Ahaz Reigns in Judah
(2 Kings 16:1–9)

1Ahaz was a son of twenty years in his reigning, and sixteen years he reigned in Jerusalem. And he did not do right in the eyes of YHWH, as David his father. 2For he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, and he made images for the Baals.

3And he burned incense in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, and he burned his sons in the fire† according to the abominations of the nations whom YHWH had cast out before the sons of Israel. 4And he sacrificed and burned incense on the high places, and on the hills, and under every green tree.

Aram Defeats Judah
(Isaiah 1:1–9)

5And YHWH his God gave him into the hand of the king of Aram, and they defeated him and carried away a great number of them as captives, and they brought them in to Damascus.

And also into the hand of the king of Israel he was delivered, and he struck him with a great slaughter. 6And Pekah son of Remaliah killed in Judah a hundred and twenty thousand in one day—all sons of valor—because they had forsaken YHWH, God of their fathers. 7And Zichri, a mighty man of Ephraim, killed Maaseiah the son of the king, and Azrikam the officer over the house, and Elkanah the second to the king. 8And the sons of Israel removed from their brothers two hundred thousand women, sons, and daughters. And also they took away from them much plunder, and they brought in the spoil to Samaria.

9And there was a prophet of YHWH (Oded his name), and he went out before the army that came in to Samaria, and he said to them, “Behold, in the fury of YHWH, God of your⁺ fathers, against Judah, He has delivered them into your⁺ hands. And you⁺ have killed them in a rage—it reaches up to the heavens. 10And now the sons of Judah and Jerusalem you⁺ propose to subdue for menservants and for maidservants unto you⁺. Is there not also unto you⁺ yourselves guilt before YHWH your⁺ God? 11And now, hear me and return the captives whom you⁺ have taken captive from your⁺ brothers, for the heat of the anger of YHWH is upon you⁺.”

12And some of the heads of the sons of Ephraim†—Azariah son of Jehohanan, Berechiah son of Meshillemoth,† and Hezekiah son of Shallum, and Amasa son of Hadlai—stood up against those coming in from the host, 13and they said to them, “You⁺ shall not bring the captives here, for guilt against YHWH is upon us; you⁺ are saying to add to our sins and to our guilt. For great is the guilt unto us, and the burning of anger is upon Israel.”

14The armed ones left the captives and the spoil before the leaders and all the assembly. 15And the men who were marked by name rose up and took charge of the captives, and all their naked ones they clothed from the plunder, and they clothed them, and gave them sandals, and gave them food and drink, and anointed them, and they let ride on donkeys all the feeble ones. And they brought them in to Jericho, the City of Palms, near their brothers. And they returned to Samaria.

The Idolatry of Ahaz
(2 Kings 16:10–20)

16At that time King Ahaz sent to the king† of Assyria to help him. 17And again the Edomites had come and struck Judah and carried away captives. 18And the Philistines had raided the cities of the Shephelah† and of the Negev of Judah, and they captured Beth-shemesh, and Aijalon, and Gederoth, and Sochoh and its villages, and Timnah and its villages, and Gimzo and its villages. And they dwelt there. 19For YHWH humbled Judah because of Ahaz king of Israel,† for he had thrown off restraint in Judah and had been most unfaithful to YHWH.

20And Tiglath-pilneser† king of Assyria came to him, and distressed him, and he did not strengthen him. 21For Ahaz had taken a portion from the house of YHWH, and from the house of the king, and from the leaders, and he gave it to the king of Assyria and did not help him.

22And in the time of distress to him he added to act faithlessly against YHWH (this was King Ahaz). 23And he sacrificed to the gods of Damascus, those striking him, and he said, “Because the gods of the kings of Aram are helping them, I will sacrifice to them, that they may help me.” And they were the cause of stumbling of him and of all Israel.

24And Ahaz gathered the articles of the house of God, and he cut in pieces the articles of the house of God, and he shut up the doors of the house of YHWH, and he made for himself altars in every corner of Jerusalem. 25And in every city and city of Judah, he made high places to burn incense to other gods, and provoked to anger YHWH, God of his fathers.

26And the rest of his acts and all his ways, from the first to the last, behold, they are written in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel. 27And Ahaz rested with his fathers, and they buried him in the city, in Jerusalem; but they did not bring him into the tombs of the kings of Israel. And Hezekiah his son reigned in his place.

Footnotes:

3 Or passed his sons through the fire
12 That is, the leaders of the northern kingdom of Israel
12 Meshillemoth is a variant of Meshillemith; see 1 Chronicles 9:12.
16 LXX, Syriac, and Vulgate (see also 2 Kings 16:7); Hebrew kings
18 Or foothills or lowlands; that is, the western foothills of Judea
19 That is, Judah; in 2 Chronicles, Judah is occasionally called Israel, as representative of the true Israel.
20 Tilgath-pilneser is a variant spelling of Tiglath-pileser