2 Chronicles 28
28
Ahaz Reigns in Judah
1 # For ver. 1-4, see 2 Kgs. 16:2-4 Ahaz was twenty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. And he did not do what was right in the eyes of the Lord, as his father David had done, 2but he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel. He even made #[Ex. 34:17] metal images for #Judg. 2:11the Baals, 3and #ver. 25 he made offerings in the #See Josh. 15:8 Valley of the Son of Hinnom and #ch. 33:6; [Lev. 18:21] burned his sons as an offering,#28:3 Hebrew made his sons pass through the fire according to #ch. 33:2; Deut. 18:9the abominations of the nations whom the Lord drove out before the people of Israel. 4And he sacrificed and #[See ver. 3 above]made offerings on the high places and on the hills and under every green tree.
Judah Defeated
5 #
Isa. 7:1; [2 Kgs. 16:5, 6] Therefore the Lord his God gave him into the hand of the king of Syria, who defeated him and took captive a great number of his people and brought them to Damascus. He was also given into the hand of the king of Israel, who struck him with great force. 6For #2 Kgs. 15:27; 16:5Pekah the son of Remaliah killed 120,000 from Judah in one day, all of them men of valor, because they had forsaken the Lord, the God of their fathers. 7And Zichri, a mighty man of Ephraim, killed Maaseiah the king’s son and Azrikam the commander of the palace and Elkanah the next in authority to the king.
8The men of Israel took captive 200,000 #ch. 11:4of their relatives, women, sons, and daughters. They also took much spoil from them and brought the spoil to Samaria. 9But a prophet of the Lord was there, whose name was Oded, and he went out to meet the army that came to Samaria and said to them, “Behold, because the Lord, the God of your fathers, #Isa. 47:6; Ezek. 25:12, 15; 26:2 was angry with Judah, he gave them into your hand, but you have killed them in a rage #Ezra 9:6; Rev. 18:5that has reached up to heaven. 10And now you intend to subjugate the people of Judah and Jerusalem, male and female, as your slaves. Have you not sins of your own against the Lord your God? 11Now hear me, and send back the captives #[See ver. 8 above]from your relatives whom you have taken, for the fierce wrath of the Lord is upon you.”
12Certain chiefs also of the men of Ephraim, Azariah the son of Johanan, Berechiah the son of Meshillemoth, Jehizkiah the son of Shallum, and Amasa the son of Hadlai, stood up against those who were coming from the war 13and said to them, “You shall not bring the captives in here, for you propose to bring upon us guilt against the Lord in addition to our present sins and guilt. For our guilt is already great, and there is fierce wrath against Israel.” 14So the armed men left the captives and the spoil before the princes and all the assembly. 15And #ver. 12; [ch. 31:19; Num. 1:17] the men who have been mentioned by name rose and took the captives, and with the spoil they clothed all who were naked among them. They clothed them, gave them sandals, #2 Kgs. 6:22; Prov. 25:21, 22; Rom. 12:20 provided them with food and drink, and anointed them, and carrying all the feeble among them on donkeys, they brought them to their kinsfolk at Jericho, #Deut. 34:3; Judg. 1:16the city of palm trees. Then they returned to Samaria.
16 # [2 Kgs. 16:7, 8] At that time King Ahaz sent to the king#28:16 Septuagint, Syriac, Vulgate (compare 2 Kings 16:7); Hebrew kings of Assyria for help. 17For the Edomites had again invaded and defeated Judah and carried away captives. 18#[Ezek. 16:27, 57] And the Philistines had made raids on #See Josh. 15:33-36 the cities in the Shephelah and the Negeb of Judah, and had taken Beth-shemesh, Aijalon, Gederoth, Soco #[Num. 21:25]with its villages, Timnah with its villages, and Gimzo with its villages. And they settled there. 19For the Lord humbled Judah because of Ahaz king of Israel, for he had made #See ch. 21:2Judah act sinfully#28:19 Or wildly and had been very unfaithful to the Lord. 20So #[2 Kgs. 15:29; 16:7]Tiglath-pileser#28:20 Hebrew Tilgath-pilneser king of Assyria came against him and afflicted him instead of strengthening him. 21#2 Kgs. 16:8, 9For Ahaz took a portion from the house of the Lord and the house of the king and of the princes, and gave tribute to the king of Assyria, but it did not help him.
Ahaz’s Idolatry
22In the time of his distress he became yet more faithless to the Lord—this same King Ahaz. 23For #[ch. 25:14] he sacrificed to the gods of Damascus that had defeated him and said, #[Jer. 44:17, 18]“Because the gods of the kings of Syria helped them, I will sacrifice to them that they may help me.” But they were the ruin of him and of all Israel. 24And Ahaz gathered together the vessels of the house of God and #[2 Kgs. 16:17] cut in pieces the vessels of the house of God, and he shut up the doors of the house of the Lord, and he made himself #[ch. 30:14]altars in every corner of Jerusalem. 25In every city of Judah he made high places to #ver. 3make offerings to other gods, provoking to anger the Lord, the God of his fathers. 26#For ver. 26, 27, see 2 Kgs. 16:19, 20Now the rest of his acts and all his ways, from first to last, behold, they are written in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel. 27And Ahaz slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city, in Jerusalem, for #[ch. 21:20; 24:25]they did not bring him into the tombs of the kings of Israel. And Hezekiah his son reigned in his place.
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The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
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2 Chronicles 28
28
1 Ahaz was twenty years old when he had begun to reign, and he reigned for sixteen years in Jerusalem. He did not do what is right in the sight of the Lord, as his father David did.
2 Instead, he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel. Moreover, he also cast statues for the Baals.
3 It is he who burned incense in the Valley of the son of Hinnom. And he purified his sons by fire, in accord with the ritual of the nations that the Lord put to death at the advent of the sons of Israel.
4 Also, he was sacrificing and burning incense in the high places, and on the hills, and under every leafy tree.
5 And so the Lord, his God, delivered him into the hand of the king of Syria, who struck him and took great plunder from his kingdom. And he carried it away to Damascus. Also, he was delivered into the hands of the king of Israel, and he struck him with great affliction.
6 And Pekah, the son of Remaliah, killed, on one day, one hundred twenty thousand, all of them men of war from Judah, because they had forsaken the Lord, the God of their fathers.
7 In the same time, Zichri, a powerful man of Ephraim, killed Maaseiah, the son of the king, and Azrikam, the governor of his house, and also Elkanah, who was second to the king.
8 And the sons of Israel seized, from their brothers, two hundred thousand women, boys, and girls, and immense plunder. And they took it away to Samaria.
9 At that time, there was a prophet of the Lord there, named Oded. And going out to meet the army arriving in Samaria, he said to them: "Behold, the Lord, the God of your fathers, having become angry against Judah, has delivered them into your hands. But you have killed them by atrocities, so that your cruelty has reached up to heaven.
10 Moreover, you wanted to subjugate the sons of Judah and Jerusalem as your men and women servants, which is a work that should never be done. And so you sinned in this matter against the Lord your God.
11 But listen to my counsel, and release the captives, whom you have brought from your brothers. For a great fury of the Lord is hanging over you."
12 And so, some of the leaders 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 up against those who were arriving from the battle.
13 And they said to them: "You shall not lead back captives to here, lest we sin against the Lord. Why are you willing to add to our sins, and to build upon our old offenses? For indeed, the sin is great, and the furious anger of the Lord is hanging over Israel."
14 And the warriors released the spoils and all that they had seized, in the sight of the leaders and the entire multitude.
15 And the men, whom we mentioned above, rose up and took the captives. All those who were naked, they clothed from the spoils. And when they had clothed them, and had given them shoes, and had refreshed them with food and drink, and had anointed them because of the hardship, and had cared for them, whoever was not able to walk and whoever was feeble in body, they set them upon beasts of burden, and they led them to Jericho, the city of palm trees, to their brothers, and they themselves returned to Samaria.
16 In that time, king Ahaz sent to the king of the Assyrians, requesting assistance.
17 And the Edomites arrived and struck down many of Judah, and they seized great plunder.
18 Also, the Philistines spread out among the cities of the plains, and to the south of Judah. And they seized Beth-shemesh, and Aijalon, and Gederoth, and also Soco, and Timnah, and Gimzo, with their villages, and they lived in them.
19 For the Lord had humbled Judah because of Ahaz, the king of Judah, since he had stripped it of help, and had shown contempt for the Lord.
20 And he led against him Tilgath-pilneser, the king of the Assyrians, who also afflicted him and laid waste to him, without resistance.
21 And so Ahaz, despoiling the house of the Lord, and the house of the kings and the leaders, gave gifts to the king of the Assyrians, and yet it profited him nothing.
22 Moreover, in the time of his anguish, he also added to his contempt against the Lord. King Ahaz himself, by himself,
23 immolated victims to the gods of Damascus, those who had struck him. And he said: "The gods of the kings of Syria assist them, and so I will please them with victims, and they will help me." But to the contrary, they had been the ruin of him and of all Israel.
24 And so, Ahaz, having despoiled and broken apart all the vessels of the house of God, closed up the doors of the temple of God, and made for himself altars in all the corners of Jerusalem.
25 Also, he constructed altars in all the cities of Judah, in order to burn frankincense, and so he provoked the Lord, the God of his fathers, to wrath.
26 But the rest of his words, and all his works, the first and the last, have been written in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel.
27 And Ahaz slept with his fathers. And they buried him in the city of Jerusalem. And they did not allow him to be in the sepulchers of the kings of Israel. And his son, Hezekiah, reigned in his place.
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