2 Chronicles 28
28
Ahaz’s Reign
1 Ahaz was twenty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned for sixteen years in Jerusalem.#map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4. He did not do what pleased the Lord, in contrast to his ancestor David.#tn Heb “and he did not do what was proper in the eyes of the Lord, like David his father.” 2 He followed in the footsteps of#tn Heb “he walked in the ways of.” the kings of Israel; he also made images of the Baals. 3 He offered sacrifices in the Valley of Ben-Hinnom and passed his sons through the fire,#sn This may refer to child sacrifice, though some interpret it as a less drastic cultic practice (NEB “burnt his sons in the fire”; NASB “burned his sons in the fire”; NIV “sacrificed his sons in the fire”; NRSV “made his sons pass through fire”). For discussion see M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 266-67. a horrible sin practiced by the nations#tn Heb “like the abominable practices of the nations.” whom the Lord drove out before the Israelites. 4 He offered sacrifices and burned incense on the high places, on the hills, and under every green tree.
5 The Lord his God handed him over to the king of Syria. The Syrians#tn Heb “they”; the referent (the Syrians) has been specified in the translation for clarity. defeated him and deported many captives to Damascus.#tn Heb “and took captive from him a great captivity and brought [them] to Damascus.” He was also handed over to the king of Israel, who thoroughly defeated him.#tn Heb “who struck him down with a great striking.” 6 In one day King Pekah son of Remaliah of Israel killed 120,000 warriors in Judah, because they had abandoned the Lord God of their ancestors.#tn Heb “fathers” (also in vv. 9, 25). 7 Zikri, an Ephraimite warrior, killed the king’s son Maaseiah, Azrikam, the supervisor of the palace, and Elkanah, the king’s second-in-command. 8 The Israelites seized from their brothers 200,000 wives, sons, and daughters. They also carried off a huge amount of plunder and took it#tn Heb “the loot.” The pronoun (“it”) has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons, to avoid redundancy. back to Samaria.#map For location see Map2-B1; Map4-D3; Map5-E2; Map6-A4; Map7-C1.
9 Oded, a prophet of the Lord, was there. He went to meet the army as they arrived in Samaria and said to them: “Look, because the Lord God of your ancestors was angry with Judah he handed them over to you. You have killed them so mercilessly that God has taken notice.#tn Heb “and you killed them with anger [that] reaches as far as heaven.” 10 And now you are planning#tn Heb “saying.” to enslave#tn Heb “to enslave as male servants and female servants.” the people#tn Heb “sons.” of Judah and Jerusalem. Yet are you not also guilty before the Lord your God? 11 Now listen to me! Send back those you have seized from your brothers, for the Lord is very angry at you!”#tn Heb “for the rage of the anger of the Lord is upon you.” 12 So some of#tn Heb “men from.” the Ephraimite family leaders, Azariah son of Jehochanan, Berechiah son of Meshillemoth, Jechizkiah son of Shallum, and Amasa son of Hadlai confronted#tn Heb “arose against.” those returning from the battle. 13 They said to them, “Don’t bring those captives here! Are you planning on making us even more sinful and guilty before the Lord?#tn Heb “for to the guilt of the Lord upon us you are saying to add to our sins and our guilty deeds.” Our guilt is already great and the Lord is very angry at Israel.”#tn Heb “for great is [the] guilt to us and rage of anger is upon Israel.” 14 So the soldiers released the captives and the plunder before the officials and the entire assembly. 15 Men were assigned to take the prisoners and find clothes among the plunder for those who were naked.#tn Heb “and the men who were designated by names arose and took the captives and all their naked ones they clothed from the loot.” So they clothed them, supplied them with sandals, gave them food and drink, and provided them with oil to rub on their skin.#tn Heb “and poured oil on them.” They put the ones who couldn’t walk on donkeys.#tn Heb “and they led them on donkeys, with respect to everyone stumbling.” They brought them back to their brothers at Jericho,#map For location see Map5-B2; Map6-E1; Map7-E1; Map8-E3; Map10-A2; Map11-A1. the city of the date palm trees, and then returned to Samaria.
16 At that time King Ahaz asked the king#tc Most Hebrew mss read the plural, “kings,” but one Hebrew ms, the LXX and Vulgate read the singular “king.” Note the singular in v. 20. of Assyria for help. 17 The Edomites had again invaded and defeated Judah and carried off captives. 18 The Philistines had raided the cities of Judah in the lowlands#tn Heb “Shephelah.” and the Negev. They captured and settled in Beth Shemesh, Aijalon, Gederoth, Soco and its surrounding villages, Timnah and its surrounding villages, and Gimzo and its surrounding villages. 19 The Lord humiliated#tn Or “subdued.” Judah because of King Ahaz of Israel,#sn That is, “of Judah.” Frequently in 2 Chronicles “Israel” is substituted for “Judah.” for he encouraged Judah to sin and was very#tn The infinitive absolute precedes the finite verbal form to emphasize the degree of Ahaz’s unfaithfulness. unfaithful to the Lord. 20 King Tiglath-pileser#tn Heb “Tilgath-pilneser,” a variant spelling of Tiglath-pileser. of Assyria came, but he gave him more trouble than support.#tn Heb “and he caused him distress and did not strengthen him.” 21 Ahaz gathered riches#tn Heb “divided up,” but some read חִלֵּץ (khillets, “despoiled”). from the Lord’s temple, the royal palace, and the officials and gave them to the king of Assyria, but that did not help.
22 During his time of trouble King Ahaz was even more unfaithful to the Lord. 23 He offered sacrifices to the gods of Damascus whom he thought had defeated him.#tn Heb “the gods of Damascus, the ones who had defeated him.” The words “he thought” are supplied in the translation for clarification. The perspective is that of Ahaz, not the narrator! Another option is that “the kings” has been accidentally omitted after “gods of.” See v. 23b. He reasoned,#tn Heb “said.” “Since the gods of the kings of Damascus helped them, I will sacrifice to them so they will help me.” But they caused him and all Israel to stumble. 24 Ahaz gathered the items in God’s temple and removed them. He shut the doors of the Lord’s temple and erected altars on every street corner in Jerusalem. 25 In every city throughout Judah he set up high places to offer sacrifices to other gods. He angered the Lord God of his ancestors.
26 The rest of the events of Ahaz’s reign, including his accomplishments from start to finish, are recorded in the Scroll of the Kings of Judah and Israel.#tn Heb “As for the rest of his events, and all his ways, the former and the latter, look, they are written on the scroll of the kings of Judah and Israel.” 27 Ahaz passed away#tn Heb “lay down with his fathers.” and was buried in the City of David;#sn The phrase the City of David refers here to the fortress of Zion in Jerusalem, not to Bethlehem. See 2 Sam 5:7. they did not bring him to the tombs of the kings of Israel. His son Hezekiah replaced him as king.
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2 Chronicles 28
28
1Ahaz was twentie yeere old when he began to reigne, and reigned sixteene yeere in Ierusalem, and did not vprightly in the sight of the Lord, like Dauid his father. 2But he walked in the wayes of ye Kings of Israel, and made euen molten images for Baalim. 3Moreouer he burnt incense in the valley of Ben-hinnom, and burnt his sonnes with fire, after the abominations of the heathen whom the Lord had cast out before the children of Israel. 4He sacrificed also and burnt incense in the hie places, and on hilles, and vnder euery greene tree. 5Wherefore the Lord his God deliuered him into the hand of the King of the Aramites, and they smote him, and tooke of his, many prisoners, and brought them to Damascus: and he was also deliuered into the hande of the King of Israel, which smote him with a great slaughter. 6For Pekah the sonne of Remaliah slewe in Iudah sixe score thousand in one day, all valiant men, because they had forsaken the Lord God of their fathers. 7And Zichri a mighty man of Ephraim slew Maaseiah the Kings sonne, and Azrikam the gouernour of the house, and Elkanah the second after the King. 8And the children of Israel tooke prisoners of their brethren, two hudreth thousand of women, sonnes and daughters, and caried away much spoyle of them, and brought the spoyle to Samaria. 9But there was a Prophet of the Lordes, (whose name was Oded) and he went out before the hoste that came to Samaria, and said vnto them, Behold, because the Lord God of your fathers is wroth with Iudah, he hath deliuered them into your hand, and ye haue slaine them in a rage, that reacheth vp to heauen. 10And nowe ye purpose to keepe vnder the children of Iudah and Ierusalem, as seruants and handmaides vnto you: but are not you such, that sinnes are with you before the Lord your God? 11Nowe therefore heare me, and deliuer the captiues againe, which ye haue taken prisoners of your brethren: for the fierce wrath of the Lord is toward you. 12Wherefore certaine of the chiefe of the children of Ephraim, Azariah the sonne of Iehohanan, Berechiah the sonne of Meshillemoth, and Iehizkiah the sonne of Shallum, and Amasa the sonne of Hadlai, stood vp against them that came from the warre, 13And said vnto them, Bring not in the captiues hither: for this shalbe a sinne vpon vs against the Lord: ye entende to adde more to our sinnes and to our trespasse, though our trespasse be great, and the fierce wrath of God is against Israel. 14So the armie left the captiues and the spoyle before the princes and all the Congregation. 15And the men that were named by name, rose vp and tooke the prisoners, and with the spoyle clothed all that were naked among them, and arayed them, and shod them, and gaue them meate, and gaue them drinke, and anoynted them, and caryed all that were feeble of them vpon asses, and brought them to Iericho the citie of Palme trees to their brethren: so they returned to Samaria. 16At that time did King Ahaz sende vnto the Kings of Asshur, to helpe him. 17(For the Edomites came moreouer, and slew of Iudah, and caryed away captiues. 18The Philistims also inuaded the cities in the low countrey, and toward the South of Iudah, and tooke Bethshemesh, and Aialon, and Gederoth and Shocho, with the villages thereof, and Timnah, with her villages, and Gimzo, with her villages, and they dwelt there. 19For the Lord had humbled Iudah, because of Ahaz King of Israel: for he had brought vengeance vpon Iudah, and had grieuously transgressed against the Lord) 20And Tilgath Pilneeser king of Asshur came vnto him, who troubled him and did not strengthen him. 21For Ahaz tooke a portion out of the house of the Lord and out of the Kings house and of the Princes, and gaue vnto the king of Asshur: yet it helped him not. 22And in ye time of his tribulation did he yet trespasse more against ye Lord, (this is King Ahaz) 23For he sacrificed vnto the gods of Damascus, which plagued him, and he sayd, Because the gods of the Kings of Aram helped them, I wil sacrifice vnto them, and they will helpe me: yet they were his ruine, and of all Israel. 24And Ahaz gathered the vessels of ye house of God, and brake the vessels of the house of God, and shut vp the doores of the house of the Lord, and made him altars in euery corner of Ierusalem. 25And in euery citie of Iudah hee made hie places, to burne incense vnto other gods, and prouoked to anger the Lord God of his fathers. 26Concerning the rest of his actes, and all his wayes first and last, beholde, they are written in the booke of the Kings of Iudah, and Israel. 27And Ahaz slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the citie of Ierusalem, but brought him not vnto the sepulchres of the Kings of Israel: and Hezekiah his sonne reigned in his stead.
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