¹² She too lusted after the Assyrians—governors and commanders, warriors in full dress, mounted horsemen, all handsome young men.^(A)

⁷ Ahaz sent messengers to say to Tiglath-Pileser^(A) king of Assyria, “I am your servant and vassal. Come up and save^(B) me out of the hand of the king of Aram and of the king of Israel, who are attacking me.” ⁸ And 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^(C) to the king of Assyria. ⁹ The king of Assyria complied by attacking Damascus^(D) and capturing it. He deported its inhabitants to Kir^(E) and put Rezin to death.

¹⁰ Then King Ahaz went to Damascus to meet Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria. He saw an altar in Damascus and sent to Uriah^(F) the priest a sketch of the altar, with detailed plans for its construction. ¹¹ So 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. ¹² When the king came back from Damascus and saw the altar, he approached it and presented offerings^[a](G) on it. ¹³ He offered up his burnt offering^(H) and grain offering,^(I) poured out his drink offering,^(J) and splashed the blood of his fellowship offerings^(K) against the altar. ¹⁴ As for the bronze altar^(L) 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.

¹⁵ King Ahaz then gave these orders to Uriah the priest: “On the large new altar, offer the morning^(M) 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.”^(N)

²³ the Babylonians^(A) and all the Chaldeans,^(B) the men of Pekod^(C) and Shoa and Koa, and all the Assyrians with them, handsome young men, all of them governors and commanders, chariot officers and men of high rank, all mounted on horses.^(D)

⁵ “Oholah engaged in prostitution while she was still mine; and she lusted after her lovers, the Assyrians^(A)—warriors^{(B) 6} clothed in blue, governors and commanders, all of them handsome young men, and mounted horsemen.

²⁸ You engaged in prostitution with the Assyrians^(A) too, because you were insatiable; and even after that, you still were not satisfied.^(B)

¹⁶ At that time King Ahaz sent to the kings^[a] of Assyria^(A) for help. ¹⁷ The Edomites^(B) had again come and attacked Judah and carried away prisoners,^{(C) 18} while the Philistines^(D) had raided towns in the foothills and in the Negev of Judah. They captured and occupied Beth Shemesh, Aijalon^(E) and Gederoth,^(F) as well as Soko,^(G) Timnah^(H) and Gimzo, with their surrounding villages. ¹⁹ The Lord had humbled Judah because of Ahaz king of Israel,^[b] for he had promoted wickedness in Judah and had been most unfaithful^(I) to the Lord. ²⁰ Tiglath-Pileser^[c](J) king of Assyria^(K) came to him, but he gave him trouble^(L) instead of help.^{(M) 21} Ahaz^(N) took some of the things from the temple of the Lord and from the royal palace and from the officials and presented them to the king of Assyria, but that did not help him.^(O)

²² In his time of trouble King Ahaz became even more unfaithful^(P) to the Lord. ²³ He offered sacrifices to the gods^(Q) of Damascus, who had defeated him; for he thought, “Since the gods of the kings of Aram have helped them, I will sacrifice to them so they will help me.”^(R) But they were his downfall and the downfall of all Israel.^(S)