Ahaz Reigns in Judah

16 In the seventeenth year of Pekah the son of Remaliah, Ahaz the son of Jotham, king of Judah, began to reign. Ahaz was (A)twenty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. And he did not do what was right in the eyes of the Lord his God, as his father David had done, but he walked in the way of the kings of Israel. (B)He even burned his son as an offering,[a] (C)according to the despicable practices of the nations whom the Lord drove out before the people of Israel. (D)And he sacrificed and made offerings (E)on the high places and on the hills and under every green tree.

(F)Then Rezin king of Syria and (G)Pekah the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, came up to wage war on Jerusalem, and they besieged Ahaz (H)but could not conquer him. At that time Rezin the king of Syria recovered (I)Elath for Syria and drove the men of Judah from (J)Elath, and the Edomites came to Elath, where they dwell to this day. (K)So Ahaz sent messengers to (L)Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria, saying, “I am your servant and your son. Come up and rescue me from the hand of the king of Syria and from the hand of the king of Israel, who are attacking me.” Ahaz also (M)took the silver and gold that was found in the house of the Lord and in the treasures of the king's house and sent a present to the king of Assyria. (N)And the king of Assyria listened to him. The king of Assyria marched up against Damascus (O)and took it, carrying its people captive to (P)Kir, and he killed Rezin.

10 When King Ahaz went to Damascus to meet (Q)Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria, he saw the altar that was at Damascus. And King Ahaz sent to (R)Uriah the priest a model of the altar, and its pattern, exact in all its details. 11 And Uriah the priest built the altar; in accordance with all that King Ahaz had sent from Damascus, so Uriah the priest made it, before King Ahaz arrived from Damascus. 12 And when the king came from Damascus, the king viewed the altar. (S)Then the king drew near to the altar and went up on it 13 and burned his burnt offering and his grain offering and poured his drink offering and threw the blood of his peace offerings on the altar. 14 And (T)the bronze altar that was before the Lord he removed (U)from the front of the house, from the place between (V)his altar and the house of the Lord, and put it on the north side of (W)his altar. 15 And King Ahaz commanded Uriah the priest, saying, “On the great altar burn (X)the morning burnt offering and the evening grain offering and the king's burnt offering and his grain offering, with the burnt offering of all the people of the land, and their grain offering and their drink offering. And throw on it all the blood of the burnt offering and all the blood of the sacrifice, but (Y)the bronze altar shall be for me to inquire by.” 16 Uriah the priest did all this, as King Ahaz commanded.

17 And King Ahaz cut off the frames of the stands and removed the basin from them, and he took down (Z)the sea[b] from off the bronze oxen that were under it and put it on a stone pedestal. 18 And the covered way for the Sabbath that had been built inside the house and the outer entrance for the king he caused to go around the house of the Lord, because of the king of Assyria. 19 Now the rest of the acts of Ahaz that he did, are they not written (AA)in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? 20 And Ahaz slept with his fathers and (AB)was buried with his fathers in the city of David, and Hezekiah his son reigned in his place.

Footnotes

  1. 2 Kings 16:3 Or made his son pass through the fire
  2. 2 Kings 16:17 Compare 1 Kings 7:23

16 In the seventeenth year of Pekach Ben Remalyahu, Achaz Ben Yotam Melech Yehudah began to reign.

20 years old was Achaz when he began to reign, and reigned 16 shanah in Yerushalayim, and did not that which was yashar in the eyes of Hashem Elohav, like Dovid Aviv.

But he walked in the derech of the Melachim of Yisroel, and even made bno to pass through the eish, according to the to’avot of the Goyim, whom Hashem cast out from before the Bnei Yisroel.

And he sacrificed and burnt ketoret in the [idolatrous] high places, and on the geva’ot, and under every spreading tree.

Then Retzin Melech Aram (Syria) and Pekach Ben Remalyahu Melech Yisroel came up to Yerushalayim for milchamah; and they besieged Achaz, but could not overcome him.

At that time Retzin Melech Aram (Syria) recovered Eilat for Aram, and drove the Yehudim from Eilat; and the Edomim came to Eilat, and dwelt there unto this day.

So Achaz sent malachim to Tiglat Pileser Melech Ashur (Assyria), saying, I am thy eved and thy ben (son, vassal); come up, and save me out of the hand of Melech Aram, and out of the hand of Melech Yisroel, which rise up against me.

And Achaz took the kesef and zahav that was found in the Beis Hashem, and in the otzerot of the Bais HaMelech, and sent it for a shochad (bribe) to Melech Ashur.

And Melech of Ashur (Assyria) paid heed unto him; for Melech Ashur (Assyria) went up against Damascus, and captured it, and carried the people of it captive to Kir, and slaughtered Retzin.

10 And HaMelech Achaz went to Damascus to meet Tiglat Pileser Melech Ashur, and Achaz saw the mizbe’ach that was at Damascus; and HaMelech Achaz sent to Uriyah HaKohen the demut (likeness, sketch) of the mizbe’ach, and the tavnit (pattern, plan) of it, according to all the workmanship thereof.

11 And Uriyah HaKohen built the mizbe’ach according to all that HaMelech Achaz had sent from Damascus; so Uriyah HaKohen constructed it before HaMelech Achaz came from Damascus.

12 And when HaMelech came from Damascus, HaMelech saw the mizbe’ach; and HaMelech approached the mizbe’ach, and went up to it.

13 And he burned his olah and his minchah, and poured his nesekh (drink offering), and sprinkled the dahm of his shelamim upon the mizbe’ach.

14 And he moved also the Mizbe’ach Nechoshet, which was before Hashem, from the forefront of the Beis, from between [his] mizbe’ach and the Beis Hashem, and put it on the north side of [his] mizbe’ach.

15 And HaMelech Achaz commanded Uriyah HaKohen, saying, Upon the Mizbe’ach HaGadol burn the olat haboker, and the minchat haerev, and the olat HaMelech, and his minchah, with the olat kol Am HaAretz, and their minchah, and their nesakhim; and sprinkle upon it all the dahm of the olah, and all the dahm of the zevach: but the Mizbe’ach HaNechoshet shall be for me to inquire by.

16 Thus did Uriyah HaKohen, according to all that HaMelech Achaz commanded.

17 And HaMelech Achaz cut off the misgerot (bases [of the Yam]) of the mekhonot (movable stands or bases), and removed the kiyor from off them; and took down the Yam from off the Bakar HaNechoshet that were under it, and put it upon the Martzepet Avanim.

18 The musakh for Shabbos that they had built in the Beis, and the outer entrance of HaMelech, he removed from the Beis Hashem because of Melech Ashur.

19 Now the rest of the acts of Achaz which he did, are they not written in the Sefer Divrei HaYamim of the Melachim of Yehudah?

20 And Achaz slept with his Avot, and was buried with his Avot in Ir Dovid; and Chizkiyahu bno reigned in his place.