28:1 Ahaz was 20 years old when he began to reign, and he reigned for 16 years in Jerusalem. He did not do what pleased the LORD, in contrast to his ancestor David.¹ 28:2 He followed in the footsteps of² the kings of Israel; he also made images of the Baals. 28:3 He offered sacrifices in the Valley of Ben Hinnom and passed his sons through the fire,³ a horrible sin practiced by the nations⁴ whom the LORD drove out from before the Israelites. 28:4 He offered sacrifices and burned incense on the high places, on the hills, and under every green tree.

28:5 The LORD his God handed him over to the king of Syria. They Syrians⁵ defeated him and deported many captives to Damascus.⁶ He was also handed over to the king of Israel, who thoroughly defeated him.⁷ 28:6 In one day Pekah son of Remaliah, king of Israel, killed 120,000 warriors in Judah, because they had abandoned the LORD God of their ancestors. 28:7 Zichri, an Ephraimite warrior, killed the king’s son Maaseiah, Azrikam, the supervisor of the palace, and Elkanah, the king’s second-in-command. 28:8 The Israelites seized from their brothers 200,000 wives, sons and daughters. They also carried off a huge amount of loot and took it⁸ back to Samaria.

28:9 Oded, a prophet of the LORD, was there. He went to meet the army as they arrived in Samaria and said to them: “Look, because the LORD God of your ancestors was angry with Judah he handed them over to you. You have so mercilessly killed them that God has taken notice.⁹ 28:10 And now you are planning¹⁰ to enslave¹¹ the people¹² of Judah and Jerusalem. Yet are you not also guilty before the LORD your God? 28:11 Now listen to me! Send back those you have seized from your brothers, for the LORD is very angry at you!”¹³ 28:12 So some of¹⁴ the Ephraimite family leaders, Azariah son of Jehochanan, Berechiah son of Meshillemoth, Jechizkiah son of Shallum and Amasa son of Hadlai confronted¹⁵ those returning from the battle. 28:13 They said to them, “Don’t bring those captives here! Are you planning on making us even more sinful and guilty before the LORD?¹⁶ Our guilt is already great and the LORD is very angry at Israel.”¹⁷ 28:14 So the soldiers released the captives and the loot before the officials and the entire assembly. 28:15 Men were assigned to take the prisoners and find clothes among the loot for those who were naked.¹⁸ So they clothed them, supplied them with sandals, gave them food and drink, and provided them with oil to rub on their skin.¹⁹ They put the ones who couldn’t walk on donkeys.²⁰ They brought them back to their brothers at Jericho, the city of the date-palm trees, and then returned to Samaria.

28:16 At that time King Ahaz asked the king²¹ of Assyria for help. 28:17 The Edomites had again invaded and defeated Judah and carried off captives. 28:18 The Philistines had raided the cities of Judah in the lowlands²² and Negev. They captured and settled in Beth Shemesh, Aijalon, Gederoth, Socho and its surrounding towns, Timnah and its surrounding towns, and Gimzo and its surrounding towns. 28:19 The LORD humiliated²³ Judah because of Ahaz king of Israel, for he encouraged Judah to sin and was very²⁴ unfaithful to the LORD. 28:20 Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria came, but he gave him more trouble than support.²⁵ 28:21 Ahaz gathered riches²⁶ from the LORD’s temple, the royal palace and the officials and gave them to the king of Assyria, but that didn’t help.

28:22 During his time of trouble King Ahaz was even more unfaithful to the LORD. 28:23 He offered sacrifices to the gods of Damascus whom he thought had defeated him.²⁷ He reasoned,²⁸ “Since the gods of the kings of Damascus help them, I will sacrifice to them so they will help me.” But they caused him and all Israel to stumble. 28:24 Ahaz gathered the items in God’s temple removed them. He shut the doors of the LORD’s temple and erected altars on every street corner in Jerusalem. 28:25 In every city throughout Judah he set up high places to offer sacrifices to other gods. He angered the LORD God of his ancestors.

28:26 The rest of the events of Ahaz’s reign, including his accomplishments from start to finish, are recorded in the scroll of the kings of Judah and Israel.²⁹ 28:27 Ahaz passed away³⁰ and was buried in the city of David; they did not bring him to the tombs of the kings of Israel. His son Hezekiah replaced him as king.