Chronological
28 Ahaz was twenty years old when he began to reign, and reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem, and did not do uprightly in the sight of the LORD, like David his father.
2 But he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, and even made molten images for Baalim.
3 Moreover, he burnt incense in the valley of Ben-hinnom, and burnt his sons with fire, after the abominations of the heathen whom the LORD had cast out before the children of Israel.
4 He also sacrificed and burnt incense in the high places, and on hills, and under every green tree.
5 Therefore, the LORD his God delivered him into the hand of the king of the Aramites. And they struck him and took some of his many prisoners and brought them to Damascus. And he was also delivered into the hand of the king of Israel, who struck him with a great slaughter.
6 For Pekah, the son of Remaliah, killed one hundred twenty thousand in Judah in one day, all valiant men, because they had forsaken the LORD God of their fathers.
7 And Zichri, a mighty man of Ephraim, killed Maaseiah, the king’s son, and Azrikam, the governor of the House, and Elkanah, the second after the king.
8 And the children of Israel took prisoners of their brethren—two hundred thousand of the women, sons and daughters—and carried away much spoil from them and brought the spoil to Samaria.
9 But there was a Prophet of the LORD whose name Oded. And he went out before the army that came to Samaria, and said to them, “Behold! Because the LORD God of your fathers is angry with Judah, He has delivered them into your hand. And you have killed them in a rage that reaches up to Heaven!
10 “And now you intend to keep the children of Judah and Jerusalem under, as servants and handmaids to you. But are not your sins also with you before the LORD your God?
11 “Now therefore, hear me and bring back the captives whom you have taken prisoners from your brethren. For the fierce wrath of the LORD is toward you.”
12 Therefore, some of the chiefs of the children of Ephraim — Azariah the son of Johanan, Berechiah the son of Meshillemoth, Jehizkiah the son of Shallum and Amasa the son of Hadlai — stood up against those who came from the war,
13 and said to them, “Do not bring the captives in here. For this shall be a sin upon us against the LORD. You intend to add more to our sins and to our trespass, though our trespass is great, as is the fierce wrath of God against Israel.”
14 So, the army left the captives and the spoil before the princes and all the Congregation.
15 And the men who were named by name rose up and took the prisoners, and clothed all who were naked among them with the spoil, and arrayed them, and gave them sandals and food and drink, and anointed them, and carried all of them who were feeble upon donkeys, and brought them to Jericho, the City of Palm Trees, to their brethren. So, they returned to Samaria.
16 At that time, King Ahaz sent to the kings of Assyria for help.
17 For the Edomites had come again and struck Judah and carried away captives.
18 The Philistines also invaded the cities in the low country, and toward the South of Judah, and took Beth Shemesh and Aijalon and Gederoth and Sochoh (with their villages) and Timnah with its villages and Gimzo with its villages. And they dwelt there.
19 For the LORD had humbled Judah because of Ahaz, king of Israel. For he had brought vengeance upon Judah and had grievously transgressed against the LORD.
20 And Tilgath-Pilneser, king of Assyria, came to him, who troubled him and did not strengthen him.
21 For Ahaz took a portion out of the House of the LORD and out of the king’s house and of the princes’ and gave to the king of Assyria. Still, it did not help him.
22 And in the time of his tribulation, he trespassed even more against the LORD (this is King Ahaz).
23 For he sacrificed to the gods of Damascus which plagued him, and he said, “Because the gods of the kings of Aram helped them, I will sacrifice to them. And they will help me.” Yet they were his ruin, and all of Israel.
24 And Ahaz gathered the vessels of the House of God, and broke the vessels of the House of God, and shut up the doors of the House of the LORD and made himself altars in every corner of Jerusalem.
25 And he made high places in every city of Judah, to burn incense to other gods, and the LORD God of his fathers was provoked to anger.
26 Concerning the rest of his acts and all his ways, first and last, behold, they are written in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel.
27 And Ahaz slept with his fathers. And they buried him in the city of Jerusalem but did not bring him to the sepulchers of the kings of Israel. And Hezekiah, his son, reigned in his place.
16 The seventeenth year of Pekah, the son of Remaliah, Ahaz, the son of Jotham, king of Judah, began to reign.
2 Ahaz was twenty years old when he began to reign. And he reigned for sixteen years in Jerusalem. And he did not do uprightly in the sight of the LORD his God (like David his father),
3 but walked in the way of the kings of Israel, yea, and made his son go through the fire, after the abominations of the heathen, whom the LORD had cast out before the children of Israel.
4 Also, he offered and burnt incense in the high places, and on the hills, and under every green tree.
5 Then Rezin, king of Aram, and Pekah, son of Remaliah, king of Israel, came up to Jerusalem to fight. And they besieged Ahaz but could not overcome him.
6 At the same time, Rezin, king of Aram, restored Elath to Aram and drove the Jews from Elath. So, the Aramites came to Elath and dwell there to this day.
7 Then Ahaz sent messengers to Tiglath-Pileser, king of Assyria, saying, “I am your servant and your son. Come up and deliver me out of the hand of the king of Aram and out of the hand of the king of Israel, who rise up against me.”
8 And Ahaz took the silver and the 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.
9 And the king of Assyria listened to him. And the king of Assyria went up against Damascus. And when he had taken it, he carried the people away to Kir and killed Rezin.
10 And King Ahaz went to Damascus to meet Tiglath-Pileser, king of Assyria. And when King Ahaz saw the altar that was at Damascus, he sent to Urijah the Priest the pattern of the altar, and the fashion of it, and all its workmanship.
11 And Urijah the Priest made an altar, in all points like that which King Ahaz had sent from Damascus. So did Urijah the Priest while King Ahaz came from Damascus.
12 So when the king had come from Damascus, the king saw the altar. And the king drew near to the altar and offered on it.
13 And he burnt his burnt offering and his meat offering and poured his drink offering and sprinkled the blood of his peace offerings beside the altar,
14 and set it by the bronze altar, which was before the LORD, and brought it in further from the front of the House, between the altar and the House of the LORD, and set it on the northern side of the altar.
15 And King Ahaz commanded Urijah the Priest, and said, “In the morning, set the burnt offering on fire upon the great altar, and in the evening the meat offering, and the king’s burnt offering and his meat offering with the burnt offering of all the people of the land, and their meat offering, and their drink offerings. And pour all the blood of the burnt offering by them, and all the blood of the sacrifice. And the bronze altar shall be for me to inquire.”
16 And Urijah the Priest did according to all that King Ahaz had commanded.
17 And King Ahaz broke the borders of the bases, and took the caldrons from off them, and took down the sea from the bronze oxen that were under it and put it upon a pavement of stones.
18 And the veil for the Sabbath (that they had made in the House) and he turned the king’s outside entrance into the house of the LORD, because of the king of Assyria.
19 Concerning 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 place.
17 In the twelfth year of Ahaz, king of Judah, Hoshea, the son of Elah, began to reign in Samaria over Israel (for nine years).
2 And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, but not as the kings of Israel who were before him.
3 And Shalmaneser, king of Assyria, came up against him. And Hoshea became his servant and gave him presents.
4 And the king of Assyria found treason in Hoshea. For he had sent messengers to So, king of Egypt, and brought no present to the king of Assyria, as he had done yearly. Therefore, the king of Assyria shut him up and put him in prison.
5 Then the king of Assyria came up throughout all the land and went against Samaria and besieged it for three years.
6 In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria, Samaria took and carried Israel away to Assyria and put them in Halah and in Habor, by the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes.
7 For when the children of Israel sinned against the LORD their God (Who had brought them out of the land of Egypt, from under the hand of Pharaoh, king of Egypt) and feared other gods,
8 and walked according to the statutes of the heathen, whom the LORD had cast out before the children of Israel, and after those of the kings of Israel which they had made,
9 and the children of Israel had secretly done things that were not upright before the LORD their God, and had built high places throughout all their cities, from the watchtower to the defensed city,
10 and had made themselves images and groves upon every high hill and under every green tree,
11 and burnt incense there in all the high places, as did the heathen, whom the LORD had taken away before them, and worked wicked things to anger the LORD,
12 and served idols (of which the LORD had said to them, “You shall do no such thing.”),
13 nevertheless, the LORD testified to Israel, and to Judah, by all the Prophets, and by all the Seers, saying, “Turn from your evil ways and keep My Commandments, and My Statutes, according to all the Law which I Commanded your fathers, and which I sent to you by My servants, the Prophets.”
14 Still, they would not obey, but hardened their necks (like the necks of their fathers, who did not believe in the LORD their God).
15 And they refused His Statutes and His Covenant that He made with their fathers, and His Testimonies with which He witnessed to them. And they followed vanity, and became empty, and followed the heathen who were all around them, concerning whom the LORD had charged them that they should not do like them.
16 Finally, they left all the Commandments of the LORD their God, and made themselves molten images (two calves), and made a grove, and worshipped all the host of heaven, and served Baal.
17 And they made their sons and daughters pass through the fire, and used witchcraft and enchantments. Indeed, they sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the LORD, to anger Him.
18 Therefore, the LORD was exceedingly angry with Israel, and put them out of His sight. No one was left, only the tribe of Judah.
19 Yet Judah did not keep the Commandments of the LORD their God, but walked according to the statutes of Israel which they had made.
20 Therefore, the LORD cast off all the seed of Israel, and afflicted them, and delivered them into the hands of plunderers, until He had cast them out of His sight.
21 For He cut off Israel from the House of David. And they made Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, king. And Jeroboam drew Israel away from following the LORD and made them sin a great sin.
22 For the children of Israel walked in all the sins of Jeroboam, which he did, not departing from them,
23 until the LORD put Israel away, out of His sight (as He had said by all His servants the Prophets) and carried Israel away, out of their land, to Assyria, until this day.
24 And the king of Assyria brought people from Babylon, and from Cuthah, and from Ava, and from Hamath, and from Sepharvaim, and placed them in the cities of Samaria instead of the children of Israel. So, they possessed Samaria, and dwelt in its cities.
25 And at the beginning of their dwelling there, they did not fear the LORD. Therefore, the LORD sent lions among them, which killed them.
26 Therefore, they spoke to the king of Assyria, saying, “The nations which you have removed, and placed in the cities of Samaria, do not know the justice of the God of the land. Therefore, He has sent lions among them. And behold, they kill them, because they do not know the justice of the God of the land.”
27 Then the king of Assyria commanded, saying, “Take back one of the priests whom you brought from there. And let him go and dwell there and teach them the justice of the God of the country.”
28 So, one of the priests whom they had carried from Samaria came and dwelt in Bethel and taught them how they should fear the LORD.
29 Nonetheless, every nation made their own gods and put them in the houses of the high places which the Samaritans had made, every nation in every city in which they dwelt.
30 For the men of Babylon made Succoth Benoth. And the men of Cuth made Nergal. And the men of Hamath made Ashima.
31 And the Avites made Nibhaz and Tartak. And the Sepharvites burnt their children in the fire to Adrammelech and Anammelech (the gods of Sepharvaim).
32 Thus they feared the LORD and appointed priests from themselves for the high places, who prepared sacrifices for them in the houses of the high places.
33 They feared the LORD but served their own gods, after the rituals of the nations from whom they had been carried.
34 They observe these rituals to this day. They neither fear God nor obey the Ordinances nor Customs nor the Law nor the Commandment which the LORD commanded the children of Jacob, whom He named Israel,
35 and with whom the LORD had made a Covenant, and charged them, saying, “Fear no other gods, or bow yourselves to them, or serve them, or sacrifice to them.
36 “But fear the LORD Who brought you out of the land of Egypt with great power, and an outstretched arm. Fear Him and worship Him and sacrifice to Him.
37 “Also, diligently keep the Statutes and the Ordinances and the Law and the Commandment which He wrote for you, so that you do them continually. And do not fear other gods.
38 “And do not forget the Covenant that I have made with you, or fear other gods.
39 “But fear the LORD your God, and He will deliver you out of the hands of all your enemies.”
40 However, they did not obey but did after their old customs.
41 So, these nations feared the LORD and served their own images, as did their children and their children’s children. As their fathers have done, so do they, to this day.
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