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2 Kings 15-16
New English Translation

Azariah’s Reign over Judah

15 In the twenty-seventh year of King Jeroboam’s reign over Israel, Amaziah’s son Azariah became king over Judah. 2 He was sixteen years old when he began to reign, and he reigned for fifty-two years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jecholiah, who was from Jerusalem. 3 He did what the Lord approved, just as his father Amaziah had done.[a] 4 But the high places were not eliminated; the people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense on the high places. 5 The Lord afflicted the king with an illness; he suffered from a skin disease[b] until the day he died. He lived in separate quarters,[c] while his son Jotham was in charge of the palace and ruled over the people of the land.

6 The rest of the events of Azariah’s reign, including all his accomplishments, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Judah.[d] 7 Azariah passed away[e] and was buried[f] with his ancestors in the City of David. His son Jotham replaced him as king.

Zechariah’s Reign over Israel

8 In the thirty-eighth year of King Azariah’s reign over Judah, Jeroboam’s son Zechariah became king over Israel. He reigned in Samaria for six months. 9 He did evil in the sight of[g] the Lord, as his ancestors had done. He did not repudiate[h] the sinful ways of Jeroboam son of Nebat who encouraged Israel to sin. 10 Shallum son of Jabesh conspired against him; he assassinated him in Ibleam[i] and took his place as king. 11 The rest of the events of Zechariah’s reign are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel.[j] 12 His assassination fulfilled[k] the Lord’s message to Jehu, “Four generations of your descendants will rule on Israel’s throne.”[l] And that is how it happened.

13 Shallum son of Jabesh became king in the thirty-ninth year of King Uzziah’s[m] reign over Judah. He reigned for one month[n] in Samaria. 14 Menahem son of Gadi went up from Tirzah to[o] Samaria and attacked Shallum son of Jabesh.[p] He killed him and took his place as king. 15 The rest of the events of Shallum’s reign, including the conspiracy he organized, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel.[q] 16 At that time Menahem came from Tirzah and attacked Tiphsah. He struck down all who lived in the city and the surrounding territory, because they would not surrender.[r] He even ripped open the pregnant women.

Menahem’s Reign over Israel

17 In the thirty-ninth year of King Azariah’s reign over Judah, Menahem son of Gadi became king over Israel. He reigned for ten years in Samaria. 18 He did evil in the sight of[s] the Lord; he did not repudiate[t] the sinful ways of Jeroboam son of Nebat, who encouraged Israel to sin.[u]

During his reign, 19 Pul[v] king of Assyria invaded the land, and Menahem paid[w] him[x] 1,000 talents[y] of silver to gain his support[z] and to solidify his control of the kingdom.[aa] 20 Menahem got this silver by taxing all the wealthy men in Israel; he took fifty shekels of silver from each one of them and paid it to the king of Assyria.[ab] Then the king of Assyria left; he did not stay there in the land.

21 The rest of the events of Menahem’s reign, including all his accomplishments, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel.[ac] 22 Menahem passed away[ad] and his son Pekahiah replaced him as king.

Pekahiah’s Reign over Israel

23 In the fiftieth year of King Azariah’s reign over Judah, Menahem’s son Pekahiah became king over Israel. He reigned in Samaria for two years. 24 He did evil in the sight of[ae] the Lord; he did not repudiate[af] the sinful ways of Jeroboam son of Nebat who encouraged Israel to sin. 25 His officer Pekah son of Remaliah conspired against him. He and fifty Gileadites assassinated Pekahiah, as well as Argob and Arieh, in Samaria in the fortress of the royal palace.[ag] Pekah[ah] then took his place as king.

26 The rest of the events of Pekahiah’s reign, including all his accomplishments, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel.[ai]

Pekah’s Reign over Israel

27 In the fifty-second year of King Azariah’s reign over Judah, Pekah son of Remaliah became king over Israel. He reigned in Samaria for twenty years. 28 He did evil in the sight of[aj] the Lord; he did not repudiate[ak] the sinful ways of Jeroboam son of Nebat who encouraged Israel to sin. 29 During Pekah’s reign over Israel, King Tiglath-Pileser of Assyria came and captured Ijon, Abel Beth Maacah, Janoah, Kedesh, Hazor, Gilead, and Galilee, including all the territory of Naphtali. He deported the people[al] to Assyria. 30 Hoshea son of Elah conspired against Pekah son of Remaliah. He assassinated him[am] and took his place as king, in the twentieth year of the reign of Jotham son of Uzziah.

31 The rest of the events of Pekah’s reign, including all his accomplishments, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel.[an]

Jotham’s Reign over Judah

32 In the second year of the reign of Israel’s King Pekah son of Remaliah, Uzziah’s son Jotham became king over Judah. 33 He was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned for sixteen years in Jerusalem. His mother was Jerusha the daughter of Zadok. 34 He did what the Lord approved, just as his father Uzziah had done.[ao] 35 But the high places were not eliminated; the people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense on the high places. He built the Upper Gate to the Lord’s temple.

36 The rest of the events of Jotham’s reign, including his accomplishments, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Judah.[ap] 37 In those days the Lord prompted King Rezin of Syria and Pekah son of Remaliah to attack Judah.[aq] 38 Jotham passed away[ar] and was buried with his ancestors in the city of his ancestor David. His son Ahaz replaced him as king.

Ahaz’s Reign over Judah

16 In the seventeenth year of the reign of Pekah son of Remaliah, Jotham’s son Ahaz became king over Judah. 2 Ahaz was twenty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned for sixteen years in Jerusalem. He did not do what pleased the Lord his God, in contrast to his ancestor David.[as] 3 He followed in the footsteps of[at] the kings of Israel. He passed his son through the fire,[au] a horrible sin practiced by the nations[av] whom the Lord drove out from before the Israelites. 4 He offered sacrifices and burned incense on the high places, on the hills, and under every green tree.

5 At that time King Rezin of Syria and King Pekah son of Remaliah of Israel attacked Jerusalem.[aw] They besieged Ahaz,[ax] but were unable to conquer him.[ay] 6 (At that time King Rezin of Syria[az] recovered Elat for Syria; he drove the Judahites from there.[ba] Syrians[bb] arrived in Elat and live there to this very day.) 7 Ahaz sent messengers to King Tiglath-Pileser of Assyria, saying, “I am your servant and your dependent.[bc] March up and rescue me from the power[bd] of the king of Syria and the king of Israel, who have attacked[be] me.” 8 Then Ahaz took the silver and gold that were[bf] in the Lord’s temple and in the treasuries of the royal palace and sent it as tribute[bg] to the king of Assyria. 9 The king of Assyria responded favorably to his request;[bh] he[bi] attacked Damascus and captured it. He deported the people[bj] to Kir and executed Rezin.

10 When King Ahaz went to meet with King Tiglath-Pileser of Assyria in Damascus, he saw the altar there.[bk] King Ahaz sent to Uriah the priest a drawing of the altar and a blueprint for its design.[bl] 11 Uriah the priest built an altar in conformity to the plans King Ahaz had sent from Damascus.[bm] Uriah the priest finished it before King Ahaz arrived back from Damascus.[bn] 12 When the king arrived back from Damascus and[bo] saw the altar, he approached it[bp] and offered a sacrifice on it.[bq] 13 He offered his burnt sacrifice and his grain offering. He poured out his libation and sprinkled the blood from his peace offerings on the altar. 14 He moved the bronze altar that stood in the Lord’s presence from the front of the temple (between the altar and the Lord’s temple) and put it on the north side of the new[br] altar. 15 King Ahaz ordered Uriah the priest, “On the large altar[bs] offer the morning burnt sacrifice, the evening grain offering, the royal burnt sacrifices and grain offering, the burnt sacrifice for all the people of the land, their grain offering, and their libations. Sprinkle all the blood of the burnt sacrifice and other sacrifices on it. The bronze altar will be for my personal use.”[bt] 16 So Uriah the priest did exactly as[bu] King Ahaz ordered.

17 King Ahaz took off the frames of the movable stands, and removed the basins from them. He took “The Sea”[bv] down from the bronze bulls that supported it[bw] and put it on the stone pavement. 18 He also removed the Sabbath awning[bx] that had been built[by] in the temple and the king’s outer entranceway to the Lord’s temple, on account of the king of Assyria.[bz]

19 The rest of the events of Ahaz’s reign, including his accomplishments, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Judah.[ca] 20 Ahaz passed away[cb] and was buried with his ancestors in the City of David. His son Hezekiah replaced him as king.

Footnotes

  1. 2 Kings 15:3 tn Heb “he did what was proper in the eyes of the Lord, according to all which Amaziah his father had done.”
  2. 2 Kings 15:5 tn Traditionally, “he was a leper.” But see the note at 5:1.
  3. 2 Kings 15:5 tn The precise meaning of בֵית הַחָפְשִׁית (bet hakhofshit), “house of […?],” is uncertain. For a discussion of various proposals, see M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 166-67.
  4. 2 Kings 15:6 tn Heb “As for the rest of the events of Azariah, and all which he did, are they not written on the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Judah?”
  5. 2 Kings 15:7 tn Heb “lay down with his fathers.”
  6. 2 Kings 15:7 tn Heb “and they buried him.”
  7. 2 Kings 15:9 tn Heb “in the eyes of.”
  8. 2 Kings 15:9 tn Heb “turn away from.”
  9. 2 Kings 15:10 tc The MT reads, “and he struck him down before the people and killed him” (cf. KJV, ASV, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT). However, the reading קָבָל עָם (qaval ʿam), “before the people,” is problematic to some because קָבָל is a relatively late Aramaic term. Nevertheless, the Aramaic term qobel certainly antedates the writing of Kings. The bigger problem seems to be the unnecessary intrusion of an Aramaic word at all here. Most interpreters prefer to follow Lucian’s Greek version and read “in Ibleam” (בְיִבְלְעָם, beyivleʿam). Cf. NAB, TEV.
  10. 2 Kings 15:11 tn Heb “As for the rest of the events of Jeroboam, look, they are written on the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Israel.”
  11. 2 Kings 15:12 tn Heb “that was.”
  12. 2 Kings 15:12 tn “sons of four generations will sit for you on the throne of Israel.” sn See the note at 2 Kgs 10:30.
  13. 2 Kings 15:13 sn Azariah was also known by the name Uzziah.
  14. 2 Kings 15:13 tn Heb “a month of days.”
  15. 2 Kings 15:14 tn Heb “and came to.”
  16. 2 Kings 15:14 tn Heb “went up from Tirzah and arrived in Samaria and attacked Shallum son of Jabesh in Samaria.”
  17. 2 Kings 15:15 tn Heb “As for the rest of the events of Shallum, and his conspiracy which he conspired, look, they are written on the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Israel.”
  18. 2 Kings 15:16 tn Heb “then Menahem attacked Tiphsah and all who were in it and its borders from Tirzah, for it would not open, and he attacked.”tn Instead of “Tiphsah,” the LXX has “Tirzah,” while Lucian’s Greek version reads “Tappuah.” For discussion see M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 171.
  19. 2 Kings 15:18 tn Heb “in the eyes of.”
  20. 2 Kings 15:18 tn Heb “turn away from.”
  21. 2 Kings 15:18 tc The MT of v. 18 ends with the words, “all his days.” If this phrase is taken with what precedes, then one should translate, “[who encouraged Israel to sin] throughout his reign.” However, it may be preferable to emend the text to בְּיֹמָיו (beyomayv), “in his days,” and join the phrase to what follows. The translation assumes this change.
  22. 2 Kings 15:19 sn Pul was a nickname of Tiglath-Pileser III (cf. 15:29). See M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 171-72.
  23. 2 Kings 15:19 tn Heb “gave.”
  24. 2 Kings 15:19 tn Heb “Pul.” The proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“him”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.
  25. 2 Kings 15:19 tn The Hebrew term כִּכָּר (kikkar, “circle”) refers generally to something that is round. When used of metals it can refer to a disk-shaped weight made of the metal or to a standard unit of weight, generally regarded as a talent. Since the accepted weight for a talent of metal is about 75 pounds, this would have amounted to about 75,000 pounds of silver (cf. NCV “about seventy-four thousand pounds”); NLT “thirty-seven tons”; CEV “over thirty tons”; TEV “34,000 kilogrammes.”
  26. 2 Kings 15:19 tn Heb “so his hands would be with him.”
  27. 2 Kings 15:19 tn Heb “to keep hold of the kingdom in his hand.”
  28. 2 Kings 15:20 tn Heb “and Menahem brought out the silver over Israel, over the prominent men of means, to give to the king of Assyria, fifty shekels of silver for each man.”
  29. 2 Kings 15:21 tn Heb “As for the rest of the events of Menahem, and all which he did, are they not written on the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Israel?”
  30. 2 Kings 15:22 tn Heb “lay down with his fathers.”
  31. 2 Kings 15:24 tn Heb “in the eyes of.”
  32. 2 Kings 15:24 tn Heb “turn away from.”
  33. 2 Kings 15:25 tn Heb “and he struck him down in Samaria in the fortress of the house of the king, Argob and Arieh, and with him fifty men from the sons of the Gileadites, and they killed him.”sn The precise identity of Argob and Arieh, as well as their relationship to the king, are uncertain. The usual assumption is that they were officials assassinated along with Pekahiah, or that they were two of the more prominent Gileadites involved in the revolt. For discussion see M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 173.
  34. 2 Kings 15:25 tn Heb “He.” The proper name Pekah has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
  35. 2 Kings 15:26 tn Heb “As for the rest of the events of Pekahiah, and all that he did, look, they are written on the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Israel.”
  36. 2 Kings 15:28 tn Heb “in the eyes of.”
  37. 2 Kings 15:28 tn Heb “turn away from.”
  38. 2 Kings 15:29 tn Heb “them.”
  39. 2 Kings 15:30 tn Heb “and struck him down and killed him.”
  40. 2 Kings 15:31 tn Heb “As for the rest of the events of Pekah, and all that he did, look, they are written on the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Israel.”
  41. 2 Kings 15:34 tn Heb “he did what was proper in the eyes of the Lord, according to all which Uzziah his father had done.”
  42. 2 Kings 15:36 tn Heb “As for the rest of the events of Jotham, and that which he did, are they not written on the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Judah?”
  43. 2 Kings 15:37 tn Heb “the Lord began to send against Judah Rezin…and Pekahiah….”
  44. 2 Kings 15:38 tn Heb “lay down with his fathers.”
  45. 2 Kings 16:2 tn Heb “and he did not do what was proper in the eyes of the Lord his God, like David his father.”
  46. 2 Kings 16:3 tn Heb “he walked in the way of.”
  47. 2 Kings 16:3 sn This may refer to child sacrifice, though some interpret it as a less drastic cultic practice. For discussion see M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 266-67.
  48. 2 Kings 16:3 tn Heb “like the abominable practices of the nations.”
  49. 2 Kings 16:5 tn Heb “went up to Jerusalem for battle.”
  50. 2 Kings 16:5 tn That is, Jerusalem, Ahaz’s capital city.
  51. 2 Kings 16:5 tn Heb “they were unable to fight.” The object must be supplied from the preceding sentence. Elsewhere when the Niphal infinitive of לָחָם (lakham) follows the verb יָכֹל (yakhol), the infinitive appears to have the force of “prevail against.” See Num 22:11; 1 Sam 17:9; and the parallel passage in Isa 7:1.
  52. 2 Kings 16:6 tc Some prefer to read “the king of Edom” and “for Edom” here. The names Syria (Heb “Aram,” אֲרָם, ʾaram) and Edom (אֱדֹם, ʾedom) are easily confused in the Hebrew consonantal script.
  53. 2 Kings 16:6 tn Heb “from Elat.”
  54. 2 Kings 16:6 tc The consonantal text (Kethib), supported by many medieval Hebrew mss, the Syriac version, and some mss of the Targum and Vulgate, read “Syrians” (Heb “Arameans”). The marginal reading (Qere), supported by the LXX, Targums, and Vulgate, reads “Edomites.”
  55. 2 Kings 16:7 tn Heb “son.” Both terms (“servant” and “son”) reflect Ahaz’s subordinate position as Tiglath-Pileser’s subject.
  56. 2 Kings 16:7 tn Heb “hand, palm.”
  57. 2 Kings 16:7 tn Heb “who have arisen against.”
  58. 2 Kings 16:8 tn Heb “that was found.”
  59. 2 Kings 16:8 tn Or “bribe money.”
  60. 2 Kings 16:9 tn Heb “listened to him.”
  61. 2 Kings 16:9 tn Heb “the king of Assyria.”
  62. 2 Kings 16:9 tn Heb “it.”
  63. 2 Kings 16:10 tn Heb “in Damascus.”
  64. 2 Kings 16:10 tn Heb “the likeness of the altar and its pattern for all its work.”
  65. 2 Kings 16:11 tn Heb “according to all that King Ahaz sent from Damascus.”
  66. 2 Kings 16:11 tn Heb “so Uriah the priest did, until the arrival of King Ahaz from Damascus.”
  67. 2 Kings 16:12 tn Heb “and the king.”
  68. 2 Kings 16:12 tn Heb “the altar.”
  69. 2 Kings 16:12 tn Or “ascended it.”
  70. 2 Kings 16:14 tn The word “new” is added in the translation for clarification.
  71. 2 Kings 16:15 tn That is, the newly constructed altar.
  72. 2 Kings 16:15 tn Heb “for me to seek.” The precise meaning of בָּקַר (baqar), “seek,” is uncertain in this context. For discussion see M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 189.
  73. 2 Kings 16:16 tn Heb “according to all that.”
  74. 2 Kings 16:17 sn See the note at 1 Kgs 7:23.
  75. 2 Kings 16:17 tn Heb “that [were] under it.”
  76. 2 Kings 16:18 tn The precise meaning of the Hebrew term מוּסַךְ (musakh; Qere) / מִיסַךְ (misakh; Kethib) is uncertain. For discussion see HALOT 557 s.v. מוּסַךְ and M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 189-90.
  77. 2 Kings 16:18 tn Heb “that they built.”
  78. 2 Kings 16:18 sn It is doubtful that Tiglath-Pileser ordered these architectural changes. Ahaz probably made these changes so he could send some of the items and materials to the Assyrian king as tribute. See M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 190, 193.
  79. 2 Kings 16:19 tn Heb “As for the rest of the events of Ahaz, and that which he did, are they not written on the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Judah?”
  80. 2 Kings 16:20 tn Heb “lay down with his fathers.”
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2 Kings 15-16
New International Version

Azariah King of Judah(A)

15 In the twenty-seventh year of Jeroboam king of Israel, Azariah[a](B) son of Amaziah king of Judah began to reign. 2 He was sixteen years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem fifty-two years. His mother’s name was Jekoliah; she was from Jerusalem. 3 He did what was right(C) in the eyes of the Lord, just as his father Amaziah had done. 4 The high places, however, were not removed; the people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense there.

5 The Lord afflicted(D) the king with leprosy[b] until the day he died, and he lived in a separate house.[c](E) Jotham(F) the king’s son had charge of the palace(G) and governed the people of the land.

6 As for the other events of Azariah’s reign, and all he did, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Judah? 7 Azariah rested(H) with his ancestors and was buried near them in the City of David. And Jotham(I) his son succeeded him as king.

Zechariah King of Israel

8 In the thirty-eighth year of Azariah king of Judah, Zechariah son of Jeroboam became king of Israel in Samaria, and he reigned six months. 9 He did evil(J) in the eyes of the Lord, as his predecessors had done. He did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he had caused Israel to commit.

10 Shallum son of Jabesh conspired against Zechariah. He attacked him in front of the people,[d] assassinated(K) him and succeeded him as king. 11 The other events of Zechariah’s reign are written in the book of the annals(L) of the kings of Israel. 12 So the word of the Lord spoken to Jehu was fulfilled:(M) “Your descendants will sit on the throne of Israel to the fourth generation.”[e]

Shallum King of Israel

13 Shallum son of Jabesh became king in the thirty-ninth year of Uzziah king of Judah, and he reigned in Samaria(N) one month. 14 Then Menahem son of Gadi went from Tirzah(O) up to Samaria. He attacked Shallum son of Jabesh in Samaria, assassinated(P) him and succeeded him as king.

15 The other events of Shallum’s reign, and the conspiracy he led, are written in the book of the annals(Q) of the kings of Israel.

16 At that time Menahem, starting out from Tirzah, attacked Tiphsah(R) and everyone in the city and its vicinity, because they refused to open(S) their gates. He sacked Tiphsah and ripped open all the pregnant women.

Menahem King of Israel

17 In the thirty-ninth year of Azariah king of Judah, Menahem son of Gadi became king of Israel, and he reigned in Samaria ten years. 18 He did evil(T) in the eyes of the Lord. During his entire reign he did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he had caused Israel to commit.

19 Then Pul[f](U) king of Assyria invaded the land, and Menahem gave him a thousand talents[g] of silver to gain his support and strengthen his own hold on the kingdom. 20 Menahem exacted this money from Israel. Every wealthy person had to contribute fifty shekels[h] of silver to be given to the king of Assyria. So the king of Assyria withdrew(V) and stayed in the land no longer.

21 As for the other events of Menahem’s reign, and all he did, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Israel? 22 Menahem rested with his ancestors. And Pekahiah his son succeeded him as king.

Pekahiah King of Israel

23 In the fiftieth year of Azariah king of Judah, Pekahiah son of Menahem became king of Israel in Samaria, and he reigned two years. 24 Pekahiah did evil(W) in the eyes of the Lord. He did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he had caused Israel to commit. 25 One of his chief officers, Pekah(X) son of Remaliah, conspired against him. Taking fifty men of Gilead with him, he assassinated(Y) Pekahiah, along with Argob and Arieh, in the citadel of the royal palace at Samaria. So Pekah killed Pekahiah and succeeded him as king.

26 The other events of Pekahiah’s reign, and all he did, are written in the book of the annals of the kings of Israel.

Pekah King of Israel

27 In the fifty-second year of Azariah king of Judah, Pekah(Z) son of Remaliah(AA) became king of Israel in Samaria, and he reigned twenty years. 28 He did evil in the eyes of the Lord. He did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he had caused Israel to commit.

29 In the time of Pekah king of Israel, Tiglath-Pileser(AB) king of Assyria came and took Ijon,(AC) Abel Beth Maakah, Janoah, Kedesh and Hazor. He took Gilead and Galilee, including all the land of Naphtali,(AD) and deported(AE) the people to Assyria. 30 Then Hoshea(AF) son of Elah conspired against Pekah son of Remaliah. He attacked and assassinated(AG) him, and then succeeded him as king in the twentieth year of Jotham son of Uzziah.

31 As for the other events of Pekah’s reign, and all he did, are they not written in the book of the annals(AH) of the kings of Israel?

Jotham King of Judah(AI)

32 In the second year of Pekah son of Remaliah king of Israel, Jotham(AJ) son of Uzziah king of Judah began to reign. 33 He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem sixteen years. His mother’s name was Jerusha daughter of Zadok. 34 He did what was right(AK) in the eyes of the Lord, just as his father Uzziah had done. 35 The high places,(AL) however, were not removed; the people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense there. Jotham rebuilt the Upper Gate(AM) of the temple of the Lord.

36 As for the other events of Jotham’s reign, and what he did, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Judah? 37 (In those days the Lord began to send Rezin(AN) king of Aram and Pekah son of Remaliah against Judah.) 38 Jotham rested with his ancestors and was buried with them in the City of David, the city of his father. And Ahaz his son succeeded him as king.

Ahaz King of Judah(AO)

16 In the seventeenth year of Pekah son of Remaliah, Ahaz(AP) son of Jotham king of Judah began to reign. 2 Ahaz was twenty years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem sixteen years. Unlike David his father, he did not do what was right(AQ) in the eyes of the Lord his God. 3 He followed the ways of the kings of Israel(AR) and even sacrificed his son(AS) in the fire, engaging in the detestable(AT) practices of the nations the Lord had driven out before the Israelites. 4 He offered sacrifices and burned incense(AU) at the high places, on the hilltops and under every spreading tree.(AV)

5 Then Rezin(AW) king of Aram and Pekah son of Remaliah king of Israel marched up to fight against Jerusalem and besieged Ahaz, but they could not overpower him. 6 At that time, Rezin(AX) king of Aram recovered Elath(AY) for Aram by driving out the people of Judah. Edomites then moved into Elath and have lived there to this day.

7 Ahaz sent messengers to say to Tiglath-Pileser(AZ) king of Assyria, “I am your servant and vassal. Come up and save(BA) me out of the hand of the king of Aram and of the king of Israel, who are attacking me.” 8 And Ahaz took the silver and gold found in the temple of the Lord and in the treasuries of the royal palace and sent it as a gift(BB) to the king of Assyria. 9 The king of Assyria complied by attacking Damascus(BC) and capturing it. He deported its inhabitants to Kir(BD) and put Rezin to death.

10 Then King Ahaz went to Damascus to meet Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria. He saw an altar in Damascus and sent to Uriah(BE) 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[i](BF) on it. 13 He offered up his burnt offering(BG) and grain offering,(BH) poured out his drink offering,(BI) and splashed the blood of his fellowship offerings(BJ) against the altar. 14 As for the bronze altar(BK) 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(BL) 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.”(BM) 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.(BN) 18 He took away the Sabbath canopy[j] 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.(BO)

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

Footnotes

  1. 2 Kings 15:1 Also called Uzziah; also in verses 6, 7, 8, 17, 23 and 27
  2. 2 Kings 15:5 The Hebrew for leprosy was used for various diseases affecting the skin.
  3. 2 Kings 15:5 Or in a house where he was relieved of responsibilities
  4. 2 Kings 15:10 Hebrew; some Septuagint manuscripts in Ibleam
  5. 2 Kings 15:12 2 Kings 10:30
  6. 2 Kings 15:19 Also called Tiglath-Pileser
  7. 2 Kings 15:19 That is, about 38 tons or about 34 metric tons
  8. 2 Kings 15:20 That is, about 1 1/4 pounds or about 575 grams
  9. 2 Kings 16:12 Or and went up
  10. 2 Kings 16:18 Or the dais of his throne (see Septuagint)
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2 Kings 14
2 Kings 17
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