2 Chronicles 28:16–23

^16uAt that time King Ahaz sent to the king² of Assyria for help. ¹⁷For the Edomites had again invaded and defeated Judah and carried away captives. ^18vAnd the Philistines had made raids on ^wthe cities in the Shephelah and the Negeb of Judah, and had taken Beth-shemesh, Aijalon, Gederoth, Soco ^xwith its villages, Timnah with its villages, and Gimzo with its villages. And they settled there. ¹⁹For the Lord humbled Judah because of Ahaz king of Israel, for he had made ^yJudah act sinfully³ and had been very unfaithful to the Lord. ²⁰So ^zTiglath-pileser⁴ king of Assyria came against him and afflicted him instead of strengthening him. ^21aFor Ahaz took a portion from the house of the Lord and the house of the king and of the princes, and gave tribute to the king of Assyria, but it did not help him.

Ahaz’s Idolatry

²²In the time of his distress he became yet more faithless to the Lord—this same King Ahaz. ²³For ^bhe sacrificed to the gods of Damascus that had defeated him and said, ^c“Because the gods of the kings of Syria helped them, I will sacrifice to them that they may help me.” But they were the ruin of him and of all Israel.