✝
← Bible
ARCBLIVREKJVVBL

2 Crônicas 16

BLIVRE · Chapter 16/36

1No ano trinta e seis do reinado de Asa, subiu Baasa rei de Israel contra Judá, e edificou a Ramá, para não deixar sair nem entrar a ninguém ao rei Asa, rei de Judá.

2Então tirou Asa a prata e o ouro dos tesouros da casa do SENHOR e da casa real, e enviou a Ben-Hadade rei da Síria, que estava em Damasco, dizendo:

3Haja aliança entre mim e ti, como a havia entre meu pai e teu pai; eis que eu te enviei prata e ouro, para que venhas e desfaças a aliança que tens com Baasa rei de Israel, a fim de que se retire de mim.

4E consentiu Ben-Hadade com o rei Asa, e enviou os capitães de seus exércitos à cidades de Israel: e atacaram a Ijom, Dã, e Abel-Maim, e as cidades fortes de Naftali.

5E ouvindo isto Baasa, cessou de edificar a Ramá, e deixou sua obra.

6Então o rei Asa tomou a todo Judá, e levaram-se de Ramá a pedra e madeira com que Baasa edificava, e com ela edificou a Geba e Mispá.

7Naquele tempo veio Hanani vidente a Asa rei de Judá, e disse-lhe: Por quanto te apoiaste no rei de Síria, e não te apoiaste no SENHOR teu Deus, por isso o exército do rei da Síria escapou de tuas mãos.

8Os etíopes e os líbios, não eram um exército numerosíssimo, com carros e muitos cavaleiros? Contudo, porque te apoiaste no SENHOR, ele os entregou em tuas mãos.

9Porque os olhos do SENHOR contemplam toda a terra, para corroborar aos que têm coração íntegro com ele. Loucamente fizeste nisso; porque de agora em diante haverá guerra contra ti.

10E irou-se Asa contra o vidente, lançou-o na casa do cárcere, porque foi em extremo incomodado por causa disto. E oprimiu Asa naquele tempo alguns do povo.

11Mas eis que, os feitos de Asa, primeiros e últimos, estão escritos no livro dos reis de Judá e de Israel.

12E o ano trinta e nove de seu reinado enfermou Asa dos pés para acima, e em sua enfermidade não buscou ao SENHOR, mas sim aos médicos.

13E descansou Asa com seus pais, e morreu no ano quarenta e um de seu reinado.

14E sepultaram-no em seus sepulcros que ele havia feito para si na cidade de Davi; e puseram-no em uma cama, a qual encheram de aromas e artefatos com fragrâncias, preparadas por perfumistas; e fizeram uma grande fogueira em sua homenagem.

📖 Chapter study

Summary

In his later years, Asa makes a serious mistake: instead of trusting God as he had before, he bribes the king of Syria to attack Israel and relieve the military pressure on Judah. A prophet rebukes him for this lack of faith, and Asa reacts in anger, imprisoning the prophet, and later falls gravely ill without seeking God.

Explanation

It is sad to see the contrast between the young Asa, who trusted fully in God against a gigantic Ethiopian army, and the aged Asa, who resorts to human political alliances and bribery in the face of a far smaller threat from the northern kingdom. The prophet Hanani directly confronts this change of character, reminding him that 'the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him.' Asa's hostile reaction, imprisoning God's messenger instead of repenting, and later refusing to seek spiritual help during his final illness, shows how pride can progressively harden the heart of someone who was once genuinely faithful.

Fun facts

  • The specific criticism that Asa 'sought to the physicians' instead of seeking the Lord during his illness is not a condemnation of medicine itself, but highlights his attitude of completely excluding spiritual dependence on God at a critical moment of his life.
  • This chapter is one of the clearest biblical examples of how the end of a life can contradict a promising beginning, serving as a warning about the importance of perseverance in faith to the end, not just in the initial moments of spiritual enthusiasm.

Verse-by-verse explanation

  1. 2 Crônicas 16:1Already in the thirty-sixth year of Asa’s reign, Baasha, king of Israel, invades Judah and fortifies the city of Ramah, blocking anyone from entering or leaving Judah.
  2. 2 Crônicas 16:2Instead of asking God for help as he did against the Ethiopians in chapter 14, Asa now bribes the king of Syria with silver and gold from the temple’s own treasury to attack Israel. It’s a change of attitude the prophet Hanani will confront right after.
  3. 2 Crônicas 16:3Asa proposes to Ben-hadad that they renew the alliance that already existed between the two kings’ fathers, offering silver and gold in exchange for breaking his alliance with Baasha.
  4. 2 Crônicas 16:4Ben-hadad accepts the proposal and sends his army to attack cities of Israel — Ijon, Dan, Abel-maim, and other fortified cities of Naphtali.
  5. 2 Crônicas 16:5On learning of this attack from behind, Baasha abandons the building of Ramah and stops all work there.
  6. 2 Crônicas 16:6Taking advantage of the abandonment, Asa has all the people of Judah carry off the stones and timber Baasha had left at Ramah, using the material to fortify Geba and Mizpah.
  7. 2 Crônicas 16:7Soon after, the seer Hanani confronts Asa: by relying on the king of Syria instead of relying on the Lord, he let slip the chance to defeat the Syrian army as well.
  8. 2 Crônicas 16:8Hanani reminds Asa that he had already defeated a huge Ethiopian and Libyan army, far larger, simply because he relied on God on that occasion.
  9. 2 Crônicas 16:9Hanani explains that the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, looking to support those whose heart is fully faithful to Him — and he warns that, because of this wrong alliance, Asa will face wars from now on.
  10. 2 Crônicas 16:10When the seer Hanani rebukes this alliance with Syria, Asa reacts by imprisoning the prophet himself, instead of listening. It’s a clear sign that the faith he had shown when younger had been weakening with time and success.
  11. 2 Crônicas 16:11The summary of Asa’s reign, from beginning to end, is recorded in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel, cited as a source by the Chronicler.
  12. 2 Crônicas 16:12Even while sick and suffering greatly in his feet, Asa seeks only the physicians, not the Lord. The text’s point isn’t that seeking a doctor is wrong, it’s that he left God completely out of it, consistent with the pattern of drifting away that had already been building since the previous chapter.
  13. 2 Crônicas 16:13Asa dies in the forty-first year of his reign, closing out a rule that began with strong faith and ended marked by mistrust.
  14. 2 Crônicas 16:14He is buried in the tomb he had prepared for himself in the city of David, laid on a bed full of perfumes prepared by specialists, with a funeral ceremony on a grand scale.

Chapters

123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930313233343536

Our apps

Our apps →

Bible in Stories

The Bible told as a story, with audio and videos.

📱 Get the app

World in Stories

True stories of humanity that sound made up.

App StoreGoogle Play

Feito! Pequenas Vitórias

A light daily routine for people who lose track of the day.

App StoreGoogle Play