2 Chronicles 28:1-27
1Ahaz was twenty years old when he became king, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. He did not do what was right in the eyes of YHWH, like David his father; 2he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, and also made molten images for the Baals. 3He burned incense in the Valley of Ben-hinnom and burned his sons in the fire, according to the abominations of the nations whom YHWH had dispossessed before the sons of Israel. 4He sacrificed and burned incense on the high places, and on the hills, and under every leafy tree. 5YHWH his Elohim gave him into the hand of the king of Aram, and they struck him and took captive from him a great number of captives and brought them to Damascus. He was also given into the hand of the king of Israel, who struck him with a great blow. 6Pekah son of Remaliah killed in Judah a hundred and twenty thousand in one day, all of them valiant men, because they had abandoned YHWH, the Elohim of their fathers. 7Zichri, a mighty man of Ephraim, killed Maaseiah the son of the king, and Azrikam the leader of the house, and Elkanah the second to the king. 8The sons of Israel took captive from their brothers two hundred thousand, women, sons and daughters; and they also plundered much spoil from them, and brought the spoil to Samaria. 9But there was a prophet of YHWH whose name was Oded; he went out before the army that was coming to Samaria, and said to them, “Look, because of the fury of YHWH, the Elohim of your fathers, against Judah, he gave them into your hand, but you have killed them with a rage that has reached up to the heavens. 10And now you intend to subjugate the sons of Judah and Jerusalem as male slaves and female slaves for yourselves. Are there not indeed with you yourselves acts of guilt against YHWH your Elohim? 11Now listen to me and send back the captives whom you have taken captive from your brothers, for the burning anger of YHWH is upon you.” 12Some men of the heads of the sons of Ephraim, Azariah son of Jehohanan, Berechiah son of Meshillemoth, and Hezekiah son of Shallum, and Amasa son of Hadlai, rose up against those coming from the army, 13and said to them, “You shall not bring the captives here, for what you intend leads to guilt before YHWH upon us, to add to our sins and to our acts of guilt; for great is the guilt we have, and there is burning anger against Israel.” 14So the equipped men left the captives and the plunder before the officials and all the assembly. 15Then the men who had been designated by name rose up and took charge of the captives; and all the naked among them they clothed from the spoil; they clothed them, gave them sandals, gave them food and drink, anointed them, led them on donkeys, all who stumbled, and brought them to Jericho, the city of palm trees, beside their brothers. Then they returned to Samaria. 16At that time King Ahaz sent to the kings of Assyria to help him. 17Again the Edomites had come and struck Judah and carried away captives. 18The Philistines made raids on the cities of the Shephelah and of the Negev of Judah, and captured Beth-shemesh, Aijalon, Gederoth, Soco and its villages, Timnah and its villages, and Gimzo and its villages; and they settled there. 19For YHWH humbled Judah because of Ahaz king of Israel, for he had cast off restraint in Judah and had been greatly unfaithful to YHWH. 20Tilgath-pilneser king of Assyria came against him and distressed him, and did not strengthen him. 21For Ahaz took a portion from the house of YHWH and from the house of the king and from the officials, and gave it to the king of Assyria; but it was not of help to him. 22In the time of his distress he was even more unfaithful to YHWH, he, King Ahaz. 23He sacrificed to the gods of Damascus, who had struck him, and said, “Because the gods of the kings of Aram, they help them, to them I will sacrifice, and they will help me.” But they were for him to make him stumble, and all Israel. 24Ahaz gathered the utensils of the house of Elohim and cut in pieces the utensils of the house of Elohim, and shut the doors of the house of YHWH, and made for himself altars in every corner of Jerusalem.
2 Kings 16:1-20
1In year seventeen of Pekah son of Remaliah, Ahaz son of Jotham, king of Judah, became king. 2Ahaz was twenty years old when he became king, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. He did not do what was right in the eyes of YHWH his Elohim like David his father. 3He walked in the way of the kings of Israel, and he even made his son pass through the fire, according to the abominations of the nations whom YHWH dispossessed before the sons of Israel. 4He sacrificed and burned incense on the high places and on the hills and under every leafy tree. 5Then Rezin king of Aram and Pekah son of Remaliah, king of Israel, came up to Jerusalem for war, and they besieged Ahaz, but they could not fight. 6At that time Rezin king of Aram brought back Elath to Aram and drove out the Jews from Elath; and the Edomites came to Elath and have lived there to this day. 7Ahaz sent messengers to Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria, saying, “I am your servant and your son. Come up and save me from the hand of the king of Aram and from the hand of the king of Israel, who are rising against me.” 8Ahaz took the silver and the gold that was found in the house of YHWH and in the treasuries of the house of the king, and sent to the king of Assyria a bribe. 9The king of Assyria listened to him; the king of Assyria went up to Damascus and seized it and carried it into exile to Kir, and Rezin he put to death. 10King Ahaz went to meet Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria at Damascus, and he saw the altar that was in Damascus. And King Ahaz sent to Uriah the priest the likeness of the altar and its pattern, for all its workmanship. 11Uriah the priest built the altar; according to all that King Ahaz had sent from Damascus, so Uriah the priest did, until King Ahaz came from Damascus. 12The king came from Damascus, and the king saw the altar; and the king approached the altar and offered on it. 13He offered up in smoke his burnt offering and his grain offering, poured his libation, and splashed the blood of the peace offerings that were his on the altar. 14The bronze altar that was before YHWH, he moved from the front of the house, from between the altar and the house of YHWH, and put it on the side of the altar toward the north. 15King Ahaz commanded Uriah the priest, saying, “On the great altar offer up in smoke the burnt offering of the morning and the grain offering of the evening, and the burnt offering of the king and his grain offering, and the burnt offering of all the people of the land, and their grain offering and their libations; and all the blood of burnt offering and all the blood of sacrifice you shall splash on it. But the bronze altar shall be for me to inquire by.” 16Uriah the priest did according to all that King Ahaz commanded. 17King Ahaz cut off the panels of the stands, and removed from them the basin; and the Sea he took down from the bronze oxen that were under it, and put it on a pavement of stones. 18And the covered portico of the Sabbath that they had built in the house, and the outer entrance of the king, he changed in the house of YHWH because of the king of Assyria. 19The rest of the acts of Ahaz that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? 20Ahaz lay down with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the city of David; and Hezekiah his son reigned in his place.
