Ahaz Reigns in Judah^(A)

16 In the seventeenth year of Pekah the son of Remaliah, Ahaz the son of Jotham, king of Judah, began to reign.

Ahaz Reigns in Judah^(A)

28 Ahaz ^(B)was twenty years old when he became king, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem; and he did not do what was right in the sight of the Lord, as his father David had done. ² For he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, and made ^(C)molded images for ^(D)the Baals. ³ He burned incense in ^(E)the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, and burned ^(F)his children in the ^(G)fire, according to the abominations of the nations whom the Lord had ^(H)cast out before the children of Israel. ⁴ And he sacrificed and burned incense on the ^[a]high places, on the hills, and under every green tree.

Syria and Israel Defeat Judah^(I)

⁵ Therefore ^(J)the Lord his God delivered him into the hand of the king of Syria. They ^(K)defeated him, and carried away a great multitude of them as captives, and brought them to Damascus. Then he was also delivered into the hand of the king of Israel, who defeated him with a great slaughter. ⁶ For ^(L)Pekah the son of Remaliah killed one hundred and twenty thousand in Judah in one day, all valiant men, ^(M)because they had forsaken the Lord God of their fathers. ⁷ Zichri, a mighty man of Ephraim, killed Maaseiah the king’s son, Azrikam the officer over the house, and Elkanah who was second to the king. ⁸ And the children of Israel carried away captive of their ^(N)brethren two hundred thousand women, sons, and daughters; and they also took away much ^[b]spoil from them, and brought the spoil to Samaria.

Israel Returns the Captives

⁹ But a ^(O)prophet of the Lord was there, whose name was Oded; and he went out before the army that came to Samaria, and said to them: “Look, ^(P)because the Lord God of your fathers was angry with Judah, He has delivered them into your hand; but you have killed them in a rage that ^(Q)reaches up to heaven. ¹⁰ And now you propose to force the children of Judah and Jerusalem to be your ^(R)male and female slaves; but are you not also guilty before the Lord your God? ¹¹ Now hear me, therefore, and return the captives, whom you have taken captive from your brethren, ^(S)for the fierce wrath of the Lord is upon you.”

¹² Then some of the heads of the children of Ephraim, Azariah the son of Johanan, Berechiah the son of Meshillemoth, Jehizkiah the son of Shallum, and Amasa the son of Hadlai, stood up against those who came from the war, ¹³ and said to them, “You shall not bring the captives here, for we already have offended the Lord. You intend to add to our sins and to our guilt; for our guilt is great, and there is fierce wrath against Israel.” ¹⁴ So the armed men left the captives and the ^[c]spoil before the leaders and all the assembly. ¹⁵ Then the men ^(T)who were designated by name rose up and took the captives, and from the ^[d]spoil they clothed all who were naked among them, dressed them and gave them sandals, ^(U)gave them food and drink, and anointed them; and they let all the feeble ones ride on donkeys. So they brought them to their brethren at Jericho, ^(V)the city of palm trees. Then they returned to Samaria.

¹⁷ For again the ^(A)Edomites had come, attacked Judah, and carried away captives. ^18 (B)The Philistines also had invaded the cities of the lowland and of the South of Judah, and had taken Beth Shemesh, Aijalon, Gederoth, Sochoh with its villages, Timnah with its villages, and Gimzo with its villages; and they dwelt there. ¹⁹ For the Lord ^[a]brought Judah low because of Ahaz king of ^(C)Israel, for he had ^(D)encouraged moral decline in Judah and had been continually unfaithful to the Lord.

Isaiah Sent to King Ahaz^(A)

7 Now it came to pass in the days of ^(B)Ahaz the son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, king of Judah, that Rezin king of Syria and Pekah the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, went up to Jerusalem to make war against ^(C)it, but could not ^[a]prevail against it.

⁶ At that time Rezin king of Syria ^(A)captured ^[a]Elath for Syria, and drove the men of Judah from Elath. Then the ^[b]Edomites went to Elath, and dwell there to this day.

² And it was told to the house of David, saying, “Syria’s forces are ^[a]deployed in Ephraim.” So his heart and the heart of his people were moved as the trees of the woods are moved with the wind.

³ Then the Lord said to Isaiah, “Go out now to meet Ahaz, you and ^[b]Shear-Jashub your son, at the end of the aqueduct from the upper pool, on the highway to the Fuller’s Field, ⁴ and say to him: ^[c]‘Take heed, and ^[d]be ^(A)quiet; do not fear or be fainthearted for these two stubs of smoking firebrands, for the fierce anger of Rezin and Syria, and the son of Remaliah. ⁵ Because Syria, Ephraim, and the son of Remaliah have plotted evil against you, saying, ⁶ “Let us go up against Judah and ^[e]trouble it, and let us make a gap in its wall for ourselves, and set a king over them, the son of Tabel”— ⁷ thus says the Lord God:

⁷ So Ahaz sent messengers to ^(A)Tiglath-Pileser^[a] king of Assyria, saying, “I am your servant and your son. Come up and save me from the hand of the king of Syria and from the hand of the king of Israel, who rise up against me.” ⁸ And Ahaz ^(B)took the silver and gold that was found in the house of the Lord, and in the treasuries of the king’s house, and sent it as a present to the king of Assyria.

The Immanuel Prophecy

¹⁰ Moreover the Lord spoke again to Ahaz, saying, ^11 (A)“Ask a sign for yourself from the Lord your God; ^[a]ask it either in the depth or in the height above.”

¹² But Ahaz said, “I will not ask, nor will I test the Lord!”

¹³ Then he said, “Hear now, O house of David! Is it a small thing for you to weary men, but will you weary my God also? ¹⁴ Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: ^(B)Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear ^(C)a Son, and shall call His name ^(D)Immanuel.^{[b] 15} Curds and honey He shall eat, that He may know to refuse the evil and choose the good. ^16 (E)For before the Child shall know to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land that you dread will be forsaken by ^(F)both her kings. ^17 (G)The Lord will bring the king of Assyria upon you and your people and your father’s house—days that have not come since the day that ^(H)Ephraim departed from Judah.”

Assyria Will Invade the Land

8 Moreover the Lord said to me, “Take a large scroll, and ^(N)write on it with a man’s pen concerning ^[d]Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz. ² And I will take for Myself faithful witnesses to record, ^(O)Uriah the priest and Zechariah the son of Jeberechiah.”

³ Then I went to the prophetess, and she conceived and bore a son. Then the Lord said to me, “Call his name Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz; ^4 (P)for before the child ^[e]shall have knowledge to cry ‘My father’ and ‘My mother,’ ^(Q)the riches of Damascus and the ^[f]spoil of Samaria will be taken away before the king of Assyria.”

⁵ The Lord also spoke to me again, saying:

Fear God, Heed His Word

¹¹ For the Lord spoke thus to me with ^[l]a strong hand, and instructed me that I should not walk in the way of this people, saying:

⁹ So the king of Assyria heeded him; for the king of Assyria went up against ^(A)Damascus and ^(B)took it, carried its people captive to ^(C)Kir, and killed Rezin.