 1 In the seventeenth year of Pekah the son of Remaliah, Ahaz the son of King Jotham of Judah began to reign. 2 Ahaz was 20 years old when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. And he did not do right in the sight of the Lord his God, like David his father. 3 But he walked in the way of the kings of Israel. Yes, and he made his son to pass through the fire, according to the abominations of the nations whom the Lord cast out from before the children of Israel. 4 He sacrificed and burned incense in the high places, and on the hills, and under every green tree. 5 Then King Rezin of Syria and Pekah son of King Remaliah of Israel came up to Jerusalem for war and they besieged Ahaz but could not overcome him. 6 At that time, King Rezin of Syria recovered Elath to Syria and drove the Jews from Elath, and the Syrians came to Elath and lived there until this day. 7 Ahaz sent messengers to King Tiglathpileser of Assyria saying, I am your servant and your son. Come and save me from the king of Syria and from the king of Israel who rises up against me. 8 Ahaz took the silver and gold that was found in the house of the Lord and in the treasures of the king's house, and sent a present to the king of Assyria. 9 The king of Assyria listened to him, for the king of Assyria went against Damascus and took it. And he carried it away captive to Kir, and killed Rezin. 10 King Ahaz went to Damascus to meet King Tiglathpileser of Assyria at Damascus. He saw an altar at Damascus. And King Ahaz sent to Urijah the priest the pattern of the altar, and the form of it, according to all its work. 11 Urijah the priest built an altar according to all that King Ahaz had sent from Damascus. So Urijah the priest did until King Ahaz came in from Damascus. 12 The king came in from Damascus, and the king saw the altar. And the king approached to the altar and offered on it. 13 He offered his burnt offering and his food offering, and poured his drink offering, and sprinkled the blood of his peace offerings, on the altar. 14 He also brought the bronze altar that was before the Lord, from the forefront of the house, from between the altar and the house of the Lord, and put it on the north side of the altar. 15 King Ahaz commanded Urijah the priest saying, On the great altar burn the morning offering and the evening food offering, and the king's burnt sacrifice and his food offering, with the burnt offering of all the people of the land, and their food offerings, and their drink offerings. And sprinkle all the blood of the burnt offerings on it, and all the blood of the sacrifice. And the bronze altar shall be for me to inquire by. 16 Urijah the priest did according to all that King Ahaz commanded. 17 King Ahaz cut off the borders of the bases, and removed the laver from them. And he took down the sea from off the bronze oxen under it, and put it on a pavement of stones. 18 The covered way for the Sabbath that they had built in the house, and the king's entry outside, he turned from the house of the Lord for the king of Assyria. 19 The rest of the acts of Ahaz that he did are written in the book of the kings of Judah. 20 Ahaz slept with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the city of David. And his son Hezekiah reigned in his place.
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