2 Chronicles 28:1–27
28 Ahaz awas twenty years old when he became king, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem; and he did not do what was right in the sight of the Lord, as his father David had done. 2 For he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, and made bmolded images for cthe Baals. 3 He burned incense in dthe Valley of the Son of Hinnom, and burned ehis children in the ffire, according to the abominations of the nations whom the Lord had gcast out before the children of Israel. 4 And he sacrificed and burned incense on the 1high places, on the hills, and under every green tree.
5 Therefore hthe Lord his God delivered him into the hand of the king of Syria. They idefeated him, and carried away a great multitude of them as captives, and brought them to Damascus. Then he was also delivered into the hand of the king of Israel, who defeated him with a great slaughter. 6 For jPekah the son of Remaliah killed one hundred and twenty thousand in Judah in one day, all valiant men, kbecause they had forsaken the Lord God of their fathers. 7 Zichri, a mighty man of Ephraim, killed Maaseiah the king’s son, Azrikam the officer over the house, and Elkanah who was second to the king. 8 And the children of Israel carried away captive of their lbrethren two hundred thousand women, sons, and daughters; and they also took away much 2spoil from them, and brought the spoil to Samaria.
9 But a mprophet of the Lord was there, whose name was Oded; and he went out before the army that came to Samaria, and said to them: “Look, nbecause the Lord God of your fathers was angry with Judah, He has delivered them into your hand; but you have killed them in a rage that oreaches up to heaven. 10 And now you propose to force the children of Judah and Jerusalem to be your pmale and female slaves; but are you not also guilty before the Lord your God? 11 Now hear me, therefore, and return the captives, whom you have taken captive from your brethren, qfor the fierce wrath of the Lord is upon you.”
12 Then some of the heads of the children of Ephraim, Azariah the son of Johanan, Berechiah the son of Meshillemoth, Jehizkiah the son of Shallum, and Amasa the son of Hadlai, stood up against those who came from the war, 13 and said to them, “You shall not bring the captives here, for we already have offended the Lord. You intend to add to our sins and to our guilt; for our guilt is great, and there is fierce wrath against Israel.” 14 So the armed men left the captives and the 3spoil before the leaders and all the assembly. 15 Then the men rwho were designated by name rose up and took the captives, and from the 4spoil they clothed all who were naked among them, dressed them and gave them sandals, sgave them food and drink, and anointed them; and they let all the feeble ones ride on donkeys. So they brought them to their brethren at Jericho, tthe city of palm trees. Then they returned to Samaria.
16 uAt the same time King Ahaz sent to the 5kings of Assyria to help him. 17 For again the vEdomites had come, attacked Judah, and carried away captives. 18 wThe Philistines also had invaded the cities of the lowland and of the South of Judah, and had taken Beth Shemesh, Aijalon, Gederoth, Sochoh with its villages, Timnah with its villages, and Gimzo with its villages; and they dwelt there. 19 For the Lord 6brought Judah low because of Ahaz king of xIsrael, for he had yencouraged moral decline in Judah and had been continually unfaithful to the Lord. 20 Also zTiglath-Pileser 7king of Assyria came to him and distressed him, and did not assist him. 21 For Ahaz took part of the treasures from the house of the Lord, from the house of the king, and from the leaders, and he gave it to the king of Assyria; but he did not help him.
22 Now in the time of his distress King Ahaz became increasingly unfaithful to the Lord. This is that King Ahaz. 23 For ahe sacrificed to the gods of Damascus which had defeated him, saying, “Because the gods of the kings of Syria help them, I will sacrifice to them bthat they may help me.” But they were the ruin of him and of all Israel. 24 So Ahaz gathered the articles of the house of God, cut in pieces the articles of the house of God, cshut up the doors of the house of the Lord, and made for himself altars in every corner of Jerusalem. 25 And in every single city of Judah he made 8high places to burn incense to other gods, and provoked to anger the Lord God of his fathers.
26 dNow the rest of his acts and all his ways, from first to last, indeed they are written in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel. 27 So Ahaz 9rested with his fathers, and they buried him in the city, in Jerusalem; but they edid not bring him into the tombs of the kings of Israel. Then Hezekiah his son reigned in his place.
2 Kings 16:1–17:41
16 In the seventeenth year of Pekah the son of Remaliah, Ahaz the son of Jotham, king of Judah, began to reign. 2 Ahaz was twenty years old when he became king, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem; and he did not do what was right in the sight of the Lord his God, as his father David had done. 3 But he walked in the way of the kings of Israel; indeed ahe made his son pass through the fire, according to the babominations of the nations whom the Lord had cast out from before the children of Israel. 4 And he sacrificed and burned incense on the chigh places, don the hills, and under every green tree.
5 eThen Rezin king of Syria and Pekah the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, came up to Jerusalem to make war; and they besieged Ahaz but could not overcome him. 6 At that time Rezin king of Syria fcaptured 1Elath for Syria, and drove the men of Judah from Elath. Then the 2Edomites went to Elath, and dwell there to this day.
7 So Ahaz sent messengers to gTiglath-Pileser 3king of Assyria, saying, “I am your servant and your son. Come up and save me from the hand of the king of Syria and from the hand of the king of Israel, who rise up against me.” 8 And Ahaz htook the silver and gold that was found in the house of the Lord, and in the treasuries of the king’s house, and sent it as a present to the king of Assyria. 9 So the king of Assyria heeded him; for the king of Assyria went up against iDamascus and jtook it, carried its people captive to kKir, and killed Rezin.
10 Now King Ahaz went to Damascus to meet Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria, and saw an altar that was at Damascus; and King Ahaz sent to Urijah the priest the design of the altar and its pattern, according to all its workmanship. 11 Then lUrijah the priest built an altar according to all that King Ahaz had sent from Damascus. So Urijah the priest made it before King Ahaz came back from Damascus. 12 And when the king came back from Damascus, the king saw the altar; and mthe king approached the altar and made offerings on it. 13 So he burned his burnt offering and his grain offering; and he poured his drink offering and sprinkled the blood of his peace offerings on the altar. 14 He also brought nthe bronze altar which was before the Lord, from the front of the 4temple—from between the new altar and the house of the Lord—and put it on the north side of the new altar. 15 Then King Ahaz commanded Urijah the priest, saying, “On the great new altar burn othe morning burnt offering, the evening grain offering, the king’s burnt sacrifice, and his grain offering, with the burnt offering of all the people of the land, their grain offering, and their drink offerings; and sprinkle on it all the blood of the burnt offering and all the blood of the sacrifice. And the bronze altar shall be for me to inquire by.” 16 Thus did Urijah the priest, according to all that King Ahaz commanded.
17 pAnd King Ahaz cut off qthe panels of the carts, and removed the lavers from them; and he took down rthe Sea from the bronze oxen that were under it, and put it on a pavement of stones. 18 Also he removed the Sabbath pavilion which they had built in the temple, and he removed the king’s outer entrance from the house of the Lord, on account of the king of Assyria.
19 Now the rest of the acts of Ahaz which he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? 20 So Ahaz rested with his fathers, and swas buried with his fathers in the City of David. Then Hezekiah his son reigned in his place.
17 In the twelfth year of Ahaz king of Judah, aHoshea the son of Elah became king of Israel in Samaria, and he reigned nine years. 2 And he did evil in the sight of the Lord, but not as the kings of Israel who were before him. 3 bShalmaneser king of Assyria came up against him; and Hoshea cbecame his vassal, and paid him tribute money. 4 And the king of Assyria uncovered a conspiracy by Hoshea; for he had sent messengers to So, king of Egypt, and brought no tribute to the king of Assyria, as he had done year by year. Therefore the king of Assyria shut him up, and bound him in prison.
Israel Carried Captive to Assyria
5 Now dthe king of Assyria went throughout all the land, and went up to Samaria and besieged it for three years. 6 eIn the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria took Samaria and fcarried Israel away to Assyria, gand placed them in Halah and by the Habor, the River of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes.
7 For hso it was that the children of Israel had sinned against the Lord their God, who had brought them up out of the land of Egypt, from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt; and they had ifeared other gods, 8 and jhad walked in the statutes of the nations whom the Lord had cast out from before the children of Israel, and of the kings of Israel, which they had made. 9 Also the children of Israel secretly did against the Lord their God things that were not right, and they built for themselves 1high places in all …