^28:2He followed in the footsteps of³ the kings of Israel; he also made images of the Baals. ^28:3He offered sacrifices in the Valley of Ben-Hinnom and passed his sons through the fire,⁴ a horrible sin practiced by the nations⁵ whom the Lord drove out before the Israelites.

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Footnotes

3 Heb “he walked in the ways of.”
4 This may refer to child sacrifice, though some interpret it as a less drastic cultic practice ( “burnt his sons in the fire”; “burned his sons in the fire”; “sacrificed his sons in the fire”; “made his sons pass through fire”). For discussion see M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (), .
5 Heb “like the abominable practices of the nations.”

In other versions

ESVEnglish Standard Version

but he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel. He even made metal images for the Baals, and he made offerings in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom and burned his sons as an offering, according to the abominations of the nations whom the Lord drove out before the people of Israel.

NIVNew International Version (2011)

He followed the ways of the kings of Israel and also made idols for worshiping the Baals. He burned sacrifices in the Valley of Ben Hinnom and sacrificed his children in the fire, engaging in the detestable practices of the nations the Lord had driven out before the Israelites.

CSBChristian Standard Bible

for he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel and made cast images of the Baals. He burned incense in Ben Hinnom Valley and burned his children in the fire, imitating the detestable practices of the nations the Lord had dispossessed before the Israelites.

NLTNew Living Translation

Instead, he followed the example of the kings of Israel. He cast metal images for the worship of Baal. He offered sacrifices in the valley of Ben-Hinnom, even sacrificing his own sons in the fire. In this way, he followed the detestable practices of the pagan nations the Lord had driven from the land ahead of the Israelites.

LEBThe Lexham English Bible

But he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel and also made molten idols for the Baals. And he himself burned incense in the valley of Ben-Hinnom and burned his sons in the fire, according to the detestable practices of the nations whom Yahweh drove out before the Israelites.

KJV 1900King James Version

For he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, and made also molten images for Baalim. Moreover he burnt incense in the valley of the son of Hinnom, and burnt his children in the fire, after the abominations of the heathen whom the Lord had cast out before the children of Israel.

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