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¹ Ahaz was a son of twenty years when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem; and he did not do the right in the eyes of Jehovah, as his father David,² but walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, and also made casted images for the Baals.³ And he himself burned incense in the valley of the son of Hinnom, and burned his sons in the fire, according to the abominations of the nations that Jehovah drove out from before the sons of Israel;⁴ and sacrificed and burned incense in the high places, and on the heights, and under every green tree.⁵ And Jehovah his God gave him into the hand of the king of Syria, and they struck him, and captured from him a great captivity, and brought them to Damascus. And he also was given into the handof the king of Israel, and he struck himwith a great destruction.

⁶ And Pekah the son of Remaliah killed a hundred and twenty thousand in Judah in one day, all sons of valor, because they had forsaken Jehovah, the God of their fathers.⁷ And Zichri, a mighty one of Ephraim, killed Maaseiah the son of the king, and Azrikam the leader of the house, and Elkanah, second to the king.⁸ And the sons of Israel captured two hundred thousand of their brothers, wives, sons and daughters, and also they seized from them much spoil, and they brought the spoil to Samaria.⁹ And a prophet of Jehovah was there, Oded his name; and he went out before the army that had come in to Samaria, and said to them, Behold, in the fury of Jehovah, the God of your fathers, against Judah, He has given them into your hand, and youhave slain among them in rage. It has touched to the heavens.¹⁰ And now you are planning to tread down the sons of Judah and Jerusalem for male slaves, and for girl slaves to yourselves; but are not with you causes of guilt, solely yours, before Jehovah your God?¹¹ And now, hear me, and return the captives you have seized from your brothers, for the heat of the anger of Jehovah is on you.¹² And men of the leaders of the Ephraimites: Azariah the son of Johanan, Berechiah, Meshillemoth's son, and Jehizkiah the son of Shallum, and Amasa the son of Hadlai, rose up against those coming in from the army.¹³ And they said to them, You shall not bring the captives here, for guilt against Jehovah is on us; you are planning to add to our sin and to our guilt, for plenty of guilt is ours, and the glow of anger on Israel.¹⁴ And the armed men left the captives and the spoil before the leaders and all the congregation.¹⁵ And the men who had been called by name rose and took the captives, and they clothed all the naked ones from the plunder; yea, they clothed them and shod them, and made them eat and drink, and anointed them, and led them out on asses, even every feeble one, and brought them to Jericho, the city of palms, near their brothers, and returned to Samaria.

¹⁶ At that time King Ahaz sent to the king of Assyria to help him.¹⁷ And again the Edomites had come and struck Judah, and had seized a captivity.¹⁸ And the Philistines had raided against the cities of the low country, and of the south of Judah, and captured Beth-shemesh and Aijalon, and Gederoth, and Shocho and its daughter villages, and Timnah and its daughter villages, and Gimzo and its daughter villages, and dwelt there.¹⁹ For Jehovah had humbled Judah because of Ahaz the king of Israel, for he loosed immorality in Judah, and deceiving, they betrayed Jehovah.²⁰ And Tilgathpilneser the king of Assyria came against him and distressed him, but did not help him,²¹ though Ahaz had taken a lot from the house of Jehovah and from the house of the king, and from the rulers, and had given to the king of Assyria, and it was not for help to him.²² And in the time of his distressing he added to act slyly against Jehovah, this King Ahaz.²³ And he sacrificed to the gods of Damascus who had struck him, and said, Because the gods of the kings of Syria are helping them, I will sacrifice to them that they may help me. But they were to cause him and all Israel to stumble.²⁴ And Ahaz gathered all the utensils of the house of God, and he cut up the utensils of the house of God and shut the doors of the house of Jehovah. And he made altars for himself in every corner of Jerusalem.²⁵ And in every city, even the cities of Judah, he made high places to burn incense to other gods, and angered Jehovah the God of his fathers.²⁶ And the rest of his acts, and all his ways, the first and the last, behold, they are written in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel.²⁷ And Ahaz lay with his fathers, and they buried him in the city, in Jerusalem, but did not bring him to the graves of the kings of Israel. And his son Hezekiah reigned in his place.