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英文原文
Here is a very short account of the reign of Jotham, a pious prosperous prince, of whom one would wish to have known more: but we may better dispense with the brevity of his story because that which lengthened the history of the last three kings was their degeneracy in their latter end, of which we have had a faithful account; but there was no occasion for such a melancholy conclusion of the history of this reign, which is only an account, I. Of the date and continuance of this reign, 2Ch 27:1,8. II. The general good character of it, 2Ch 27:2,6. III. The prosperity of it, 2Ch 27:3-5. IV. The period of it, 2Ch 27:7,9.
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The Reign of Jotham (758 BC)
约坦的作王（主前758年）
¹ 约坦登基的时候年二十五岁，在耶路撒冷作王十六年。他母亲名叫耶路沙，是撒督的女儿。
² 约坦行耶和华眼中看为正的事，效法他父亲乌西雅一切所行的；只是不入耶和华的殿。百姓还行邪僻的事。
³ 他建造耶和华殿的上门，在俄斐勒城墙上多有所造。
⁴ 又在犹大山地建造城邑，在树林中建筑营寨和楼。
⁵ 他与亚扪人的王争战，胜了他们；当年亚扪人给他银子一百他连得、麦子一万歌珥、大麦一万歌珥。第二年第三年也是这样进贡。
⁶ 约坦在耶和华他神面前行正道，就日渐强盛。
⁷ 约坦其余的事，和他一切争战，并他的行为，都写在以色列和犹大诸王记上。
⁸ 他登基的时候年二十五岁，在耶路撒冷作王十六年。
⁹ 约坦与他列祖同睡，葬在大卫城里；他儿子亚哈斯接续他作王。
关于约坦所记的，并不比先前（王下15:32-38等处）多多少。
一、他行得好。他「行耶和华眼中看为正的事」；他的政纲是好的，蒙神喜悦；他以神的恩宠为目的，以神的话为准则；并且（这显明他是出于善原则而行）他「在耶和华他神面前行正道」（代下27:6），意即他行事审慎，小心翼翼，设法避开恶事，成就善事。他向前看，把自己的事务安排到一种姿态和方法中，使日常的处理更为容易。或者说，他把自己的道路在耶和华面前立定，意即他稳健、恒常地行在尽本分的路上，在其中一贯、坚决：不像他前面有些人，虽有善处，却因反复无常、自相矛盾而失了信用。他们原跑得好，却有阻碍。约坦并非如此。此处关于他的品格，有两件事可注意：
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他父亲所行的错，他在自己身上改正了（代下27:2）：他「效法他父亲」一切善而智的事；只是他不效法父亲的错——「不入耶和华的殿」，不像他父亲那样进去烧香，却以父亲的结局为戒，不敢行这样僭妄的事。请留意：我们不可效法最好的人——就是我们最敬重的人——过于他们所行的善；反要因他们的跌倒和那跌倒的有害后果受警戒，更加谨慎地行，免得我们在他们所绊的石头上跌倒。
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他百姓所行的错，他不能挽回：「百姓还行邪僻的事。」或许这也归咎于他，因他在改革全国的事上有所未尽。人自己可能很好，却没有勇气和热心尽力去改革别人。然而这话必定大大归咎于百姓，因他们没有在这样善的王治下善用所享的优势：他们得了善的教训，又有善的榜样摆在他们面前，却不愿受改革；所以在善王的治下，正如在恶王的治下一样，他们「为自己积蓄忿怒，等候忿怒的日子」；因为他们仍行邪僻，铸造的样式都归徒然。
二、他亨通，并真正有美名。
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他建造。他从「耶和华殿的上门」开始，将其修缮、美化、加高。然后「修筑俄斐勒的城墙，在犹大山地建造城邑」（代下27:3,4），尽一切可能维护国防，充实人口。
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他得胜。他胜了亚扪人——他们在约沙法时代曾侵扰犹大（代下20:1）。他胜过他们，并向他们索取大量贡物（代下27:5）。「他日渐强盛」（代下27:6）——财富、权势以及对邻国的影响都加增；邻国既求他的友谊，又怕他的不悦；这都是因为他「在耶和华他神面前行正道」。我们在信仰上越坚定，无论是抵挡邪恶还是行出良善，就越有能力。
三、他的人生路程结束得太早，却是带着尊荣结束的。他不幸中年早逝；但与之平衡的是，他未像他前面三位前任那样活过自己的好名声。他只活到四十一岁（代下27:8）；但「他的争战和他的行为」——在外的争战与在内的行为——如此荣耀，以致不仅记在犹大诸王记上，也记在以色列诸王记上（代下27:7）。本章末了几句最为可悲，告诉我们「他儿子亚哈斯」「接续他作王」——这人在一切品格上都与父亲相反。当智者借以行善的财富权势传到愚人手中，要借之作恶时，便是可悲，且必成为可悲。
英文原文
The Reign of Jotham (758 BC)
¹ Jotham was twenty and five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. His mother's name also was Jerushah, the daughter of Zadok.
² And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father Uzziah did: howbeit he entered not into the temple of the LORD. And the people did yet corruptly.
³ He built the high gate of the house of the LORD, and on the wall of Ophel he built much.
⁴ Moreover he built cities in the mountains of Judah, and in the forests he built castles and towers.
⁵ He fought also with the king of the Ammonites, and prevailed against them. And the children of Ammon gave him the same year an hundred talents of silver, and ten thousand measures of wheat, and ten thousand of barley. So much did the children of Ammon pay unto him, both the second year, and the third.
⁶ So Jotham became mighty, because he prepared his ways before the LORD his God.
⁷ Now the rest of the acts of Jotham, and all his wars, and his ways, lo, they are written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah.
⁸ He was five and twenty years old when he began to reign, and reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem.
⁹ And Jotham slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city of David: and Ahaz his son reigned in his stead.
There is not much more related here concerning Jotham than we had before, 2Ki 15:32-38, etc.
I. He reigned well. He did that which was right in the sight of the Lord; the course of his reign was good, and pleasing to God, whose favour he made his end, and his word his rule, and (which shows that he acted from a good principle) he prepared his ways before the Lord his God (2Ch 27:6), that is, he walked circumspectly and with much caution, contrived how to shun that which was evil and compass that which was good. He looked before him, and cast his affairs into such a posture and method as made the regular management of them the more easy. Or he established or fixed his ways before the Lord, that is, he walked steadily and constantly in the way of his duty, was uniform and resolute in it: not like some of those that went before him, who, though they had some good in them, lost their credit by their inconstancy and inconsistency with themselves. They had run well, but something hindered them. It was not so with Jotham. Two things are observed here in his character:—1. What was amiss in his father he amended in himself (2Ch 27:2): He did according to all that his father did well and wisely; howbeit he would not imitate him in which he did amiss; for he entered not into the temple of the Lord to burn incense as his father did, but took warning by his fate not to dare so presumptuous a thing. Note, We must not imitate the best men, and those we have the greatest veneration for, any further than they did well; but, on the contrary, their falls, and the injurious consequences of them, must be warnings to us to walk the more circumspectly, that we stumble not at the same stone that they stumbled at. 2. What was amiss in his people he could not prevail to amend: The people did yet corruptly. Perhaps it reflects some blame upon him, that he was wanting in his part towards the reformation of the land. Men may be very good themselves, and yet not have courage and zeal to do what they might do towards the reforming of others. However it certainly reflects a great deal of blame upon the people, that they did not do what they might have done to improve the advantages of so good a reign: they had good instructions given them and a good example set before them, but they would not be reformed; so that even in the reign of their good kings, as well as in that of the bad ones, they were treasuring up wrath against the day of wrath; for they still did corruptly, and the founder melted in vain.
II. He prospered, and became truly reputable. 1. He built. He began with the gate of the house of the Lord, which he repaired, beautified, and raised. He then fortified the wall of Ophel, and built cities in the mountains of Judah (2Ch 27:3,4), took all possible care for the fortifying of his country and the replenishing of it. 2. He conquered. He prevailed against the Ammonites, who had invaded Judah in Jehoshaphat's time, 2Ch 20:1. He triumphed over them, and exacted great contributions from them, 2Ch 27:5. He became mighty (2Ch 27:6) in wealth and power, and influence upon the neighbouring nations, who courted his friendship and feared his displeasure; and this he got by preparing his ways before the Lord his God. The more stedfast we are in religion the more mighty we are both for the resistance of that which is evil and for the performance of that which is good.
III. He finished his course too soon, but finished it with honour. He had the unhappiness to die in the midst of his days; but, to balance that, the happiness not to out-live his reputation, as the last three of his predecessors did. He died when he was but forty-one years of age (2Ch 27:8); but his wars and his ways, his wars abroad and his ways at home, were so glorious that they were recorded in the book of the kings of Israel, as well as of the kings of Judah, 2Ch 27:7. The last words of the chapter are the most melancholy, as they inform us that Ahaz his son, whose character, in all respects, was the reverse of his, reigned in his stead. When the wealth and power with which wise men have done good devolve upon fools, that will do hurt with them, it is a lamentation, and shall be for a lamentation.
这里所记的，是约坦作王的一段非常简短的历史。他是一位敬虔、昌盛的君王，本盼望能多知道他一些事；但他这历史的简短，我们倒更易接受，因为前三位王的史之所以冗长，乃因他们末后的堕落变节——这一点我们已有了忠实的记述；而这朝的历史，并无此类令人伤感的结局，因此无需赘述。本章所记只是：一、这朝的起讫年代与延续年数（代下27:1、8）。二、它整体上的美好品格（代下27:2、6）。三、它的昌盛（代下27:3-5）。四、它的终结（代下27:7、9）。