2 Kings 16

1In the seventeenth year of Pekah son of Remaliah, Ahaz son of Jotham king of Judah began to reign.

2Ahaz was twenty years old when he became king, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem, but he did not do what was right in the eyes of Yahweh his God, like David his father.

3He followed the path of Israel's kings and even made his son pass through the fire, like the abominations of the nations that Yahweh had driven out before the sons of Israel.

4He sacrificed and burned incense at the high places, on the hills, and under every green tree.

5Then Rezin king of Aram and Pekah son of Remaliah king of Israel went up against Jerusalem for battle, and they besieged Ahaz but could not overcome him.

6At that time Rezin king of Aram returned Elath to Aram and drove the Jews from Eloth, and Arameans and Edomites came to Elath and settled there to this day.

7Ahaz sent messengers to Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria, saying, "I am your servant and your son; come up and rescue me from the hand of the king of Syria and from the hand of the king of Israel, who rise up against me."

8Ahaz took the silver and gold found in Yahweh's house and in the treasuries of the king's house, and sent them as a bribe to the king of Assyria.

9The king of Assyria listened to him; the king of Assyria advanced against Damascus, captured it, deported its people to Kir, and killed Rezin.

10King Ahaz went to Damascus to meet Tiglath-pileser, king of Assyria, saw the altar there, and King Ahaz sent to Urijah the priest the likeness of the altar and its form, in all its workmanship.

11Uriah the priest built the altar to match everything King Ahaz had sent from Damascus, so Uriah the priest finished it before King Ahaz arrived from Damascus.

12The king came from Damascus, the king saw the altar, and the king approached the altar and offered upon it.

13He burned his burnt offering and his grain offering, poured his drink offering, and sprinkled the blood of his peace offerings on the altar.

14He brought the bronze altar that was before Yahweh from in front of the house, from between the altar and the house of Yahweh, and placed it on the north side of the altar.

15King Ahaz commanded Uriah the priest: "Burn on the great altar the morning burnt offering and the evening grain offering, the king's burnt offering and his grain offering, the burnt offering of all the people of the land along with their grain offerings and drink offerings; and sprinkle on it all the blood of burnt offerings and all the blood of sacrifices, but the bronze altar shall be for me to inquire by."

16Uriah the priest did everything King Ahaz commanded.

17King Ahaz cut off the borders from the bases, removed the laver from them, brought the sea down from the bronze oxen that stood beneath it, and set it on a pavement of stones.

18He removed the covered shelter for the sabbath that they had built in the house and the king's outer entrance from the house of Yahweh because of the king of Assyria.

19The rest of Ahaz's deeds that he performed, are they not written in the book of the daily chronicles of Judah's kings?

20Ahaz lay down with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the city of David, and Hezekiah his son reigned in his place.