2 Chronicles 28

Modern

Literal

Ahaz Reigns in Judah

¹Ahaz was twenty years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem sixteen years. And unlike David his father, he did not do what was right in the eyes of the LORD.

¹Ahaz was a son of twenty years in his reigning, and sixteen years he reigned in Jerusalem. And he did not do right in the eyes of YHWH, as David his father.

²Instead, he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel and even made cast images of the Baals.

²For he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, and he made images for the Baals.

³Moreover, Ahaz burned incense in the Valley of Ben-hinnom and sacrificed his sons in the fire,^a according to the abominations of the nations that the LORD had driven out before the Israelites.

³And he burned incense in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, and he burned his sons in the fire according to the abominations of the nations whom YHWH had cast out before the sons of Israel.

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

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

Aram Defeats Judah

⁵So the LORD his God delivered Ahaz into the hand of the king of Aram, who attacked him and took many captives to Damascus.

Ahaz was also delivered into the hand of the king of Israel, who struck him with great force.

⁵And YHWH his God gave him into the hand of the king of Aram, and they defeated him and carried away a great number of them as captives, and they brought them in to Damascus. And also into the hand of the king of Israel he was delivered, and he struck him with a great slaughter.

⁶For in one day Pekah son of Remaliah killed 120,000 valiant men in Judah. This happened because they had forsaken the LORD, the God of their fathers.

⁶And Pekah son of Remaliah killed in Judah a hundred and twenty thousand in one day—all sons of valor—because they had forsaken YHWH, God of their fathers.

⁷Zichri, a mighty man of Ephraim, killed Maaseiah the son of the king, Azrikam the governor of the palace, and Elkanah the second to the king.

⁷And Zichri, a mighty man of Ephraim, killed Maaseiah the son of the king, and Azrikam the officer over the house, and Elkanah the second to the king.

⁸Then the Israelites took 200,000 captives from their kinsmen—women, sons, and daughters. They also carried off a great deal of plunder and brought it to Samaria.

⁸And the sons of Israel removed from their brothers two hundred thousand women, sons, and daughters. And also they took away from them much plunder, and they brought in the spoil to Samaria.

⁹But a prophet of the LORD named Oded was there, and he went out to meet the army that returned to Samaria. “Look,” he said to them, “because of His wrath against Judah, the LORD, the God of your fathers, has delivered them into your hand. But you have slaughtered them in a rage that reaches up to heaven.

⁹And there was a prophet of YHWH (Oded his name), and he went out before the army that came in to Samaria, and he said to them, “Behold, in the fury of YHWH, God of your fathers, against Judah, He has delivered them into your hands. And you have killed them in a rage—it reaches up to the heavens.

¹⁰And now you intend to reduce to slavery the men and women of Judah and Jerusalem. But are you not also guilty before the LORD your God?

¹⁰And now the sons of Judah and Jerusalem you propose to subdue for menservants and for maidservants unto you. Is there not also unto you yourselves guilt before YHWH your God?

¹¹Now therefore, listen to me and return the captives you took from your kinsmen, for the fierce anger of the LORD is upon you.”

¹¹And now, hear me and return the captives whom you have taken captive from your brothers, for the heat of the anger of YHWH is upon you.”

¹²Then some of the leaders of the Ephraimites—^aAzariah son of Jehohanan, Berechiah son of Meshillemoth,^b Jehizkiah son of Shallum, and Amasa son of Hadlai—stood in opposition to those arriving from the war.

¹²And some of the heads of the sons of Ephraim—Azariah son of Jehohanan, Berechiah son of Meshillemoth, and Hezekiah son of Shallum, and Amasa son of Hadlai—stood up against those coming in from the host,

¹³“You must not bring the captives here,” they said, “for you are proposing to bring guilt upon us from the LORD and to add to our sins and our guilt. For our guilt is great, and fierce anger is upon Israel.”

¹³and they said to them, “You shall not bring the captives here, for guilt against YHWH is upon us; you are saying to add to our sins and to our guilt. For great is the guilt unto us, and the burning of anger is upon Israel.”

¹⁴So the armed men left the captives and the plunder before the leaders and all the assembly.

¹⁴The armed ones left the captives and the spoil before the leaders and all the assembly.

¹⁵Then the men who were designated by name arose, took charge of the captives, and provided from the plunder clothing for the naked. They clothed them, gave them sandals and food and drink, anointed their wounds, and put all the feeble on donkeys. So they brought them to Jericho, the City of Palms, to their brothers. Then they returned to Samaria.

¹⁵And the men who were marked by name rose up and took charge of the captives, and all their naked ones they clothed from the plunder, and they clothed them, and gave them sandals, and gave them food and drink, and anointed them, and they let ride on donkeys all the feeble ones. And they brought them in to Jericho, the City of Palms, near their brothers. And they returned to Samaria.

The Idolatry of Ahaz

¹⁶At that time King Ahaz sent for help from the king^a of Assyria.

¹⁶At that time King Ahaz sent to the king of Assyria to help him.

¹⁷The Edomites had again come and attacked Judah and carried away captives.

¹⁷And again the Edomites had come and struck Judah and carried away captives.

¹⁸The Philistines had also raided the cities of the foothills^a and the Negev of Judah, capturing and occupying Beth-shemesh, Aijalon, and Gederoth, as well as Soco, Timnah, and Gimzo with their villages.

¹⁸And the Philistines had raided the cities of the Shephelah and of the Negev of Judah, and they captured Beth-shemesh, and Aijalon, and Gederoth, and Sochoh and its villages, and Timnah and its villages, and Gimzo and its villages. And they dwelt there.

¹⁹For the LORD humbled Judah because Ahaz king of Israel^a had thrown off restraint in Judah and had been most unfaithful to the LORD.

¹⁹For YHWH humbled Judah because of Ahaz king of Israel, for he had thrown off restraint in Judah and acted unfaithfully—an unfaithfulness—against YHWH.

²⁰Then Tiglath-pileser^a king of Assyria came to Ahaz but afflicted him rather than strengthening him.

²⁰And Tiglath-pilneser king of Assyria came to him, and distressed him, and he did not strengthen him.

²¹Although Ahaz had taken a portion from the house of the LORD, from the royal palace, and from the princes and had presented it to the king of Assyria, it did not help him.

²¹For Ahaz had taken a portion from the house of YHWH, and from the house of the king, and from the leaders, and he gave it to the king of Assyria and did not help him.

²²In the time of his distress, King Ahaz became even more unfaithful to the LORD.

²²And in the time of distress to him he added to act faithlessly against YHWH (this was King Ahaz).

²³He sacrificed to the gods of Damascus, who had defeated him, and he said, “Because the gods of the kings of Aram have helped them, I will sacrifice to them that they may help me.” But these gods were the downfall of Ahaz and of all Israel.

²³And he sacrificed to the gods of Damascus, those striking him, and he said, “Because the gods of the kings of Aram are helping them, I will sacrifice to them, that they may help me.” And they were the cause of stumbling of him and of all Israel.

²⁴Then Ahaz gathered up the articles of the house of God, cut them into pieces, shut the doors of the house of the LORD, and set up altars of his own on every street corner in Jerusalem.

²⁴And Ahaz gathered the articles of the house of God, and he cut in pieces the articles of the house of God, and he shut up the doors of the house of YHWH, and he made for himself altars in every corner of Jerusalem.

²⁵In every city of Judah he built high places to offer incense to other gods, and so he provoked the LORD, the God of his fathers.

²⁵And in every city and city of Judah, he made high places to burn incense to other gods, and provoked to anger YHWH, God of his fathers.

²⁶As for the rest of the acts of Ahaz and all his ways, from beginning to end, they are indeed written in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel.

²⁶And the rest of his acts and all his ways, from the first to the last, behold, they are written in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel.

²⁷And Ahaz rested with his fathers and was buried in the city of Jerusalem, but he was not placed in the tombs of the kings of Israel. And his son Hezekiah reigned in his place.

²⁷And Ahaz rested with his fathers, and they buried him in the city, in Jerusalem; but they did not bring him into the tombs of the kings of Israel. And Hezekiah his son reigned in his place.