Chronological

28 Ahaz was of twenty years, when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem; he did not rightfulness in the sight of the Lord, as David, his father, did (he did not go rightfully before the Lord, like his forefather David did);

² but he went in the ways of the kings of Israel. Furthermore and he melted out images to Baalim (And furthermore he cast metal images of the Baalim).

³ He it is that burnt incense in the valley of Ben-hinnon, and purged his sons by fire (It was he who burned incense in the Valley of Ben-hinnon, and who burned his sons in the fire), (as) by the custom of heathen men, whom the Lord (had) killed in the coming of the sons of Israel from Egypt/in the coming of the sons of Israel to the land of promise.

⁴ Also he made sacrifice, and burnt incense in high places, and in hills, and under each tree full of boughs. (And he made sacrifices, and burned incense at the hill shrines, and on the hills, and under each tree full of boughs.)

⁵ And the Lord his God betook him in(to) the hand of the king of Syria, which smote Ahaz, and took a great prey of his empire, and brought into Damascus. Also Ahaz was betaken to the hands of the king of Israel, and he was smitten with a great wound. (And the Lord his God delivered him into the hands of the king of Syria, who struck Ahaz, and took away many captives from his empire, and brought them to Damascus. And then Ahaz was delivered into the hands of the king of Israel, who struck down his army with a great slaughter.)

⁶ And Pekah, the son of Remaliah, killed of Judah sixscore thousand in one day, all the men warriors; for they had forsaken the Lord God of their fathers. (And Pekah, the son of Remaliah, killed one hundred and twenty thousand of the men of Judah on one day, all very strong men of war; because they had abandoned the Lord God of their fathers.)

⁷ In the same time Zichri, a mighty man of Ephraim, killed Maaseiah, the son of Jotham, the king; and he killed Azrikam, the duke of his house, and Elkanah, the second person from the king. (At the same time Zichri, a mighty man of Ephraim, killed Maaseiah, the son of Jotham, the king; and he also killed Azrikam, the leader of his household, and Elkanah, the second person from the king.)

⁸ And the sons of Israel took of their brethren two hundred thousand of women and of children and of damsels, and prey without number, and bare it into Samaria. (And the Israelites captured two hundred thousand of their kinsmen’s women and children and young women, and also took prey without number, and brought them and the spoils back to Samaria.)

⁹ In that tempest, or (time of) vengeance, a prophet of the Lord, Oded by name, was there, which went out against the host of Israel coming into Samaria, and he said to them, Lo! the Lord God of your fathers was wroth against Judah, and he hath betaken them in your hands; and ye have slain them cruelly, so that your cruelty stretcheth forth into heaven. (And in that tempest, or at that time of vengeance, a prophet of the Lord named Oded was there, and he went out to meet the army of Israel coming back to Samaria, and he said to them, Lo! the Lord God of your fathers was angry against Judah, and so he delivered them into your hands; but ye have cruelly killed them, so that your cruelty stretcheth forth unto heaven.)

¹⁰ Furthermore and ye will (to) make subject to you the sons of Judah and of Jerusalem into servants and handmaids; which thing is not needful to be done; certainly ye have sinned in this thing to the Lord your God. (And furthermore ye desire to make the sons of Judah and of Jerusalem subject to you, to make them be your servants and your sevantesses; but this should not be done, for ye have also sinned against the Lord your God.)

¹¹ But hear ye my counsel, and lead again the prisoners, which ye have brought thence of your brethren (whom ye have brought here from your kinsmen); for (the) great vengeance of the Lord nigheth to you.

¹² Therefore men of the princes of the sons of Ephraim, Azariah, the son of Johanan, Berechiah, the son of Meshillemoth, Jehizkiah, the son of Shallum, and Amasa, the son of Hadlai, stood against them that came from the battle; (And so some leaders of the Ephraimites, Azariah, the son of Johanan, Berechiah, the son of Meshillemoth, Jehizkiah, the son of Shallum, and Amasa, the son of Hadlai, stood against them who came from the battle;)

¹³ and said to them, Ye shall not bring in hither the prisoners, lest we do (more) sin against the Lord; why will ye lay to on your sins, and heap (more on) your old trespasses? Certainly this is great sin; the wrath of the strong vengeance of the Lord nigheth on Israel. (and said to them, Ye shall not bring in the prisoners here, lest we do more sin against the Lord; why add ye more onto our sins, and heap up more onto our old trespasses? For our sin is great; and the anger of the strong vengeance of the Lord cometh upon Israel.)

¹⁴ And the men warriors left the prey, and all things which they had taken, before the princes and all the multitude. (And so the men of war left the prisoners, and all the things which they had taken, in front of the leaders and all the multitude.)

¹⁵ And the men stood there, which we remembered before, and they took the prisoners, and they clothed of the spoils all that were naked; and when they had clothed them, and shod them, and refreshed them with meat, and with drink, and anointed them for (their) travail, and gave cure, either medicine, to them; which ever of them were feeble, and might not go, they putted on horses, and they brought them to Jericho, the city of palms, to their brethren; and they turned again into Samaria. (And the men stood there, whom we named before, and they took the prisoners, and they clothed all who were naked with the spoils; and when they had clothed them, and shod them, and refreshed them with food, and with drink, and anointed them for their travail, and gave a cure, or medicine, to them; whomever of them were feeble, or were weak, and could not walk, they put on horses, and they brought them to Jericho, the City of Palms, back to their kinsmen; and then they returned to Samaria.)

¹⁶ In that time (At that time), king Ahaz sent to the king of Assyrians, and asked help of him.

¹⁷ And Idumeans came (For the Edomites had returned), and killed many men of Judah, and took great prey.

¹⁸ Also [the] Philistines were spread abroad by (the) cities of the fields, and at the south of Judah; and they took Bethshemesh, and Ajalon, and Gederoth, and Shocho, and Timnah, and Gimzo, with their villages; and they dwelled in those (and they lived there).

¹⁹ For the Lord made low Judah for Ahaz, the king of Judah^[a]; for he had made him naked of help, and (he had) despised the Lord. (For the Lord had humbled Judah because of Ahaz, the king of Judah; for he had made Judah naked, or void, of any help, and he had defied the Lord.)

²⁰ And the Lord brought against him Tilgathpilneser, king of Assyrians, that tormented him (who tormented him), and wasted him, while no man against-stood (him).

²¹ Therefore Ahaz, after that he had spoiled the house of the Lord, and the house of the king, and (those) of the princes, gave gifts to the king of Assyrians, and nevertheless it profited nothing to him. (And so Ahaz, after that he had spoiled the House of the Lord, and the house of the king, and those of the leaders, gave gifts to the king of Assyria, but nevertheless it profited nothing to him.)

²² Furthermore also in the time of his anguish he increased despite against God; that king Ahaz, himself, (And furthermore in the time of his anguish he increased his defiance against God; for King Ahaz, himself,)

²³ offered sacrifices to the gods of Damascus, his smiters, or destroyers, and he said, The gods of the kings of Syria help them, which gods I shall please by sacrifices, and they shall help me; when, on the contrary, they were (the cause of) falling to him, and to all Israel. (offered sacrifices to the gods of Damascus, his destroyers, and he said, Because the gods of the kings of Syria help them, I shall please these gods, and then they shall also help me; when, on the contrary, they were the cause of his downfall, and that of all Israel.)

²⁴ Therefore after that Ahaz had taken away, and broken all the vessels of the house of God, he closed the gates of God’s temple, and he made altars to himself in all the corners of Jerusalem (and he made altars for himself in all the corners of Jerusalem).

²⁵ And in all the cities of Judah he builded altars to burn incense (to other gods), and he stirred the Lord God of his fathers to wrathfulness.

²⁶ Soothly the residue of his words and of all his works, the former and the last, be written in the book of [the] kings of Judah and of Israel. (And the rest of the first and the last deeds of Ahaz, be written in The Book of the Kings of Judah and of Israel.)

²⁷ And Ahaz slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city of Jerusalem; for they received not him into the sepulchres of the kings of Israel (for they would not lay him in the tombs of the kings of Israel); 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, reigned (began to reign).

² 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),

³ 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.)

⁴ 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.)

⁵ 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).

⁶ 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.)

⁷ 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.

⁸ 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;)

⁹ 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.

17 In the twelfth year of Ahaz, king of Judah, Hoshea, the son of Elah, reigned in Samaria upon Israel nine years. (In the twelfth year of Ahaz, the king of Judah, Hoshea, the son of Elah, began to reign in Samaria upon Israel, and he reigned for nine years.)

² And he did evil before the Lord, but not as the kings of Israel, that were before him.

³ Shalmaneser, king of Assyrians, went up against Hoshea, and Hoshea was made (a) servant to him, and yielded tributes to him (and paid him taxes).

⁴ And when the king of Assyrians had perceived, that Hoshea enforced to rebel, and (that he) had sent messengers to So, king of Egypt, that he should not give tributes to the king of Assyrians, as he was wont (to do) by all years, the king of Assyrians besieged him, and sent him bound into prison. (And when the king of Assyria had perceived that Hoshea endeavoured to rebel, for he had sent messengers to So, the king of Egypt, asking for help, and thereafter paid no taxes to the king of Assyria, as he had done before by all years, the king of Assyria besieged him, and bound him, and put him in prison.)

⁵ And Shalmaneser went through[out] all the land, and he went up to Samaria, and besieged it three years.

⁶ Forsooth in the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyrians took Samaria, and translated Israel into (the) Assyrians (and carried away all the Israelites to Assyria); and he put them in Halah, and in Habor, beside the flood [of] Gozan, (and) in the cities of (the) Medes.

⁷ Forsooth it was done, when the sons of Israel had sinned before their Lord God, that led them out of the land of Egypt, from (under) the hand of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, they worshipped alien gods; (For it was, that the Israelites had sinned before the Lord their God, who had led them out of the land of Egypt, from under the hand of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, for they worshipped foreign, or other, gods,)

⁸ and went by the custom of heathen men, which the Lord had wasted in the sight of the sons of Israel (whom the Lord had destroyed before the Israelites), and (the custom) of the kings of Israel, for they had done in like manner.

⁹ And the sons of Israel offended their Lord God by words not rightful, and they builded to themselves high things in all their cities, from the tower of (the) keepers unto a strengthened city. (And the Israelites offended the Lord their God with things that were not right, and they built for themselves hill shrines in all their cities, from a watchman’s tower unto a fortified city.)

¹⁰ And they made to them(selves) images, and maumet woods, in each high hill, and under each tree full of boughs; (And they set up images, or idols, for themselves, and idol groves, or sacred poles, on each high hill, and under each tree full of boughs;)

¹¹ and they burnt there incense on the altars, by the custom of heathen men, which the Lord had translated from the face of them. And they did [the] worst words, that is, (the) worst works, and they wrathed the Lord; (and they burned incense on the altars there, by the custom of the heathen, whom the Lord had carried away from before them. And they did the worst works, and they stirred the Lord to great anger;)

¹² and [they] worshipped [the] uncleannesses, of which the Lord commanded to them, that they should not do this word. (and they worshipped idols, which the Lord had commanded to them, that they should not do this thing.)

¹³ And the Lord witnessed in Israel and in Judah, by the hand of all (the) prophets, and [the] seers, and said, Turn ye again from your worst ways/your full evil ways, and keep my commandments, and [my] ceremonies, by all the law which I commanded to your fathers, and as I sent to you in the hand of my servants (the) prophets. (And the Lord witnessed against Israel and Judah, by all of his prophets, and seers, and said, Turn ye away from your worst ways/from your full evil ways, and keep my commandments, and my statutes, by all the Law which I commanded to your forefathers, and as I sent word to you by my servants the prophets.)

¹⁴ Which heard not, but made hard their noll by the noll of their fathers, that would not obey to their Lord God. (But they would not listen, but hardened, or stiffened, their necks, or were stubborn, like their forefathers, who also would not obey the Lord their God.)

¹⁵ And they casted away the lawful things of him, and the covenant that he covenanted with their fathers, and the witnessings by which he witnessed to them; and they followed vanities, that is, idols, and did vainly; and followed heathen men, that were about them; of which things the Lord commanded to them, that they should not do as also those heathen men did. (And they threw away his laws, and the covenant that he had covenanted with their forefathers, and the witnessings, or the testimonies, by which he had witnessed to them; and they followed vain, or worthless, idols; and followed the heathen, who were about them; of which things the Lord commanded to them, that they should not do as those heathen did.)

¹⁶ And they forsook all the commandments of their Lord God, and they made to them two molten calves, and maumet woods, and worshipped all the knighthood of (the) heaven(s) (and they made for themselves two cast metal calves, and idol groves, or poles, and worshipped all the host of heaven), that is, (the) sun, and moon, and other planets; and they served Baal,

¹⁷ and [they] hallowed to him their sons, and their daughters, through fire, and they served to false divining, and to divining by chittering of birds; and they gave themselves to do evil before the Lord, and they wrathed him. (and they sacrificed their sons and their daughters to him, by burning them in the fire, and they served false divining, and divining by the twittering of birds; and they gave themselves to do evil before the Lord, and they stirred him to great anger.)

¹⁸ And the Lord was wroth greatly to Israel; and he took away them from his sight, and none (was) left, no but the lineage of Judah only. (And the Lord was greatly angered with Israel; and he put them away from before him, and no one was left, but only the tribe of Judah.)

¹⁹ But neither Judah himself kept the behests of the Lord his God, but nevertheless he erred, and went in the error of Israel, which it wrought. (Yet even the people of Judah themselves did not obey the commandments of the Lord their God, but they also erred, and went in the error of Israel, which they also did.)

²⁰ And the Lord casted away all the seed of Israel, and tormented them, and betook them in the hand of raveners; till he had cast away them from his face, (And so the Lord threw away all the descendants of Israel, and tormented them, and delivered them into the hands of robbers, or of plunderers; until he had thrown them all away from before his face,)

²¹ from that time in which Israel was parted from the house of David, and [they] made to them a king (and they made a king for themselves), Jeroboam, the son of Nebat. For Jeroboam separated Israel from the Lord, and made them to do great sin.

²² And the sons of Israel went in all the sins of Jeroboam, which he had done (And the Israelites went in all the sins of Jeroboam, which he had done); and they departed not from those sins,

²³ till the Lord did away Israel from his face, as he spake in the hand of all his servants (the) prophets; and Israel was translated/was brought over from his land into Assyrians till into this day (and the Israelites were carried away/were brought over from their own land into Assyria, and they be there unto this day).

²⁴ Forsooth the king of Assyrians brought people from Babylon, and from Cuthah, and from Ava, and from Hamath, and from Sepharvaim, and set them in the cities of Samaria for the sons of Israel (and put them in the cities of Samaria in place of the Israelites); and these had in possession Samaria, and they dwelled in the cities thereof.

²⁵ And when they began to dwell there, they dreaded not the Lord; and the Lord sent to them lions, the which killed them. (And when they began to live there, they did not fear the Lord/they did not revere the Lord; and the Lord sent lions among them, which killed some of them.)

²⁶ And it was told to the king of Assyrians, and was said, The folks which thou hast translated, and madest to dwell in the cities of Samaria, know not the lawful things of [the] God of the land; and the Lord hath sent lions into them, and lo! those slay them; for they know not the custom of [the] God of the land. (And it was told to the king of Assyria, and it was said, The peoples whom thou hast transferred, and madest to live in the cities of Samaria, know not the laws of the God of the land; and so the Lord hath sent lions among them, and lo! they have killed some of the people; for they know not the customs of the God of the land.)

²⁷ Soothly the king of Assyrians commanded, and said, Led ye thither one of the priests, which ye brought (as) prisoners from thence, that he go, and dwell with them, and teach them the lawful things of (the) God of the land (and teach them the laws of the God of the land).

²⁸ Therefore when one of these priests had come, that were led (away as) prisoners from Samaria, he dwelled in Bethel, and taught them, how they should worship the Lord. (And so when one of those priests, who were led away as prisoners from Samaria, had come, he lived in Bethel, and taught them how they should worship the Lord.)

²⁹ And each folk made his god, and they setted those gods in the high temples, which the men of Samaria had made, folk and folk in their cities, in which they dwelled. (But each people made their own god, and they put those gods in the high temples, which the men of Samaria had made, yea, each people in their city, in which they lived.)

³⁰ For men of Babylon made Succothbenoth; and men of Cuth made Nergal; and men of Hamath made Ashima;

³¹ and (the) Avites made Nibhaz and Tartak; soothly they that were of Sepharvaim burnt their sons in fire to Adrammelech and Anammelech, the gods of Sepharvaim.

³² And nevertheless they (still) worshipped the Lord; forsooth of the last men, that is, of vile persons, that were not of (the) priests’ kin, by the law of Moses, they made priests of the high things, and setted them in (the) high temples. (And though they still worshipped the Lord, they made the lowest men, that is, the most vile persons, who were not of the priests’ kin, after the law of Moses, to be the priests of the hill shrines, and put them in the temples there.)

³³ And when they worshipped God, they served also their gods, by the custom of heathen men, from which they were translated to Samaria; (And while they worshipped God, they also served their own gods, after the custom of the heathen, from where they had been brought back to Samaria;)

³⁴ till to this present day they follow the eld custom; they dreaded not the Lord, neither they keep his ceremonies, and dooms (and judgements), and law, and commandment, which the Lord commanded to the sons of Jacob, whom he named Israel;

³⁵ and the Lord [had] smote a covenant with them, and [had] commanded to them, and said, Do not ye dread alien gods, and honour ye not outwardly them, neither worship ye inwardly them, and make ye not sacrifice to them; (and the Lord had made a covenant with them, and had commanded to them, and said, Do not ye fear foreign, or other, gods/Do not ye revere foreign, or other, gods, nor outwardly honour ye them, nor inwardly worship ye them, and make ye not sacrifice to them;)

³⁶ but your Lord God, that led you out of the land of Egypt in great strength, and in an arm stretched out, dread ye him, and worship ye him, and make ye sacrifice to him. (but the Lord your God, who led you out of the land of Egypt with great strength, and with an out-stretched arm, fear ye him/revere ye him, and worship ye him, and make ye sacrifice to him.)

³⁷ Also keep ye the ceremonies, and [the] dooms, and the law, and the commandment, which he wrote to you, that ye do it in all days; and dread ye not alien gods. (And obey ye the statutes, and the judgements, and the laws, and the commandments, which he wrote for you, and that ye do them in all days; and fear ye not foreign, or other, gods/and revere ye not foreign, or other, gods.)

³⁸ And do not ye forget the covenant, which he/the Lord smote with you, neither worship ye alien gods (nor worship ye foreign, or other, gods);

³⁹ but dread ye your Lord God, and he shall deliver you from the hand of all your enemies. (but fear ye/but revere ye the Lord your God, and he shall rescue you from all of your enemies.)

⁴⁰ Forsooth they heard not, but did by their former custom.

⁴¹ Therefore soothly these heathen men dreaded God; but nevertheless they served also their idols, for both their sons and the sons of their sons do so, till into this present day, as their fathers did. (And so these heathen feared God/revered God; but nevertheless they also served their idols, for both their sons and the sons of their sons do so, as their forefathers did, unto this present day.)