Ahaz Reigns in Judah
Ahaz was twenty years old when he became king, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. And he did not do the upright in the eyes of the LORD, like David his father;
and he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, and even made cast images for the Baals.
And he burned incense in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, and burned his sons in the fire, according to the abominations of the nations whom the LORD had dispossessed before the sons of Israel.
And he sacrificed and burned incense at the high places, and on the hills, and under every leafy tree.
Aram Defeats Judah
And the LORD his God gave him into the hand of the king of Aram; and they struck him, and took captive from him a great captivity, and brought them to Damascus. And he was also given into the hand of the king of Israel, who struck him with a great blow.
And Pekah the son of Remaliah killed in Judah a hundred and twenty thousand in one day — all of them sons of valor — because they had abandoned the LORD, the God of their fathers.
And Zichri, 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.
And the sons of Israel took captive of their brothers two hundred thousand — women, sons, and daughters; and they also plundered much plunder from them, and brought the plunder to Samaria.
And a prophet of the LORD was there — Oded was his name; and he went out before the army coming to Samaria, and said to them: “Look — in the fury of the LORD, the God of your fathers, against Judah, he gave them into your hand; and you have killed among them in a rage that has reached to the heavens.
And now you are saying you will subjugate the sons of Judah and Jerusalem as male and female slaves for yourselves. But are there not with you — with you yourselves — guilts against the LORD your God?
And now, hear me: return the captives you have taken captive from your brothers — for the burning of the anger of the LORD is upon you.”
And men of the heads of the sons of Ephraim — Azariah the son of Johanan, Berechiah the son of Meshillemoth, and Jehizkiah the son of Shallum, and Amasa the son of Hadlai — stood up against those coming from the army,
and said to them: “You shall not bring the captives here — for it would be guilt against the LORD upon us. You are saying you would add to our sins and to our guilt — for great is our guilt, and burning anger is against Israel.”
And the armed men left the captives and the plunder before the officials and all the assembly.
And the men who were designated by name rose and took hold of the captives; and all their naked ones they clothed from the plunder — they clothed them, and gave them sandals, and fed them, and gave them drink, and anointed them, and led all who were stumbling on donkeys; and they brought them to Jericho, the city of palms, beside their brothers. And they returned to Samaria.
The Idolatry of Ahaz
At that time King Ahaz sent to the kings of Assyria to help him.
And again the Edomites had come and struck Judah, and taken away captives.
And the Philistines had raided the cities of the lowland and of the Negev of Judah; and they captured Beth-shemesh, and Aijalon, and Gederoth, and Soco and its daughter-towns, and Timnah and its daughter-towns, and Gimzo and its daughter-towns — and they lived there.
For the LORD humbled Judah because of Ahaz, king of Israel — for he had let Judah run wild, and had broken faith utterly with the LORD.
And Tilgath-pilneser, king of Assyria, came against him; and he brought him distress, and did not strengthen him.
For Ahaz stripped the house of the LORD, and the house of the king and the officials, and gave it to the king of Assyria — but it was no help to him.
And in the time of his distress, he broke faith with the LORD still more — he, King Ahaz.
And he sacrificed to the gods of Damascus, who had struck him; and he said, “Because the gods of the kings of Aram are helping them, to them I will sacrifice, so that they will help me.” But they became his stumbling — his, and all Israel’s.
And Ahaz gathered the vessels of the house of God, and cut the vessels of the house of God in pieces; and he shut the doors of the house of the LORD, and made himself altars at every corner in Jerusalem.
And in each and every city of Judah he made high places, to burn incense to other gods; and he provoked the LORD, the God of his fathers.
And the rest of his acts and all his ways, the first and the last — look, they are written in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel.
And Ahaz lay down with his fathers, and they buried him in the city, in Jerusalem — for they did not bring him to the tombs of the kings of Israel. And Hezekiah his son became king in his place.