2 Kings 16

New International Version

Ahaz King of Judah^(A)

16 In the seventeenth year of Pekah son of Remaliah, Ahaz^(B) son of Jotham king of Judah began to reign. ²Ahaz was twenty years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem sixteen years. Unlike David his father, he did not do what was right^(C) in the eyes of the Lord his God. ³He followed the ways of the kings of Israel^(D) and even sacrificed his son^(E) in the fire, engaging in the detestable^(F) practices of the nations the Lord had driven out before the Israelites. ⁴He offered sacrifices and burned incense^(G) at the high places, on the hilltops and under every spreading tree.^(H)

⁵Then Rezin^(I) king of Aram and Pekah son of Remaliah king of Israel marched up to fight against Jerusalem and besieged Ahaz, but they could not overpower him. ⁶At that time, Rezin^(J) king of Aram recovered Elath^(K) for Aram by driving out the people of Judah. Edomites then moved into Elath and have lived there to this day.

⁷Ahaz sent messengers to say to Tiglath-Pileser^(L) king of Assyria, “I am your servant and vassal. Come up and save^(M) me out of the hand of the king of Aram and of the king of Israel, who are attacking me.” ⁸And Ahaz took the silver and gold found in the temple of the Lord and in the treasuries of the royal palace and sent it as a gift^(N) to the king of Assyria. ⁹The king of Assyria complied by attacking Damascus^(O) and capturing it. He deported its inhabitants to Kir^(P) and put Rezin to death.

¹⁰Then King Ahaz went to Damascus to meet Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria. He saw an altar in Damascus and sent to Uriah^(Q) the priest a sketch of the altar, with detailed plans for its construction. ¹¹So Uriah the priest built an altar in accordance with all the plans that King Ahaz had sent from Damascus and finished it before King Ahaz returned. ¹²When the king came back from Damascus and saw the altar, he approached it and presented offerings^[a]^(R) on it. ¹³He offered up his burnt offering^(S) and grain offering,^(T) poured out his drink offering,^(U) and splashed the blood of his fellowship offerings^(V) against the altar. ¹⁴As for the bronze altar^(W) that stood before the Lord, he brought it from the front of the temple—from between the new altar and the temple of the Lord—and put it on the north side of the new altar.

¹⁵King Ahaz then gave these orders to Uriah the priest: “On the large new altar, offer the morning^(X) burnt offering and the evening grain offering, the king’s burnt offering and his grain offering, and the burnt offering of all the people of the land, and their grain offering and their drink offering. Splash against this altar the blood of all the burnt offerings and sacrifices. But I will use the bronze altar for seeking guidance.”^(Y) ¹⁶And Uriah the priest did just as King Ahaz had ordered.

¹⁷King Ahaz cut off the side panels and removed the basins from the movable stands. He removed the Sea from the bronze bulls that supported it and set it on a stone base.^(Z) ¹⁸He took away the Sabbath canopy^[b] that had been built at the temple and removed the royal entryway outside the temple of the Lord, in deference to the king of Assyria.^(AA)

¹⁹As for the other events of the reign of Ahaz, and what he did, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Judah? ²⁰Ahaz rested^(AB) with his ancestors and was buried with them in the City of David. And Hezekiah his son succeeded him as king.

Footnotes

2 Kings 16:12 Or and went up
2 Kings 16:18 Or the dais of his throne (see Septuagint)

Hosea 9

New International Version

Punishment for Israel

9 Do not rejoice, Israel;
    do not be jubilant^(A) like the other nations.
For you have been unfaithful^(B) to your God;
    you love the wages of a prostitute^(C)
    at every threshing floor.
²Threshing floors and winepresses will not feed the people;
    the new wine^(D) will fail them.
³They will not remain^(E) in the Lord’s land;
    Ephraim will return to Egypt^(F)
    and eat unclean food in Assyria.^(G)
⁴They will not pour out wine offerings^(H) to the Lord,
    nor will their sacrifices please^(I) him.
Such sacrifices will be to them like the bread of mourners;^(J)
    all who eat them will be unclean.^(K)
This food will be for themselves;
    it will not come into the temple of the Lord.^(L)

⁵What will you do^(M) on the day of your appointed festivals,^(N)
    on the feast days of the Lord?
⁶Even if they escape from destruction,
    Egypt will gather them,^(O)
    and Memphis^(P) will bury them.^(Q)
Their treasures of silver^(R) will be taken over by briers,
    and thorns^(S) will overrun their tents.
⁷The days of punishment^(T) are coming,
    the days of reckoning^(U) are at hand.
    Let Israel know this.
Because your sins^(V) are so many
    and your hostility so great,
the prophet is considered a fool,^(W)
    the inspired person a maniac.^(X)
⁸The prophet, along with my God,
    is the watchman over Ephraim,^[a]
yet snares^(Y) await him on all his paths,
    and hostility in the house of his God.^(Z)
⁹They have sunk deep into corruption,^(AA)
    as in the days of Gibeah.^(AB)
God will remember^(AC) their wickedness
    and punish them for their sins.^(AD)

¹⁰“When I found Israel,
    it was like finding grapes in the desert;
when I saw your ancestors,
    it was like seeing the early fruit^(AE) on the fig^(AF) tree.
But when they came to Baal Peor,^(AG)
    they consecrated themselves to that shameful idol^(AH)
    and became as vile as the thing they loved.
¹¹Ephraim’s glory^(AI) will fly away like a bird^(AJ)—
    no birth, no pregnancy, no conception.^(AK)
¹²Even if they rear children,
    I will bereave^(AL) them of every one.
Woe^(AM) to them
    when I turn away from them!^(AN)
¹³I have seen Ephraim,^(AO) like Tyre,
    planted in a pleasant place.^(AP)
But Ephraim will bring out
    their children to the slayer.”^(AQ)

¹⁴Give them, Lord—
what will you give them?
Give them wombs that miscarry
and breasts that are dry.^(AR)

¹⁵“Because of all their wickedness in Gilgal,^(AS)
    I hated them there.
Because of their sinful deeds,^(AT)
    I will drive them out of my house.
I will no longer love them;^(AU)
    all their leaders are rebellious.^(AV)
¹⁶Ephraim^(AW) is blighted,
    their root is withered,
    they yield no fruit.^(AX)
Even if they bear children,
    I will slay^(AY) their cherished offspring.”