Series of Kings: Azariah (Uzziah) over Judah

15 (A)In the twenty-seventh year of Jeroboam king of Israel, Azariah son of Amaziah king of Judah became king. He was (B)sixteen years old when he became king, and he reigned for fifty-two years in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was [a]Jecoliah of Jerusalem. He did what was right in the sight of the Lord, in accordance with everything that his father Amaziah had done. Only (C)the high places were not eliminated; the people still sacrificed and burned incense on the high places. (D)And the Lord afflicted the king, so that he had leprosy to the day of his death. And he (E)lived in a separate house, [b]while Jotham the king’s son was in charge of the household, judging the people of the land. Now as for the rest of the acts of Azariah and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? And Azariah [c]lay down with his fathers, and they buried him with his fathers in the city of David, and his son Jotham became king in his place.

Zechariah over Israel

(F)In the thirty-eighth year of Azariah king of Judah, Zechariah the son of Jeroboam became king over Israel in Samaria for six months. He did evil in the sight of the Lord, just as his fathers had done; he did not desist from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, into which he misled Israel. 10 Then Shallum the son of Jabesh conspired against him, and (G)struck him in the presence of the people and [d]killed him, and reigned in his place. 11 Now as for the rest of the acts of Zechariah, behold they are written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel. 12 This is (H)the word of the Lord which He spoke to Jehu, saying, “Your sons to the fourth generation shall sit on the throne of Israel.” And so it was.

13 Shallum the son of Jabesh became king in the (I)thirty-ninth year of Uzziah king of Judah, and he reigned for [e]one month in (J)Samaria. 14 Then Menahem the son of Gadi went up from (K)Tirzah and came to Samaria, and struck Shallum son of Jabesh in Samaria, and killed him and became king in his place. 15 Now as for the rest of the acts of Shallum and his conspiracy which he formed, behold, they are written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel. 16 Then Menahem attacked Tiphsah and all who were in it and its borders from Tirzah, because they did not open up to him; so he attacked it and ripped up (L)all its women who were pregnant.

Menahem over Israel

17 In the (M)thirty-ninth year of Azariah king of Judah, Menahem the son of Gadi became king over Israel and reigned for ten years in Samaria. 18 He did evil in the sight of the Lord; for all his days he did not desist from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, into which he misled Israel.

19 (N)Pul, the king of Assyria, came against the land, and Menahem gave Pul a [f]thousand talents of silver so that his hand might be with him to (O)strengthen the [g]kingdom [h]under his rule. 20 Then Menahem collected the money from Israel, from all the [i]mighty men of wealth, from each man fifty shekels of silver to pay the king of Assyria. So the king of Assyria returned and did not stay there in the land. 21 Now as for the rest of the acts of Menahem and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel? 22 And Menahem [j]lay down with his fathers, and his son Pekahiah became king in his place.

Pekahiah over Israel

23 In (P)the fiftieth year of Azariah king of Judah, Pekahiah the son of Menahem became king over Israel in Samaria, and reigned for two years. 24 He did evil in the sight of the Lord; he did not desist from the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, into which he misled Israel. 25 Then Pekah the son of Remaliah, his officer, conspired against him and struck him in Samaria, in (Q)the castle of the king’s house with Argob and Arieh; and with him were fifty men of the Gileadites, and he killed him and became king in his place. 26 Now as for the rest of the acts of Pekahiah and everything that he did, behold, they are written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel.

Pekah over Israel

27 In (R)the fifty-second year of Azariah king of Judah, (S)Pekah the son of Remaliah became king over Israel in Samaria, and he reigned for twenty years. 28 He did evil in the sight of the Lord; he did not desist from the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, into which he misled Israel.

29 In the days of Pekah king of Israel, [k](T)Tiglath-pileser the king of Assyria came and took Ijon, Abel-beth-maacah, Janoah, Kedesh, Hazor, Gilead, and Galilee, all the land of Naphtali; and (U)he led [l]their populations into exile to Assyria. 30 And Hoshea the son of Elah formed a conspiracy against Pekah the son of Remaliah, and struck him and put him to death, and he became king in his place, in the twentieth year of Jotham the son of Uzziah. 31 Now as for the rest of the acts of Pekah and all that he did, behold, they are written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel.

Jotham over Judah

32 In the second year of Pekah the son of Remaliah king of Israel, Jotham the son of [m]Uzziah king of Judah became king. 33 (V)He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned for sixteen years in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was Jerusha the daughter of Zadok. 34 (W)He did what was right in the sight of the Lord; he acted in accordance with everything that his father Uzziah had done. 35 Only (X)the high places were not eliminated; the people still sacrificed and burned incense on the high places. (Y)He built the upper gate of the house of the Lord. 36 Now as for the rest of the acts of Jotham which he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? 37 In those days (Z)the Lord began to send Rezin the king of Aram and Pekah the son of Remaliah against Judah. 38 And Jotham [n]lay down with his fathers, and he was buried with his fathers in the city of his father David; and his son Ahaz became king in his place.

Ahaz Reigns over Judah

16 In the seventeenth year of Pekah the son of Remaliah, (AA)Ahaz the son of Jotham, king of Judah, became king. (AB)Ahaz was twenty years old when he became king, and he reigned for sixteen years in Jerusalem; and he did not do what was right in the sight of the Lord his God, as his father David had done. But he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, (AC)and he even made his son pass through the fire, (AD)in accordance with the abominations of the nations whom the Lord had [o]driven out before the sons of Israel. And he (AE)sacrificed and burned incense on the high places, on the hills, and under every green tree.

Then (AF)Rezin the king of Aram and Pekah the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, went up to Jerusalem for war; and they besieged Ahaz, (AG)but [p]were not capable of fighting him. At that time Rezin king of Aram restored (AH)Elath to Aram, and drove the Judeans away from [q]Elath; and the [r]Arameans came to Elath and have lived there to this day.

Ahaz Seeks Help of Assyria

(AI)So Ahaz sent messengers to (AJ)Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria, saying, “I am your servant and your son; come up and save me from the [s]hand of the king of Aram, and from the [t]hand of the king of Israel, who are rising up against me.” And (AK)Ahaz 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 a gift to the king of Assyria. (AL)So the king of Assyria listened to him; and the king of Assyria went up against Damascus and (AM)captured it, and led the people of it into exile to (AN)Kir, and put Rezin to death.

Damascus Falls

10 Now King Ahaz went to Damascus to meet (AO)Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria, and he saw the altar which was at Damascus; and King Ahaz sent to (AP)Urijah the priest the [u]pattern of the altar and its model, according to all its workmanship. 11 So Urijah the priest built an altar; according to everything that King Ahaz had sent from Damascus, in that way Urijah the priest made it, [v]before the coming of King Ahaz from Damascus. 12 And when the king came from Damascus, the king saw the altar; then (AQ)the king approached the altar and [w]went up to it, 13 and [x]burned his burnt offering and his meal offering, and poured out his [y]drink offering and sprinkled the blood of his peace offerings on the altar. 14 And (AR)the bronze altar, which was before the Lord, [z]he brought from the front of the house, from between (AS)his altar and the house of the Lord, and he put it on the north side of his altar. 15 Then King Ahaz commanded Urijah the priest, saying, “Upon the great altar [aa]burn (AT)the morning burnt offering, the evening meal offering, the king’s burnt offering and his meal offering, with the burnt offering of all the people of the land, their meal offering, and their [ab]drink offerings; and sprinkle on it all the blood of the burnt offering and all the blood of the sacrifice. But (AU)the bronze altar shall be for me, for making inquiries.” 16 So Urijah the priest acted in accordance with everything that King Ahaz commanded.

17 Then King Ahaz (AV)cut off the borders of the stands, and removed the wash basin from them; he also (AW)took down the [ac]Sea from the bronze oxen which were under it and put it on a pavement of stone. 18 And the covered way for the Sabbath which they had built in the house, and the outer entry of the king, he removed from the house of the Lord because of the king of Assyria.

Hezekiah Reigns over Judah

19 Now as for the rest of the acts of Ahaz which he did, are they not written (AX)in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? 20 So (AY)Ahaz [ad]lay down with his fathers, and (AZ)was buried with his fathers in the city of David; and his son Hezekiah reigned in his place.

Hoshea Reigns over Israel

17 In the twelfth year of Ahaz king of Judah, (BA)Hoshea the son of Elah became king over Israel in Samaria, and reigned for nine years. He did evil in the sight of the Lord, only not as the kings of Israel who preceded him. (BB)Shalmaneser the king of Assyria marched (BC)against him, and Hoshea became his servant and paid him tribute. But the king of Assyria uncovered a conspiracy by Hoshea, who had sent messengers to So, king of Egypt, and had then brought no tribute to the king of Assyria, as he had done year by year; so the king of Assyria arrested him and confined him in prison.

Then the king of Assyria invaded the entire land, and went up to (BD)Samaria and besieged it for three years.

Israel Captive

In the ninth year of Hoshea, (BE)the king of Assyria captured Samaria and (BF)led the people of Israel into exile to Assyria, and (BG)settled them in Halah and Habor, on the river of (BH)Gozan, and (BI)in the cities of the Medes.

Why Israel Fell

Now (BJ)this came about because the sons of Israel had sinned against the Lord their God, (BK)who had brought them up from the land of Egypt, from under the hand of Pharaoh, king of Egypt; (BL)and they had [ae]feared other gods. They also [af](BM)followed the [ag]customs of the nations whom the Lord had driven out from the sons of Israel, and in the customs (BN)of the kings of Israel which they had [ah]introduced. And the sons of Israel [ai]did things secretly against the Lord their God which were not right. Moreover, they built for themselves high places in all their towns, from (BO)watchtower to fortified city. 10 And (BP)they set up for themselves memorial stones and [aj](BQ)Asherim on every high hill and under every green tree, 11 and there they burned incense on all the high places as the nations did that the Lord had taken into exile before them; and they did evil things, provoking the Lord. 12 They served idols, (BR)concerning which the Lord had said to them, “You shall not do this thing.” 13 Yet the (BS)Lord warned Israel and Judah [ak](BT)through all His prophets and (BU)every seer, saying, “(BV)Turn back from your evil ways and keep My commandments and My statutes in accordance with all the Law which I commanded your fathers, and which I sent to you [al]through My servants the prophets.” 14 However, they did not listen, but (BW)stiffened their neck [am]like their fathers, who did not believe in the Lord their God. 15 (BX)They rejected His statutes and (BY)His covenant which He made with their fathers, and His warnings which He [an]gave them. And (BZ)they followed [ao]idols and (CA)became empty, and followed the nations that surrounded them, about which the (CB)Lord had commanded them not to do as they did. 16 And they abandoned all the commandments of the Lord their God and made for themselves cast metal images: (CC)two calves. And they (CD)made an [ap]Asherah, and (CE)worshiped all the heavenly [aq]lights, and (CF)served Baal. 17 Then (CG)they made their sons and their daughters pass through the fire, and they (CH)practiced divination and interpreting omens, and (CI)gave themselves over to do evil in the sight of the Lord, provoking Him. 18 So the Lord was very angry with Israel, and He (CJ)removed them from His [ar]sight; (CK)no one was left except the tribe of Judah.

19 (CL)Judah did not keep the commandments of the Lord their God either, but they [as](CM)followed the [at]customs [au]which Israel had [av]introduced. 20 So the Lord rejected all the [aw]descendants of Israel and afflicted them and (CN)handed them over to plunderers, until He had cast them [ax]out of His sight.

21 When (CO)He had torn Israel from the house of David, (CP)they made Jeroboam the son of Nebat king. Then (CQ)Jeroboam drove Israel away from following the Lord and misled them into a great sin. 22 And the sons of Israel walked in all the sins of Jeroboam which he committed; they did not desist from them 23 (CR)until the Lord removed Israel from His sight, (CS)just as He had spoken through all His servants the prophets. (CT)So Israel went into exile from their own land to Assyria until this day.

Cities of Israel Filled with Strangers

24 (CU)Then the king of Assyria brought people from Babylon, Cuthah, [ay](CV)Avva, (CW)Hamath, and Sepharvaim, and settled them in the cities of Samaria in place of the sons of Israel. So they took possession of Samaria and lived in its cities. 25 And at the beginning of their living there, they (CX)did not fear the Lord; therefore the Lord sent lions among them that were killing some of them. 26 So they spoke to the king of Assyria, saying, “The nations whom you have taken into exile and settled in the cities of Samaria do not know the custom of the God of the land; so He has sent lions among them, and behold, they are killing them because they do not know the custom of the God of the land.”

27 Then the king of Assyria issued commands, saying, “Take one of the priests there whom you led into [az]exile, and have [ba]him go and live there; and have him teach them the custom of the God of the land.” 28 So one of the priests whom they had led into exile from Samaria came and lived in Bethel, and taught them how they were to fear the Lord.

29 But every nation was still making gods of its own, and they put them (CY)in the houses of the high places which the people of Samaria had made, every nation in their cities in which they lived. 30 (CZ)The men of Babylon made Succoth-benoth, the men of Cuth made Nergal, the men of Hamath made Ashima, 31 and the Avvites made Nibhaz and Tartak; and (DA)the Sepharvites were burning their children in the fire to (DB)Adrammelech and Anammelech, the gods of (DC)Sepharvaim. 32 (DD)They also feared the Lord and [bb](DE)appointed from their entire population priests of the high places, who acted for them in the houses of the high places. 33 They feared the Lord, yet they were serving their own gods in accordance with the custom of the nations from among whom they had been taken into exile.

34 To this day they act in accordance with the earlier customs: they do not fear the Lord, nor do they [bc]follow their statutes, their ordinances, the Law, or the commandments which the Lord commanded the sons of Jacob, (DF)whom He named Israel. 35 The Lord made a covenant with them and commanded them, saying, “(DG)You shall not fear other gods, nor (DH)bow down to them, nor (DI)serve them, nor sacrifice to them. 36 But the Lord, (DJ)who brought you up from the land of Egypt with great power and with (DK)an outstretched arm, (DL)Him you shall fear, and to Him you shall bow down, and to Him you shall sacrifice. 37 And the statutes, the ordinances, the Law, and the commandment which He wrote for you, (DM)you shall take care to do always; and you shall not fear other gods. 38 The covenant that I have made with you, (DN)you shall not forget, nor shall you fear other gods. 39 But you shall fear the Lord your God; and He will save you from the hand of all your enemies.” 40 However, they did not listen, but they kept acting in accordance with their earlier custom. 41 (DO)So while these nations feared the Lord, they also served their [bd]idols; their children likewise and their grandchildren, just as their fathers did, they do to this day.

Notas al pie

  1. 2 Kings 15:2 In 2 Chr 26:3, Jechiliah
  2. 2 Kings 15:5 Lit and
  3. 2 Kings 15:7 I.e., died
  4. 2 Kings 15:10 Lit struck
  5. 2 Kings 15:13 Lit a month of days
  6. 2 Kings 15:19 About 38 tons or 34 metric tons
  7. 2 Kings 15:19 Or royal power
  8. 2 Kings 15:19 Lit in his hand
  9. 2 Kings 15:20 I.e., landowners
  10. 2 Kings 15:22 I.e., died
  11. 2 Kings 15:29 In 1 Chr 5:6, 26, Tilgath-pilneser
  12. 2 Kings 15:29 Lit them
  13. 2 Kings 15:32 I.e., Azariah
  14. 2 Kings 15:38 I.e., died
  15. 2 Kings 16:3 Or dispossessed
  16. 2 Kings 16:5 Or did not prevail in fighting
  17. 2 Kings 16:6 Heb Eloth
  18. 2 Kings 16:6 As in some ancient versions; MT Edomites
  19. 2 Kings 16:7 Lit palm
  20. 2 Kings 16:7 Lit palm
  21. 2 Kings 16:10 Lit likeness
  22. 2 Kings 16:11 Lit until
  23. 2 Kings 16:12 Or offered on it
  24. 2 Kings 16:13 Lit offered up in smoke
  25. 2 Kings 16:13 I.e., libation
  26. 2 Kings 16:14 Lit he also
  27. 2 Kings 16:15 Lit offer up in smoke
  28. 2 Kings 16:15 I.e., libations
  29. 2 Kings 16:17 I.e., a very large basin
  30. 2 Kings 16:20 I.e., died
  31. 2 Kings 17:7 Or revered, and so throughout the ch
  32. 2 Kings 17:8 Lit walked in
  33. 2 Kings 17:8 Lit statutes
  34. 2 Kings 17:8 Lit made
  35. 2 Kings 17:9 Or ascribed words to
  36. 2 Kings 17:10 I.e., wooden symbols of a female deity (Asherah)
  37. 2 Kings 17:13 Lit by the hand of
  38. 2 Kings 17:13 Lit by the hand of
  39. 2 Kings 17:14 Lit like the neck of
  40. 2 Kings 17:15 Lit warned
  41. 2 Kings 17:15 Lit the non-existent
  42. 2 Kings 17:16 I.e., a wooden symbol of a female deity
  43. 2 Kings 17:16 Lit host
  44. 2 Kings 17:18 Lit face
  45. 2 Kings 17:19 Lit walked in
  46. 2 Kings 17:19 Lit statutes
  47. 2 Kings 17:19 Lit of Israel which they
  48. 2 Kings 17:19 Lit made
  49. 2 Kings 17:20 Lit seed
  50. 2 Kings 17:20 Lit from His face
  51. 2 Kings 17:24 In 2 Kin 18:34; 19:13; Is 37:13, Ivvah
  52. 2 Kings 17:27 Lit exile from there
  53. 2 Kings 17:27 Lit them
  54. 2 Kings 17:32 Lit made for themselves
  55. 2 Kings 17:34 Lit do according to
  56. 2 Kings 17:41 Or carved images

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. 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. He did what was right(C) in the eyes of the Lord, just as his father Amaziah had done. The high places, however, were not removed; the people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense there.

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.

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? 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

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. 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. 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. 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. He offered sacrifices and burned incense(AU) at the high places, on the hilltops and under every spreading tree.(AV)

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. 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.

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.” 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. 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.

Hoshea Last King of Israel(BQ)

17 In the twelfth year of Ahaz king of Judah, Hoshea(BR) son of Elah became king of Israel in Samaria, and he reigned nine years. He did evil(BS) in the eyes of the Lord, but not like the kings of Israel who preceded him.

Shalmaneser(BT) king of Assyria came up to attack Hoshea, who had been Shalmaneser’s vassal and had paid him tribute.(BU) But the king of Assyria discovered that Hoshea was a traitor, for he had sent envoys to So[k] king of Egypt,(BV) and he no longer paid tribute to the king of Assyria, as he had done year by year. Therefore Shalmaneser seized him and put him in prison.(BW) The king of Assyria invaded the entire land, marched against Samaria and laid siege(BX) to it for three years. In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria(BY) captured Samaria(BZ) and deported(CA) the Israelites to Assyria. He settled them in Halah, in Gozan(CB) on the Habor River and in the towns of the Medes.

Israel Exiled Because of Sin

All this took place because the Israelites had sinned(CC) against the Lord their God, who had brought them up out of Egypt(CD) from under the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt. They worshiped other gods and followed the practices of the nations(CE) the Lord had driven out before them, as well as the practices that the kings of Israel had introduced. The Israelites secretly did things against the Lord their God that were not right. From watchtower to fortified city(CF) they built themselves high places in all their towns. 10 They set up sacred stones(CG) and Asherah poles(CH) on every high hill and under every spreading tree.(CI) 11 At every high place they burned incense, as the nations whom the Lord had driven out before them had done. They did wicked things that aroused the Lord’s anger. 12 They worshiped idols,(CJ) though the Lord had said, “You shall not do this.”[l] 13 The Lord warned(CK) Israel and Judah through all his prophets and seers:(CL) “Turn from your evil ways.(CM) Observe my commands and decrees, in accordance with the entire Law that I commanded your ancestors to obey and that I delivered to you through my servants the prophets.”(CN)

14 But they would not listen and were as stiff-necked(CO) as their ancestors, who did not trust in the Lord their God. 15 They rejected his decrees and the covenant(CP) he had made with their ancestors and the statutes he had warned them to keep. They followed worthless idols(CQ) and themselves became worthless.(CR) They imitated the nations(CS) around them although the Lord had ordered them, “Do not do as they do.”

16 They forsook all the commands of the Lord their God and made for themselves two idols cast in the shape of calves,(CT) and an Asherah(CU) pole. They bowed down to all the starry hosts,(CV) and they worshiped Baal.(CW) 17 They sacrificed(CX) their sons and daughters in the fire. They practiced divination and sought omens(CY) and sold(CZ) themselves to do evil in the eyes of the Lord, arousing his anger.

18 So the Lord was very angry with Israel and removed them from his presence.(DA) Only the tribe of Judah was left, 19 and even Judah did not keep the commands of the Lord their God. They followed the practices Israel had introduced.(DB) 20 Therefore the Lord rejected all the people of Israel; he afflicted them and gave them into the hands of plunderers,(DC) until he thrust them from his presence.(DD)

21 When he tore(DE) Israel away from the house of David, they made Jeroboam son of Nebat their king.(DF) Jeroboam enticed Israel away from following the Lord and caused them to commit a great sin.(DG) 22 The Israelites persisted in all the sins of Jeroboam and did not turn away from them 23 until the Lord removed them from his presence,(DH) as he had warned(DI) through all his servants the prophets. So the people of Israel were taken from their homeland(DJ) into exile in Assyria, and they are still there.

Samaria Resettled

24 The king of Assyria(DK) brought people from Babylon, Kuthah, Avva, Hamath and Sepharvaim(DL) and settled them in the towns of Samaria to replace the Israelites. They took over Samaria and lived in its towns. 25 When they first lived there, they did not worship the Lord; so he sent lions(DM) among them and they killed some of the people. 26 It was reported to the king of Assyria: “The people you deported and resettled in the towns of Samaria do not know what the god of that country requires. He has sent lions among them, which are killing them off, because the people do not know what he requires.”

27 Then the king of Assyria gave this order: “Have one of the priests you took captive from Samaria go back to live there and teach the people what the god of the land requires.” 28 So one of the priests who had been exiled from Samaria came to live in Bethel and taught them how to worship the Lord.

29 Nevertheless, each national group made its own gods in the several towns(DN) where they settled, and set them up in the shrines(DO) the people of Samaria had made at the high places.(DP) 30 The people from Babylon made Sukkoth Benoth, those from Kuthah made Nergal, and those from Hamath made Ashima; 31 the Avvites made Nibhaz and Tartak, and the Sepharvites burned their children in the fire as sacrifices to Adrammelek(DQ) and Anammelek, the gods of Sepharvaim.(DR) 32 They worshiped the Lord, but they also appointed all sorts(DS) of their own people to officiate for them as priests in the shrines at the high places. 33 They worshiped the Lord, but they also served their own gods in accordance with the customs of the nations from which they had been brought.

34 To this day they persist in their former practices. They neither worship the Lord nor adhere to the decrees and regulations, the laws and commands that the Lord gave the descendants of Jacob, whom he named Israel.(DT) 35 When the Lord made a covenant with the Israelites, he commanded them: “Do not worship(DU) any other gods or bow down to them, serve them or sacrifice to them.(DV) 36 But the Lord, who brought you up out of Egypt with mighty power and outstretched arm,(DW) is the one you must worship. To him you shall bow down and to him offer sacrifices. 37 You must always be careful(DX) to keep the decrees(DY) and regulations, the laws and commands he wrote for you. Do not worship other gods. 38 Do not forget(DZ) the covenant I have made with you, and do not worship other gods. 39 Rather, worship the Lord your God; it is he who will deliver you from the hand of all your enemies.”

40 They would not listen, however, but persisted in their former practices. 41 Even while these people were worshiping the Lord,(EA) they were serving their idols. To this day their children and grandchildren continue to do as their ancestors did.

Notas al pie

  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)
  11. 2 Kings 17:4 So is probably an abbreviation for Osorkon.
  12. 2 Kings 17:12 Exodus 20:4,5