THE SECOND BOOK OF
THE KINGS,
2 Kings 16 ©
Ahaz is an abominable idolater, v. 1, etc. Rezin and Pekah making war against him, he hires Tiglath-pileser against them, 5. He travels to Damascus, and causes an altar to be made at Jerusalem, according to the pattern of the altar, which he saw at Damascus, 10. On which he offers, corrupting the pure worship of God, 12. He dies, and Hezekiah reigns, 20.
IN1 the seventeentha year of Pekah the son of Remaliah Ahaz the son of Jotham king of Judah began to reign.
Twenty years old was Ahaz when he began to reign, and reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem, and did not that which was right in the sight of the LORD his God, like David his father.
But he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, yea,b and made his son to pass 2through the fire, according to the abominations of the heathen, whom the LORD cast out from before the children of Israel.
And he sacrificed and burnt incense in the 3high places, and on the 4hills, and under every green tree.
¶Thenc Rezin king of Syria and Pekah son of Remaliah king of Israel came up to Jerusalem to war: and they besieged Ahaz, 5but could not overcome him.
At that time Rezin king of Syria recovered 6Elath to Syria, and drave the Jews from 7Elath: and the 8Syrians came to Elath, and dwelt there unto this day.
So Ahaz sent messengers to 9Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria, saying, 10I am thy servant and thy son: come up, and save me out of the hand of the king of Syria, and out of the hand of the king of Israel, which rise up against me.
And Ahazd 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 it for a present to the king of Assyria.
And the king of Assyria hearkened unto him: for the king of Assyria went up against Damascus, and took it, and carried the people of 11it captive to 12Kir, and slew Rezin.
¶And king Ahaz went to Damascus 13to meet Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria, and saw 14an altar that was at Damascus: and king Ahaz sent to Urijah the priest the fashion of the altar, and the pattern of it, according to all the workmanship thereof.
And Urijah the priest built an altar according to all that king Ahaz had sent from Damascus: so Urijah the priest made it against king Ahaz came from Damascus.
And when the king was come from Damascus, the king saw the altar: and the king approached to the altar, and 15offered thereon.
And he burnt his burnt offering and his meat offering, and poured his drink offering, and sprinkled the blood of 16his peace offerings, upon 17the altar.
And he brought also the 18brasen altar, which was 19before the LORD, 20from the forefront of the house, from between the altar and the house of the LORD, and put it on the 21north side of the altar.
And king Ahaz commanded Urijah the priest, saying, Upon the 22great altar burn the morning burnt offering, and the evening meat offering, and the king's burnt sacrifice, and his meat offering, with the burnt offering of all the people of the land, and their meat offering, and their drink offerings; and sprinkle upon it all the blood of the burnt offering, and all the blood of the sacrifice: and the brasen altar shall be for me 23to enquire by.
Thus 24did Urijah the priest, according to all that king Ahaz commanded.
¶And king Ahaz cut off thee25borders of the 26bases, and removed the 27laver from off them; and took down the 28sea from off the 29brasen oxen that were under it, and put it upon a pavement of stones.
And the 30covert for the sabbath that they had built in the house, and the king’s entry 31without, 32turned he from the house of the LORD 33for the king of Assyria.
¶Now the rest of the acts of Ahaz which he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?
And Ahaz slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the 34city of David: and Hezekiah his son reigned in his stead.