal diya. ibraaheem tera dost tha, aur us kee aulaad ko too nay yah mulk hamesha kay liyay day diya. ⁸is men teree qaum aabaad huee. teray naam kee taazeem men maqdis bana kar unhon nay kaha, ⁹‘jab bhee aafat ham par aaay to ham yahaan teray huzoor a sakengay, chaahay jang, vaba, kaal ya koee aur saza ho. agar ham us vaqt is ghar kay saamnay khaday ho kar madad kay liyay tujhay pukaaren to too hamaaree sun kar hamen bachaaega, kyoonki is imaarat par teray hee naam ka thappa laga hai.’

¹⁰ab ammon, moaab aur pahaadee mulk saeer kee harkaton ko dekh! jab israaeel misr say nikla to too nay usay in qaumon par hamla karnay aur in kay ilaaqay men say guzarnay kee ijaazat na dee. israaeel ko mutbaadil raasta ikhtiyaar karna pada, kyoonki usay inhen halaak karnay kee ijaazat na milee. ¹¹ab dhyaan day ki yah badlay men kya kar rahay hain. yah hamen us mauroosee zameen say nikaalna chaahatay hain jo too nay hamen dee thee. ¹²ai hamaaray khuda, kya too un kee adaalat naheen karega? ham to is badee fauj kay muqaablay men bebas hain. is kay hamlay say bachnay ka raasta hamen nazar naheen aata, lekin hamaaree aankhen madad kay liyay tujh par lagee hain.”

¹³yahoodaah kay tamaam mard, aurten aur bachchay vahaan rabb kay huzoor khaday rahay. ¹⁴tab rabb ka rooh ek laavee banaam yahezeeel par naazil hua jab vah jamaaat kay darmiyaan khada tha. yah aadmee aasaf kay khaandaan ka tha, aur us ka poora naam yahezeeel bin zakariyaah bin binaayaah bin yaeeel bin mattaniyaah tha. ¹⁵us nay kaha, “yahoodaah aur yarooshalam kay logo, meree baat sunen! ai baadshaah, aap bhee is par dhyaan den. rabb farmaata hai ki daro mat, aur is badee fauj ko dekh kar mat ghabraana. kyoonki yah jang tumhaara naheen balki mera muaamala hai. ¹⁶kal un kay muqaablay kay liyay niklo. us vaqt vah darra-ay-sees say ho kar tumhaaree taraf badh rahay hongay. tumhaara un say muqaabla us vaadee kay siray par hoga jahaan yarooel ka registaan shuroo hota hai. ¹⁷lekin tumhen ladnay kee zaroorat naheen hogee. bas dushman kay aamnay-saamnay khaday ho kar ruk jaao aur dekho ki rabb kis tarah tumhen chhutkaara dega. lihaaza mat daro, ai yahoodaah aur yarooshalam, aur dahshat mat khaao. kal un ka saamna karnay kay liyay niklo, kyoonki rabb tumhaaray saath hoga.”

¹⁸yah sun kar yahoosafat munh kay bal jhuk gaya. yahoodaah aur yarooshalam kay tamaam logon nay bhee aundhay munh jhuk kar rabb kee parastish kee. ¹⁹phir qihaat aur qorah kay khaandaanon kay kuchh laavee khaday ho kar buland aavaaz say rabb israaeel kay khuda kee hamd-o-sana karnay lagay.

ammoniyon par fatah

²⁰aglay din subah-saveray yahoodaah kee fauj taqooa kay registaan kay liyay ravaana huee. nikaltay vaqt yahoosafat nay un kay saamnay khaday ho kar kaha, “yahoodaah aur yarooshalam kay mardo, meree baat sunen! rabb apnay khuda par bharosa rakhen to aap qaaim rahengay. us kay nabiyon kee baaton ka yaqeen karen to aap ko kaamyaabee haasil hogee.” ²¹logon say mashvra karkay yahoosafat nay kuchh mardon ko rabb kee taazeem men geet gaanay kay liyay muqarrar kiya. muqaddas libaas pahenay huay vah fauj kay aagay aagay chal kar hamd-o-sana ka yah geet gaatay rahay, “rabb kee sitaaish karo, kyoonki us kee shafqat abdee hai.”

²²us vaqt rabb hamlaaaavar fauj kay mukhaalifon ko khada kar chuka tha. ab jab yahoodaah kay mard hamd kay geet gaanay lagay to vah taak men say nikal kar badhtee huee fauj par toot paday aur usay shikast dee. ²³phir ammoniyon aur moaabiyon nay mil kar pahaadee mulk saeer kay mardon par hamla kiya taaki unhen mukammal taur par khatm kar den. jab yah halaak huay to ammonee aur moaabee ek doosray ko maut kay ghaat utaarnay lagay. ²⁴yahoodaah kay faujiyon ko is ka ilm naheen tha. chaltay chaltay vah us maqaam tak pahunch gaay jahaan say registaan nazar aata hai. vahaan vah dushman ko talaash karnay lagay, lekin laashen hee laashen zameen par bikhree nazar aaeen. ek bhee dushman naheen bacha tha. ²⁵yahoosafat aur us kay logon kay liyay sirf dushman ko lootnay ka kaam baaqee rah gaya tha. kasrat kay jaanvar, qism qism ka saamaan, kapday aur kaee qeemtee cheezen theen. itna saamaan tha ki vah usay ek vaqt men utha kar apnay saath lay ja naheen saktay thay. saara maal jama karnay men teen din lagay.

²⁶chauthay din vah qareeb kee ek vaadee men jama huay taaki rabb kee taareef karen. us vaqt say vaadee ka naam ‘taareef kee vaadee’ pad gaya. ²⁷is kay baad yahoodaah aur yarooshalam kay tamaam mard yahoosafat kee raahanumaaee men khushee manaatay huay yarooshalam vaapas aaay. kyoonki rabb nay unhen dushman kee shikast say khushee ka sunahera mauqa ata kiya tha. ²⁸sitaar, sarod aur turam bajaatay huay vah yarooshalam men daakhil huay aur rabb kay ghar kay paas ja pahunchay. ²⁹jab ird-gird kay mamaalik nay suna ki kis tarah rabb israaeel kay dushmanon say lada hai to un men allaah kee dahshat phail gaee. ³⁰us vaqt say yahoosafat sukoon say hukoomat kar saka, kyoonki allaah nay usay chaaron taraf kay mamaalik kay hamlon say mahfooz rakha tha.

yahoosafat kay aakhiree saal aur maut

³¹yahoosafat 35 saal kee umr men baadshaah bana, aur vah yarooshalam men rah kar 25 saal hukoomat karta raha. us kee maan azooba bint silhee thee. ³²vah apnay baap aasa kay namoonay par chalta aur vah kuchh karta raha jo rabb ko pasand tha. ³³lekin us nay bhee oonchay maqaamon kay mandiron ko khatm na kiya, aur logon kay dil apnay baapdaada kay khuda kee taraf maail na huay.

³⁴baaqee jo kuchh yahoosafat kee hukoomat kay dauraan hua vah shuroo say lay kar aakhir tak yaahoo bin hanaanee kee taareekh men bayaan kiya gaya hai. baad men sab kuchh ‘shaahaan-ay-israaeel kee taareekh’ kee kitaab men darj kiya gaya.

³⁵baad men yahoodaah kay baadshaah yahoosafat nay israaeel kay baadshaah akhaziyaah say ittihaad kiya, go us ka ravayya bedeenee ka tha. ³⁶donon nay mil kar tijaartee jahaazon ka aisa beda banvaaya jo tarsees tak pahunch sakay. jab yah jahaaz bandargaah asyoon-jaabar men tayyaar hue ³⁷to maresa ka rahenay vaala ileeazar bin doodaavaahoo nay yahoosafat kay khilaaf peshgoee kee, “choonki aap akhaziyaah kay saath muttahid ho gaay hain is liyay rabb aap ka kaam tabaah kar dega!” aur vaaqaee, yah jahaaz kabhee apnee manzil-ay-maqsood tarsees tak pahunch na sakay, kyoonki vah pahelay hee tukday tukday ho gaay.