2 Chronicles 28

¹ Ahaz was twenty years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem sixteen years. Unlike his father David, he did not do what was right in the eyes of the LORD.

² He walked in the ways of the kings of Israel and even made cast images for the Baals.

³ He burned incense in the Valley of Ben-hinnom and burned his sons in the fire, following the detestable practices of the nations that the LORD had driven out before the Israelites.

⁴ He offered sacrifices and burned incense at the high places, on the hilltops, and under every spreading tree.

⁵ Therefore the LORD his God handed him over to the king of Aram. The Arameans defeated him and took many of his people captive and brought them to Damascus. He was also handed over to the king of Israel, who inflicted heavy losses on him.

⁶ In a single day Pekah son of Remaliah killed a hundred and twenty thousand soldiers in Judah, all of them able fighting men, because they had abandoned the LORD, the God of their ancestors.

⁷ Zichri, a warrior from Ephraim, killed Maaseiah the king's son, Azrikam the officer in charge of the palace, and Elkanah, who was second to the king.

⁸ The Israelites took captive two hundred thousand of their own kin — women, sons, and daughters. They also carried off a great deal of plunder, which they brought to Samaria.

⁹ But a prophet of the LORD named Oded was there, and he went out to meet the army as it returned to Samaria. He said to them, "Look, it was because the LORD, the God of your ancestors, was angry with Judah that he handed them over to you. But you have slaughtered them with a rage that reaches up to heaven.

¹⁰ And now you intend to force the people of Judah and Jerusalem to be your male and female slaves. But are you not also guilty yourselves before the LORD your God?

¹¹ Now listen to me. Send back the captives you have taken from your kin, for the fierce anger of the LORD is on you."

¹² Then some of the leaders of the Ephraimites — Azariah son of Jehohanan, Berekiah son of Meshillemoth, Jehizkiah son of Shallum, and Amasa son of Hadlai — confronted those returning from the war.

¹³ "You must not bring the captives here," they said, "or you will make us guilty before the LORD. Do you intend to add to our sins and our guilt? Our guilt is already great, and fierce anger is on Israel."

¹⁴ So the soldiers gave up the captives and the plunder in the presence of the officials and the whole assembly.

¹⁵ Then the men who had been designated by name took charge of the captives, and from the plunder they clothed all who were naked. They gave them clothes and sandals, food and drink, and anointed them with oil. All those too weak to walk they put on donkeys, and they brought them to their kin at Jericho, the City of Palms. Then they returned to Samaria.

¹⁶ At that time King Ahaz sent to the king of Assyria for help.

¹⁷ The Edomites had come again, attacked Judah, and carried off captives.

¹⁸ The Philistines had raided the towns of the foothills and of the Negev of Judah. They captured Beth Shemesh, Aijalon, and Gederoth, as well as Soco, Timnah, and Gimzo with their surrounding villages, and they settled there.

¹⁹ The LORD had humbled Judah because of Ahaz king of Israel, for he had thrown off all restraint in Judah and had been utterly unfaithful to the LORD.

²⁰ Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria came to him, but he oppressed him instead of strengthening him.

²¹ Ahaz stripped the temple of the LORD, the royal palace, and the houses of his officials and gave the treasures to the king of Assyria, but it did him no good.

²² In his time of distress he became even more unfaithful to the LORD — such was King Ahaz.

²³ He offered sacrifices to the gods of Damascus, who had defeated him, for he said, "Since the gods of the kings of Aram helped them, I will sacrifice to them so they will help me." But they became the downfall of him and of all Israel.

²⁴ Ahaz gathered up the furnishings of the house of God and cut them to pieces. He shut the doors of the temple of the LORD and set up altars for himself at every corner in Jerusalem.

²⁵ In every single town of Judah he built high places to burn incense to other gods, and he provoked the LORD, the God of his ancestors, to anger.

²⁶ The rest of the events of his reign and all his ways, from beginning to end, are written in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel.

²⁷ Ahaz rested with his ancestors and was buried in the city, in Jerusalem, but he was not brought to the tombs of the kings of Israel. And his son Hezekiah became king in his place.