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2 Kings 16-17
New English Translation

Ahaz’s Reign over Judah

16 In the seventeenth year of the reign of Pekah son of Remaliah, Jotham’s son Ahaz became king over Judah. 2 Ahaz was twenty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned for sixteen years in Jerusalem. He did not do what pleased the Lord his God, in contrast to his ancestor David.[a] 3 He followed in the footsteps of[b] the kings of Israel. He passed his son through the fire,[c] a horrible sin practiced by the nations[d] whom the Lord drove out from before the Israelites. 4 He offered sacrifices and burned incense on the high places, on the hills, and under every green tree.

5 At that time King Rezin of Syria and King Pekah son of Remaliah of Israel attacked Jerusalem.[e] They besieged Ahaz,[f] but were unable to conquer him.[g] 6 (At that time King Rezin of Syria[h] recovered Elat for Syria; he drove the Judahites from there.[i] Syrians[j] arrived in Elat and live there to this very day.) 7 Ahaz sent messengers to King Tiglath-Pileser of Assyria, saying, “I am your servant and your dependent.[k] March up and rescue me from the power[l] of the king of Syria and the king of Israel, who have attacked[m] me.” 8 Then Ahaz took the silver and gold that were[n] in the Lord’s temple and in the treasuries of the royal palace and sent it as tribute[o] to the king of Assyria. 9 The king of Assyria responded favorably to his request;[p] he[q] attacked Damascus and captured it. He deported the people[r] to Kir and executed Rezin.

10 When King Ahaz went to meet with King Tiglath-Pileser of Assyria in Damascus, he saw the altar there.[s] King Ahaz sent to Uriah the priest a drawing of the altar and a blueprint for its design.[t] 11 Uriah the priest built an altar in conformity to the plans King Ahaz had sent from Damascus.[u] Uriah the priest finished it before King Ahaz arrived back from Damascus.[v] 12 When the king arrived back from Damascus and[w] saw the altar, he approached it[x] and offered a sacrifice on it.[y] 13 He offered his burnt sacrifice and his grain offering. He poured out his libation and sprinkled the blood from his peace offerings on the altar. 14 He moved the bronze altar that stood in the Lord’s presence from the front of the temple (between the altar and the Lord’s temple) and put it on the north side of the new[z] altar. 15 King Ahaz ordered Uriah the priest, “On the large altar[aa] offer the morning burnt sacrifice, the evening grain offering, the royal burnt sacrifices and grain offering, the burnt sacrifice for all the people of the land, their grain offering, and their libations. Sprinkle all the blood of the burnt sacrifice and other sacrifices on it. The bronze altar will be for my personal use.”[ab] 16 So Uriah the priest did exactly as[ac] King Ahaz ordered.

17 King Ahaz took off the frames of the movable stands, and removed the basins from them. He took “The Sea”[ad] down from the bronze bulls that supported it[ae] and put it on the stone pavement. 18 He also removed the Sabbath awning[af] that had been built[ag] in the temple and the king’s outer entranceway to the Lord’s temple, on account of the king of Assyria.[ah]

19 The rest of the events of Ahaz’s reign, including his accomplishments, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Judah.[ai] 20 Ahaz passed away[aj] and was buried with his ancestors in the City of David. His son Hezekiah replaced him as king.

Hoshea’s Reign over Israel

17 In the twelfth year of King Ahaz’s reign over Judah, Hoshea son of Elah became king over Israel. He reigned in Samaria for nine years. 2 He did evil in the sight of[ak] the Lord, but not to the same degree as the Israelite kings who preceded him. 3 King Shalmaneser of Assyria marched up to attack[al] him; so Hoshea became his subject and paid him tribute. 4 The king of Assyria discovered that Hoshea was planning a revolt.[am] Hoshea had sent messengers to King So[an] of Egypt and had not sent his annual tribute to the king of Assyria. So the king of Assyria arrested him and imprisoned him.[ao] 5 The king of Assyria marched through[ap] the whole land. He attacked Samaria and besieged it for three years. 6 In the ninth year of Hoshea’s reign, the king of Assyria captured Samaria and deported the people of Israel[aq] to Assyria. He settled them in Halah, along the Habor (the river of Gozan), and in the cities of the Medes.

A Summary of Israel’s Sinful History

7 This happened because the Israelites sinned against the Lord their God, who brought them up from the land of Egypt and freed them from the power of[ar] Pharaoh king of Egypt. They worshiped[as] other gods; 8 they observed the practices[at] of the nations whom the Lord had driven out from before them,[au] and followed the example of the kings of Israel.[av] 9 The Israelites said things about the Lord their God that were not right.[aw] They built high places in all their towns, from watchtower to fortified city. 10 They set up sacred pillars and Asherah poles on every high hill and under every green tree. 11 They burned incense on all the high places just like the nations whom the Lord had driven away before them did. Their evil practices made the Lord angry.[ax] 12 They worshiped[ay] the disgusting idols[az] in blatant disregard of the Lord’s command.[ba]

13 The Lord solemnly warned Israel and Judah through all his prophets and all the seers, “Turn back from your evil ways; obey my commandments and rules that are recorded in the law. I ordered your ancestors to keep this law and sent my servants the prophets to remind you of its demands.”[bb] 14 But they did not pay attention and were as stubborn as their ancestors,[bc] who had not trusted the Lord their God. 15 They rejected his rules, the covenant he had made with their ancestors, and the laws he had commanded them to obey.[bd] They paid allegiance to[be] worthless idols, and so became worthless to the Lord.[bf] They copied the practices of the surrounding nations in blatant disregard of the Lord’s command.[bg] 16 They abandoned all the commandments of the Lord their God; they made two metal calves and an Asherah pole, bowed down to all the stars in the sky,[bh] and worshiped[bi] Baal. 17 They passed their sons and daughters through the fire,[bj] and practiced divination and omen reading. They committed themselves to doing evil in the sight of the Lord and made him angry.[bk]

18 So the Lord was furious[bl] with Israel and rejected them;[bm] only the tribe of Judah was left. 19 Judah also failed to keep the commandments of the Lord their God; they followed Israel’s example.[bn] 20 So the Lord rejected all of Israel’s descendants; he humiliated[bo] them and handed them over to robbers, until he had thrown them from his presence. 21 He tore Israel away from David’s dynasty, and Jeroboam son of Nebat became their king.[bp] Jeroboam drove Israel away[bq] from the Lord and encouraged them to commit a serious sin.[br] 22 The Israelites followed in the sinful ways of Jeroboam and did not repudiate[bs] them. 23 Finally[bt] the Lord rejected Israel[bu] just as he had warned he would do[bv] through all his servants the prophets. Israel was deported from its land to Assyria and remains there to this very day.

The King of Assyria Populates Israel with Foreigners

24 The king of Assyria brought foreigners[bw] from Babylon, Cuthah, Avva, Hamath, and Sepharvaim and settled them in the cities of Samaria[bx] in place of the Israelites. They took possession of Samaria and lived in its cities. 25 When they first moved in,[by] they did not worship[bz] the Lord. So the Lord sent lions among them and the lions were killing them. 26 The king of Assyria was told,[ca] “The nations whom you deported and settled in the cities of Samaria do not know the requirements of the God of the land, so he has sent lions among them. They are killing the people[cb] because they do not know the requirements of the God of the land.” 27 So the king of Assyria ordered, “Take back one of the priests whom you[cc] deported from there. He must settle there and teach them the requirements of the God of the land.”[cd] 28 So one of the priests whom they had deported from Samaria went back and settled in Bethel. He taught them how to worship[ce] the Lord.

29 But each of these nations made[cf] its own gods and put them in the shrines on the high places that the people of Samaria[cg] had made. Each nation did this in the cities where they lived. 30 The people from Babylon made Sukkoth Benoth,[ch] the people from Cuth made Nergal,[ci] the people from Hamath made Ashima,[cj] 31 the Avvites made Nibhaz and Tartak,[ck] and the Sepharvites burned their sons in the fire as an offering to Adrammelech and Anammelech,[cl] the gods of Sepharvaim. 32 At the same time they worshiped[cm] the Lord. They appointed some of their own people to serve as priests in the shrines on the high places.[cn] 33 They were worshiping[co] the Lord and at the same time serving their own gods in accordance with the practices of the nations from which they had been deported.

34 To this very day they observe their earlier practices. They do not worship[cp] the Lord; they do not obey the rules, regulations, law, and commandments that the Lord gave[cq] the descendants of Jacob, whom he renamed Israel. 35 The Lord made a covenant with them[cr] and instructed them, “You must not worship other gods. Do not bow down to them, serve them, or offer sacrifices to them. 36 Instead you must worship the Lord, who brought you up from the land of Egypt by his great power and military ability;[cs] bow down to him and offer sacrifices to him. 37 You must carefully obey at all times the rules, regulations, law, and commandments he wrote down for you. You must not worship other gods. 38 You must never forget the covenant I made with you, and you must not worship other gods. 39 Instead you must worship the Lord your God; then he will rescue you from the power of all your enemies.” 40 But they[ct] paid no attention; instead they observed their earlier practices. 41 These nations were worshiping the Lord and at the same time serving their idols; their sons and grandsons are doing just as their fathers have done, to this very day.

Footnotes

  1. 2 Kings 16:2 tn Heb “and he did not do what was proper in the eyes of the Lord his God, like David his father.”
  2. 2 Kings 16:3 tn Heb “he walked in the way of.”
  3. 2 Kings 16:3 sn This may refer to child sacrifice, though some interpret it as a less drastic cultic practice. For discussion see M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 266-67.
  4. 2 Kings 16:3 tn Heb “like the abominable practices of the nations.”
  5. 2 Kings 16:5 tn Heb “went up to Jerusalem for battle.”
  6. 2 Kings 16:5 tn That is, Jerusalem, Ahaz’s capital city.
  7. 2 Kings 16:5 tn Heb “they were unable to fight.” The object must be supplied from the preceding sentence. Elsewhere when the Niphal infinitive of לָחָם (lakham) follows the verb יָכֹל (yakhol), the infinitive appears to have the force of “prevail against.” See Num 22:11; 1 Sam 17:9; and the parallel passage in Isa 7:1.
  8. 2 Kings 16:6 tc Some prefer to read “the king of Edom” and “for Edom” here. The names Syria (Heb “Aram,” אֲרָם, ʾaram) and Edom (אֱדֹם, ʾedom) are easily confused in the Hebrew consonantal script.
  9. 2 Kings 16:6 tn Heb “from Elat.”
  10. 2 Kings 16:6 tc The consonantal text (Kethib), supported by many medieval Hebrew mss, the Syriac version, and some mss of the Targum and Vulgate, read “Syrians” (Heb “Arameans”). The marginal reading (Qere), supported by the LXX, Targums, and Vulgate, reads “Edomites.”
  11. 2 Kings 16:7 tn Heb “son.” Both terms (“servant” and “son”) reflect Ahaz’s subordinate position as Tiglath-Pileser’s subject.
  12. 2 Kings 16:7 tn Heb “hand, palm.”
  13. 2 Kings 16:7 tn Heb “who have arisen against.”
  14. 2 Kings 16:8 tn Heb “that was found.”
  15. 2 Kings 16:8 tn Or “bribe money.”
  16. 2 Kings 16:9 tn Heb “listened to him.”
  17. 2 Kings 16:9 tn Heb “the king of Assyria.”
  18. 2 Kings 16:9 tn Heb “it.”
  19. 2 Kings 16:10 tn Heb “in Damascus.”
  20. 2 Kings 16:10 tn Heb “the likeness of the altar and its pattern for all its work.”
  21. 2 Kings 16:11 tn Heb “according to all that King Ahaz sent from Damascus.”
  22. 2 Kings 16:11 tn Heb “so Uriah the priest did, until the arrival of King Ahaz from Damascus.”
  23. 2 Kings 16:12 tn Heb “and the king.”
  24. 2 Kings 16:12 tn Heb “the altar.”
  25. 2 Kings 16:12 tn Or “ascended it.”
  26. 2 Kings 16:14 tn The word “new” is added in the translation for clarification.
  27. 2 Kings 16:15 tn That is, the newly constructed altar.
  28. 2 Kings 16:15 tn Heb “for me to seek.” The precise meaning of בָּקַר (baqar), “seek,” is uncertain in this context. For discussion see M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 189.
  29. 2 Kings 16:16 tn Heb “according to all that.”
  30. 2 Kings 16:17 sn See the note at 1 Kgs 7:23.
  31. 2 Kings 16:17 tn Heb “that [were] under it.”
  32. 2 Kings 16:18 tn The precise meaning of the Hebrew term מוּסַךְ (musakh; Qere) / מִיסַךְ (misakh; Kethib) is uncertain. For discussion see HALOT 557 s.v. מוּסַךְ and M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 189-90.
  33. 2 Kings 16:18 tn Heb “that they built.”
  34. 2 Kings 16:18 sn It is doubtful that Tiglath-Pileser ordered these architectural changes. Ahaz probably made these changes so he could send some of the items and materials to the Assyrian king as tribute. See M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 190, 193.
  35. 2 Kings 16:19 tn Heb “As for the rest of the events of Ahaz, and that which he did, are they not written on the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Judah?”
  36. 2 Kings 16:20 tn Heb “lay down with his fathers.”
  37. 2 Kings 17:2 tn Heb “in the eyes of.”
  38. 2 Kings 17:3 tn Heb “went up against.”
  39. 2 Kings 17:4 tn Heb “and the king of Assyria found in Hoshea conspiracy.”
  40. 2 Kings 17:4 sn For discussion of this name, see HALOT 744 s.v. סוֹא and M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 196.
  41. 2 Kings 17:4 tn Heb “and bound him in the house of confinement.”
  42. 2 Kings 17:5 tn Heb “went up against.”
  43. 2 Kings 17:6 tn The Hebrew text has simply “Israel” as the object of the verb.
  44. 2 Kings 17:7 tn Heb “and from under the hand of.” The words “freed them” for stylistic reasons replace the term “under.”
  45. 2 Kings 17:7 tn Heb “feared.”
  46. 2 Kings 17:8 tn Heb “walked in the customs.”
  47. 2 Kings 17:8 tn Heb “before the sons of Israel.”
  48. 2 Kings 17:8 tn Heb “and [the practices of] the kings of Israel which they did.”
  49. 2 Kings 17:9 tn The meaning of the verb וַיְחַפְּאוּ (vayekhappeʾu), translated here “said,” is uncertain. Some relate it to the verbal root חָפַה (khafah), “to cover,” and translate “they did it in secret” (see BDB 341 s.v. חָפָא). However, the pagan practices specified in the following sentences were hardly done in secret. Others propose a meaning “ascribe, impute,” which makes good contextual sense but has little etymological support (see HALOT 339 s.v. חפא). In this case Israel claimed that the Lord authorized their pagan practices.
  50. 2 Kings 17:11 tn Heb “and they did evil things, angering the Lord.”
  51. 2 Kings 17:12 tn Or “served.”
  52. 2 Kings 17:12 sn See the note at 1 Kgs 15:12.
  53. 2 Kings 17:12 tn Heb “about which the Lord had said to them, ‘You must not do this thing.’”
  54. 2 Kings 17:13 tn Heb “obey my commandments and rules according to all the law which I commanded your fathers and which I sent to you by the hand of my servants the prophets.”
  55. 2 Kings 17:14 tn Heb and they stiffened their neck like the neck of their fathers.”
  56. 2 Kings 17:15 tn Or “and his warnings he had given them.”
  57. 2 Kings 17:15 tn Heb “They went [or, ‘followed’] after.” This idiom probably does not mean much if translated literally. It is found most often in Deuteronomy or in literature related to the covenant. It refers in the first instance to loyalty to God and to His covenant or His commandments (1 Kgs 14:8; 2 Chr 34:31) with the metaphor of a path or way underlying it (Deut 11:28; 28:14). To “follow other gods” was to abandon this way and this loyalty (to “abandon” or “forget” God, Judg 2:12; Hos 2:13) and to follow the customs or religious traditions of the pagan nations (2 Kgs 17:15). The classic text on “following” God or another god is 1 Kgs 18:18, 21 where Elijah taunts the people with “halting between two opinions” whether the Lord was the true God or Baal was. The idiom is often found followed by “to serve and to worship” or “they served and worshiped” such and such a god or entity (Jer 8:2; 11:10; 13:10; 16:11; 25:6; 35:15).
  58. 2 Kings 17:15 tn Heb “they followed after the worthless thing/things and became worthless.” The words “to the Lord” are not in the Hebrew text but are implicit from the context. There is an obvious wordplay on the verb “became worthless” and the noun “worthless thing”, which is probably to be understood collectively and to refer to idols as it does in Jer 8:19; 10:8; 14:22; Jonah 2:8.
  59. 2 Kings 17:15 tn Heb “and [they walked] after the nations which were around them, concerning which the Lord commanded them not to do like them.”
  60. 2 Kings 17:16 tn The phrase כָל צְבָא הַשָּׁמַיִם (khol tsevaʾ hashamayim), traditionally translated “all the host of heaven,” refers to the heavenly lights, including stars and planets. In 1 Kgs 22:19 these heavenly bodies are pictured as members of the Lord’s royal court or assembly, but many other texts view them as the illegitimate objects of pagan and Israelite worship.
  61. 2 Kings 17:16 tn Or “served.”
  62. 2 Kings 17:17 sn See the note at 2 Kgs 16:3.
  63. 2 Kings 17:17 tn Heb “they sold themselves to doing what was evil in the eyes of the Lord, angering him.”
  64. 2 Kings 17:18 tn Heb “very angry.”
  65. 2 Kings 17:18 tn Heb “turned them away from his face.”
  66. 2 Kings 17:19 tn Heb “they walked in the practices of Israel which they did.”
  67. 2 Kings 17:20 tn Or “afflicted.”
  68. 2 Kings 17:21 tn Heb “and they made Jeroboam son of Nebat king.”
  69. 2 Kings 17:21 tc The consonantal text (Kethib) assumes the verb is נָדָא (nadaʾ), an alternate form of נָדָה (nadah), “push away.” The marginal reading (Qere) assumes the verb נָדָח (nadakh), “drive away.”
  70. 2 Kings 17:21 tn Heb “a great sin.”
  71. 2 Kings 17:22 tn Heb “turn away from.”
  72. 2 Kings 17:23 tn Heb “until.”
  73. 2 Kings 17:23 tn Heb “the Lord turned Israel away from his face.”
  74. 2 Kings 17:23 tn Heb “just as he said.”
  75. 2 Kings 17:24 tn The object is supplied in the translation.
  76. 2 Kings 17:24 sn In vv. 24-29 Samaria stands for the entire northern kingdom of Israel.
  77. 2 Kings 17:25 tn Heb “in the beginning of their living there.”
  78. 2 Kings 17:25 tn Heb “fear.”
  79. 2 Kings 17:26 tn Heb “and they said to the king of Assyria, saying.” The plural subject of the verb is indefinite.
  80. 2 Kings 17:26 tn Heb “Look, they are killing them.”
  81. 2 Kings 17:27 tc The second plural subject may refer to the leaders of the Assyrian army. However, some prefer to read “whom I deported,” changing the verb to a first person singular form with a third masculine plural pronominal suffix. This reading has some support from Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic witnesses.
  82. 2 Kings 17:27 tc Heb “and let them go and let them live there, and let him teach them the requirements of the God of the land.” The two plural verbs seem inconsistent with the preceding and following contexts, where only one priest is sent back to Samaria. The singular has the support of Greek, Syriac, and Latin witnesses.
  83. 2 Kings 17:28 tn Heb “fear.”
  84. 2 Kings 17:29 sn The verb “make” refers to the production of idols. See M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 210-11.
  85. 2 Kings 17:29 tn Heb “Samaritans.” This refers to the Israelites who had been deported from the land.
  86. 2 Kings 17:30 sn No deity is known by the name Sukkoth Benoth in extant Mesopotamian literature. For speculation as to the identity of this deity, see M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 211.
  87. 2 Kings 17:30 sn Nergal was a Mesopotamian god of the underworld.
  88. 2 Kings 17:30 sn This deity is unknown in extra-biblical literature. See M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 211-12.
  89. 2 Kings 17:31 sn Nibhaz and Tartak were two Elamite deities. See M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 212.
  90. 2 Kings 17:31 sn Adrammelech and Anammelech, the gods of the Sepharvaim are unknown in extra-biblical literature. See M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 212.
  91. 2 Kings 17:32 tn Heb “feared.”
  92. 2 Kings 17:32 tn Heb “and they appointed for themselves from their whole people priests for the high places and they were serving for them in the house[s] of the high places.”
  93. 2 Kings 17:33 tn Heb “fearing.”
  94. 2 Kings 17:34 tn Heb “fear.”
  95. 2 Kings 17:34 tn Heb “commanded.”
  96. 2 Kings 17:35 sn That is, the descendants of Jacob/Israel (see v. 35b).
  97. 2 Kings 17:36 tn Heb “and outstretched arm.”
  98. 2 Kings 17:40 sn This refers to the foreigners whom the king of Assyria settled in the land (see v. 35a).
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2 Chronicles 28
New English Translation

Ahaz’s Reign

28 Ahaz was twenty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned for sixteen years in Jerusalem. He did not do what pleased the Lord, in contrast to his ancestor David.[a] 2 He followed in the footsteps of[b] the kings of Israel; he also made images of the Baals. 3 He offered sacrifices in the Valley of Ben Hinnom and passed his sons through the fire,[c] a horrible sin practiced by the nations[d] whom the Lord drove out before the Israelites. 4 He offered sacrifices and burned incense on the high places, on the hills, and under every green tree.

5 The Lord his God handed him over to the king of Syria. The Syrians[e] defeated him and deported many captives to Damascus.[f] He was also handed over to the king of Israel, who thoroughly defeated him.[g] 6 In one day Pekah son of Remaliah killed 120,000 warriors in Judah, because they had abandoned the Lord God of their ancestors.[h] 7 Zikri, an Ephraimite warrior, killed the king’s son Maaseiah, Azrikam, the supervisor of the palace, and Elkanah, the king’s second-in-command. 8 The Israelites seized from their brothers 200,000 wives, sons, and daughters. They also carried off a huge amount of plunder and took it[i] back to Samaria.

9 Oded, a prophet of the Lord, was there. He went to meet the army as they arrived in Samaria and said to them: “Look, because the Lord God of your ancestors was angry with Judah he handed them over to you. You have killed them so mercilessly that God has taken notice.[j] 10 And now you are planning[k] to enslave[l] the people[m] of Judah and Jerusalem. Yet are you not also guilty before the Lord your God? 11 Now listen to me! Send back those you have seized from your brothers, for the Lord is very angry at you!”[n] 12 So some of[o] the Ephraimite family leaders, Azariah son of Jehochanan, Berechiah son of Meshillemoth, Jechizkiah son of Shallum, and Amasa son of Hadlai confronted[p] those returning from the battle. 13 They said to them, “Don’t bring those captives here! Are you planning on making us even more sinful and guilty before the Lord?[q] Our guilt is already great, and the Lord is very angry at Israel.”[r] 14 So the soldiers released the captives and the plunder before the officials and the entire assembly. 15 Men were assigned to take the prisoners and find clothes among the plunder for those who were naked.[s] So they clothed them, supplied them with sandals, gave them food and drink, and provided them with oil to rub on their skin.[t] They put the ones who couldn’t walk on donkeys.[u] They brought them back to their brothers at Jericho, the city of date palm trees, and then returned to Samaria.

16 At that time King Ahaz asked the king[v] of Assyria for help. 17 The Edomites had again invaded and defeated Judah and carried off captives. 18 The Philistines had raided the cities of Judah in the foothills[w] and the Negev.[x] They captured and settled in Beth Shemesh, Aijalon, Gederoth, Soco and its surrounding villages, Timnah and its surrounding villages, and Gimzo and its surrounding villages. 19 The Lord humiliated[y] Judah because of King Ahaz of Israel,[z] for he encouraged Judah to sin and was very[aa] unfaithful to the Lord. 20 King Tiglath-Pileser[ab] of Assyria came, but he gave him more trouble than support.[ac] 21 Ahaz gathered riches[ad] from the Lord’s temple, the royal palace, and the officials and gave them to the king of Assyria, but that did not help.

22 During his time of trouble King Ahaz was even more unfaithful to the Lord. 23 He offered sacrifices to the gods of Damascus whom he thought had defeated him.[ae] He reasoned,[af] “Since the gods of the kings of Syria helped them, I will sacrifice to them so they will help me.” But they caused him and all Israel to stumble. 24 Ahaz gathered the items in God’s temple and removed them. He shut the doors of the Lord’s temple and erected altars on every street corner in Jerusalem. 25 In every city throughout Judah he set up high places to offer sacrifices to other gods. He angered the Lord God of his ancestors.

26 The rest of the events of Ahaz’s reign, including his accomplishments from start to finish, are recorded in the Scroll of the Kings of Judah and Israel.[ag] 27 Ahaz passed away[ah] and was buried in the city of Jerusalem; they did not bring him to the tombs of the kings of Israel. His son Hezekiah replaced him as king.

Footnotes

  1. 2 Chronicles 28:1 tn Heb “and he did not do what was proper in the eyes of the Lord, like David his father.”
  2. 2 Chronicles 28:2 tn Heb “he walked in the ways of.”
  3. 2 Chronicles 28:3 sn This may refer to child sacrifice, though some interpret it as a less drastic cultic practice (NEB “burnt his sons in the fire”; NASB “burned his sons in the fire”; NIV “sacrificed his sons in the fire”; NRSV “made his sons pass through fire”). For discussion see M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 266-67.
  4. 2 Chronicles 28:3 tn Heb “like the abominable practices of the nations.”
  5. 2 Chronicles 28:5 tn Heb “they”; the referent (the Syrians) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  6. 2 Chronicles 28:5 tn Heb “and took captive from him a great captivity and brought [them] to Damascus.”
  7. 2 Chronicles 28:5 tn Heb “who struck him down with a great striking.”
  8. 2 Chronicles 28:6 tn Heb “fathers” (also in vv. 9, 25).
  9. 2 Chronicles 28:8 tn Heb “the loot.” The pronoun (“it”) has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons, to avoid redundancy.
  10. 2 Chronicles 28:9 tn Heb “and you killed them with anger [that] reaches as far as heaven.”
  11. 2 Chronicles 28:10 tn Heb “saying.”
  12. 2 Chronicles 28:10 tn Heb “to enslave as male servants and female servants.”
  13. 2 Chronicles 28:10 tn Heb “sons.”
  14. 2 Chronicles 28:11 tn Heb “for the rage of the anger of the Lord is upon you.”
  15. 2 Chronicles 28:12 tn Heb “men from.”
  16. 2 Chronicles 28:12 tn Heb “arose against.”
  17. 2 Chronicles 28:13 tn Heb “for to the guilt of the Lord upon us you are saying to add to our sins and our guilty deeds.”
  18. 2 Chronicles 28:13 tn Heb “for great is [the] guilt to us and rage of anger is upon Israel.”
  19. 2 Chronicles 28:15 tn Heb “and the men who were designated by names arose and took the captives and all their naked ones they clothed from the loot.”
  20. 2 Chronicles 28:15 tn Heb “and poured oil on them.”
  21. 2 Chronicles 28:15 tn Heb “and they led them on donkeys, with respect to everyone stumbling.”
  22. 2 Chronicles 28:16 tc Most Hebrew mss read the plural, “kings,” but one Hebrew ms, the LXX and Vulgate read the singular “king.” Note the singular in v. 20.
  23. 2 Chronicles 28:18 sn The foothills (שְׁפֵלָה, shephelah) are the region between the Judean hill country and the Mediterranean coastal plain.
  24. 2 Chronicles 28:18 sn The Negev is an area of central, southern Judah, south of the hill country and Beer Sheba and west of the rift valley.
  25. 2 Chronicles 28:19 tn Or “subdued.”
  26. 2 Chronicles 28:19 sn That is, “of Judah.” Frequently in 2 Chronicles “Israel” is substituted for “Judah.”
  27. 2 Chronicles 28:19 tn The infinitive absolute precedes the cognate nominal form to emphasize the degree of Ahaz’s unfaithfulness.
  28. 2 Chronicles 28:20 tn Heb “Tilgath-Pilneser,” a variant spelling of Tiglath-Pileser.
  29. 2 Chronicles 28:20 tn Heb “and he caused him distress and did not strengthen him.”
  30. 2 Chronicles 28:21 tn Heb “divided up,” but some read חִלֵּץ (khillets, “despoiled”).
  31. 2 Chronicles 28:23 tn Heb “the gods of Damascus, the ones who had defeated him.” The words “he thought” are supplied in the translation for clarification. The perspective is that of Ahaz, not the narrator! Another option is that “the kings” has been accidentally omitted after “gods of.” See v. 23b.
  32. 2 Chronicles 28:23 tn Heb “said.”
  33. 2 Chronicles 28:26 tn Heb “As for the rest of his events, and all his ways, the former and the latter, look, they are written on the scroll of the kings of Judah and Israel.”
  34. 2 Chronicles 28:27 tn Heb “lay down with his fathers.”
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