CHAPTER 28
Ahaz
was twenty
years old
when he became king,
and he reigned
in Jerusalem
sixteen
years.
And unlike David
his forefather,
he did not
do
what was right
in the eyes
of the LORD.
Moreover, Ahaz
burned incense
in the Valley of Hinnom
and sacrificed
his sons
in the fire,
according to the abominations
of the nations
whom
the LORD
had driven out
before
the Israelites.
And he sacrificed
and burned incense
on the high places,
on
the hills,
and under
every
green
tree.
So the LORD
his God
delivered Ahaz
into the hand
of the king
of Aram,
who attacked
him and took
many
captives
to Damascus.
Ahaz was also
delivered
into the hand
of the king
of Israel,
who struck
him with great
force.
For in one
day
Pekah
son
of Remaliah
killed
120,000
valiant
men
in Judah.
This happened because they had forsake
the LORD,
the God
of their fathers.
Zichri,
an Ephraimite
warrior,
killed
Maaseiah
the son
of the king,
Azrikam
the governor
of the palace,
and Elkanah
the second
to the king.
Then the Israelites
took 200,000
captives
from their kinsmen—
women,
sons,
and daughters.
They also
carried off
a great deal of
plunder
and brought
it
to Samaria.
But a prophet
of the LORD
named
Oded
was
there,
and he went out
to meet
the army
that returned
to Samaria.
“Look,”
he said
to them,
“because of His wrath
against
Judah,
the LORD,
the God
of your fathers,
has delivered them
into your hands.
But you have slaughtered
them
in a rage
that reaches up
to heaven.
And now
you
intend
to reduce to slavery
the men
and women
of Judah
and Jerusalem.
But are you
not
also
guilty
before the LORD
your God?
Now therefore,
listen to me
and return
the captives
you took
from your kinsmen,
for
the fierce anger
of the LORD
is upon you.”
Then some
of the leaders
of the Ephraimites—
Azariah
son
of Jehohanan,
Berechiah
son
of Meshillemoth,
Jehizkiah
son
of Shallum,
and Amasa
son
of Hadlai—
stood
in opposition to
those arriving
from
the war.
“You must not
bring
the captives
here,”
they said,
“for
you
are proposing
to bring guilt
upon us
from the LORD
and to add
to
our sins
and our guilt.
For
our
guilt
is great,
and fierce anger
is upon
Israel.”
Then the men
who
were designated
by name
arose,
took charge
of the captives,
and provided from
the plunder
clothing
for the naked.
They clothed them,
gave them sandals
and food
and drink,
anointed their wounds,
and put
all
the feeble
on donkeys.
So they brought them
to Jericho,
the City
of Palms,
to
their brothers.
Then they returned
to Samaria.
The Philistines
had also raided
the cities
of the foothills
and the Negev
of Judah,
capturing
and occupying
Beth-shemesh,
Aijalon,
Gederoth,
as well as
Soco,
Timnah,
and
Gimzo
with their villages.
For
the LORD
humbled
Judah
because
Ahaz
king
of Israel
had thrown off restraint
in Judah
and had been most unfaithful
to the LORD.
Then Tiglath-pileser
king
of Assyria
came
to Ahaz
but afflicted
him
rather than
strengthening him.
Although
Ahaz
had taken a portion
from the house
of the LORD,
from
the royal
palace,
and from the princes
and had presented
it to the king
of Assyria,
it did not
help him.
He sacrificed
to the gods
of Damascus,
which had defeated
him,
for he thought,
“Since
the gods
of the kings
of Aram
have helped
them,
I will sacrifice
to them
that they may help me.”
But these
were
the downfall
of Ahaz
and of all
Israel.
Then Ahaz
gathered up
the articles
of the house
of God,
cut them
into pieces,
shut
the doors
of the house
of the LORD,
and set up
altars
of his own
on every
street corner
in Jerusalem.
In every
city
of Judah
he built
high places
to offer incense
to other
gods,
and so he provoked
the LORD,
the God
of his fathers.
As for the rest
of the acts of Ahaz
and all
his ways,
from beginning
to end,
they are indeed
written
in
the Book
of the Kings
of Judah
and Israel.
And Ahaz
rested
with
his fathers
and was buried
in the city
of Jerusalem,
but
he was not
placed
in the tombs
of the kings
of Israel.
And his son
Hezekiah
became king
in his place.