¹⁰ Then King Ahaz went to Damascus to meet Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria. He saw an altar in Damascus and sent to Uriah^(A) 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 offerings^[a](B) on it. ¹³ He offered up his burnt offering^(C) and grain offering,^(D) poured out his drink offering,^(E) and splashed the blood of his fellowship offerings^(F) against the altar. ¹⁴ As for the bronze altar^(G) 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 morning^(H) 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.”^{(I) 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.^{(J) 18} He took away the Sabbath canopy^[b] 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.^(K)

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 rested^(L) with his ancestors and was buried with them in the City of David. And Hezekiah his son succeeded him as king.

The Man of Lawlessness

2 Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ^(A) and our being gathered to him,^(B) we ask you, brothers and sisters, ² not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by the teaching allegedly from us—whether by a prophecy or by word of mouth or by letter^(C)—asserting that the day of the Lord^(D) has already come.^{(E) 3} Don’t let anyone deceive you^(F) in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion^(G) occurs and the man of lawlessness^[a] is revealed,^(H) the man doomed to destruction. ⁴ He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God^(I) or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God.^(J)

⁵ Don’t you remember that when I was with you I used to tell you these things?^{(K) 6} And now you know what is holding him back,^(L) so that he may be revealed at the proper time. ⁷ For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work; but the one who now holds it back^(M) will continue to do so till he is taken out of the way. ⁸ And then the lawless one will be revealed,^(N) whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth^(O) and destroy by the splendor of his coming.^{(P) 9} The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with how Satan^(Q) works. He will use all sorts of displays of power through signs and wonders^(R) that serve the lie, ¹⁰ and all the ways that wickedness deceives those who are perishing.^(S) They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved.^{(T) 11} For this reason God sends them^(U) a powerful delusion^(V) so that they will believe the lie^{(W) 12} and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness.^(X)

Stand Firm

¹³ But we ought always to thank God for you,^(Y) brothers and sisters loved by the Lord, because God chose you as firstfruits^[b](Z) to be saved^(AA) through the sanctifying work of the Spirit^(AB) and through belief in the truth. ¹⁴ He called you^(AC) to this through our gospel,^(AD) that you might share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

¹⁵ So then, brothers and sisters, stand firm^(AE) and hold fast to the teachings^[c] we passed on to you,^(AF) whether by word of mouth or by letter.

¹⁶ May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father,^(AG) who loved us^(AH) and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, ¹⁷ encourage^(AI) your hearts and strengthen^(AJ) you in every good deed and word.