2 Kings 16

1 In the seventeenth year of Pekah son of Remaliah, Ahaz son of Jotham king of Judah became king. [a] 2 Ahaz was twenty years old when he became king, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. And he did not do faithfully what was right in the eyes of the Lord his God, as David his father had done. 3 He walked in the way of Jeroboam son of Nebat king of Israel, and he even passed his own son through the fire, following the detestable things of the nations the Lord had driven out from before the children of Israel. [b] 4 And he sacrificed and burned incense on the high places, and on the hills, and under every leafy tree.

5 Then Rezin king of Aram and Pekah son of Remaliah king of Israel went up to Jerusalem to make war, and they laid siege to Ahaz, and they were not able to fight. [d] 6 At that time Rezin king of Aram took Elath back for Aram and drove the Jews out of Elath; and Edomites came to Elath and have lived there to this day. [f]

7 And Ahaz sent messengers to Tiglath-pileser king of the Assyrians, saying, “I am your slave and your son. Come up and save me out of the hand of the king of Aram and out of the hand of the king of Israel, who are rising up against me.” [g] 8 And Ahaz took the silver and the gold that was found in the treasuries of the house of the Lord and of the king’s house, and he sent gifts to the king. 9 And the king of the Assyrians listened to him. The king of the Assyrians went up to Damascus and seized it and carried its people away, and he put Rezin to death. †

10 And King Ahaz went to Damascus to meet Tiglath-pileser king of the Assyrians. And he saw the altar at Damascus, and King Ahaz sent Uriah the priest a copy of the altar, and its proportions, for all its workmanship. 11 And Uriah the priest built the altar, according to everything King Ahaz sent from Damascus. 12 And the king saw the altar, and he went up on it 13 and sent up in smoke his whole burnt offering and his sacrifice and his drink offering, and he poured out the blood of his peaceable offerings on the altar. [i] 14 And the bronze altar that was before the Lord — he brought it forward from the front of the house of the Lord, from between the altar and the house of the Lord, and he set it at the side of the altar, to the north. [k]

15 And King Ahaz gave Uriah the priest his orders. He said, “On the great altar bring up the morning whole burnt offering and the evening sacrifice, and the king’s whole burnt offering and his sacrifice, and the whole burnt offering of all the people and their sacrifice and their drink offering; and you are to pour on it all the blood of the whole burnt offering and all the blood of the sacrifice. And the bronze altar will be mine, for the morning.” [l] 16 And Uriah the priest did according to everything King Ahaz commanded him.

17 And King Ahaz cut off the panels of the stands and took the basin off them; and he brought the sea down from the bronze oxen that were under it and set it on a stone base. [m] 18 And he built the foundation of the seat in the house of the Lord, and he turned the king’s outer entrance around inside the house of the Lord, because of the king of the Assyrians. [n]

19 And the rest of the acts of Ahaz, everything he did — are they not written in the book of the daily record of the kings of Judah? [o] 20 And Ahaz rested with his fathers and was buried in the city of David, and Hezekiah his son reigned in his place. [p]