2 Kings 15:1–16:20
15 In the twenty-seventh year of Jeroboam king of Israel, Azariaha s son of Amaziah king of Judah began to reign. 2 He was sixteen years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem fifty-two years. His mother’s name was Jekoliah; she was from Jerusalem. 3 He did what was rightt in the eyes of the Lord, just as his father Amaziah had done. 4 The high places, however, were not removed; the people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense there.
5 The Lord afflictedu the king with leprosyb until the day he died, and he lived in a separate house.c v Jothamw the king’s son had charge of the palacex and governed the people of the land.
6 As for the other events of Azariah’s reign, and all he did, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Judah? 7 Azariah restedy with his ancestors and was buried near them in the City of David. And Jothamz his son succeeded him as king.
8 In the thirty-eighth year of Azariah king of Judah, Zechariah son of Jeroboam became king of Israel in Samaria, and he reigned six months. 9 He did evila in the eyes of the Lord, as his predecessors had done. He did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he had caused Israel to commit.
10 Shallum son of Jabesh conspired against Zechariah. He attacked him in front of the people,d assassinatedb him and succeeded him as king. 11 The other events of Zechariah’s reign are written in the book of the annalsc of the kings of Israel. 12 So the word of the Lord spoken to Jehu was fulfilled:d “Your descendants will sit on the throne of Israel to the fourth generation.”e
13 Shallum son of Jabesh became king in the thirty-ninth year of Uzziah king of Judah, and he reigned in Samariae one month. 14 Then Menahem son of Gadi went from Tirzahf up to Samaria. He attacked Shallum son of Jabesh in Samaria, assassinatedg him and succeeded him as king.
15 The other events of Shallum’s reign, and the conspiracy he led, are written in the book of the annalsh of the kings of Israel.
16 At that time Menahem, starting out from Tirzah, attacked Tiphsahi and everyone in the city and its vicinity, because they refused to openj their gates. He sacked Tiphsah and ripped open all the pregnant women.
17 In the thirty-ninth year of Azariah king of Judah, Menahem son of Gadi became king of Israel, and he reigned in Samaria ten years. 18 He did evilk in the eyes of the Lord. During his entire reign he did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he had caused Israel to commit.
19 Then Pulf l king of Assyria invaded the land, and Menahem gave him a thousand talentsg of silver to gain his support and strengthen his own hold on the kingdom. 20 Menahem exacted this money from Israel. Every wealthy person had to contribute fifty shekelsh of silver to be given to the king of Assyria. So the king of Assyria withdrewm and stayed in the land no longer.
21 As for the other events of Menahem’s reign, and all he did, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Israel? 22 Menahem rested with his ancestors. And Pekahiah his son succeeded him as king.
23 In the fiftieth year of Azariah king of Judah, Pekahiah son of Menahem became king of Israel in Samaria, and he reigned two years. 24 Pekahiah did eviln in the eyes of the Lord. He did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he had caused Israel to commit. 25 One of his chief officers, Pekaho son of Remaliah, conspired against him. Taking fifty men of Gilead with him, he assassinatedp Pekahiah, along with Argob and Arieh, in the citadel of the royal palace at Samaria. So Pekah killed Pekahiah and succeeded him as king.
26 The other events of Pekahiah’s reign, and all he did, are written in the book of the annals of the kings of Israel.
27 In the fifty-second year of Azariah king of Judah, Pekahq son of Remaliahr became king of Israel in Samaria, and he reigned twenty years. 28 He did evil in the eyes of the Lord. He did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he had caused Israel to commit.
29 In the time of Pekah king of Israel, Tiglath-Pilesers king of Assyria came and took Ijon,t Abel Beth Maakah, Janoah, Kedesh and Hazor. He took Gilead and Galilee, including all the land of Naphtali,u and deportedv the people to Assyria. 30 Then Hosheaw son of Elah conspired against Pekah son of Remaliah. He attacked and assassinatedx him, and then succeeded him as king in the twentieth year of Jotham son of Uzziah.
31 As for the other events of Pekah’s reign, and all he did, are they not written in the book of the annalsy of the kings of Israel?
32 In the second year of Pekah son of Remaliah king of Israel, Jothamz son of Uzziah king of Judah began to reign. 33 He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem sixteen years. His mother’s name was Jerusha daughter of Zadok. 34 He did what was righta in the eyes of the Lord, just as his father Uzziah had done. 35 The high places,b however, were not removed; the people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense there. Jotham rebuilt the Upper Gatec of the temple of the Lord.
36 As for the other events of Jotham’s reign, and what he did, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Judah? 37 (In those days the Lord began to send Rezind king of Aram and Pekah son of Remaliah against Judah.) 38 Jotham rested with his ancestors and was buried with them in the City of David, the city of his father. And Ahaz his son succeeded him as king.
16 In the seventeenth year of Pekah son of Remaliah, Ahaze son of Jotham king of Judah began to reign. 2 Ahaz was twenty years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem sixteen years. Unlike David his father, he did not do what was rightf in the eyes of the Lord his God. 3 He followed the ways of the kings of Israelg and even sacrificed his sonh in the fire, engaging in the detestablei practices of the nations the Lord had driven out before the Israelites. 4 He offered sacrifices and burned incensej at the high places, on the hilltops and under every spreading tree.k
5 Then Rezinl king of Aram and Pekah son of Remaliah king of Israel marched up to fight against Jerusalem and besieged Ahaz, but they could not overpower him. 6 At that time, Rezinm king of Aram recovered Elathn for Aram by driving out the people of Judah. Edomites then moved into Elath and have lived there to this day.
7 Ahaz sent messengers to say to Tiglath-Pilesero king of Assyria, “I am your servant and vassal. Come up and savep me out of the hand of the king of Aram and of the king of Israel, who are attacking me.” 8 And Ahaz took the silver and gold found in the temple of the Lord and in the treasuries of the royal palace and sent it as a giftq to the king of Assyria. 9 The king of Assyria complied by attacking Damascusr and capturing it. He deported its inhabitants to Kirs and put Rezin to death.
10 Then King Ahaz went to Damascus to meet Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria. He saw an altar in Damascus and sent to Uriaht the priest a sketch of the altar, with detailed plans for its construction. 11 So Uriah the priest built an altar in accordance with all the plans that King Ahaz had sent from Damascus and finished it before King Ahaz returned. 12 When the king came back from Damascus and saw the altar, he approached it and presented offeringsa u on it. 13 He offered up his burnt offeringv and grain offering,w poured out his drink offering,x and splashed the blood of his fellowship offeringsy against the altar. 14 As for the bronze altarz that stood before the Lord, he brought it from the front of the temple—from between the new altar and the temple of the Lord—and put it on the north side of the new altar.
15 King Ahaz then gave these orders to Uriah the priest: “On the large new altar, offer the morninga burnt offering and the evening grain offering, the king’s burnt offering and his grain offering, and the burnt offering of all the people of the land, and their grain offering and their drink offering. Splash against this altar the blood of all the burnt offerings and sacrifices. But I will use the bronze altar for seeking guidance.”b 16 And Uriah the priest did just as King Ahaz had ordered.
17 King Ahaz cut off the side panels and removed the basins from the movable stands. He removed the Sea from the bronze bulls that supported it and set it on a stone base.c 18 He took away the Sabbath canopyb that had been built at the temple and removed the royal entryway outside the temple of the Lord, in deference to the king of Assyria.d
19 As for the other events of the reign of Ahaz, and what he did, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Judah? 20 Ahaz restede with his ancestors and was buried with them in the City of David. And Hezekiah his son succeeded him as king.