2 Kings 16:10–18

AHAZ’S IDOLATRY

¹⁰King Ahaz went to Damascus to meet King Tiglath-pileserⁱ of Assyria. When he saw the altar that was in Damascus, King Ahaz sent a model of the altar and complete plans for its construction to the priest Uriah.^{j 11}Uriah built the altar according to all the instructions King Ahaz sent from Damascus. Therefore, by the time King Ahaz came back from Damascus, the priest Uriah had completed it. ¹²When the king came back from Damascus, he saw the altar. Then he approached the altar^k and ascended it.^{A 13}He offered his burnt offering^l and his grain offering, poured out his drink offering, and splattered the blood of his fellowship offerings^m on the altar. ¹⁴He took the bronze altarⁿ that was before the Lord in front of the temple between his altar and the Lord’s temple, and put it on the north side of his altar.

¹⁵Then King Ahaz commanded the priest Uriah, “Offer on the great altar the morning burnt offering, the evening grain offering, and the king’s burnt offering and his grain offering. Also offer the burnt offering of all the people of the land, their grain offering, and their drink offerings. Splatter on the altar all the blood of the burnt offering and all the blood of sacrifice. The bronze altar will be for me to seek guidance.”^{B 16}The priest Uriah did everything King Ahaz commanded.

¹⁷Then King Ahaz cut off the frames of the water carts^Co and removed the bronze basin from each of them. He took the basin^Dp from the bronze oxen that were under it and put it on a stone pavement. ¹⁸To satisfy the king of Assyria, he removed from the Lord’s temple the Sabbath canopy they had built in the palace, and he closed the outer entrance for the king.