2 Kings 15:1–16:20
The Acts of Azariah (Uzziah) in Judah
15 In the twenty-seventh year of Jeroboam king of Israel, Azariah the son of Amaziah king of Judah began to reign. 2 He was ⌊sixteen years old⌋a when he became king, and he reigned fifty-two years in Jerusalem. The name of his mother was Jecoliah of Jerusalem. 3 He did right in the eyes of Yahweh, according to all that Amaziah his father had done. 4 Only he did not remove the high places; the people were still sacrificing and burning incense on the high places. 5 Yahweh struck the king, and he was infected with a skin disease until the day of his death. He lived in a separate house, while Jotham the son of the king was over the house, governing the people of the land. 6 The remainder of the acts of Azariah, and all that he did, are they not written on the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Judah? 7 So Azariah slept with his ancestors,b and they buried him with his ancestorsc in the city of David, and Jotham his son became king in his place.
8 In the thirty-eighth year of Azariah king of Judah, Zechariah the son of Jeroboam reigned over Israel in Samaria for six months. 9 He did evil in the eyes of Yahweh as his ancestorsd had done. He did not depart from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat which he caused Israel to sin. 10 Shallum the son of Jabesh conspired against him, struck him in front of the people, killed him, and reigned in his place. 11 Now the remainder of the acts of Zechariah, look, they are written on the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Israel. 12 This is the word of Yahweh that he spoke to Jehu, saying, “Sons of a fourth generation shall sit for you on the throne of Israel,” and it was so.
Shallum Reigns only a Month in Israel
13 Shallum the son of Jabesh began to reign in the thirty-ninth year of Uzziah king of Judah, and he reigned ⌊a full month⌋e in Samaria. 14 Then Menahem the son of Gadi came up from Tirzah, and he came to Samaria and struck down Shallum the son of Jabesh in Samaria and killed him. Then he became king in place of him. 15 Now the remainder of the acts of Shallum, and his conspiracy that he conspired; look, they are written on the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Israel. 16 At that time Menahem destroyed Tiphsah, all who were in it, and all its territory from Tirzah, because it had not opened to him, so he destroyed it and ripped open all of its pregnant women.
17 In the thirty-ninth year of Azariah king of Judah, Menahem the son of Gadi began to reign over Israel for ten years in Samaria. 18 But he did evil in the eyes of Yahweh. He did not depart all of his days from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat which he caused Israel to sin.
19 Pul the king of Assyria came against the land, so Menahem gave a thousand talents of silver to Pul so that his hand would be with him ⌊to strengthen his hold on the kingdom⌋.f 20 Menahem exacted the money from Israel, from all ⌊the very rich⌋,g to give to the king of Assyria fifty shekels of silver for each one. Then the king of Assyria returned and did not stay there in the land. 21 Now the rest of the acts of Menahem, and all that he did, are they not written in the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Israel? 22 So Menahem slept with his ancestors,h and Pekahiah his son became king in his place.
23 In the fiftieth year of Azariah king of Judah, Pekahiah the son of Menahem began to reign over Israel in Samaria for two years. 24 But he did evil in the eyes of Yahweh. He did not depart from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat which he caused Israel to sin. 25 Pekah the son of Remaliah, his captain, conspired against him, so he attacked him in Samaria in the citadel fortress of the palace of the king, with Argob and Arieh. With him also were fifty men from the children of the Gileadites, and he killed him and became king in his place. 26 Now the remainder of the acts of Pekahiah and all that he did, look, they are written in the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Israel.
27 In the fifty-second year of Azariah king of Judah, Pekah the son of Remaliah began to reign over Israel in Samaria for twenty years. 28 He did evil in the eyes of Yahweh. He did not depart from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat which he caused Israel to sin.
29 In the days of Pekah king of Israel, Tiglath-Pileser the king of Assyria came and took Ijon, Abel-Beth-Maacah, Janoah, Kedesh, Hazor, the Gilead, the Galilee, and all the land of Naphtali; then he deported them to Assyria. 30 Hoshea the son of Elah conspired against Pekah the son of Remaliah, and he attacked and killed him. He reigned in place of him in the twentieth year of Jotham the son of Uzziah. 31 Now the remainder of the acts of Pekah and all that he did, look, they are written in the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Israel.
32 In the second year of Pekah the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, Jotham the son of Uzziah king of Judah began to reign. 33 He was ⌊twenty-five years old⌋i when he became king, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem, and the name of his mother was Jerusha the daughter of Zadok. 34 He did what was right in the eyes of Yahweh, according to all that Uzziah his father had done. 35 Only the high places were not removed; the people still were sacrificing and offering incense on the high places. He built the upper gate of the temple of Yahweh. 36 Now the remainder of the acts of Jotham that he did, are they not written on the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Judah? 37 (Now, in those days, Yahweh began to send Rezin the king of Aram and Pekah the son of Remaliah against Judah.) 38 So Jotham slept with his ancestorsj and was buried with his ancestorsk in the city of David his ancestor,l and his son Ahaz became king in his place.
Ahaz Reigns in Judah and Seeks Help against the Assyrians
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⌋a when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. He did not do right in the eyes of Yahweh his God as David his ancestor.b 3 He walked in the way of the kings of Israel; he even let his son pass through the fire according to the detestable things of the nations which Yahweh drove out from before the ⌊Israelites⌋.c 4 He sacrificed and offered incense on the high places, on the hills, and under every green tree. 5 Then Rezin the king of Aram went up with Pekah the son of Remaliah king of Israel against Jerusalem for battle, and they besieged Ahaz but were not able to ⌊defeat⌋d him. 6 At that time, Rezin king of Aram recovered Elath for Aram and drove out the Judeans from Elath. The Arameans came to Elath and have lived there until this day.
7 Ahaz sent messengers to Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria, saying, “I am your servant and your son. Come up and rescue me from the hand of the king of Aram and from the hand of the king of Israel who are rising up against me.” 8 Ahaz took the silver and gold found in the house of Yahweh and in the treasury rooms of the palace of the king, and he sent a gift to the king of Assyria. 9 So the king of Assyria listened to him and he went up to Damascus and captured it and deported them to Kir. He also killed Rezin.
Damascus Falls to the Assyrians
10 So King Ahaz went to meet Tiglath-Pileser the king of Assyria in Damascus, and he saw the altar that was in Damascus, so King Ahaz sent to Uriah the priest the builder’s plan of the altar and the ⌊exact model of how it had been made⌋.e 11 So Uriah the priest built the altar according to all that King Ahaz had sent from Damascus; thus Uriah the priest did before King Ahaz came from Damascus. 12 When the king came from Damascus, the king saw the altar, so he went near to the altar and went up on it. 13 Then he offered his burnt offerings and his grain offerings, he poured his libations and dashed the blood of his fellowship offerings against the altar. 14 Now the bronze altar that was before Yahweh, he brought over from the front of the temple, from between his altar and the temple of Yahweh, and he placed it at the side of his altar to the north. 15 Then King Ahaz commanded Uriah the priest, saying, “On the great altar burn the morning burnt offering and the grain offering of the evening, the burnt offering of the king and his grain offering, the burnt offering of all of the people of the land, their offerings, their libations, and all of the blood of the burnt offerings, the blood of the sacrifices you must dash on it. But the bronze altar shall be for me to inquire by.” 16 So Uriah the priest did according to all that King Ahaz commanded. 17 Then King Ahaz cut off the side panels of the water carts and removed from upon them the basin, and the sea he took down from the bronze oxen that were under it and put it on a stone base. 18 The covering for the Sabbath, which they had built in the palace and in the entrance of the king to the outside, he removed from the temple of Yahweh because of the presence of the king of Assyria. 19 Now the remainder of the acts of Ahaz that he did, are they not written in the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Judah? 20 So Ahaz slept with his ancestorsf and was buried with his ancestorsg in the city of David, and Hezekiah his son reigned in his place.