2 Chronicles 28
International Standard Version
Ahaz Succeeds Jotham(A)
28 Ahaz was 20 years old when he began to reign, and he reigned 16 years in Jerusalem, but he did not practice what the Lord considered to be right, as his ancestor David had done. 2 Instead, he lived like[a] the kings of Israel did. He cast metal images of Baal,[b] 3 burned incense in the Ben-hinnom Valley, and burned his sons[c] as an offering, following the detestable activities of the nations whom the Lord had expelled in front of the people of Israel. 4 He sacrificed and burned incense on high places, on the top of hills, and under every green tree.
Aram and Israel Defeat Judah(B)
5 As a result, the Lord his God handed Ahaz[d] over to the king of Aram, who defeated him and took a large number of captives away to Damascus. Ahaz[e] was also delivered over to the control of the King of Israel, who defeated him with many heavy casualties. 6 Remaliah’s son Pekah killed 120,000 soldiers in a single day, all of them elite forces, because they had forsaken the Lord God of their ancestors. 7 Zichri, a valiant soldier from Ephraim, killed the king’s son Maaseiah, Azrikam, the palace manager, and Elkanah, who was second in rank to the king. 8 The Israelis carried away 200,000 women, sons, and daughters from among their own relatives. They also took a great deal of plunder, and brought it all to Samaria.
Oded the Prophet Rebukes Israel
9 But a prophet of the Lord was there named Oded. He went out to greet the army as it arrived in Samaria. He warned them, “Look! Because the Lord God of your ancestors was angry at Judah, he delivered them into your control, but you have killed them with a vehemence that has reached all the way to heaven! 10 Now you’re intending to make the men and women of Judah and Jerusalem to be your slaves. Surely you have your own sins against the Lord your God for which you’re accountable,[f] don’t you? 11 So listen to me! Return the captives whom you’ve captured from your brothers, because the anger of the Lord is burning hot against you!”
12 Some of the leaders of the descendants of Ephraim, including Johanan’s son Azariah, Meshillemoth’s son Berechiah, Shallum’s son Jehizkiah, and Hadlai’s son Amasa, stood up to the army as they were coming back from the battle 13 and told them, “Don’t bring those captives here! You’ll bring even more guilt on us from the Lord, in addition to our own existing sin and guilt! He’s already mad enough against Israel because of our guilt!”
14 So the army abandoned the captives and the war booty in front of the officers and the entire assembled retinue. 15 After this, some men who were chosen by name took charge of the captives, clothed those who were naked with clothes appropriated from the war booty, gave them clothes and sandals, fed them, gave them something to drink, anointed them with oil, provided those who weren’t able to walk[g] with donkeys to ride on, and took them back to their relatives at Jericho, the city of palm trees. Then they returned to Samaria.
Assyria Plunders the Temple(C)
16 Right about then, King Ahaz sent for help from the kings of Assyria 17 because the Edomites had invaded, attacked Judah, and carried off some captives. 18 The Philistines also invaded some of the cities in the Shephelah[h] and in the Negev[i] of Judah. They captured Beth-shemesh, Aijalon, Gederoth, Soco, and their surrounding villages, Timnah and its villages, and Gimzo and its villages. Then the Philistines[j] settled there, 19 because the Lord was humiliating Judah because of King Ahaz of Israel, since Ahaz had brought about a lack of restraint within Judah and had remained unfaithful to the Lord. 20 King Tiglath-pileser of Assyria attacked Ahaz[k] and, instead of helping him, attacked him. 21 Even though Ahaz took some of the assets belonging to the Lord’s Temple from the royal palace, and from the palaces belonging to the princes, and gave them to the king of Assyria, none of his gifts did any good.
The Apostasy and Death of Ahaz(D)
22 In the midst of his troubles, King Ahaz became more and more unfaithful to the Lord. 23 He sacrificed to the gods of Damascus that had defeated him, reasoning, “The gods of the kings of Aram helped them, so I’ll sacrifice to them so they will help me!” But those gods[l] brought about his downfall, and the downfall of all of Israel, too. 24 Ahaz also collected the utensils of God’s Temple, cut them all into pieces, and closed the doors of the Lord’s Temple. Then he made altars to[m] himself on every corner in Jerusalem 25 and established high places in every city of Judah where incense was burned to other gods, thus provoking the Lord God of his ancestors to anger. 26 The rest of his accomplishments, and records of everything he did from first to last are written in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel. 27 So Ahaz died, as had his ancestors, and he was buried in the city of Jerusalem, but they didn’t bury him among the tombs of the kings of Israel. Ahaz’s son Hezekiah reigned in his place.
Footnotes
- 2 Chronicles 28:2 Lit. he walked in the ways
- 2 Chronicles 28:2 I.e. the supreme male deity of the Canaanites
- 2 Chronicles 28:3 Lit. and passed his sons through fire
- 2 Chronicles 28:5 Lit. him
- 2 Chronicles 28:5 Lit. He
- 2 Chronicles 28:10 The Heb. lacks for which you’re accountable
- 2 Chronicles 28:15 Lit. who were feeble
- 2 Chronicles 28:18 I.e. the verdant central lowlands of Israel; cf. Josh 10:40
- 2 Chronicles 28:18 I.e. southern region of Israel; cf. Josh 10:40
- 2 Chronicles 28:18 Lit. Then they
- 2 Chronicles 28:20 Lit. him
- 2 Chronicles 28:23 Lit. But they
- 2 Chronicles 28:24 Or for
2 Chronicles 28
Wycliffe Bible
28 Ahaz was of twenty years, when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem; he did not rightfulness in the sight of the Lord, as David, his father, did (he did not go rightfully before the Lord, like his forefather David did);
2 but he went in the ways of the kings of Israel. Furthermore and he melted out images to Baalim (And furthermore he cast metal images of the Baalim).
3 He it is that burnt incense in the valley of Ben-hinnon, and purged his sons by fire (It was he who burned incense in the Valley of Ben-hinnon, and who burned his sons in the fire), (as) by the custom of heathen men, whom the Lord (had) killed in the coming of the sons of Israel from Egypt/in the coming of the sons of Israel to the land of promise.
4 Also he made sacrifice, and burnt incense in high places, and in hills, and under each tree full of boughs. (And he made sacrifices, and burned incense at the hill shrines, and on the hills, and under each tree full of boughs.)
5 And the Lord his God betook him in(to) the hand of the king of Syria, which smote Ahaz, and took a great prey of his empire, and brought into Damascus. Also Ahaz was betaken to the hands of the king of Israel, and he was smitten with a great wound. (And the Lord his God delivered him into the hands of the king of Syria, who struck Ahaz, and took away many captives from his empire, and brought them to Damascus. And then Ahaz was delivered into the hands of the king of Israel, who struck down his army with a great slaughter.)
6 And Pekah, the son of Remaliah, killed of Judah sixscore thousand in one day, all the men warriors; for they had forsaken the Lord God of their fathers. (And Pekah, the son of Remaliah, killed one hundred and twenty thousand of the men of Judah on one day, all very strong men of war; because they had abandoned the Lord God of their fathers.)
7 In the same time Zichri, a mighty man of Ephraim, killed Maaseiah, the son of Jotham, the king; and he killed Azrikam, the duke of his house, and Elkanah, the second person from the king. (At the same time Zichri, a mighty man of Ephraim, killed Maaseiah, the son of Jotham, the king; and he also killed Azrikam, the leader of his household, and Elkanah, the second person from the king.)
8 And the sons of Israel took of their brethren two hundred thousand of women and of children and of damsels, and prey without number, and bare it into Samaria. (And the Israelites captured two hundred thousand of their kinsmen’s women and children and young women, and also took prey without number, and brought them and the spoils back to Samaria.)
9 In that tempest, or (time of) vengeance, a prophet of the Lord, Oded by name, was there, which went out against the host of Israel coming into Samaria, and he said to them, Lo! the Lord God of your fathers was wroth against Judah, and he hath betaken them in your hands; and ye have slain them cruelly, so that your cruelty stretcheth forth into heaven. (And in that tempest, or at that time of vengeance, a prophet of the Lord named Oded was there, and he went out to meet the army of Israel coming back to Samaria, and he said to them, Lo! the Lord God of your fathers was angry against Judah, and so he delivered them into your hands; but ye have cruelly killed them, so that your cruelty stretcheth forth unto heaven.)
10 Furthermore and ye will (to) make subject to you the sons of Judah and of Jerusalem into servants and handmaids; which thing is not needful to be done; certainly ye have sinned in this thing to the Lord your God. (And furthermore ye desire to make the sons of Judah and of Jerusalem subject to you, to make them be your servants and your sevantesses; but this should not be done, for ye have also sinned against the Lord your God.)
11 But hear ye my counsel, and lead again the prisoners, which ye have brought thence of your brethren (whom ye have brought here from your kinsmen); for (the) great vengeance of the Lord nigheth to you.
12 Therefore men of the princes of the sons of Ephraim, Azariah, the son of Johanan, Berechiah, the son of Meshillemoth, Jehizkiah, the son of Shallum, and Amasa, the son of Hadlai, stood against them that came from the battle; (And so some leaders of the Ephraimites, Azariah, the son of Johanan, Berechiah, the son of Meshillemoth, Jehizkiah, the son of Shallum, and Amasa, the son of Hadlai, stood against them who came from the battle;)
13 and said to them, Ye shall not bring in hither the prisoners, lest we do (more) sin against the Lord; why will ye lay to on your sins, and heap (more on) your old trespasses? Certainly this is great sin; the wrath of the strong vengeance of the Lord nigheth on Israel. (and said to them, Ye shall not bring in the prisoners here, lest we do more sin against the Lord; why add ye more onto our sins, and heap up more onto our old trespasses? For our sin is great; and the anger of the strong vengeance of the Lord cometh upon Israel.)
14 And the men warriors left the prey, and all things which they had taken, before the princes and all the multitude. (And so the men of war left the prisoners, and all the things which they had taken, in front of the leaders and all the multitude.)
15 And the men stood there, which we remembered before, and they took the prisoners, and they clothed of the spoils all that were naked; and when they had clothed them, and shod them, and refreshed them with meat, and with drink, and anointed them for (their) travail, and gave cure, either medicine, to them; which ever of them were feeble, and might not go, they putted on horses, and they brought them to Jericho, the city of palms, to their brethren; and they turned again into Samaria. (And the men stood there, whom we named before, and they took the prisoners, and they clothed all who were naked with the spoils; and when they had clothed them, and shod them, and refreshed them with food, and with drink, and anointed them for their travail, and gave a cure, or medicine, to them; whomever of them were feeble, or were weak, and could not walk, they put on horses, and they brought them to Jericho, the City of Palms, back to their kinsmen; and then they returned to Samaria.)
16 In that time (At that time), king Ahaz sent to the king of Assyrians, and asked help of him.
17 And Idumeans came (For the Edomites had returned), and killed many men of Judah, and took great prey.
18 Also [the] Philistines were spread abroad by (the) cities of the fields, and at the south of Judah; and they took Bethshemesh, and Ajalon, and Gederoth, and Shocho, and Timnah, and Gimzo, with their villages; and they dwelled in those (and they lived there).
19 For the Lord made low Judah for Ahaz, the king of Judah[a]; for he had made him naked of help, and (he had) despised the Lord. (For the Lord had humbled Judah because of Ahaz, the king of Judah; for he had made Judah naked, or void, of any help, and he had defied the Lord.)
20 And the Lord brought against him Tilgathpilneser, king of Assyrians, that tormented him (who tormented him), and wasted him, while no man against-stood (him).
21 Therefore Ahaz, after that he had spoiled the house of the Lord, and the house of the king, and (those) of the princes, gave gifts to the king of Assyrians, and nevertheless it profited nothing to him. (And so Ahaz, after that he had spoiled the House of the Lord, and the house of the king, and those of the leaders, gave gifts to the king of Assyria, but nevertheless it profited nothing to him.)
22 Furthermore also in the time of his anguish he increased despite against God; that king Ahaz, himself, (And furthermore in the time of his anguish he increased his defiance against God; for King Ahaz, himself,)
23 offered sacrifices to the gods of Damascus, his smiters, or destroyers, and he said, The gods of the kings of Syria help them, which gods I shall please by sacrifices, and they shall help me; when, on the contrary, they were (the cause of) falling to him, and to all Israel. (offered sacrifices to the gods of Damascus, his destroyers, and he said, Because the gods of the kings of Syria help them, I shall please these gods, and then they shall also help me; when, on the contrary, they were the cause of his downfall, and that of all Israel.)
24 Therefore after that Ahaz had taken away, and broken all the vessels of the house of God, he closed the gates of God’s temple, and he made altars to himself in all the corners of Jerusalem (and he made altars for himself in all the corners of Jerusalem).
25 And in all the cities of Judah he builded altars to burn incense (to other gods), and he stirred the Lord God of his fathers to wrathfulness.
26 Soothly the residue of his words and of all his works, the former and the last, be written in the book of [the] kings of Judah and of Israel. (And the rest of the first and the last deeds of Ahaz, be written in The Book of the Kings of Judah and of Israel.)
27 And Ahaz slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city of Jerusalem; for they received not him into the sepulchres of the kings of Israel (for they would not lay him in the tombs of the kings of Israel); and Hezekiah, his son, reigned for him.
Footnotes
- 2 Chronicles 28:19 Here the KJV mistakenly says, “king of Israel”.
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2001 by Terence P. Noble