2 Chronicles 28
28
Judah’s King Ahaz
1Ahaz was 20 years old # 2Kg 16:2-4 when he became king and reigned 16 years in Jerusalem. He did not do what was right in the Lord’s sight # 2Ch 27:2 like his ancestor David, 2for he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel # 2Ch 22:3 and made cast images of the Baals. # Ex 34:17 3He burned incense in the Valley of Hinnom # Jos 15:8; 18:16; 2Kg 23:10; Jr 7:29-34; 19:2-6 and burned his children in # LXX, Syr, Tg read and passed his children through # Lv 18:21; 2Kg 16:3; 2Ch 33:6 the fire, imitating the detestable practices of the nations the Lord had dispossessed before the Israelites. # 2Ch 33:2 4He sacrificed and burned incense on the high places, # 2Ch 28:25 on the hills, and under every green tree.
5So the Lord his God handed Ahaz over # 2Ch 24:24 to the king of Aram. He attacked him and took many captives to Damascus.
Ahaz was also handed over to the king of Israel, who struck him with great force: 6Pekah son of Remaliah killed 120,000 in Judah in one day — all brave men — because they had abandoned the Lord God of their ancestors. 7An Ephraimite warrior named Zichri killed the king’s son Maaseiah, Azrikam governor of the palace, and Elkanah who was second to the king. 8Then the Israelites took 200,000 captives from their brothers — women, sons, and daughters. # 2Ch 11:4 They also took a great deal of plunder from them and brought it to Samaria.
9A prophet of the Lord named Oded was there. He went out to meet the army that came to Samaria and said to them, “Look, the Lord God of your ancestors handed them over to you because of His wrath against Judah, # Is 47:6 but you slaughtered them in a rage that has reached heaven. # Ezr 9:6; Rv 18:5 10Now you plan to reduce the people of Judah and Jerusalem, male and female, to slavery. Are you not also guilty before Yahweh your God? 11Listen to me and return the captives you took from your brothers, # 2Ch 28:8 for the Lord’s burning anger is on you.”
12So some men who were 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 coming from the war. 13They said to them, “You must not bring the captives here, for you plan to bring guilt on us from the Lord to add to our sins and our guilt. For we have much guilt, and burning anger is on Israel.”
14The army left the captives and the plunder in the presence of the officers and the congregation. 15Then the men who were designated by name # 2Ch 28:12 took charge of the captives and provided clothes for their naked ones from the plunder. They clothed them, gave them sandals, food and drink, # 2Kg 6:22; Pr 25:21-22 dressed their wounds, and provided donkeys for all the feeble. The Israelites brought them to Jericho, the City of Palms, # Dt 34:3 among their brothers. Then they returned to Samaria.
16At that time King Ahaz asked the king of Assyria for help. # 2Kg 16:7 17The Edomites came again, attacked Judah, and took captives. # Ob 10-14 18The Philistines also raided the cities of the Judean foothills # Or the Shephelah and the Negev of Judah # Ezk 16:57 and captured Beth-shemesh, Aijalon, Gederoth, Soco and its villages, Timnah and its villages, Gimzo and its villages, and they lived there. 19For the Lord humbled Judah because of King Ahaz of Judah, # Some Hb mss; other Hb mss read Israel who threw off restraint in Judah and was unfaithful to the Lord. 20Then Tiglath-pileser # Text emended; MT reads Tilgath-pilneser ; 1Ch 5:6,26 # 1Ch 5:26 king of Assyria came against Ahaz; he oppressed him and did not give him support. # 2Ch 28:16 21Although Ahaz plundered the Lord’s temple and the palace of the king and of the rulers and gave the plunder to the king of Assyria, it did not help him.
22At the time of his distress, King Ahaz himself became more unfaithful to the Lord. 23He sacrificed to the gods of Damascus which had defeated him; he said, “Since the gods of the kings of Aram are helping them, I will sacrifice to them so that they will help me.” # Jr 44:17-18 But they were the downfall of him and of all Israel.
24Then Ahaz gathered up the utensils of God’s temple, cut them into pieces, # 2Kg 16:17 shut the doors of the Lord’s temple, # 2Ch 29:7 and made himself altars on every street corner in Jerusalem. # 2Ch 30:14; 33:3-5 25He made high places in every city of Judah to offer incense to other gods, and he provoked the Lord, the God of his ancestors.
Ahaz’s Death
26As for the rest of his deeds # 2Kg 16:19-20 and all his ways, from beginning to end, they are written in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel. 27Ahaz rested with his fathers and was buried in the city, in Jerusalem, but they did not bring him into the tombs of the kings of Israel. His son Hezekiah became king in his place.
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2 Chronicles 28
28
Ahaz King of Judah
1Ahaz was twenty years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem sixteen years. Unlike David his father, he did not do what was right in the eyes of the Lord. 2He followed the ways of the kings of Israel and also made idols for worshiping the Baals. 3He burned sacrifices in the Valley of Ben Hinnom and sacrificed his children in the fire, engaging in the detestable practices of the nations the Lord had driven out before the Israelites. 4He offered sacrifices and burned incense at the high places, on the hilltops and under every spreading tree.
5Therefore the Lord his God delivered him into the hands of the king of Aram. The Arameans defeated him and took many of his people as prisoners and brought them to Damascus.
He was also given into the hands of the king of Israel, who inflicted heavy casualties on him. 6In one day Pekah son of Remaliah killed a hundred and twenty thousand soldiers in Judah—because Judah had forsaken the Lord, the God of their ancestors. 7Zikri, an Ephraimite warrior, killed Maaseiah the king’s son, Azrikam the officer in charge of the palace, and Elkanah, second to the king. 8The men of Israel took captive from their fellow Israelites who were from Judah two hundred thousand wives, sons and daughters. They also took a great deal of plunder, which they carried back to Samaria.
9But a prophet of the Lord named Oded was there, and he went out to meet the army when it returned to Samaria. He said to them, “Because the Lord, the God of your ancestors, was angry with Judah, he gave them into your hand. But you have slaughtered them in a rage that reaches to heaven. 10And now you intend to make the men and women of Judah and Jerusalem your slaves. But aren’t you also guilty of sins against the Lord your God? 11Now listen to me! Send back your fellow Israelites you have taken as prisoners, for the Lord’s fierce anger rests on you.”
12Then some of the leaders in Ephraim—Azariah son of Jehohanan, Berekiah son of Meshillemoth, Jehizkiah son of Shallum, and Amasa son of Hadlai—confronted those who were arriving from the war. 13“You must not bring those prisoners here,” they said, “or we will be guilty before the Lord. Do you intend to add to our sin and guilt? For our guilt is already great, and his fierce anger rests on Israel.”
14So the soldiers gave up the prisoners and plunder in the presence of the officials and all the assembly. 15The men designated by name took the prisoners, and from the plunder they clothed all who were naked. They provided them with clothes and sandals, food and drink, and healing balm. All those who were weak they put on donkeys. So they took them back to their fellow Israelites at Jericho, the City of Palms, and returned to Samaria.
16At that time King Ahaz sent to the kings#28:16 Most Hebrew manuscripts; one Hebrew manuscript, Septuagint and Vulgate (see also 2 Kings 16:7) king of Assyria for help. 17The Edomites had again come and attacked Judah and carried away prisoners, 18while the Philistines had raided towns in the foothills and in the Negev of Judah. They captured and occupied Beth Shemesh, Aijalon and Gederoth, as well as Soko, Timnah and Gimzo, with their surrounding villages. 19The Lord had humbled Judah because of Ahaz king of Israel,#28:19 That is, Judah, as frequently in 2 Chronicles for he had promoted wickedness in Judah and had been most unfaithful to the Lord. 20Tiglath-Pileser#28:20 Hebrew Tilgath-Pilneser, a variant of Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria came to him, but he gave him trouble instead of help. 21Ahaz took some of the things from the temple of the Lord and from the royal palace and from the officials and presented them to the king of Assyria, but that did not help him.
22In his time of trouble King Ahaz became even more unfaithful to the Lord. 23He offered sacrifices to the gods of Damascus, who had defeated him; for he thought, “Since the gods of the kings of Aram have helped them, I will sacrifice to them so they will help me.” But they were his downfall and the downfall of all Israel.
24Ahaz gathered together the furnishings from the temple of God and cut them in pieces. He shut the doors of the Lord’s temple and set up altars at every street corner in Jerusalem. 25In every town in Judah he built high places to burn sacrifices to other gods and aroused the anger of the Lord, the God of his ancestors.
26The other events of his reign and all his ways, from beginning to end, are written in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel. 27Ahaz rested with his ancestors and was buried in the city of Jerusalem, but he was not placed in the tombs of the kings of Israel. And Hezekiah his son succeeded him as king.
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