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16 In the seventeenth year of Pekah, the son of Remaliah, Ahaz, the son of Jotham, king of Judah, reigned (began to reign).

Ahaz was of twenty years, when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem; he did not that, that was pleasant in the sight of his Lord God, as David, his father, did (he did not do what was pleasing before the Lord his God, as his forefather David did),

but he went in the way of the kings of Israel. Furthermore and he hallowed his son, and bare, or drew him, through the fire, after the idols of heathen men, which the Lord destroyed before the sons of Israel. (but he went in the way of the kings of Israel. And furthermore, he offered his own son in the fire, as a sacrifice to the idols of the heathen, whom the Lord had destroyed before the Israelites.)

And he offered sacrifices, and burnt incense in (the) high places, and in (the) hills, and under each tree full of boughs. (And he offered sacrifices, and burned incense at the hill shrines, and on the hills, and under each tree full of boughs.)

Then Rezin, king of Syria, and Pekah, son of Remaliah, king of Israel, went up into Jerusalem to fight with Ahaz; and when they besieged Ahaz, they might not overcome him (but when they besieged Ahaz, they could not overcome him).

In that time Rezin, king of Syria, restored Elath to Syria, and casted out the Jews from Elath; and Idumeans and men of Syria came into Elath, and dwelled there till into this day. (At that time Rezin, the king of Syria, restored Elath to Syria, and cast out the Jews from Elath; and the Edomites and the Syrians came into Elath, and live there unto this day.)

Forsooth Ahaz sent messengers to Tiglathpileser, king of Assyrians, and said, I am thy servant and thy son; go thou up (come thou up), and make me safe from the hand of the king of Syria, and from the hand of the king of Israel, that have risen (up) together against me.

And when Ahaz had gathered together silver and gold, that might be found in the house of the Lord, and in the treasures of the king, he sent (it as) gifts to the king of Assyrians; (And when Ahaz had gathered together the silver and gold, that could be found in the House of the Lord, and in the treasuries of the palace, he sent it as gifts to the king of Assyria;)

and he assented to his will. Soothly the king of Assyrians went up into Damascus, and wasted it, and translated the dwellers thereof to Kir (and carried away all of its inhabitants to Kir); soothly he killed Rezin.

10 And king Ahaz went into meeting to Tiglathpileser, king of Assyrians; and when king Ahaz had seen the altar of Damascus, he sent into Jerusalem to Urijah, the priest, the exemplar and [the] likeness thereof, by all the work thereof. (And King Ahaz went to meet Tiglathpileser, the king of Assyria; and when King Ahaz had seen the altar of Damascus, he sent back to Jerusalem an exact description and a model of it, to Urijah the priest.)

11 And (then) Urijah, the priest, builded an altar by all things that king Ahaz had commanded from Damascus; so did the priest Urijah, till king Ahaz came from Damascus (so did Urijah the priest, until King Ahaz came back from Damascus).

12 And when the king came from Damascus, he saw the altar, and worshipped (on) it;

13 and he went up, and offered burnt sacrifices, and his sacrifice; and he offered moist sacrifices, and he poured the blood of peaceable things, which he had offered, on the altar. (and he went up, and offered his burnt sacrifices, and his grain sacrifices; and he offered a wine offering, and he poured the blood of his peace offering on the altar.)

14 Forsooth he did away the brazen altar, that was before the Lord, from the face of the temple, and from (between) the place of the (new) altar, and the place of the temple of the Lord; and setted it on the side of the (new) altar at the north/and he set God’s altar at the north side of his altar. (And he did away the bronze altar, that was before the Lord, from the front of the Temple, and from between the place of the new altar, and the Temple of the Lord; and put it to the side of the new altar at the north/and he put God’s altar at the north side of his altar.)

15 Also king Ahaz commanded to Urijah, the priest, and said, Offer thou upon the more altar, that is, (up)on the new altar, the burnt sacrifice of the morrowtide, and the sacrifice of the eventide, and the burnt sacrifice of the king, and the (grain) sacrifice of him, and the burnt sacrifice of all the people of the land, and the (grain) sacrifices of them, and the moist sacrifices of them (and their wine offerings); and thou shalt pour out upon that new altar all the blood of [the] burnt sacrifice, and all the blood of [the] slain sacrifice; soothly the brazen altar shall be [made] ready at my will.

16 Therefore Urijah, the priest, did by all things that king Ahaz had commanded to him.

17 Forsooth king Ahaz took (away) the painted foundaments of (the) pillars, and the washing vessel, that was set above (them), and he put down the sea, that is, the washing vessel for priests, from [off] the brazen oxen (from off the bronze oxen), that sustained it, and he setted (it) on the pavement arrayed with stone.

18 Also he turned (around) the chamber of [the] sabbath, which he had builded in the temple, and he turned (around) the entering of the king (from) withoutforth into the temple of the Lord, for (to please) the king of Assyrians. (And he turned around the chamber used on the sabbath, which he had built in the Temple, and he turned around the entrance for the king from withoutforth into the Temple of the Lord, all to please the king of Assyria.)

19 Forsooth the residue of [the] words of Ahaz, and all things which he did, whether these be not written in the book of [the] words of [the] days of the kings of Judah?

20 And Ahaz slept with his fathers, and was buried with them in the city of David; and Hezekiah, his son, reigned for him.

16 In the seventeenth year of Pekah the son of Remaliah Ahaz the son of Jotham king of Judah began to reign.

Twenty years old was Ahaz when he began to reign, and reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem, and did not that which was right in the sight of the Lord his God, like David his father.

But he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, yea, and made his son to pass through the fire, according to the abominations of the heathen, whom the Lord cast out from before the children of Israel.

And he sacrificed and burnt incense in the high places, and on the hills, and under every green tree.

Then Rezin king of Syria and Pekah son of Remaliah king of Israel came up to Jerusalem to war: and they besieged Ahaz, but could not overcome him.

At that time Rezin king of Syria recovered Elath to Syria, and drave the Jews from Elath: and the Syrians came to Elath, and dwelt there unto this day.

So Ahaz sent messengers to Tiglathpileser king of Assyria, saying, I am thy servant and thy son: come up, and save me out of the hand of the king of Syria, and out of the hand of the king of Israel, which rise up against me.

And Ahaz 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 it for a present to the king of Assyria.

And the king of Assyria hearkened unto him: for the king of Assyria went up against Damascus, and took it, and carried the people of it captive to Kir, and slew Rezin.

10 And king Ahaz went to Damascus to meet Tiglathpileser king of Assyria, and saw an altar that was at Damascus: and king Ahaz sent to Urijah the priest the fashion of the altar, and the pattern of it, according to all the workmanship thereof.

11 And Urijah the priest built an altar according to all that king Ahaz had sent from Damascus: so Urijah the priest made it against king Ahaz came from Damascus.

12 And when the king was come from Damascus, the king saw the altar: and the king approached to the altar, and offered thereon.

13 And he burnt his burnt offering and his meat offering, and poured his drink offering, and sprinkled the blood of his peace offerings, upon the altar.

14 And he brought also the brasen altar, which was before the Lord, from the forefront of the house, from between the altar and the house of the Lord, and put it on the north side of the altar.

15 And king Ahaz commanded Urijah the priest, saying, Upon the great altar burn the morning burnt offering, and the evening meat offering, and the king's burnt sacrifice, and his meat offering, with the burnt offering of all the people of the land, and their meat offering, and their drink offerings; and sprinkle upon it all the blood of the burnt offering, and all the blood of the sacrifice: and the brasen altar shall be for me to enquire by.

16 Thus did Urijah the priest, according to all that king Ahaz commanded.

17 And king Ahaz cut off the borders of the bases, and removed the laver from off them; and took down the sea from off the brasen oxen that were under it, and put it upon the pavement of stones.

18 And the covert for the sabbath that they had built in the house, and the king's entry without, turned he from the house of the Lord for the king of Assyria.

19 Now the rest of the acts of Ahaz which he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?

20 And Ahaz slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David: and Hezekiah his son reigned in his stead.

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

Ahaz Reigns in Judah and Seeks Help against the Assyrians

16 In the seventeenth year of Pekah the son of Remaliah, Ahaz the son of Jotham king of Judah began to reign. Ahaz was twenty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. He did not do right in the eyes of Yahweh his God as David his ancestor.[a] He walked in the way of the kings of Israel; he even let his son pass through the fire according to the detestable things of the nations which Yahweh drove out from before the Israelites.[b] He sacrificed and offered incense on the high places, on the hills, and under every green tree. Then Rezin the king of Aram went up with Pekah the son of Remaliah king of Israel against Jerusalem for battle, and they besieged Ahaz but were not able to defeat[c] him. At that time, Rezin king of Aram recovered Elath for Aram and drove out the Judeans from Elath. The Arameans came to Elath and have lived there until this day.

Ahaz sent messengers to 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 Aram and from the hand of the king of Israel who are rising up against me.” Ahaz took the silver and gold found in the house of Yahweh and in the treasury rooms of the palace of the king, and he sent a gift to the king of Assyria. So the king of Assyria listened to him and he went up to Damascus and captured it and deported them to Kir. He also killed Rezin.

Damascus Falls to the Assyrians

10 So King Ahaz went to meet Tiglath-Pileser the king of Assyria in Damascus, and he saw the altar which was in Damascus, so King Ahaz sent to Uriah the priest the builder’s plan of the altar and the exact model of how it had been made.[d] 11 So Uriah the priest built the altar according to all that King Ahaz had sent from Damascus; thus Uriah the priest did before King Ahaz came from Damascus. 12 When the king came from Damascus, the king saw the altar, so he went near to the altar and went up on it. 13 Then he offered his burnt offerings and his grain offerings, he poured his libations and dashed the blood of his fellowship offerings against the altar. 14 Now the bronze altar which was before Yahweh, he brought over from the front of the temple, from between his altar and the temple of Yahweh, and he placed it at the side of his altar to the north. 15 Then King Ahaz commanded Uriah the priest, saying, “On the great altar burn the morning burnt offering and the grain offering of the evening, the burnt offering of the king and his grain offering, the burnt offering of all of the people of the land, their offerings, their libations, and all of the blood of the burnt offerings, the blood of the sacrifices you must dash on it. But the bronze altar shall be for me to inquire by.” 16 So Uriah the priest did according to all that King Ahaz commanded. 17 Then King Ahaz cut off the side panels of the water carts and removed from upon them the basin, and the sea he took down from the bronze oxen that were under it and put it on a stone base. 18 The covering for the Sabbath which they had built in the palace and in the entrance of the king to the outside, he removed from the temple of Yahweh because of the presence of the king of Assyria. 19 Now the remainder of the acts of Ahaz which he did, are they not written in the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Judah? 20 So Ahaz slept with his ancestors[e] and was buried with his ancestors[f] in the city of David, and Hezekiah his son reigned in his place.

Footnotes

  1. 2 Kings 16:2 Or “father”
  2. 2 Kings 16:3 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
  3. 2 Kings 16:5 Literally “fight”
  4. 2 Kings 16:10 Literally “and its model according to all its work”
  5. 2 Kings 16:20 Or “fathers”
  6. 2 Kings 16:20 Or “fathers”