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was twenty years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem sixteen years. He did not do what was right in the sight of the Lord, unlike his father David. 2 He walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, and also made cast idols for the Baals. 3 He burned incense in the Valley of Ben-Hinnom and sacrificed his children in the fire, imitating the abominable practices of the nations whom the Lord had driven out before the Israelites. 4 He sacrificed and burned incense on the high places, on the hills, and under every green tree.
5 Therefore the Lord his God delivered Ahaz into the hand of the king of Aram. The Arameans defeated him and took many of his people as captives to Damascus.
He was also delivered into the hands of the king of Israel, who struck him with a great slaughter. 6 In a single day Pekah son of Remaliah killed a hundred and twenty thousand brave warriors in Judah—because Judah had forsaken the Lord, the God of their fathers. 7 Zichri, a mighty warrior of Ephraim, killed the king’s son Maaseiah, Azrikam the officer in charge of the palace, and Elkanah who was second to the king. 8 The Israelites took two hundred thousand captives from their own brothers—wives, sons, and daughters. They also took a great deal of plunder from them, which they brought back to Samaria.
9 But a prophet of the Lord named Obed was there, and he went out to meet the army when it returned to Samaria. He said to them, “Look, because the Lord, the God of your fathers, was angry with Judah, He has delivered them into your hand. But you have slaughtered them in a rage that has reached up to heaven. 10 Now you intend to make the people of Judah and Jerusalem, both men and women, into your slaves. But aren’t you also guilty of sins against the Lord your God? 11 Now listen to me! Send back the prisoners whom you have taken captive from your brothers, for the fierce wrath of the Lord is upon you.”
12 Then some of the leaders of the Ephraimites—Azariah son of Johanan, Berechiah son of Meshillemoth, Jehizkiah son of Shallum, and Amasa son of Hadlai—confronted those coming from the war. 13 They said to them, “You must not bring those captives here, for we have already offended the Lord. Do you intend to add to our sins and our guilt? For our guilt is already great, and there is fierce wrath against Israel.”
14 So the soldiers gave up the captives and the plunder in the presence of the officials and all the assembly. 15 Then the men who were designated by name took charge of the captives, and from the plunder they clothed all who were naked. They gave them sandals, food and drink, dressed their wounds, and provided all who were feeble with donkeys. The Israelites then took them back to Jericho, the City of Palms, and they returned to Samaria.
16 At that time King Ahaz sent word to the king of Assyria asking for help. 17 The Edomites had come again and invaded Judah, and carried away captives. 18 The Philistines had raided the cities in the foothills and the Negev of Judah. They had captured Beth-shemesh, Aijalon, Gederoth, Soco and its villages, Timnah and its villages, Gimzo and its villages, and they settled there. 19 For the Lord had humbled Judah because of Ahaz king of Israel, for he had brought about much wickedness in Judah and had been very unfaithful to the Lord. 20 Then Tilgath-pilneser king of Assyria came to Ahaz, but he oppressed him instead of strengthening him. 21 Ahaz took some of the things from the House of the Lord and from the palace of the king and from the princes and presented them to the king of Assyria, but it did not help him.
22 In the time of his distress King Ahaz himself became even more unfaithful to the Lord -this same King Ahaz. 23 He sacrificed to the gods of Damascus which had defeated him; and he said, “Because the gods of the kings of Aram have helped them, I will sacrifice to them so that they may help me.” But they were the downfall of him, and of all Israel.
24 Ahaz gathered together the utensils from God’s temple and cut the utensils from the temple in pieces. Then he shut up the doors of the House of the Lord, and set up altars on every street corner in Jerusalem. 25 He made high places in every city of Judah to burn incense to other gods, and provoked the Lord, the God of his fathers, to anger.
26 Now the rIsraelest of his acts and all his ways, from beginning to end, indeed they are written in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel. 27 Ahaz slept with his fathers and was buried in the city of Jerusalem, but he was not taken into the tombs of the kings of Israel. Then his son Hezekiah succeeded him as king.