⁵ Then ^(A)Rezin the king of Aram and Pekah the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, went up to Jerusalem for war; and they besieged Ahaz, ^(B)but ^[a]were not capable of fighting him. ⁶ At that time Rezin king of Aram restored ^(C)Elath to Aram, and drove the Judeans away from ^[b]Elath; and the ^[c]Arameans came to Elath and have lived there to this day.

Ahaz Seeks Help of Assyria

^7 (D)So Ahaz sent messengers to ^(E)Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria, saying, “I am your servant and your son; come up and save me from the ^[d]hand of the king of Aram, and from the ^[e]hand of the king of Israel, who are rising up against me.”

Judah Is Invaded

⁵ Therefore ^(A)the Lord his God handed him over to the king of Aram; and they ^[a]defeated him and carried from him a great number of captives, and brought them to Damascus. And he was also handed over to the king of Israel, who struck him with heavy casualties. ⁶ For ^(B)Pekah the son of Remaliah killed 120,000 in Judah in one day, all valiant men, because they had abandoned the Lord God of their fathers.

^18 (A)The Philistines had also invaded the cities of the ^[a]lowland and of the Negev of Judah, and had taken Beth-shemesh, Aijalon, Gederoth, and Soco with its villages, Timnah with its villages, and Gimzo with its villages; and they had settled there. ¹⁹ For the Lord had humbled Judah because of Ahaz king of ^(B)Israel, for he had brought about a lack of restraint in Judah and was very unfaithful to the Lord. ²⁰ So ^(C)Tilgath-pilneser king of Assyria came against him and afflicted him instead of strengthening him. ^21 (D)Although Ahaz took a portion out of the house of the Lord and out of the palace of the king and of the princes, and gave it to the king of Assyria, it did not help him.

²² Now during the time of his distress, this same King Ahaz ^(E)became even more unfaithful to the Lord. ^23 (F)For he sacrificed to the gods of Damascus who had ^[b]defeated him, and said, “^(G)Because the gods of the kings of Aram helped them, I will sacrifice to them so that they may help me.” But they became the ^[c]downfall of him and all Israel.

¹⁴ Moreover, I will make you a site of ruins and a ^(A)disgrace among the nations that surround you, in the sight of everyone who passes by. ¹⁵ So ^[a]it will be a disgrace, an object of abuse, a ^(B)warning, and an object of horror to the nations that surround you when I ^(C)execute judgments against you in anger, wrath, and raging reprimands. I, the Lord, have spoken.

⁴ You have become ^(A)guilty by ^[a]the blood which you have shed, and you have become defiled by your idols which you have made. So you have brought your days closer and have come to your years; therefore I have made you a ^(B)disgrace to the nations, and an object of mocking to all the lands.