2 Chronicles 28

Ahaz was twenty years old when he began to reign; and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem: and he did not do that which was right in the eyes of Allah, like Dawud his father; ²but he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, and made also cast metal images for the Baals. ³Moreover he burned incense in the valley of Ibn Hinnom, and burned his children in the fire, according to the abominations of the nations whom Allah cast out before Bani-Israel. ⁴He sacrificed and burned incense in the high places, and on the hills, and under every green tree. ⁵Therefore Allah his God delivered him into the hand of the king of Syria; and they struck him, and carried away of his a great multitude of captives, and brought them to Damascus. He was also delivered into the hand of the king of Israel, who struck him with a great slaughter. ⁶For Pekah Ibn Remaliah killed in Judah one hundred twenty thousand in one day, all of them valiant men; because they had forsaken Allah, the God of their fathers. ⁷Zichri, a mighty man of Ephraim, killed Maaseiah the king's son, and Azrikam the ruler of the house, and Elkanah who was next to the king. ⁸Bani-Israel carried away captive of their brothers two hundred thousand, women, sons, and daughters, and took also away much spoil from them, and brought the spoil to Samaria. ⁹But a prophet of Allah was there, whose name was Oded: and he went out to meet the host that came to Samaria, and said to them, Behold, because Allah, the God of your fathers, was angry with Judah, he has delivered them into your hand, and you have slain them in a rage which has reached up to heaven. ¹⁰Now you purpose to keep under the children of Judah and Jerusalem for slaves to you: but aren't there even with you trespasses of your own against Allah your God? ¹¹Now hear me therefore, and send back the captives, that you have taken captive of your brothers; for the fierce wrath of Allah is on you. ¹²Then certain of the heads of the children of Ephraim, Azariah Ibn Johanan, Berechiah Ibn Meshillemoth, and Jehizkiah Ibn Shallum, and Amasa Ibn Hadlai, stood up against those who came from the war, ¹³and said to them, You shall not bring in the captives here: for you purpose that which will bring on us a trespass against Allah, to add to our sins and to our trespass; for our trespass is 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. ¹⁵The men who have been mentioned by name rose up, and took the captives, and with the spoil clothed all who were naked among them, and arrayed them, and shod them, and gave them to eat and to drink, and anointed them, and carried all the feeble of them on donkeys, and brought them to Jericho, the city of palm trees, to their brothers: then they returned to Samaria. ¹⁶At that time did king Ahaz send to the kings of Assyria to help him. ¹⁷For again the Edomites had come and struck Judah, and carried away captives. ¹⁸The Philistines also had invaded the cities of the lowland, and of the South of Judah, and had taken Beth-shemesh, and Aijalon, and Gederoth, and Soco with its towns, and Timnah with its towns, Gimzo also and its towns: and they lived there. ¹⁹For Allah brought Judah low because of Ahaz king of Israel; for he had dealt wantonly in Judah, and trespassed severely against Allah. ²⁰Tilgath Pilneser king of Assyria came to him, and distressed him, but did not strengthen him. ²¹For Ahaz took away a portion out of the house of Allah, and out of the house of the king and of the princes, and gave it to the king of Assyria: but it did not help him. ²²In the time of his distress did he trespass yet more against Allah, this same king Ahaz. ²³For he sacrificed to the gods of Damascus, which struck him; and he said, Because the gods of the kings of Syria helped them, therefore will I sacrifice to them, that they may help me. But they were the ruin of him, and of all Israel. ²⁴Ahaz gathered together the vessels of the house of God, and cut in pieces the vessels of the house of God, and shut up the doors of the house of Allah; and he made him altars in every corner of Jerusalem. ²⁵In every city of Judah he made high places to burn incense to other gods, and provoked to anger Allah, the God of his fathers. ²⁶Now the rest of his acts, and all his ways, first and last, behold, they are written in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel. ²⁷Ahaz slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city, even in Jerusalem; for they did not bring him into the tombs of the kings of Israel: and Hezekiah his son reigned in his place.